Toronto, Canada.

*** This book captures Bermuda's essence -- its wondrous colours, unique architecture, its magnificent seascapes, its blend of untouched and manicured landscapes. Surprisingly, Scott Stallard present precious few of its inhabitants in the portfolio of 117 photographs, which were largely drawn from a collection of images already featured in his previous three coffee-table books published over the past several years. Nevertheless, it is a book that one can spend time enjoying.

Dedicated to the photographer's late mother, Margaret Emily Stallard, and to the birth of his son, Kade Connor, this book represents a small portion of life on the 21-square mile Island. In his introduction, author Peter Benchley notes that Mr. Stallard "has captured the essence of Bermuda''.

This is a book that will serve well as a gift or piece of Bermuda memorabilia.

Certainly, the blend of aerial and land-level shots offers a range of enjoyable images. Outstanding are the bird's-eye views of the beaches and the waters that meet them, the reefline along the South Shore, the line-up of Fitted Dinghies and the geometrical shapes in farmed fields and manicured gardens.

Bermuda does have -- as the title states -- beauty, an abundance of it, in fact. And page after page in the book echoes pieces of it.

But if the viewer wants to delve a little deeper into the story behind each photograph or gain a sense of place, it will not be possible, as only superficial explanations are offered. The captions, in many cases, do not educate the person unfamiliar with Bermuda, and it would have been helpful if locations had been keyed to a map of the Island.

On the technical side, some of the images are what is known in the photographic field as `soft', meaning out of focus, and these detract from the overall book quality. Perhaps this is because they were taken from a 35mm slide and enlarged too much; regardless, it would have been better to select crisp images. Also, some of the cropping weakens some images, as in the roadside cottage, St. George's, shot when the top of important roof detail was omitted. Further, the printing was either too dark, or the photographer should have opened his lens more to give details to the Glimmerview schoolchild on the left side who is marvelling at the turtle.

Overall, the variety of shots and vantage points will undoubtedly please those wanting to take a `piece of the rock' back with them, to savour during the snowy or rainy seasons when the temperatures rudely descend and plenty of extra clothing must be worn. It's the type of book that will evoke fond memories of swimming under a sun-filled sky in a bath-water warm ocean where more sandcastles wait to be created with the pink sand, on a beach that is hundreds or thousands of miles away. It is also a book that is likely to entice new visitors to come and see it for themselves.

JUDITH WADSON.

SCOTT STALLARD -- Has captured the essence of Bermuda.