In 1941 Ansel Adams was hired by the United States Department of the Interior to photograph America's national parks for a series of murals that would celebrate the country's natural heritage. Because of the escalation of World War II, the project was suspended after less than a year, but not before Adams had produced this group of breathtaking images, which illustrate both his early innovations and the shape of his later, legendary career as America's foremost landscape photographer.

The invitation to photograph the nation's parklands was the perfect assignment for Adams, as it allowed him to express his deepest convictions as artist, conservationist, and citizen. These stunning photographs of the natural geysers and terraces in Yellowstone, the rocks and ravines in the Grand Canyon, the winding rivers and majestic mountains in Glacier and Grand Teton national parks, the mysterious Carlsbad Caverns, the architecture of ancient Indian villages, and many other evocative views of the American West demonstrate the genius of Adams' technical and aesthetic inventiveness.

In these glorious, seminal images we see the inspired reverence for the wilderness that has made Ansel Adams' work a most enduring influence on the intertwining spirits of art and environmentalism, both so necessary for the preservation of our natural world.

A CD featuring music from the PBS special, "Tim Janis: An American Composer in Concert" completes this new edition. With over one million albums sold worldwide, Tim Janis, known for his music's powerful evocation of the wonders of nature, is one of America's most beloved and accomplished young composers. Performed by the American Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Janis himself, massive orchestral climaxes leading to sweet, passionate melodies unfold in tone poems ranging from "White Mountains" to "Half Moon Bay," to all inspired by the same reverence for nature so movingly expressed in the photographs of Ansel Adams.

Other Details: 125 duotone illustrations, packaged with music CD