Documentary-Collection

I first learned of Salgado from reading "Magnum 50 years at the frontline of photography" Magnum lost a great when he left. For months I removed this book from the shelf of the local Borders and studied it over a cup of coffee. Any photographer could learn a lot from study of this book. I eventually bought the book and I continue to study it about once a week. Salgado's eye for showing people's pride while doing what many would consider distastful is what sets him apart. While I like his later books something about this one touches me deeply

This book is an astonishing document on both the talents of Sebastiao Salgado and the roughness of some of the worst professions in the world. The book was several years in the making and it shows. A lot of credit goes to Aperture for such a quality print. Your first impression will be of astonishment as you browse through the pictures of one of the top photographers of this century. Then, you'll want to read the small booklet that explains what each picture is. One day I hope someone will print a teaching book of photography with as good pictures as these, but with all the detailed information of how the picture was taken (film, camera, lens, exposure, # of photos discarded, date, time of day & latitude, time spent to take the picture, etc). If there's anything to critize in this book is that no technical information is given at all. But that was the point of it. It is an art book, not a didactic one.

These are some of the most powerful photographs ever made. They are at once disturbing, thought provoking and astonishingly beautiful. Salgado is a genius of the medium. He is one of the very few who has managed to elevate photography to a genuine art form. By comparison, the work of most other contemporary photographers seems like paint-by-numbers dreck.

is the only way I can describe how I felt looking at the images in this beautiful book. God bless the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for others. This book is a breathtaking memoir on their heroism. Hopefully we will never forget

I purchased this book for my Firefighter husband. I know that, as a firefighter, he felt particularly helpless when this tragedy struck New York, and our country. I feel a great sense of pride in my husband's choice of occupation, and even more so that he is a Volunteer Firefighter. This book is a very moving tribute all of those (not just firefighters) that gave their lives on September 11th. The images contained are extraordinary, and all of us in the family that paged through it became very emotional when we read it. There are very few words, aside from the text written by the Mayor and Mr. McCourt, but the images leave very little need for them. And even more moving is the list of lost souls on the bottom of each page, which I felt assigned a lot more of a personal touch to this tragedy than just knowing the mere numbers of those lost while doing their jobs that day.

I do in fact feel that 'Brotherhood' is a perfect title, because as anyone affiliated with rescue services can tell you, it is a large family. We ALL felt a great sense of loss that day, I think this book is the very LEAST we can do.

This large and attractive book is a highly moving, pictorial tribute to the firefighters who lost their lives in the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center. The pictures, often as large as the pages, are in color and black-and-white, and were taken by more than sixty photographers. The pictures themselves are highly poignant, showing firefighters, fire stations and trucks, and the touching shrines that spontaneously sprouted up in front of fire stations across New York City.

The text is small, and scattered throughout the book in the form of poems and messages. But, most moving of all is the list of firefighters, whose names run along the bottom of each page, from the front cover all the way to the back cover.

This book is a wonderful and fitting tribute to the New York City firefighters, and moving book to read. A portion of the profits from the sales of this book goes to the FDNY charities, which makes this book an even better buy.

As you'll be able to see from this "memoir", cats are not only cute but also fierce, funny, witty, courageous and flexible. Tony Mendoza photographs his cat Ernie as Ernie is simply being a cat of his own. The photographs show exactly how cats are, without the cheesiness or patronizing cuteness.

Ernie's definitely a cat with character. I own two cats that bear similar markings to Ernie's and I only wish a skilled photographer such as Tony Mendoza would document their lives. Even if you don't like cats, the photography is astounding without being pretentious.

It is a great book to read to your cats at bedtime.

I was attracted by this greenish hard-covered book with a startled look of a feline, called Ernie. Cats have millions of expressions but you are not going to forget this one, and those inside the book. Living with Ernie for 2 years, Mendoza grasped the essence of this special cat with his talent in photography. All the photos are black & white, together with the thoughts of the photographer and Ernie's himself. I am impressed by the photo on page 77 - Ernie was jumping to catch the left hand of Mendoza (while he took the photo with the other hand). It gives me the thought of "When you target on something, go for it!". I admire the brave of cats. When you have read through the book, you would probably like me - become a fan of Ernie!

