Why am I passionate about this?

I am a photographer based in Oxford who has published books for 40 years. I love to be outside, whether it's enjoying the urban landscape of historic Oxford or the wild beauty of the Scottish hillside. The charm of the natural world and the romance of historic buildings are equal enthusiasms. To capture some essence of this, either by camera or paintbrush is a true skill. And it's not easy! To really create a new view is a constant challenge which is my driving force, in my own books I try for images that are just slightly different, atmospheric, romantic, yet always recognisable. I love to search out others who achieve the same, this is why I love these books.


I wrote

Belfast, A View of the City

By Chris Andrews,

Book cover of Belfast, A View of the City

What is my book about?

Contemporary coffee table book, a visual celebration of all that is good in this remarkable city today. Beautiful photographs show…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Art for the Love of Sark

Chris Andrews Why did I love this book?

This book is brilliant quality, beautifully designed, and really good value. It shows the natural beauty and fragility of the unspoilt natural environment of Sark, a tiny Channel Island off the coasts of England and France.

To look at its contents is to love it. Illustrations from over 20 internationally famous wildlife artists show how the environment is both rugged and beautiful. A plethora of unpesticided flora vies with an unmatched diversity of wildlife, shown with artistic skill. The life of the people and their unique world is reflected by artists from England, Russia, France, Germany, and Holland.

Its incredible value is to show the world what a lovely place the Island is, though yet under danger of unsympathetic change. Thankfully there are still no motorcars.

By Various Artists,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Art for the Love of Sark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Experiencing Oxford

Chris Andrews Why did I love this book?

This book is a comprehensive and fascinating look at an elusively handsome city. It shows unknown corners as well as the familiar Spires. History and events feature in attractive informative writing. All balanced by sensitive new imagery from the noted artist, architect, and illustrator Ian Davis. It is a gripping read, stunningly illustrated.

I love the fact that despite my living in Oxford for over 40 years, Ian Davis showed me views I didn’t know and facts I had not learnt. The book is Informative and interesting.

The book's great value is its comprehensive personal view of the City of Oxford, produced in an accessible and affordable format.

By Ian Davis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Experiencing Oxford as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Experiencing Oxford (2020) celebrates the way Oxford can be experienced using our senses, memories, emotions and spirits. Since some prefer to look rather than read, the book includes over a hundred of the author’s drawings and watercolours as well as hundreds of photographs he took of Oxford’s buildings and landscapes. Reactions to Oxford by past and present writers are included with examples of ways to experience buildings, squares, streets, sculptures, stained glass and Oxford’s open spaces. Twelve 'sensory walks' and 'climbs' are provided. The book is written for any reader - whether visitor, student, professional or resident, who has appreciated…


Book cover of Birds

Chris Andrews Why did I love this book?

Bob Bateman is a great wildlife observer and a consummate artist, passionate about conservation. This beautifully illustrated book carries the message of care for the environment, its inhabitants, the world! And it carries it in gentle words and striking artistic paintings of nature. His paintings are accurate and realistic, made with superb artistic skill, I love to just flick open the book and stare. It makes you realise the beauty of the natural world. I have met Bob a couple of times, he is a thoughtful, measured, and highly knowledgeable man. His artistic skill is extraordinary.

By Robert Bateman, Kathryn Dean,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A stunning collection of 200 bird species painted by the world-renowned wildlife painter.

"Robert Bateman's paintings and drawings... reveal a vision of the beautiful and stark possibilities of the natural world. They are compelling and haunting."
-- The Washington Post

At a time when bird species are disappearing rapidly, the poignant beauty of Robert Bateman's paintings is more urgent than ever. It reminds us why Bateman was compelled to study and paint his subjects and why we must work to secure their futures.

Bateman has sketched and painted bird life in every corner of the globe. His special relationship with…


Book cover of Franschhoek & Rickety Bridge

Chris Andrews Why did I love this book?

