The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's Parting Shots

Short of near disaster or the sublime, what are our most memorable outdoor moments made of? The totally surprising, sometimes bizarre oddball moments that catch our psyches off guard and strike our funny bones to the core. Call it the wild side factor. The editors of Outside proudly present outstanding images gleaned from 300 issues of their back-page "Parting Shots" photo feature. It's their way of celebrating the pratfalls and singular coincidences...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393323986
• ISBN13: 9780393323986
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Epic laughs ensue

This is a collection of photos from the "Parting Shot" page of Outside Magazine. Each of the photos is real, and works with the themes of Outside Magazine. (It's an outdoor adventure magazine. So expect extreme sports, animals, and a quirky look at stuff.) Even if you never look at Outside Magazine, and even if you'll never think of yourself as an outdoor adventurer, these are wonderful pictures. Visitors grab it and giggle just as they do with our collection of Charles Addams cartoons -- and for much the same reason. These photographs run the gamut from beautiful to frightening to charming, but most are laugh-out-loud funny. The reprints are a high enough quality that you can count on leaving this book out for years of enjoyment. Bring a smile to your face, and look at this book. Give a smile, and show someone else this book.

Captivating Moments of Beauty and Silliness

'The Polar Bear Waltz' is a wonderful book taken from the best of the popular "Parting Shot" feature in 'Outside' magazine, which monthly showcases a wild, wonderful, beautiful, funny, or just plain quirky shot taken by a top rate nature photographer. The book contains a brief introduction and the remainder is the beautiful photographs, with photography information yet no captions to allow the reader to mentally construct their own. The photos are breathtaking, many involving animals, many human interest shots, or even an occasional landscape. My favorites have to be the 'polar bear waltz' photo by Frans Lanting in Hudson Bay, Canada (p.77), the 'smiling saguaro' by Joe McDonald taken in Arizona (p. 79), the 'north pole' shot by Per Breihagen (pp. 72-73), and the 'whimsical ostrich' shot by Kevin Horan taken in Addington, Oklahoma (p.45). All of the shots in this book are great, but perhaps the most touching is the photo from Mount Elbert, Colorado by Dave Showalter on September 16, 2001 (p.96), surely one of the most inspiring photographs I have ever seen. This is a beautiful and affordable book of some of the most truly amazing and stunning, sometimes playful, sometimes serious, but always magnificent photographs that I have ever seen. I recommend it to anyone.

Great pictures, and funny too

I bought this book for my brother for Christmas. After he opened it, it went around the whole house and everyone loved the pictures. This is a great coffee table book and one that can be enjoyed over and over.

How to stuff a wild stocking

Simply a great gift book for anyone who loves wild places, adventure, the absurdity of life, and a good laugh.

Pefect for a Coffee table

If you know anyone who loves a new coffee table book every once in a while, or simply loves photography, this is a great gift! It portrays so many natural ironies that make your mind wonder and wander...so who couldn't appreciate it!?