Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest

Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park. From Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest, deluxe edition. All photographs copyright 2008 Jon Ortner. Published by Welcome Books.

Sweeping panoramas, fluted slot canyons and fossilized sand dunes are among the subjects that Jon Ortner brings into focus with Canyon Wilderness of the Southwest, an expansive coffee table book.

What makes this book different than any other on the same topic? Well, for starters there's a limited run of just 5,000 copies, and Canyon Wilderness is priced at $195. That might seem a hefty price for a book of photographs, but this is not your typical book. Larger than most books to start with at 16 inches by 12 inches, Canyon Wilderness features 10 gate-folds that open to four feet. And, of course, each copy is numbered and signed by Mr. Ortner.

To assemble Canyon Wilderness Mr. Ortner traveled to more than 50 locations across the Colorado Plateau. He visited national parks, national monuments, state parks, wilderness areas, Bureau of Land Management landscapes, and Native American tribal lands. Into the book he placed more than 200 photographs, including 75 panoramas.

Accompanying text panels provide notes that provide some insights into how the photographer chose his subjects as well as some geologic and even historic perspective of the sites.

National park settings that made it into this book include shots of the Peek-a-Boo Loop Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park, a bristlecone pine near Rainbow Point in Bryce Canyon, Clear Creek Canyon in Zion National Park, Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, the Egyptian Temple in Capitol Reef National Park, and Jericho Canyon from Point Supreme in Cedar Breaks National Monument.

The book, published by Welcome Books, is scheduled to go on sale in October.