Paradise Lost: Persia from Above, published by Phiadon provided a unique look at a beautiful landscape and fascinating culture few people have seen for themselves. In 1976 and 1978, Georg Gerster, the pioneer of aerial photography who has influenced every aerial photographer working today, had the rare opportunity to record the landscape of Iran on over 100 flights and 300 flying hours. This unique photographic project resulted in a near complete documentation of the major archaeological sites and important landscapes in the region.

This books simple objective was to showcase these spectacular images with as little interference and distraction as possible. The book was divided into geographical sections and each one prefaced at the beginning of the book with a short historical account to assist with the context of the imagery. The pared back bold typographical cover and monotone opening spreads were designed to heighten the impact of the initial first full bleed colour image.