Worlds Hundred Greatest Waterfalls, The: Volume 3

Reviewed by Bryan Swan

Yoshikazu Shiarakawa is a famous, well renowned Japanese photographer who has undertaken very ambitious projects in the past and who has consistently produced some of the most impressive photographic works of the modern age. In 2003 he began a project to photograph 100 of the most impressive, tallest, widest and most storied waterfalls on the planet, for which World Waterfall Database founders Bryan Swan and Dean Goss were hired as consultants. The project was completed in 2007 and was launched with a lavish exhibition that traveled around Japan for several months. The books, divided into three volumes, span about 175 (give or take, depending on the volume) pages, have dimensions of approximately 17x12 inches and are printed on exceptionally high quality, very heavy paper. Though seeing the books will give a much better idea of the quality here, hopefully you get the idea that this is not a casual product by any means.

Volume tree of the series is dedicated to the waterfalls in the Eurasian continent, covering areas from Iceland to Japan. While Volumes One and Two each feature multiple waterfalls which we have placed on the World Waterfall Database's Top 10 list, the only entry on that list which falls within the scope of this book is India's Jog Falls and unfortunately the photographer was not able to visit it during such time as to illustrate its true potential and as such it is only featured in three photographs.

However, despite lacking that one globally significant waterfall of massive proportions that other continents throughout the world might possess, Europe and Asia contain a high number of waterfalls which almost reach that level. Norway, perhaps the most gifted country on earth when it comes to quality waterfalls, is very well represented in this volume. The volcanic island of Iceland, though not possessing any truly world class waterfalls is given worthy homage, and the photographer's native country of Japan is illustrated in such impressive detail as to show each individual leaf on the technicolor trees turning all shades of the color spectrum during the autumn season, which flank the waterfalls throughout that country so photogenically.

There are concerns of ours about the waterfalls chosen for this particular volume of the project. Serving as consultants for the project afforded us the luxury of suggesting many large, lofty, noteworthy waterfalls to the photographer which rarely see any exposure. While many of these locations were sought out and utilized for this project, we were disappointed to see Iceland's Svartifoss - a scenic but insignificant (21m) waterfall on a global scale - chosen over a more substantial entry elsewhere in Europe or Asia.

As exceptional a product as this is there are a few downsides. First off, the books are quite expensive (at least new), running roughly $330 USD. Secondly, because they were produced by a Japanese photographer, they were printed in Kanji (with a few captions the exception) and are largely unavailable outside of Japan (again, at least new). Second hand copies may eventually show up online but we have yet to see them at the major outlets.

So, while the price point may put this product out of the reach of the average individual (and you may need to find a good orthopedic surgeon should you drop one on your foot), the dazzling quality and presentation of this book make it a worthy investment for anyone interested in the subject matter.