Documentary-Collection

Thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous photography of my childhood haunts- I went to grammar school in the Cook Forest area and not long ago when a friend was planning to visit for the first time I handed her this book (I work in a library) as a preview-she was hooked. Mr. Cook has captured all the untouched magic of Pennsylvania forests and packaged it up so we can all carry about a bit of solitude in our busy lives.

This beautiful book of photographs is begun with a fascinating description of the forest's history. I didn't realize that Pennsylvania had such a dramatic history involving the early timber industry and later with conservationists. This book quickly makes you realize how lucky we are to have old-growth forests in America.

You'd never guess from reading this bookthat Anthony Cook was not a professional author or photographer. As a long time visitor to the cook forest, I can testify that the author has beautifully captured the spirit and history of these magnificent woods.

This book gives readers a unique view into the work and mind of Joel-Peter Witkin. Not only does it provide us with a good sampling of his own thought-provoking imagery, but also with visual references of the works that have influenced his photographs. In addition, Witkin gives us, in his own words, written insight, a personal interpretation of some of the images he has created. It is put together nicely with the text preceeding the photographs so that the photos occupy seperate pages. In this way the text enhances the viewing rather than interrupts it.
Highly recommended.

A book that will satisfy both the avid fans of Joel Peter Witkin's art and newcomers to this modern genius' output. We earn more about influence and process than we ever thought we would know. This beautifully presented volume is both an homage to Witkin's mentors and a celebration of his gifts as Master of the Bizarre. A fine addition to the volumes on Witkin and to the library of Fine Art Photography in general.

This book offers a key to Joel-Peter Witkin's art missing from previously publications featuring his work. His choice of 'ancestors' for his own work is enlightening, fascinating, stimulating and often startling. Anyone interested in photographic history and photographic purposes can learn from this book. An additional bonus is that it is beautifully designed and produced.

I got this as a gift for a friend who loves dogs and they thought it was wonderful! It's got tons of gorgeous pictures - even if you are not necessarily a dog person you will enjoy the skill it took to create such beautiful images.

A great book. As a collector of dog images, this is a wonderful addition. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves dogs or is interested in the history of photography-and if you happen to fall into both these categories at once, you'll certainly turn and turn the pages with enormous pleasure and enlightenment-not to mention the therapeutic effects gained from laughing out loud! Everyone I know who has a dog (or would want to have a dog if they could) is getting this book from me for Christmas.

Born and raised in Lubec Maine, I grew to love the coast as if it were my own personal playground. As a young lad I would spend my days swimming in the chilly waters off my families private beach, and my nights roasting marshmellows over and open fire. When I was in my teens I went to work in the local sardine factory and spent many days dragging for scallops in the bay.

I moved away from Downeast Maine twenty years ago and I have missed it ever since. I miss the smell of the salt air and the nice cool breeze that always seems to be there. I miss the endless hay fields and the way the trees produce unheard of colors every fall. Most of all I miss the people. They are kind, honest, and carry an accent that could make anyone feel at home.

I bought the book Downeast Maine: A World Apart a month ago and I read it every day. The stories and black and white photos give the reader a true feeling for what it is like living in Downeast Maine. Reading it, I can almost smell the salt air and feel that unforgettable summer breeze. The book really brings me home again. It's wonderfull book!

A summer resident of Maine's easternmost corner, Frank Van Riper goes beyond clam shacks, country clubs and outlet malls to portray how people 'Down East' eke out a living and build a life.

Van Riper, a former White House correspondent for the New York Daily News ably handles both camera and notepad to record vivid, full-frame images of his neighbors. This is fundamentally a book about people, and he has clearly managed to transcend that putoffishness that Maine residents are known for to get their stories alongside their pictures. The text doesn't merely accompany, nor do the photos merely illustrate; they are inseparable components.

There is a timeless quality to these images of people, most seen at work. Only at times does a modern watch or a radar dome on a boat remind you that clams are still dug through back-breaking labor and lobster hauled up one or two at a time. The book was collected over a number of years, and italics note where the subject portrayed died between the portrait and publication -- and you feel the loss.

This is serious documentary, with more than a hint of Walker Evans and Sebastián Salgado, but with light touches as well. Van Riper devotes a page to the peculiar delight of Maine's own Grape Nuts ice cream, a confection that predates -- and in his view, outrates -- Ben and Jerry's chunky conglomerates.