I love this book! It is beautiful, from the substantial cloth hard cover to the stunning black and white photos and hilarious text within. Amazingly talented photographer, Tony Mendoza, shares with us wonderful photos and clever stories of his loftmate's cat, a sprightly cat named Ernie. Mendoza has a sharp wit and good sense of humor. It's not all about Ernie, we also catch a glimpse of what it is like to be a struggling artist in New York City, determined to succeed. I received my copy of "Ernie" as a birthday gift. Since then, I have given it to other friends and they were equally delighted and amused. Beautiful!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading and re-reading this book. The bond and special relationship between twins is felt as you read the individual stories. These stories were extremely well-written and they generated both tears and laughter as I read each of them. The book provides an informative and entertaining insight into the world of twins. The photography was equally superb. This is a beautiful "table top" book. All ages will enjoy it.

I have this book because my grandmother and aunt are featured in it (the twins from Italy). I was very touched by the information they revealed and I had not known before. After reading about the other twins and knowing the closeness they share, I kind of felt jealous that I could never be a part of someone else, a twin.

Many thanks to my friend Erik who recommended this book to me. I really enjoyed it. Being a twin myself, I found many similarities between my life experiences and theirs. Some of the stories reminded me of the love and joy found in having someone so much like one's self, my twin sister Judy McKinny. In fact, this book influenced me into becoming a climber. Read this book.

A magic delight to any person with or even without sensibility.
A must see for photographers and artists. It is a source of inspiration for my paintings and sculptures.
The beauty of the human body as if we were still in Eden.
After this book I was hooked on all Schatz books.
Do not miss it.

I thought it impossible for Schatz to take the viewer beyond the otherworldly visions he gave us in Water Dance, but I was pleasantly suprised to find that he is more than willing to surpass his groundbreaking earlier works in this newest effort.

I have now bought three copies of this book, one for my house in London, one for my house in the country, and one which I cut up - so I could frame and hang my favourites. It IS that good: this is a truly-wonderful collection. Howard Schatz is a great photographer and in Pool Light he sets the benchmark.

'The Family of Man' was published in 1955, amidst a very potent brew of recent history. The scars of World War II were still fresh in the minds of people, as well as the very real possibility of nuclear war in the present.

It is probable that the pressures of the age played a part in the organizers decision to host 'The Family of Man' exhibition and publish this book.

Indeed, the horrific twentieth century history had perhaps motivated the photographers represented to do some of their best work. By attempting to show what life may be(is?) like from an 'ideal' perspective, an exhibition of lasting value was created.

Let us give a warm thanks to these talented photographers, for reminding us of the inherent tragic beauty of the human condition in our age.

When I was a child, I stumbled on this book, The Family of Man. I read it cover to cover. I wondered at the pictures of human interaction I barely understood, such as men and women falling in love. I smiled at the photographs that I recognized myself in; children playing and laughing, even fighting. I grew angry when I saw a girl who looked a lot like me fighting back against a bully that looked remarkably like a boy I had to contend with at school. I cried at the pictures that frightened or saddened me. The first time I saw the picture of the SS soldier making eye contact with the child who was marching with her parents and neighbors to the Nazi death camps, I didn't know the history it was depicting. I was later to learn my own relatives were part of that dark history. The picture made me uneasy. I came back to the book year after year. Each time understanding it more. Each time I brought more life experience to the book, I got more from it. But right from the first I got it's powerful message: we are all part of one family ...the human family. It probably was the book with the most profound influence on my life. I am happily surprised that they are reissuing it and I can now give my children a copy that isn't falling apart from 40 years of being loved too much.

This is simply the best collections of photographs that I have ever seen. The book dates from the 50's, but the subject matter... humans... are the same today. Buy this for yourself, of as a special gift for a special person, and you'll not regret it. (I only wish it were still published in hard cover)

Flophouse gives America a rare glimpse into the underbelly of the American Dream. With photos and personal interviews of 50 residents of genuine Bowery flophouses this book reveals the raw grittiness and humanity of those at the bottom of American society. So often politicians and other such moral crusaders seek to demonize those on drugs and welfare. The real story why these men have fallen into the abyss is often more complicated than simple explantions provide. The story of these men asks each of us to re-examine our beliefs about the least among us. I should know-I live among them and am featured in the book with my bicycle. Many of you who read this are but a few paychecks away from similar circumstances. I encourage you to buy this book and keep it as a reminder to save every dollar you can in a 401K-lest you spend your last days in a Bowery Flophouse!

