The SPIEGEL-Bestseller book Wunderwerk Earth is Christian Klepp’s love poem to our planet.

In order to understand Earth in all its diversity and to treat our planet sustainably and respectfully, we must know how our planet really works. To accomplish this, Christian Klepp spent 25 years studying the complex and deep workings of the Earth system, exploring its landscapes, and exposing himself to the planet and its climate with heart and soul. In places of unique beauty, he found ancient rocks that have preserved the stories of perpetual change since the Earth’s formation. In a vivid and understandable way, he brings the exciting stories of these rocks back to life before our eyes. The climate of the Earth is not neglected either, because from the deep time in Earth history we can learn a great deal about our present-day climate crisis.

Christian Klepp’s photographs accompany this book. They show his intimate moments in nature. For some of his images, he needed several years of patience to capture these very special lighting conditions. For example, the book cover is adorned with the smoothly polished sandstone walls of Antelope Canyon in Arizona – seen through the eyes of Christian Klepp. His very personal view of our planet is characterized by respect and deep love for the marvel of Earth. In an amalgamation of generally understandable geoscientific knowledge and personal experiences he aims at arousing curiosity and awareness to appreciate our planet and to decisively counteract the all-too-fast climate change. We humans are only a snapshot in Earth’s history, shorter than a blink of an eye. Earth does not need us at all – but we need her all the more! A good reason why we should love our planet and treat it with respect.

Dr. Christian Klepp studied meteorology and geology at the University of Hamburg and received his doctorate in geosciences. He worked as a university lecturer and was actively involved in international climate research for 25 years. During numerous research expeditions to the most remote corners of the planet, he was able to gain a deep insight into the landscapes and their formation. For 30 years now, Christian Klepp is also photographing the untouched landscapes of our planet. His thirst for adventure and deep love for the planet led to the fusion of his profession with landscape photography in 2019.

With a foreword by the internationally renowned climate researcher Prof. Dr. Hartmut Graßl, director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, Germany.

Book content of Christian Klepp bestseller Wunderwerk Earth How our planet functions

Book content of Christian Klepp bestseller Wunderwerk Earth How our planet functions

“Wunderwerk Earth” was published by Edel Books in German language on 5 November 2022. SPIEGEL-Bestseller rank 12

The video trailer of the book Wunderwerk Earth

Testimonials

This plea for affection for our earth or at least for respect for the miracle Earth and thus for the miracle of our existence on it has personally brought me so much new insight that I can only recommend one thing: Please read and marvel-and please also change your own behavior for the benefit of us all.

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Graßl,

Physicist, meteorologist and climate scientist, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany

This book is an eye opener. It inspires awe and contemplation for the uniqueness of our planet, and shows why we as humanity have to treat Earth in a very sustainable way.

Prof. Dr. Gero Hillmer

Geologist and paleontologist, University of Hamburg, Germany

A stunning visual celebration of the extraordinary planet we live on.

Prof. Dr. Iain Stewart

Geologist and BBC-moderator, University of Plymouth, England

Review for Spektrum der Wissenschaft

Geoscientist Christian Klepp portrays the history of Earth’s formation in a book written with great love for his subject. The spark of enthusiasm for the textbook knowledge ignites thanks to the successful narrative structure and the excellent nature photography. The book offers a very vivid insight into the fascinating history of the formation and deep workings of our planet.

Dr. Tim Haarmann

Geographer, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn, Germany

For everyone interested in Earth, this book is a feast.

Dr. Mariana Großmann

Geologist and paleontologist, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

A tribute to our planet packed with impressive images by an exceptionally talented photographer. Rarely have insights about our planet been presented in such a readable and compelling way.

Dr. Frank Paul

Meteorologist and glaciologist, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Christian is not only a highly accomplished landscape photographer, but also a very eloquent geoscientist with a PhD and more than 20 years of experience in climate research.

Listen to the podcast.

Nicolas Alexander Otto

Podcaster and photographer, Landscape photography podcast, Germany