New Coffee Table Book Goes Beyond the National Parks!
As artists and wilderness explorers, our passion is to venture into the 63 American National Parks, photograph and document the wonder of these natural places, and share our enthusiasm for the parks by creating original, high-quality poster art for our 63 Illustrated National Parks Collection.
In our travels, we’ve also developed an immense appreciation for national monuments and other park sites, which inspired the American National Monuments and Natural Wonders collection.
In fact, as we traveled the country exploring public lands, taking reference photographs, and making sketches to bring back to the studio, we noticed there were far more parks managed by the National Park Service than just the 63 parks (we call them “flagship parks”) most people are familiar with.
So we decided it was time for some of these beautiful but lesser-known places to get the attention they deserve.
We began creating poster art for hundreds of the smaller historic sites, recreation areas, monuments, and memorials scattered across the nation. Beyond the National Parks is both a beautiful, decorative national park coffee table book featuring those illustrations, and it's a handy American travel guide with essential information about beautiful parks in your state that you may have never heard of. The result is a gorgeous book that celebrates American history, culture, and natural beauty—just in time for our nation's 250th Anniversary!
Before we dive into the book, check out this YouTube video introducing it:
Details About the Book
America’s most iconic sites across the nation are immortalized in poster art by Anderson Design Group, a nationally renowned graphic design firm based in Nashville, TN. After hand-illustrating the 63 flagship parks in over 400 original posters, and after publishing the best-selling 63 Illustrated National Parks book, ADG founder and designer Joel Anderson led his team of artists to create a new collection of posters celebrating the rich network of smaller parks and historic sites managed by the National Park Service.
But illustrating these beautiful parks was just the first step. We also decided we needed to inform the public about these incredible places that receive a fraction of the visitation of the flagship parks.
So, author and avid explorer Ren Brabenec collaborated with Joel to highlight over 240 National Monuments, Historical Sites, Battlefields, Preserves, Seashores, Recreation Areas, Memorials, and other less-visited sites spread across America’s 50 states.
This one-of-a-kind book features over 115 original posters createed. by the award-winning ADG art team, plus archival photos, historical information, trip-planning tips, and a map of the USA. Within these pages, explore America’s lesser-known wonders through the Art of Adventure.
The book measures 9” x 12” and is full-color. It is 184 pages long and available in both hardcover and softcover. It features:
- Illustrations of park sites in all 50 states and in-depth descriptions of those sites.
- A map of the USA identifying how many park sites are located in each state and D.C.
- A word from the author, Ren Brabenec.
- A word from the artist and Creative Director, Joel Anderson.
- A summary of the National Park System and what wonders await those who explore it.
- A historical view of the people who made the park system possible.
- An index and sources section with insight into how to learn more about the parks.
This national park coffee table book is both a lovely read and a deep dive into hundreds of National Park Service-managed sites you’ve probably never heard about.
It’s also a travel guide to national parks and a great resource for essential tips, advice, historical knowledge, highlights, and must-sees for the featured park sites.
For history buffs, it’s a lovely exploration of American history and how some of the most important people, places, and events are forever preserved in national park sites.
From Creative Director and Anderson Design Group Founder, Joel Anderson
“We like to visit beautiful places and make art from our adventures, and our Beyond the National Parks coffee table book invites you to take the paths less traveled,” Joel said when asked to describe the new book.
“It features 184 full-color pages depicting 240 federally managed parks in all 50 states. The book accompanies our award-winning 63 Illustrated National Parks book, only now we’re celebrating the lesser-known-yet-no-less-beautiful parks and outdoor spaces with gorgeous original artwork and storytelling. Enjoy historical photos from the National Park Service, vintage-styled illustrations, and informative text. Read about the people who made public lands a reality and why these places are worth visiting. Beyond the National Parks is an artistic celebration of American history.”
From Author, Researcher, and Avid Explorer, Ren Brabenec
“We at Anderson Design Group have been creating art of beautiful places across America for decades,” Ren said.
“In that time we’ve seen hundreds of places that few know about. Now we’re inviting you to dive into a new coffee table book celebrating overlooked travel destinations. Every page has storytelling, fun facts, travel tips, helpful maps, and beautiful illustrations of lesser-known parks. This coffee table book is one of our most popular products for how thorough and informative it is, and because no one else has written a book quite like this one. We wrote this book because we wanted to tell people about the places we’ve seen and illustrated. This book is the result of decades of travel, research, writing, and illustrating. It’s a great gift, too, for people who love to travel.”
Your Essential National Park Guidebook for the Summer
The national parks, monuments, historic sites, memorials, recreation areas, forests, and other BLM lands were created to preserve America’s natural beauty and cultural history, with each protected site representing a significant chapter in the great American story.
Because we at Anderson Design Group strongly believe in preserving parks and natural and historic spaces for future generations to enjoy, we donate a portion of our profits to the National Park Foundation each year. Your purchase helps to protect America’s National Parks!
Order your hardcover copy here.
Or order your softcover copy here.
Pick up an extra copy for a friend. And for a limited time, we are bundling our award-winning updated 63 Illustrated National Parks book with Beyond the National Parks. These useful and beautiful books make great gifts for the travel enthusiast, explorer, and national parks lover in your life!
Happy travels this summer,
- Anderson Design Group
