Reviewed by Kathryn Retzler

ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE, a book comes along that stirs all the senses. “Spirit of the San Juans” is such a book. Renown nature photographer Kathleen Norris Cook presents images so glorious, so true, that the viewer is inexorably drawn into each  photograph. Turn a page and hear the wind whipping through Ponderosa forests, or watch as it flutters millions of tiny golden Aspen leaves. Turn another and smell the snow as it starts to fall, feel the softness as snowflakes brushing against your hair and dampening your skin. Go deeper into the book and wade sparkling streams or newly fallen leaves. Breathe deeply of cold, crisp mountain air tinged with wood smoke or the sharp ozone of a coming storm. Explore ghost towns, wander flower-filled meadows, listen to the cattle lowing late at night. Above all, glory in the sensual color and clarity that is a hallmark of Kathleen Norris Cook’s photos.

Along with wonderful landscapes and colorful images are portraits of a few of the resilient people who have come to live in this remote and rugged area of the Rockies. 

Photographed with an artist’s eye and the soul of a poet, Kathleen Norris Cook’s “Spirit of the San Juans” is perhaps one of the most beautiful and unforgettable books of photographs ever produced. It is surely the loveliest journey into the heart of the San Juans ever published.

Available through Western Reflections, Montrose and area bookstores. The author’s photos are also available through North Moon Gallery in Ouray, Colorado. 

160 pages. Hard cover. Full color. "Coffee Table book."  Available at local bookstores and from the publisher.