The Majesty of the Horse is one of the finest equine photography books around. Starting with the Asiatic Wild Horse, a stocky, round-nosed breed roaming southwest Mongolia, Tamsin Pickeral provides the history for more than 80 breeds, and while the descriptions are informative, Astrid Harrisson's photographs are absolutely splendid. The Akhal Teke of Turkmenistan looks carved out of peach marble; the tiny, rare Caspian (Iran) is a sepia Dürer drawing; the majestic black Friesian (Holland) is covered by a Lady Godiva rippling mane; the Ariègeois pony (France) has a copper-flecked ebony mane to match its eyes; the Knabstrup (Denmark) is Dalmation-spotted; the russet-colored Don (Russia) is photographed against snowy white birches; the Rocky Mountain Horse (U.S.) peeks coquettishly through a platinum mane.
Each magnificent horse is photographed in close-ups--graceful lines, limpid eyes--or in full-size action: running in the misty Camargue, for example, or prancing through an Indian forest. You may think you have enough horse books, but think again. You need this book. --Marilyn Dahl, book review editor, Shelf Awareness