The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's \ by Hampton Sides


The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's \
Title : The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's \
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0393323986
ISBN-10 : 9780393323986
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 96
Publication : First published November 4, 2002

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 of an outdoor life—the comic circumstances of relatively tame mammals (us) spending more and more time closer and closer to large, wild animals. These images are a rare chance to look into the wide world outside and laugh at both ourselves and that infinitely wondrous, entertaining three-ring circus we call the universe.

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

  • Book Concierge

    Introduction by Hampton Sides
    3***

    The full title and subtitle is all the synopsis you need: The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's "Parting Shots"

    I thought this would be interesting to look at, but I was not so intrigued by many of the pictures. Some look obviously staged to me, not the happy coincidence that Sides touts in his introduction. Still, many of these photographs are truly marvelous. I particularly liked the shot “Above Chamonix, France” by Monica Dalmasso of Stone. It took me a few moments to find the “hook” in this photo and it’s a doozy. (Or should I say “dizzy” … because that’s the feeling I got.)

    All told, it’s a nice treat and a way to spend a few minutes on a snowy day indoors.

  • Christina

    A collection of photos published as the last page of page of Outside magazine. I’ve never read Outside, but I did notice that often my favorite essays in collections of travel essays were published by it. That’s why I went looking for books they published and came across this.

    They’re solid photos, some seem a bit too set up to really be funny, I could imagine the photographer posing the person just so. Others are clearly right place and right time, and the photographer spotted it. Or it was perfectly timed extreme sport shot that often seem impossible. I particularly liked the animal shots. But overall, I found this just okay. I think these photos may work better as standalone images as originally published than in a collection. But it was still worth looking through.

  • Amber

    Some very cool photos a quick read but over all not a kinda book to keep. loan it from your library.

  • Lafcadio<span class=

    These are some amazing photographs, all of them are funny or interesting.

  • Jenn

    Beautiful and intriguing photos!!!