Peter Beard: Last Word From Paradise

Last Words from Paradise, a collection of works by American photographer Peter Beard, is a photographic picture book reconfigured with unique Japanese editing based on his masterpiece, The End of the Game.
It conveys the reality of a disappearing ecosystem, focusing on the relationship between nature, animals, and humans in Africa.

This book was edited by art director Marvin Israel and Shoji Yamagishi, editor-in-chief of Camera Mainichi, and is compiled in a simple structure that even children can understand.
The bold, bleed-edge photographs are overlaid with words from poet Gozo Yoshimasu, creating a unique expression where visuals and text resonate with each other.

Beard's expression, which traverses photography, drawing, and collage, is not merely a record; it encapsulates a powerful message that re-examines the relationship between nature and humanity.
It is a book to pass on to the next generation, showcasing a world where beauty and cruelty intertwine.

[Title] Last Words from Paradise
[Publisher] Shueisha
[Publication Date] April 30, 1979 (First Edition)
[Page Count] Unpaginated
[Dimensions] Approx. 219*264*14mm / 594g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] RAKUEN KARA NO SAIGO NO KOTOBA
[Author/Editor] Peter Beard/Author, Marvin Israel/Editor, Shoji Yamagishi/Editor
[Printer] Dai Nippon Printing
[ISBN] 00727800123041
[Condition] Used 【4】Good to Fair- (Cover stains, top edge stains, stains on several pages from both endpapers)
[Accessories] None
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Peter Beard (1938–2020)

Born in New York, USA, in 1938, Peter Beard was a photographer and artist. Raised in a prominent family, he began keeping diaries and taking photographs from childhood. He studied art history at Yale University, and after graduation, he moved to East Africa, Kenya, where he conducted wildlife research in Tsavo National Park.

Based on this experience, he documented elephants driven to the brink by poaching and environmental destruction, publishing his masterpiece The End of the Game (1965). Thereafter, he established an international reputation for his work, which focused on Africa and questioned the relationship between humans and nature.

Beard is also known for his "diary" format collage works, which combine photographs with drawings, handwritten text, newspaper clippings, and flora and fauna. His creations, which accumulated daily records, were highly acclaimed as a unique expression that spanned the realms of photography and art. In 1977, he lost 20 years' worth of work in a fire, but he continued creating thereafter, further deepening his diary-like approach.

While based in Africa, he also interacted with many artists and cultural figures, such as Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon, and was widely known as a photographer, adventurer, and celebrity.

Throughout his life, he worked between Kenya and New York, consistently observing the environmental crisis and human desires with keen insight. He passed away in New York State in 2020.

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