Whether captured in words, photographs, or illustrations, national parks are wondrous places, vibrant and breathtaking in their scenery and history. To drive that point home, Joel Anderson and his son, Nathan, of the Anderson Design Group have just released a book that displays the 59 "national parks" in unique posters.

Though not entirely in the style of the Works Progress Administration posters created in the 1930s and early 1940s, the illustrations created for 59 Illustrated National Parks: Celebrating 100 Years Of Wilderness And Wonder are some similar in how they depict park wildlife, landscapes, and geology. Along with 71 full color poster images (some parks are represented by more than one), the softcover book includes pages that provide brief overviews of each park. 

Rather than sorting the prints alphabetically, the authors decided to place them chronologically as to when a specific park was established. So the prints open with Old Faithful Geyser in full gush in Yellowstone National Park, and end with the rockscape of Pinnacles National Park in California.

Sprinkled throughout the pages are short comments about parks from former rangers who worked in them. A two-page appendix explains how the posters are made, depicting the progress from sketch to painting to digital photograph that the final overlay of typography.

While not as beautiful as a larger print you can frame and hang on your wall, this book is a nice addition to any park traveler's memorabilia collection.