By National Geographic photographers
304 pages; National Geographic

The soft kiss of light in the heart of a cloud forest. The liquid grace of a stingray. A rescue plane descending into a forgotten land. To create the stunningly original new book Visions of Paradise, National Geographic asked photographers to frame moments of wonder when time seemed to melt away, revealing the great and fragile beauty of our world. Enriching many of the images are the artists' voices telling of their profound connection with nature and of our shared responsibility to preserve it. "We have choices to make every day," says photographer Maggie Steber, "good choices and bad choices. Those are the choices between heaven and hell."

— Cathleen Medwick