The University of Arizona Press

Most people would not think of it as a desert, but the Grand Canyon of the Colorado is most assuredly that. With its towering walls barely lapped by the river, the canyon at its floor is a desert place unto itself. Ann Zwinger, a master of exposing the heart of the wild world, plumbs the very soul of this majestic place, exploring the deserts along the Colorado’s banks in order to examine things that often go unnoticed against a backdrop of overwhelming grandeur. Whether drawing our attention to a newly unfurled evening primrose, a ladybug at work on a leaf full of aphids, or the amazing appearance of a humpback chub slipping through the water like a pewter ghost, she opens a new window on the Canyon at river level to show us that small things of overpowering beauty can be found in a place whose intrinsic splendor is nothing less than staggering. Michael Collier’s photographs also offer readers a view of the Canyon that may surprise anyone accustomed to more panoramic perspectives. Here are dramatic and mysterious images of not only rocks and rapids but also the intimate manifestations of nature that Zwinger describes. And for those who have never rafted the Colorado, Collier’s dramatic photographs are the next best thing. Grand Canyon: Little Things in a Big Place is a book that will appeal equally to first-time Canyon visitors and long-time Zwinger and Collier fans—a book to return to time and again to contemplate the beauty of this timeless place.