Emma Howard

This 191 page book is filled with attractive, color photographs of Ireland. The photos focus on scenic views of natural vistas: pastures, bogs, and seacoasts, along with ruined castles, abandoned monasteries, ancient cemeteries, statues and monuments, and old ships. Very few show anything but a rural environment (and only a couple show any human figures), which makes for an attractive book but one not entirely representative of Ireland.

The photos are organized regionally by county, and those are listed alphabetically; as a result, in reading the pages in order, the reader seemingly skips around the country at random. Furthermore, no map is included; thus, a reader not highly familiar with Ireland will be unable to tell where in the country they are. The overall impression is of a beautiful, historic land, but one devoid of people, and whose attractions all reflect the distant past. Nine partial- pages of text recount Irish history.… (more)