A visually stunning series of what happens when a dead whale washes ashore in his small town of Kennebec closes out the book. The sharply mottled skin of the whale amid the wash-fade of a foggy illustrate the beauty of his corner of Maine, as Van Riper also tells us of hard choices a financially strapped, self-reliant community must face as it struggles to get rid of what is, after all, tons and tons of rotting flesh.

This sensitive portrayal proves that what it means to be from Maine has nothing to do with what bottled water you drink.

Frank Van Riper captures, in his portraits of Maine, the people that he has come to know slowly (is there any other way in Maine?) through his photo excursions to the northeast.

His "moment" photographs are some of my favorites, including the photo of the boy at the pie-eating contest. It's an ageless photograph captured with precision timing and artful composition. These are traits of photographs throughout the book and share the essence of great documentary photojournalism--the ability to capture a simple (almost unseen) moment with artisitc and historic sensibilities. Van Riper captures this quiet beauty in medium format which lends itself to the superb reproductions.

Van Riper's fine images coupled with his words showcase his great ear for telling dialogue honed during his "other" career as a newspaper writer.

Lisa Laws wonderful photographs bring the Sixties back to me in all its chaotic vigor. Several of her photos are in my book, Sleeping Where I Fall, and besides being a great pal, she has been an avid and persistent chronicler of her time. It's a treat to see once again, friends, heros, and icons "as they were" ...uncreased by age, and borne aloft by promise and hope.

Because I was not a professional photographer but a participant of many of the events that stand out so well in the sixties, I was able to capture intimate moments behind the scenes of the movers and the shakers.. the icons of the Sixties, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Nico, Janis Joplin, Big Brother, and the Holding Company, Otis Redding, Tiny Tim, Timothy Leary, Dennis Hopper, Coretta Scott King, Andy Warhol, Harrison Ford, Cher, Peter Fonda.. and events like Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock and the Human Be-In. Stories and interviews included give one a feeling that they were there sharing those special moments frozen in time. An introduction by Ram Dass lets the reader know how important this history is. Because of this book, the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian exhibited a show of 63 pieces of my work which you can see on line and they hold a permanent collection of 208 images for all time. If you wish you were there or you were, you will love this book. It is now out of print with the Chronicle Books label but will soon be out again in the year 2000 with Square Books.

A comprehensive and colorful overview of the counter culture and the communities of the Sixties. This book is a must for the collection of any 60's culture enthusiast. Come to know the personalities of the sixties intimately through the progressive accounts in this book. The photographs are amazing! See for yourself....

I picked this book up and could not put it down until I read it from cover to cover. I swear I could hear the crack of the bat and roar of the crowd as I moved from page to page looking at the pictures and reading the commentary. The warmth of the pictures has made this the number one selection in my personal baseball library.

If this book's photographs represent only a fraction of Mr. Brace's total collection of negatives, then more should be rolling off the presses. Not only do they offer a great glimpse into a glorious past, the captions are equally superb. This is a work that's more than baseball: it's American history.

Had the privilege of meeting and knowing George Brace. This book is an excellent portrayal of the work of one of the world's few true gentlemen. Well written! You are correct...It is and will be a collector's item.

I am surprised that this book was the source of so much enjoyment for me, since I had originally bought it thinking it was about Dick Dastardly from the Wacky Races (my youngest wanted it for Christmas). Suffice to say, come Christmas Day, Jeffrey was in tears and the whole household was looking at me reproachfully.

But when I locked myself in the lavatory for the rest of the afternoon to escape the sarcastic commentary from the assembled throng, I was absolutely rapt with it. Really good. I'm still not quite sure of the author's name, though.

"Golfers" is an inspiring collection of photographs and essays that brilliantly captures the addictive allure of golf- a game that Dick Durrance presents as a metaphor of life - an elusive search for excellence, a test of personal values, a source of enduring friendships.

Durrance take us on a fascinating journey from Chelsea Piers in New York to "The Chilly Open" on a frozen lake in Minnesota to "Wild Golf" in the foothill pastures of Colorado. He surrounds stunning photographs with moving essays that reflect the diversity of the game, and he balances reverence with an eye for the absurd - that creative club in the American golf bag that keeps us on course when life and recreation get too serious.

