Life

As an artist and photographer I was inspired by the beauty captured in the images of Nilsson's book "Life", but as a doctor with some knowledge of the subject, I was intrigued by how amazing the body really is. He has caught certain actions and moments (like conception) that were never seen so clearly before. The electronmicroscopy is astounding! Although this book is almost entirely photographs, without text, everyone who reads or views the book will find a new respect and awe for "Life" and how incredible our bodies are constructed and how we reproduce. This photographic journey is truly inspiring!

As other reviewers have said, the photography is top notch. I will focus my review on the difference between this book and his "classic", A Child Is Born. When I was deciding on my purchase I did not know which book would be better for my purposes, so I hope to shed some light on that for others. This book has beautiful photographs displayed using the whole (rather large) page. It has identifying captions (a typical one is "4 months: the yolk-sac above the embryo") but no descriptive narrative otherwise. The pictures are amazing and many from the fetus/embryo section are duplicates of the photos in A Child Is Born. I think this is a great book if you are an admirer of Nilsson's photography or just interested in the human body and human reproduction. A Child Is Born has narrative describing what happens at each stage of fetal development, accompanied by in-utero photos. It progresses from conception through each stage of fetal and embryonic development. It is a very helpful book to visualize what is happening inside the body of a pregnant woman -- IMHO it is the best pregnancy book out there. Both books are wonderful but for different purposes, you may want both!

Lennart Nilsson took the first image of a living human embryo in the 1960s and stunned the world. Now, Life is an absolutely amazing book of images documenting human life from DNA through fetal development and birth. The second half of the book focuses on the human body, it's organs, tissues the things that eventually threaten life - bacteria and viruses. If this sounds like a series of unappealing images, think again. Nilsson is taking images using a powerful electron microscope and illustrating parts of our world that no one else is doing. And, it is truly beautiful. I highly recommend this book. This would be a very nice gift to expectant parents or tosomeone with a love of photography or science.

The photography in this book is proof positive of the miraculousness of life and the beginning of a human soul. I heartily recommend this book for a deeper look at the creation of a baby and its subsequent growth.

Is the only way to discuss the work of Lennart Nilsson!! The man has put before us some of the most amazing photography. This book takes an entire new look at the human body from the day of conception through one of the most spectacular journeys one could ever take. Forgot the deep sea, forget deep space. Take yourself deep inside the human body and discover 300+ pages of sheer brilliance. ABSOLUTELY AWESOME !!