For five decades Terry O’Neill has chronicled the frontline of fame, royalty, politicians, pop stars. He discovered Elton John and Jodie Kidd. His photography made him an intimate of Hollywood icons, who invited him “inside”, behind the limelight of their celebrity. One of those legends was Frank Sinatra, who allowed O’Neill to follow his every move on the road, at home and backstage. Many newly published pictures grace the pages of this high-quality book, together with O’Neill’s memories of their time together.

On the cover of this attractive book, photographer Nick Gordon writes about his “passionate affair” with the Brazilian Amazon and this passion shines through in his pictures. Wild Amazon (Evans Mitchell Books, £25), was Gordon’s final book before his death at the age of 51. The images are captivating as they are diverse; pictures of the Jaguar People (or Matis as they prefer to be called), with their incredible facial ornaments, are followed by those of blue and yellow macaws searching for seeds and a photograph of Gordon with his pet spider monkey Pete. The images are accompanied by entertaining text and about some of Gordon’s favourite and most vivid memories of his time spent in the rainforest.

A fascinating and delightful book, showing the different species of apes, detailing their evolution social customs and complex lifestyles and revealing their natural habitats. Unfortunately, all too common these days are illegal activities and assaults on these creatures’ environment which are endangering the very survival of the species. Beautiful photography is accompanied by intelligent and thought-provoking text. Perhaps the question is not so much ‘where did we and the apes come from?’ more ‘where do we go from here?’

Jonathan Bird is a professional underwater cinematographer and photographer specialising in large marine animals, and in Creatures of the Deep Blue it shows. The author has concentrated on just a few species: sharks and rays, whales and dolphins, seals and sea lions, manatees and sea turtles. The tricky task is finding new ways to shoot the same subject but Bird has accomplished this with ease – the sheer variety of images is impressive. The close-up shot of a grey reef shark eye is a perfect example. Bird helps to bring each section alive with an account of how he managed to photograph each animal. His search for sperm whales in Dominica is just how I recall the experience on the island last year, bar actually entering the water with the huge animals. Judging by the phenomenal shots, it looks like swimming with the whales was an unforgettable experience.

Nottinghamshire-based microbrewer Springhead is to team up with a celebrity chef to match food with its Raring Meg beer. Richard Fox, known as the "beer chef" for his love of cooking with beer, will produce four dishes to complement the 5.5% abv ale. Roaring Meg accounts for 40% of Springhead’s cask sales and has been available in bottles since last summer. The matching menus will be launched early next year, and the brewer is hopeful that pubcos such as Wetherspoons will show an interest. Springhead has also announced the return of seasonal ales Rudolf’s Return and Fallen Angel in time for Christmas.

Reading this safari companion from cover to cover, I found many new and interesting facts about South Africa that I hadn’t known beforehand. Safari Companions: South Africa describes and illustrates all the important regions of Manaqualand, The Cape, Fynbos, Kgalagadi, Augrabies, Kwazulu-Natal, Blyde River Canyon and Kruger are all included, it also covers some of the private reserves, practical tips and hints on taking good wildlife photography. I found the guide an easy read but also very detailed. The photographs are, as you would expect, incredible, and with a caption linked to each on it makes the information on every page even more relevant to the imagery included throughout. The guide was a fantastic read and I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to travel around South Africa and photograph its diversity of nature and wildlife.

The colourful pages of this photographic guide to Madagascar wade into eleven of the nation’s most prolific wildlife areas, taking you through tropical rainforests, deserts, eroded limestone peaks, cathedral-like caves and coastal mangroves. While lemurs justifiably grace many of the books pages, we’ve decided to highlight some of Madagascar’s lesser-known species here. After all, it is the island’s other endemic animals and plants that usually inspire awe in most naturalists and nature photographers repeatedly luring them back for more and more. The title features stunning work from photographers Regis Cavignaux, Catherine Jouan, Jeanne Rius, Gilles Martin, Fabien Pekus, Alain Pons Cyril Ruoso, Alain Saunier, Gerard Soury, Christian Vaisse and Yves Vallier. Madagascar is the latest title in Evans Mitchell Books’ Safari Companion series. Each title features a prime destination for observing and photographing wildlife. The guides outline the best areas to visit and the notable wildlife you can expect to see in each habitat. Besides detailed descriptions of protected areas and photographic advice for each location and animal species, the guides also provide practical tourist information, such as currency advice, climate patterns and luggage tips.

On land, they waddle and hop among tussocks and rocks, to and from their burrows. But once in the air or the water the ‘clowns of the sea’ wheel and turn with great agility. Puffins are gregarious seabirds and one of the most popular wildlife species of the British Isles. Heather Angel – wildlife photographer and zoologist – reveals the breeding, fishing and nesting habits of these loveable birds. The book also documents how they are affected by climate change and over-fishing, and offers photographic hints and tips on capturing these photogenic birds. It forms part of the fascinating wildlife monograph series.