Treasured Lands - 3rd Edition (Hardcover)

About the Book

"QT Luong has updated and expanded his national parks book by adding 28 more pages, 32 new locations, and revising all the maps. Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National Parks pays tribute to the millions of acres of protected wilderness and historical heritage in all our country's 62 national parks, including the three designated since the award-winning first edition was published in 2016 and became an instant classic. Luong, who is featured in Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan's documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, is the most prolific and versatile photographer working in the national parks today and the only one to have made large-format photographs in each of America's 62 parks. In an odyssey that spanned more than a quarter century and 300 visits, Luong ventured through each park with cameras at the ready, capturing the majesty and unique beauty of the nation's preserved habitats. From canyons and deserts to glaciers and reefs, the photographer focused his lenses on spectacular iconic landscapes and rarely seen remote spots, presenting his journey in this sumptuous gallery of more than 600 breathtaking images that are so sharp and have so much detail, they are the next best thing to being there. Accompanying this collection of scenic masterpieces is a comprehensive guide that includes a map for each park that indicates where the images were shot, as well as extended captions that detail the images' orientations and lighting, along with pertinent facts on the parks' geography and natural history. Designed to inspire outdoor adventurers to visit the parks and invite photographers to re-create these landscapes through their own lenses, the guide also provides anecdotal observations that give context to the pictures and convey the sheer scope of Luong's extraordinary odyssey. Including an introduction by award-winning author and documentary filmmaker Dayton Duncan, Treasured Lands is a rich visual tour of the US National Parks and an invaluable guide from a photographer who hiked (and sometimes paddled, dived, skied, snowshoed, or climbed) each park, shooting in all kinds of terrain, through all seasons, and at all times of day and night. QT Luong's timeless gallery of the nation's most revered landscapes beckons to nature lovers, armchair travelers, and photography enthusiasts alike, keeping America's natural wonders ever within reach."--Publisher's website.

Book Synopsis

Give the gift of the National Parks with this beautiful coffee table book: the most complete photography book about all the 63 US National Parks, and the only one with location notes for each photograph. Winner of 12 national and international awards.

Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America's National Parks pays tribute to the millions of acres of protected wilderness and historical heritage in all our country's 63 national parks, including the four designated since the award-winning first edition was published in 2016 and became an instant classic.

Luong, who was honored with the National Parks Conservation Association's Robin W. Winks Award for Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks and featured in Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan's documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, is the most prolific photographer working in the national parks and the only one to have made large-format photographs in each of them. In an odyssey that spanned more than a quarter century and 300 visits, Luong focused his lenses on iconic landscapes and rarely seen remote views, presenting his journey in this sumptuous array of more than 600 breathtaking images.

Accompanying the collection of scenic masterpieces is a guide that includes maps of each park, as well as extended captions that detail where and how the photographs were made. Designed to inspire visitors to connect with the parks and invite photographers to re-create these landscapes, the guide also provides anecdotal observations that give context to the pictures and convey the sheer scope of Luong's extraordinary odyssey.

Including a foreword by author and documentary filmmaker Dayton Duncan, Treasured Lands is a rich visual tour of the U.S. National Parks and an invaluable guide from a photographer who hiked-or paddled, dived, skied, snowshoed, and climbed-each park, shooting in all kinds of terrain, in all seasons, and at all times of day. QT Luong's timeless gallery of the nation's most revered landscapes beckons to nature lovers, armchair travelers, and photography enthusiasts alike, keeping America's natural wonders within reach.--QT Luong

From the Back Cover

It is not as if our exquisite National Parks need any help in the beauty department, but Luong's revelatory photographs suggest that our ordinary equipment for seeing is missing something. Luong offers us a leg up to a new way of understanding Nature's greatest gifts.--Ken Burns

Review Quotes

Editorial Reviews for the First Edition

"The centennial of the National Park Service has been the occasion of . . . many books. The most glorious of these is Treasured Lands . . . No one has captured the vast beauty of America's landscape as comprehensively . . . In his extensive captions, Luong comes through as a generous, thoughtful guide." -- Dominique Browning, The New York Times

"The book not only serves as a marvelous example of what this talented photographer has accomplished after many years exploring some of the most beautiful places in America, but it also acts as a guide for his fellow photographers who may want to travel to the parks too. It's a must-have for fans of landscape photography in particular and lovers of the National Parks in general." -- William Sawalich, Outdoor Photographer Magazine

"Treasured Lands is the single-most monumental literary achievement during a year that brimmed with words and pictures dedicated to the centennial of the National Park Service . . . To be sure, it is a visual feast. But it's much more than that, because of its geographic completeness and the attention to detail that only someone who has lived and breathed the parks for a long time could provide . . . Luong's work stands out on the crowded shelves of national park tomes because of the generosity not just of his vision but of his accumulated wisdom." -- Glenn Nelson, High Country News