You don't have to be a golfer to appreciate the wisdom and humility that come with the game or the artistic hole-in-one that Durrance has shot with this book.

Durrance has struck gold with his poignant look at the people of golf. His hallmark photography is stunning but only a step ahead of the funny and touching description of his brief time with each subject. He is to be commended for such stellar work completed in such a short period - three months. The range of characters - from professionals to the most rank amateurs - presents a sweeping view of the golf world that will find resonance in anyone who enjoys the game. This book is the perfect gift for any or all of the golfers in your life.

This is a superb book! The photos are excellent, showing Cuba as it truly is today, with whatever still stands after four decades of inattention. Anyone who has not seen Cuba in 40 years should pereuse this book. The photographer does not make a political statement of any sort -- he merely records the beauty that is there. One of the few books about Cuba that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of political sympathies.

My boss gave me this book for Christmas. Boy, did he pick the right gift. Engels' architectural photography is breathtaking. Even thought the splendid colonial buildings depicted in this book appear to be falling apart, one can't help but be mesmerized by the ghostly beauty of it all. Through these photos it appears as if Havana has been become frozen in another, more prosperous era, but has never been maintained since. What you take away from the book is a city that is eerily beautiful precisely because it seems as if it is only a skeleton of what once was. If you are, like me, a lover of architecture, these photographs will make you feel terribly sad because so much grandeur is rapidly vanishing. At the same time, there are more than enough traces of splendid architectural details seen in this book, albeit in crumbling pieces, to make any fan of architecture want to see more of Havana. I gained much from this book, especially seeing, with my sometimes too-American eyes, how a very close and small Caribbean neighbor has architecture that at times seems to rival that of European capitals. I highly recommend this book.

This books presents the beautiful and rich architecture found throughout Havana. Through his pictures Engels lets the architecture speak for itself. Beth Dunlop's 5 page introduction is concise and to the point; a great compliment. Great pictures, a treasure collection.

Mr. Driebe has done beautiful creative work in his compilation of In Search of the Wild Indian. It is packed full of photographs and has enough history and information to provide the reader with a great understanding of the photographer's life work while instilling the desire to want to learn more about these native peoples. The subjects in the photos are uplifting, haunting and expressive. The energy in this book is amazing. I thank Mr. Driebe for this gift -- it is ageless and will continue to take top billing on my coffee table.

Not often am I willing to spend this amount on a book; this one is worth the price. Excellent pictoral, and the details are just wonderful. Portrays Native Americans as no other work has; in detail and with respect!!

A BEAUTIFUL book and great addition to a home library. This book is about Carl and Grace Moon who had a special connection to the Indians of the southwest, however it is also about the wonderful Native people who inspired them. Many beautiful photos and very in-depth text! These people are still there, I have visited with them often. I hope this book will serve as a wonderful tribute to them.

"Invisible New York" is a splendid collection of photographs which pay tribute to New York City's technological past. Stanley Greenberg's large format camera yields dignified, poetic images of long-forgotten historic structures throughout the city. These range from beautiful pictures of bridge supports and hidden passageways to a deserted building at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field, once the city's primary airport. Although others have found New York City's architecture to be a rich source of photographic imagery, few have been as tenacious as Stanley Greenberg in creating stunningly beautiful visual poetry. I must commend Johns Hopkins University Press for publishing this beautiful tome of black and white photographs and keeping it in print. I eagerly look forward to seeing Greenberg's next book, which I think may be on a recent project documenting New York City's water supply system. He is surely one of the most distinguished photographers ever to have graduated from New York City's prestigious Stuyvesant High School.

I have an obsession with abandoned buildings. They are a place I know I can go to be alone because no one visits them anymore but the spirits of those who brought life to the buildings as more than just concrete and steel still linger.

It gives one a time to reflect on the temporality of our lives and the finiteness not only of our beings, but of our dreams and visions. It gives us pause to reflect on what is important and profound about life.

When we are in these places we are really inside of parts of ourselves we don't recognize.

This book lived up to my expectations with it's beautiful photographs, insightful comments about each location photographed and rich, deep printing. A great book for anyone interested in wonderful black and white location photography, or in learning more about New York City and its' surroundings.