AUSTRALIA FLYING HIGH. (K. D. FRANCKE)

Australia is the world's smallest continent but the world's largest island, unsurpassed in its diversity of cultures and natural wonders. Aerial photographer Klaus D. Francke invites readers to explore this vast and beautiful land through this superb collection of bird's-eye photographs that spotlight Australia's fascinating contrasts. He spent close to 200 flying hours-and countless more waiting for the wind to calm and the sun to strike the right angle-to capture the images in this book. The result is a spectacular portfolio of pictures that give us a rare glimpse of Australia's complex beauty. This book transports readers to the remote reaches of this country: from the boundless expanses of the Outback to the incomparable sapphire blue of the Great Barrier Reef. Readers experience the heat of scorching deserts dominated by rocks of bizarre shapes and otherworldy colors, dive into bountiful waterfalls and salt lakes, and encounter exotic animals and futuristic cities. They also evoke the idiosyncratic personality of each of the country's major cities, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide, which, when viewed from above, are all the more compelling.