This remarkable book, a companion to the acclaimed Discovery Channel/ BBC series, is an enduring and awe-inspiring record of one of the most ambitious natural history projects ever undertaken. Using state-of-the-art cameras and technology, more than 400 stunning photographs are featured. University of California Press

Alastair Fothergill is the series producer of Planet Earth and the director of Earth, the associated feature film. He studied zoology at the University of Durham and made his first film, on the Okavango, while still a student. Fothergill joined BBC Natural History United in 1983, working on The Really Wild Show, Wildlife on One, and the series The Trials of Life. He was appointed head of the unit in 1992, and during his tenure he produced the award-winning series Life in the Freezer. In 1998, he produced the hugely successful series The Blue Planet. He has also presented several television programs, including The Abyss, and is the author of three books.