Turn away. Turn quickly away. My first instinct upon glancing at this title was consistent with Middle Class America's natural reaction to social despair. Cautiously intrigued, I reached to the top shelf in my suburban neighborhood's local library, and pulled down into my comfortable suburban world an enlightening pictorial in brief. With mixed horror and wonder, increasingly awed at these victims of circumstances, reading "Flophouse: Life on the Bowery" was a real look, a first look, into sunken faces and disheveled lives. Black and white photos say the thousand words their subjects never will. The human condition, bare, innate, is plainly presented without pretense or censoring. How very similar, how frighteningly normal, were the lives of these men before the loss of job, wife, or sanity deposited them here, teetering on the brink between life and death, heaven and hell, New York City's Bowery. Read this book, count your blessings and your spare dimes.

The reason we are so drawn to (and, in the same breath, repulsed by) books such as this one is that they show us the truth that is locked up inside of us. They present a side of reality many do not see in pursuit of the paycheck running from the fears presented in this book. And, yes, the reasons why they are at the 'flophouse' is infinitely complicated.

The photos are stunning and the stories are minimalist which has a gripping effect. The photos and the stories open up a world that is almost mythical. Penetrating is the word that comes to mind.

Study them, feel them, connect with them, learn to love them. But do not judge them and do not run from them. Hold onto them and, in the midst of our bustle and struggle, keep them dear in our hearts. And, if one is so compelled reach out, not as veoyeurs, but with compassion, sharing with, realizing that our human wholeness is dependent upon such individuals as these whose lives may be unlike anything we could imagine.

For only when we are willing to get 'real' and walk in the valley of the shadow of death, and this with others, can we ever really become human. These characters are but a shadow of aspects of our own selves.

The thing that's really a shame is that there is a blythe doll for sale at $75 here at Amazon. In case you want an authentic Japanese blythe doll: J-List, a high quality site that sells products straight from Japan, has a selection of them at about 20 dollars each. jbox.com/search/blythe. Happy hunting, and I hope I don't get in trouble for this...

Admittedly I am a bit biased having been a long-time Blythe fan; nonetheless this book has much to delight the new fan as well as the old. This book's creation was obviously a labor of love, and the author's joy is seen clearly in her poetic photographs. Gina Garan has presented us with a new Blythe; an idol as versatile and glamorous as the greatest queen of the silver screen. This book is a must for all doll collectors. And if you are not a current Blythe devotee--watch out!--for you will surely be drawn into the world of this elusive 1970's icon.

If a fun collection of photos featuring one of the most kitschy-cool odd-ball dolls wasn't enough, THIS IS BLYTHE is inspiring. The way Gina Garan shoots photos of her big eyed dolls they definitely seem to have personalities of their own. With more spark than most super-models, and more spunk than a whole aisle of Gen-X Barbie dolls! Photographs of this elusive doll from the 1970's would be interesting enough on their own, but with the unexpected locations (like in the mouth of a tiger at the Siegfried and Roy monument, or posing au naturel in front of Hooters) combined with the quirky subject matter (Blythe's the only doll I've heard of that can change her eye color from pink to orange with the pull of a string). Prude, sassy, sophisticated, glamorous, edgy, shy, apprehensive, innocent- are all conveyed not only by this dolls ability to change eye color and position. It is done with with the fabulous costumes, settings, and Gina's ability to almost animate Blythe with her unique style of photography. The book is interesting and whimsical, colorful and humorous. It has a very arty/innovative feel and a super-slick layout, but doesn't ever lose touch with the sweet and simple feeling that this girl is just playing with her dolls. Anyone who loves books about pop-culture, has an affinity for the unusual, appreciates dolls, or is simply looking for a book that is one-of-a-kind and inscrutably appealing,,, this is it! After flipping through the the book again and again, I kept remembering something from the last line of the introduction, and how it really holds true. It's that,"Blythe reminds you to embrace the rare and unique", qualities of who we are-- and that's exactly why this book is a gem!

