Although essentially a photo album, I include this in my reading list as a must-have book. This is the closest most will ever get to seeing Earth from space (aside from documentaries and news items), and it’s a fabulous keepsake and reminder of our place in the universe. I bought this book when it first came out, but aside from flicking through, hadn’t had the time to study seriously the photographs and share a glimpse of Tim Peake’s journey. It’s amazing that even from space, I could easily spot areas of the world I would love to explore and those I would prefer to avoid. At night, the dark areas drew me more to places with fewer inhabitants and less light pollution. The photographs reveal amazing patterns it’s hard to believe are spottable from such a distance. Breathtakingly beautiful and a precious revelation of our most priceless and abused commodity. ( )

A stunning collection of photographs taken from the unique vantage point of the International Space Station. By Peake's own admission, it would be hard to get this wrong (pg. 11), but the results are remarkable all the same. Fists of light at night indicating cities. Dunes and mountain peaks and river deltas bleeding mud into the sea. Auroras and storm fronts and the curvature of the earth, a thin blue band with the awesome expanse of black void as the backdrop. And it is often the understated things which really astonish: the aircraft 'photobomb' (pg. 171), the lightning over Cyprus (pg. 23), the identification of famous sights such as the Pyramids. The intricacy of both nature and civilization delivered to us on every page.

That said, the panoramic effect of those photographs which are spread over two pages is compromised by the book fold, and the captions ("looking good down there Dublin!" (pg. 187)) often leave something to be desired. The maps accompanying each picture, showing where the ISS was located at the time of the photograph, helps the reader's orientation, but I would have liked some greater depth in terms of the geography and science. On the rare occasion Peake does go a bit further than just telling us the place, it enhances the context of the photograph: for example, the pictures of the aurora are somehow made even better after Peake tells us it can reach the same altitude as the ISS, an experience akin to "flying through a beautiful [green] mist" (pg. 201). Regardless, whilst Peake doesn't give us much more commentary than any guy flipping through his holiday snaps, you have to admit: what a photo album. ( )

Tim Peake, the first British astronaut to complete a spacewalk, spent one hundred eighty-six days in space aboard the International Space Station during which he spoke to more than a million schoolchildren about the wonders of science. And took hundreds of stunning photographs of Earth and of the stars.

These photographs, gathered into this exquisite volume, capture the glorious splendor of our home planet as they bring us new perspectives of the mountains and deserts, of the forests and the oceans. From a hundred miles above Earth, the view of cities whose lights pierce the darkness of night is magnificent. Every page in this amazing collection holds a thrilling new discovery for readers.

Highly recommended. ( )

British born Astronaut Tim Peake spend 26 weeks on the ISS, between December 2015 and June 2016. This is a collection of the photographs he took of, as the book's subtitle says ,'My view from the International Space Station'. So no pictures inside the ISS or of his fellow Astronauts. Just vertiginous shots of coastlines, rivers, cities, etc. And looking away from Earth at stars and sunsets.
While admitting to not being a keen photographer Peake's patience, along with advice from crew-mates Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra, has captured some spectacular images. ( )

Fabulous photos from the ISS. ( )