Reviewed by Aubrey Davis

Tom Till began to photograph Canyon Country between 1978 and 1980. That was back when you could still get a grilled cheese sandwich any time of the day or night at the Westerner Grill. The Westerner Grill closed down almost fifteen years ago and today Till has a fine art gallery on Main Street.

“I was a Canyonlands Prodigy,” Till writes in the forward to In the Land of Moab. Published in 2001 the book of essays and photographs is Till’s celebration of the land he loves and has called home for most of his adult life. “Moab is my home—it’s where I was meant to be. I never tire of just looking around and drinking it all in.” In the Land of Moab features 82 color photographs of Canyon Country landscape. Four sections of the book, Rivers, Mesas, Canyons and Mountains are accompanied by essays in which Till details his connections to the land, the vibrant local figures, and his experiences living in the small community surrounded by wilderness.

“I believe the highest and best use of the Canyon Country is contemplation,” he writes. “Here is beauty, mystery, knowledge, and wilderness on an almost infinite scale. We’ve lost something pure and integral when we see the rivers, canyons, mesas and mountains only as landscapes for fun.” A fervent supporter of several environmental organizations, Till seeks to preserve the natural landscape and through In the Land of Moab hopes to share the same passion he feels for the land with readers and visitors to Canyon Country.

In the Land of Moab is 112 pages with 80 plates and is available with a Soft Bound cover. It can be purchased at Arches Book Company and through the Tom Till Fine Art Gallery, located in Moab, Utah. 

Arches Book Company is located at 78 North Main Street, Moab, UT. (435) 259-0782. www.archesbookcompany.com. Tom Till Fine Art Gallery is located at 61 North Main Street, Moab, UT. (435) 259-9808. www.tomtill.com.

112 pages, Soft Cover