This book looks at a fascinating and scenic area of South Africa as well as exploring the noted vineyard and winemaking of Rickety bridge. Gerald and Marc are two of South Africa’s noted photographers who have worked tirelessly in exploring this diverse landscape and the people within. It is stunningly illustrated.

I love the fact that it is a fresh new look, with a diversity of images from landscape to township, seascape to vineyard.

The book's value is in showing a working environment in a snapshot of time.

By Gerald Hoberman (photographer), Marc Hoberman (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Franschhoek & Rickety Bridge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Talks about a place on the world-renowned Cape wine route near Cape Town, showcasing the multifaceted attributes of this important wine-growing region, with photographs.


Book cover of Glen of the Lapwing

Chris Andrews Why did I love this book?

Keith is another talented and hard-working artist with a fascination for nature. He paints from life, travelling miles over the rugged country of Scotland recording, birds, animals, landscape, and life. Often accompanied by at least one of his dogs, sometimes by bike as well as the essential 4 wheel drive. 

Kieth’s ability to find wildlife in spectacular surroundings is extraordinary, his valuable work shows us the beauty of a stunning landscape and the charm of the life within.

Meeting Keith is a pleasure, a man who imparts knowledge lightly and gives constant encouragement to enjoy the environment he knows.

By Keith Brockie,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Glen of the Lapwing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Explore my book 😀

Belfast, A View of the City

By Chris Andrews,

Book cover of Belfast, A View of the City

What is my book about?

Contemporary coffee table book, a visual celebration of all that is good in this remarkable city today. Beautiful photographs show the energy, diversity, industry, and quality of a great environment. A place of work, life, and beauty. From the river Lagan with its wildlife to the huge cranes and work at Harland and Wolff, from the craic in the vibrant pubs to the landscape of the wild surrounding hills, from the locations of gardens and historic buildings to the locations of Game of Thrones and more.

A book for everyone: Belfast’s citizens, locals, tourists, visitors for work or pleasure.

This is available only direct from the publishers here.

Book cover of Art for the Love of Sark
Book cover of Experiencing Oxford
Book cover of Birds

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Elephant Safari

By Peter Riva,

Book cover of Elephant Safari

Peter Riva Author Of Kidnapped on Safari

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been to, and loved, North, Central, and especially East Africa for over fifty years. Only six times have I been to Africa on holiday; more often, perhaps twenty or more times, as a television producer. Working in Africa gains a perspective of reality that the glories of vacation do not. Each has its place, each its pitfalls like stalled plane rides with emergency landings in the bush or attacks by wildlife. But, in the end, the magic of the “otherness,” what an old friend called “primitava” captures one’s soul and changes your life.

Peter's book list on the otherness that few get to experience

What is my book about?

Keen to rekindle their love of East African wildlife adventures after years of filming, extreme dangers, and rescues, producer Pero Baltazar, safari guide Mbuno Waliangulu, and Nancy Breiton, camerawoman, undertake a filming walking adventure north of Lake Rudolf, crossing from Kenya into Ethiopia along the Omo River, following a herd of elephant making their annual migration.

Stumbling onto an elephant poaching, the team become embroiled in true financing of terrorism for al Shabaab –ivory sales–and are determined to stop the slaughter at any cost. Ivory trade financing terrorism involves UN refugee camps with two hundred thousand displaced Somali persons, powerful…

Elephant Safari

By Peter Riva,

What is this book about?

A documentary team hiking through East Africa collides with a gang of deadly poachers, in this gripping adventure by the author of Kidnapped on Safari.

Years of filming, extreme dangers, and daring rescues have taken their toll on documentary producer Pero Baltazar and his team. To relax and reconnect with the East African wildlife they love, Pero organizes a walking safari for him, his camerawoman Nancy Breiton, and their elite guide Mbuno Waliangulu. Still, Pero has trouble truly disconnecting from work. When the team comes across a herd of elephants making their annual migration north of Lake Rudolf, Pero decides…


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Interested in Scotland, Oxford, and birds?

Scotland 339 books
Oxford 26 books
Birds 178 books