"This year a geyser of commemorative books has burst onto the market to coincide with the U.S. National Park Service's 100th anniversary, and this is the best of them all . . . If you're a fan of our National Parks and want the best book about them yet to be published, I recommend you beat a path to your bookstore and buy it." -- Jim Barnes, Independent Publisher Magazine

"A unique treat . . . Luong's shots are so luminous that you'll likely be booking a trip soon." -- Alice Cary, BookPage

"An inherently fascinating and consistently compelling volume of superbly produced and presented images. This is one of those rare photographic collections that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself is finished and set back upon the shelf." -- James Cox, Midwest Book Review

Praise for the First Edition

"Treasured Lands is the culmination of a multi-decade effort that showcases the national parks in all their natural splendor and diversity. The work serves as a memorable statement of the importance and value of protecting the parks and an inspiring invitation." -- Will Shafroth, president, National Park Foundation

"In Treasured Lands, Luong shares with us something vastly more than his vision, which is beautiful and uncontrived, and his knowledge, which is considerable; he shares with us hope." -- David Duchemin, author of Within the Frame, founder of Craft & Vision

"Treasured Lands represents an act of commitment, hard work and love for "America's best idea." Images recording 59 National Parks illustrate the biological and geographic diversity that defines our national treasures. QT Luong's images offer an honest and faithful portrait of the land, without the glitz and gonzo colors so prevalent in today's photography. This is a fine collection of images." -- Jack Dykinga, author of A Photographer's Life: A Journey from Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photojournalist to Celebrated Nature Photographer

"QT Luong's Treasured Lands book is a revelation. QT's artistic and encyclopedic collection of photographs stuns and enlightens the viewer with each image's wondrous light, geology, flora, and fauna. His epic journey allows us to breathe in the diverse delights of each and every national park through his meticulously crafted photographs. America's national parks are justly famous for their beautiful landscapes, for the brilliant concept of preserving them for future generations, and Treasured Lands provides the ultimate guide for travelers and photography lovers who cherish them." -- William Neill, photographer, author of Landscapes of the Spirit

"QT Luong's Treasured Lands is the book I would have loved to have when I was dreaming of visiting America's National Parks. Part travel guide and part inspirational photographic opus, it is a complete, yet concise resource to all the parks. I'm enthusiastically recommending Treasured Lands, a seminal and immensely useful book backed by years of research." -- Laurent Martres, author of Photographing the Southwest, publisher of PhotoTripUSA guides

"More than a testament to the beauty of the National Parks, this book is also the life work of a devoted and inspired photographer. QT's images portray not only wonders of land and life, but also express his great reverence and love for the Parks in exquisite compositions, great attention to light, and uncompromising technical excellence. I can think of no better introduction to the Parks and to the great value they possess for the human spirit than seeing them through the eyes of a dedicated naturalist and photographic artist." -- Guy Tal, author of More Than a Rock: Essays on Art, Creativity, Photography, Nature, and Life

"Treasured Lands is a masterwork, showcasing the wonders of our National Parks, along with the incisive and artistic vision of photographer QT Luong. He demonstrates consummate versatility in capturing extraordinary and meaningful images from all 59 Parks. The book also contains valuable information for photographers on how each image was made. This a book that I will savor again and again." -- Charles Cramer, photographer of Yosemite

"QT Luong's National Park images represent a new generation's artful and at times wonderfully different view of our most sacred and beautiful lands. Reseeing the National Parks is a herculean task, but Luong has come through with new ideas, and new ways of portraying and communicating the light and the magic." -- Tom Till, photographer, author of Photographing the World

About the Author

QT Luong, photographer and author, was the first to photograph all 63 U.S. National Parks--in large format. He has been recognized as the recipient of the National Parks Conservation Association's Robin W. Winks Award for Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks and featured in many magazines, major newspapers, and the PBS series "The National Parks: America's Best Idea". Luong's photographs have appeared in hundreds of publications around the world, as well as solo gallery and museum exhibits across America and abroad. QT lives in San Jose, CA with his wife and two children.

Dayton Duncan, author and documentary filmmaker, wrote and co-produced, with Ken Burns, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, for which he won two Emmy Awards and was named honorary park ranger by the director of the National Park Service. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, American Heritage magazine, the Old Farmerʼs Almanac, and many other publications. He is the author of twelve books and has collaborated on Ken Burns's films for twenty years as a writer, producer, and consultant. Dayton lives in Walpole, NH with his family.