Rickmansworth: Evans Mitchell Books, 2008. Octavo, paperback, colour photographs.

Wildlife Monographs, a series of fabulous, full-colour books led by stunning photographic images with fresh, informative and vivid new text charting our favourite wild animals on their home terrain. The first eight volumes in the series track the lives of elephants, cheetahs, sharks, leopards, giant pandas, polar bears, penguins and monkeys of the Amazon. The spellbinding, intimate images captured by some of the worlds premier wildlife photographers breathe with vivid insight and a shared sense of being there, being closer than most of us can ever hope to be. With bright, easy to read and compelling text that successfully combines fascinating information with accessibility, these are books to give as gifts, to treasure and to share across every age from eight to eighty. Here's a glimpse of some of the worlds increasingly rare and endangered species, captured on camera in their natural habitats. If we aren't careful, they may not be there for much longer, and each volume is also a plea for protection, backed by leading campaigners. Up to three metres high and 770 kg in weight, polar bears can still run at up to 40 mph in short bursts.