When I first ordered this book and received it in the mail, after opening the box it came in, sat down right then and there "just to take a peek". Well, let's just say, my short "peek" turned into an interrupted 30 minutes! "Women in the Material World" certainly joins the ranks of "can't-put-down-and-can't-forget-about" books. It is a very worthy sequel to "Material World", in which women from some of the "Material World" families are looked at more closely. Perhaps the most special thing about this book is a long, personal, and intimate interview with each women. The women are surprisingly open in responding about their daily life, their children, their marriage, and their future hopes. "Women in the Material World" simply lets the women speak for themselves, and in the process, breaks down many stereotypes (who would have thought a 58-year Chinese woman would love farming much more than her traditional household duties?)and lets others remain (the secluded life of an Indian woman). Statistics for that country, quick facts about each woman, a brief write-up on conditions for women in each of their countries, and field notes from the photographer further enrich this amazing book. The women in this book will inspire you, challenge you, and never let you forget this book.

I read the book, Women in the Material World after I saw the author at a young women's conference last year. I thought the book was great. It showed many women's points of view on life and the way they live. This book made me think about other women and how we are all very different but also the same. I think this book is very truthful and has a beautiful message. There are not many books like this out there so I commend Faith for writing it.

This book is a superlative sequel to the early Material World by Peter Menzel. I have read the earlier book so many times that when this new volume came out, I bought it immediately sight unseen. In this book, Faith D'Aluisio revisits 19 of the 30 families featured in the Material World to find out about the women's lives.

The articles are organized alphabetically, together with short features on marriage, laundry, work, education, childcare, hair, food, water, and friends. At the back of the book, we find statistical charts about women, and a useful statistics glossary. Each article has an extended interview with the mother of the family that reveals parts of her life story as well as her attitudes towards topics such as marriage, child care, education, money, and possessions. The articles are of course filled with numerous color photos, large and small, of the women at work and with other family members.

The Material World itself is a monumental book, but it was hard to go back to it after reading this book, where we find that the details presented in the Material World were so incredibly superficial. For example, family life for Maria dos Anjos Ferrerira in Brazil or Carmen Balderas de Castillo in Mexico isn't nearly as rosy as one might guess from looking at their original smiling photos in the Material World. On the other hand, Zhanna Kapralova from Russia continues to be a survivor. No matter how much you learn from the Material World, it will be far eclipsed by this book with its extended interviews and additional photographs.

There is relatively little I can say about this book.

The book is essentially photographs and news clippings from a newspaper in Wisconsin from about 1890 to 1910. Interspersed are snippets from novels dealing with life during the period.

Turning the pages, reading the articles, and looking not at the pictures but into the eyes of the people in the photographs, one gets a sense not of some sterilized, backward glance at these people as some great societal force, not as a band of pioneers, but as very human people, who die in childbirth, die as children, die of diseases that sweep through whole towns and infect the entire state with fear, go insane, murder, and still maintain enough inner dignity to be able to look into the lens of a camera and mask most of their emotions long enough for the half-second exposure but not long enough to pierce the heart of people living a century later. It is pain. It is a death trip.

The book speaks for itself. Actually, it doesn't. The people in word and image speak for themselves.

I was able to read this book in one day, and wanted more. Being a former resident of this area of Wisconsin made it even more interesting for me, but all that aside, it was one of the most intriguing books I've read in a long time. The photographs are a wonderful testament to life in that era & locale, if you're a collector of old photographs & post-mortem shots this is a great book for your library. Reading about all of the madness surrounding these people, their bizarre and sad behaviors really makes you think. The author's conclusion really draws it all together for you.

I read this book frequently during the 70's after leaving Wisconsin where I went to college and lived briefly on a farm. The impact has remained with me throughout my life; the devastating loneliness and alienation and great griefs that actually are so much a part of the 'roots' of white America. The spectre of the end of the timeless native american cultures, without a media to sensationalize or distort, were nevertheless traumatic to watch. Especially to people for whom there were few social holding places- in a world plagued and stark.

The style of the book with entries from the State Assylum intake log, the local newspapers, some journals and the shocking family pictures, and pictures of the dead, constitutes a multiple fact assault that feels nothing less than gothic fiction.
I don't believe it is possible to get a clearer understanding of the European agrarian foundations of America- and the incipient madness that was never far from the essence of that life. My Antonia is like a fairy tale by comparison.