From the Publisher America is a word that swells the heart with pride, a word that means freedom, a word that brings visitors and new residents to its shores, a word that calls its citizens home from around the world. What is this land we love so much? What makes it different? What are those symbols that make the heart yearn for this homeland we call America? The images of professional photographer Fred Hirschmann reveal the America we all wish we could see. His photographs capture the American dream in a dazzling combination of the subtle, the bold, the majestic, and the intimate. Included in this photographic excursion are some of America's great urban icons-the Golden Gate Bridge, the Manhattan skyline, and the arch of St. Louis-as well as its magnificent natural landmarks-Old Faithful, Yosemite's Half Dome, Mount McKinley, Niagara Falls, and the redwood forests. Packing his medium- and large-format cameras, Fred traveled to all corners of this nation, to regions he knew well and had photographed hundreds of times, and to places he had never experienced before. At the core of his talent lies the ability to see what others miss, to view the familiar with fresh eyes. Divided into twelve regions, the book depicts the scenic wonders of America. From the coastline of Maine to a Santa Cruz sunset, from the horse farms of Lexington to the historic missions of San Antonio, this mixture of America's grand, yet intimate, landscapes combines to make a visual travelog of unsurpassed beauty and depth. What vividly emerges is America, in all its diverse and endlessly surprising moods and seasons. Author Suzan Hall writes an introductory essay for each section, using a historical background here, a touch of geology there, a sense of what makes this area unique. Her writing captures the essence of each region, inspiring the reader to see both the diversity and the unity that make America the great nation we love.