Forthcoming from Taschen, The End of the Game by Peter Beard is a detailed documentation of the photographer's time in the African wild, wherein there are photos and notes abound that show the deterioration of the natural world, in real time. Releasing this summer, The End of the Game contains two decades worth of material to begin with, but has now been updated and added to since its initial publication.

Additionally, there are accompanying photos of and quotes from individuals who have been proponents of the industrial and imperialistic mindset over the years, in order to display the plundering result that has happened to the African continent. Names such as Theodore Rosevelt, Frederick Courteney Selous, Karen Blixen, Philip Percival, and others are all included in the book, and are all figures who promoted the changing of a continent for the sake of “progress”. “Progress” that has made species become extinct, destroyed habitats, and forced migration.  

Additionally, this new edition includes an interview with conservationist Dr. Esmond Bradley Martin, as well as essays by Paul Theroux, Dr. Richard M Laws, and Dr. Norman Borlaug; all members of the environmentalist community. The End of the Game is a show of damage, distress, and irreversible footprints made on the Earth, but it also demonstrates resilience. Nature wants to fight back. Distance from the natural world separates us from each other, and puts walls up and divisions that are in fact unnatural. The bottom line of The End of the Game is a revealing of struggle. Of nature’s pain and anger, and also of its beauty. And most of all a reminder that we must keep playing and appreciating the game of life, before it is too late. 

Pre-order is now available here.