Books by John Fielder

As the story by Claudia Cangilla McAdam progresses, watch how Anna-Maria Crum’s illustrations seamlessly morph into John Fielder’s photographs.

Readers young and old can discover the hidden worlds within John Fielder’s Colorado landscapes with the help of poetry by renowned children’s author Claudia Cangilla McAdam. McAdam has won awards from Highlights for Children for both her fiction and nonfiction. In addition, she authored The Christmas Tree Cried: The Story of the White House Christmas Tree, also available through Westcliffe Publishers.

For each photo, a cutout and imaginative poetry verse explore the mysteries of a small detail of the natural world, while turning the page reveals its place in one of nature’s grand landscapes.

Colorado 1870-2000 has made a bit of publishing history – it’s Colorado’s all-time best-selling regional title.  Known affectionately as the leather-bound “big brown book,” 135,000 sturdy coffee tables bear a copy of this 7-lb. tome.  Since its publication in 1999, John Fielder’s $95 then & now photography book has become a phenomenon even by national publishing standards.
 
In 1998, acclaimed Colorado nature photographer Fielder drove 25,000 miles and backpacked another 500 in order to stand exactly where his 19th-century equivalent, William Henry Jackson, stood.  From 300 different 19th-century Jackson photo locations, Fielder pointed his camera in the same direction as Jackson’s in order to manifest the change in Colorado’s landscape over a century in time.  Only 156 of these original then & now photo pairs made the cut for the first book.

Seven years later, the rest of the project saw the light of day in Colorado 1870-2000 II.  Arguably this portfolio of 108 repeat photographs is more scenic and more colorful than that of the first book, yet just as historical.  From Denver to Georgetown and Aspen to Mesa Verde, the change in Colorado’s most historic towns and settlements will amaze you, if not, shock you. On the other hand, many of Jackson’s venues still look the same today.

Though still a “coffee table” book, Colorado 1870-2000 II is smaller than its sibling and more affordable. At $45, this 10” x 14”, 156-page gift book may very well be more popular than the first one as a Christmas gift.
 

Though he has published hundreds of mountain photos in previous books, Mountain Ranges of Colorado will prove to be John Fielder's definitive photographic essay about Colorado Mountains. Fifteen years in the making, these images were created on the most remote and strenuous backpacking excursions of Fielder's career as a nature photographer. For the first time in any publication, this book delineates and celebrates the 28 distinct mountain ranges that define Colorado's Southern Rockies.
Fielder's text, addressing such topics as how the Sawatch Range differs geologically from the Needles, and why the Gore is so much harder to hike than the Park, helps readers to appreciate the special personality of each. This extraordinary volume is a must for Fielder fans and mountain lovers alike!

Who better than Colorado's best known nature photographer to produce the ultimate Colorado guide? John Fielder has not only trekked the Colorado backcountry like nobody else, he's driven practically every stretch of highway, county road, and 4-wheel drive road that exists.

Imagine what it would be like to take a trip through Colorado with John Fielder as your tour guide, or to be on location at a Fielder photo shoot. Now is your chance to do both! The celebrated photographer who has traveled the state for more than 20 years in search of its most beautiful vistas shares his love for Colorado's rugged beauty, as well as his knowledge of Colorado's historical, recreational, and cultural richness, in this extraordinary guidebook. Through lively text and spectacular images, John reveals more than 160 of his most treasured Colorado locations to photograph so you can work magic with your own camera. You can enjoy some of the state's prime offerings while you travel, as John profiles his favorite restaurants, hotels, hiking and biking trails, and area attractions. Local lore and cameos of influential Coloradans through the ages highlight the state's fascinating heritage. Whether you're a longtime local, a new resident, or an out-of-state visitor, John Fielder's Best of Colorado guarantees the ultimate insider experience!