Documentary-collections Books

It couldn't be better said.

This book is pure enjoyment. What a wonderful command of the language from this former English professor! Insightful and reflective, this book is about so much more than the obvious. Though perhaps the title is not that far amiss...

My only "criticism" would regard the desire to see more of the photographs to which Adams refers or describes in detail. He gives us very few opportunities to understand what he says by looking at the picture itself.

A wonderfully written book about the wonders of photography written by a wonderful writer with a wonderful eye and a wonderful brain.

This book has been of great assitance to me in my teaching and creative practice over the years. It has been a source of inspiration and motivation allowing me to continue working with my cameras and photography, at the same time reconciling different ideas about 'money', 'ideas', 'freinds', 'teaching' etc to enable me to maintain my faith in what I do.

The essays on teaching and money in particular have helped me clarify my position as both an artist and teacher, I highly recommend this book to anyone considering teaching or photography as a career.

If you are not connected with any photography/art community, this book is for you. If none of your friends has an MFA, and if you are in need of someone who can speak intelligently about photography as art, then again, this book is for you. Robert Adams' writing is clear, concise, and insightful. Adams tells us why we photograph, for example, why we photograph landscapes. The answers include: because the images are of "emblems of a land" (pages 146 and 163), because our photographed subjects redefine us and is part of our biography (page 15), because art is "specifics made universal" (page 120), and because "art is a discovery of harmony" (page 181). Adams consoles photographers who come to realize that spending ten years doing photography won't necessarily result, e.g., in a contract for preparing a coffeetable book: "[t]hey may or may not make a living by photography but they are alive by it" (page 15); and the experience of having an exhibit where the photographer "stand[s] through the opening of an exhibition to which only officials have come." (page 16). Adams reveals the secrets of some of the masters, e.g., Weston: "limbs and torsos . . . treated as shapes to be enjoyed as one might the sight of a smooth stone" (page 64); and Paul Strand: "he worked off axis as if it were a moral principle . . . but usually just slightly off axis." (page 81) Robert Adams offers some critiques of the masters, e.g., of Paul Strand: "[o]ff-centering is used here . . . it begins to seem formulaic (page 87); and of Ansel Adams: "I have been derivative of myself for fifty years." (page 116). Robert Adams' book is a stand-alone book, that is, it does not require a knowledge of literature, art criticism, or history. The book is for the layperson. Another fine, insightful book on photography criticism is Light Readings by A.D. Coleman. A remarkable bit of insight by A.D. Coleman, for example, concerns his view of the typical amateur (page 164): "Typically, a snapshot of someone's relative at Grant's Tomb will show the relative too far from the camera to be identifiable and Grant's Tomb too close to be recognizable . . . Their charm and poignancy derives specifically from their failure to communicate . . ."The writings of Robert Adams and A.D. Coleman may be contrasted with the poetic commentary David Wallace (in Morley Baer's The Wilder Shore) and with the "writing" of Sally Eauclair in The New Color Photography and New Color/New Work. The writings of David Wallace and Sally Eauclaire are silly, and sometimes very silly, and serve only to draw attention to the words printed on the page instead of serving to invoke new concepts and connections in the mind.

Most of the book doesn't really respond to the title, but Robert Adams writes in a very engaging manner and talks about issues that most photographers will find interesting. I found particularly interesting his discussion of famous photographers and their aesthetic philosophy. This is not a book for the casual photographer, but for the photographer who is interested in photography's background, or a collector who'd like to better understand the photographer as artist, this book is terrific.

A fascinating story, told with brilliant photos and a pleasant CD of music. Makes a good gift, and a sure pick-me-up for your own coffeetable.

I was thrilled to read Richard Sobel's powerful story of the Abayudaya. I had the opportunity to visit this community in May of 2002 on behalf of Heifer International. At the time I did not know of Sobel's book. It has made my visit all the more meaningful. Now I want to return.

The Abayudaya Women's Heifer Project is located in the Mbale district of Eastern Uganda and Heifer work with them was started in 1997. A group of seven women became the governing council. Twenty heifers were originally distributed and to date there have been 5 pass-ons. There are now 22 persons ready to receive Heifers.

This group is one of the poorest groups that Heifer works with in Uganda. However, it should be noted that the assistance of the Abayudaya Women's Heifer Project extends to those who are Christian and Muslim as well as Jewish.

We visited many of the farms and then visited the people gathered at the synagogue. They shared their story and we felt the power of their faith. The cows are helping the move toward self-reliance, but it is their own strength that is so empowering.

This book is the fascinating and bizarre true story of a small group of rural Ugandans who got the idea to convert to Judaism about 75 years ago. The prose part of the book is actually quite brief, but the pictures are beautiful, and the CD that accompanies the book (their prayer music) is a musical treat.

I first heard about the Abayudaya in 1996, through the work of "Kulanu," an organization working in support of isolated and marginalized Jewish community around the world. In September 2003, Rachel Namudosi Keki, a 21-year-old Abayudaya woman visited our community. It was a remarkable event.

Rachel highly recommends this book (which includes many pictures of her father, J.J. Keki, and a few of Rachel as well, although she is not identified by name) as the best available resource for understanding the history, reality, and day-to-day life of the Abayudaya.

The audio CD is a vital part of that understanding. (More Abayudaya music is available on the Kulanu-produced CD, "Shalom Everybody Everywhere;" Rachel is the soloist on these recordings, mostly recorded when she was around ten years old.)

Among the many unexpected revelations in this visually stunning book is the fact that J.J. Keki was visiting America in the late summer of 2001, and witnessed the first plane striking the World Trade Centers on September 11th. If you review film footage from that day, you can catch a glimpse of a tall black man wearing a kippah among those running from the scene.

Richard Sobol has just come out with Abayudaya: The Jews of Uganda, an exquisite volume of photographs with text about this remarkable group, and a CD of Abayudaya music is included in a pocket attached to the back cover. The music was recorded and annotated by Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, an ethnomusicologist at Tufts University.
Those of us who have lived and traveled in sub-Saharan Africa universally bemoan the fact that our pictures cannot capture the color and contrast, the rhythm, the unique beauty that is Africa. Richard Sobol, a seasoned pro, has captured the essence of these African scenes as few others can (Carol Beckwith comes to mind). Views of the Ugandan countryside and towns, of Abayudaya prayer and study and feasting, of women washing dishes and carrying water and preparing food, of elders in contemplation, of adults and children at play, of vendors of colorful housewares, of stunning posed portraits - it's all there, and each photo is a masterpiece.
And Sobol's 18-page essay about Abayudaya history and life and Jewish practice is a fine summary for those who have not been introduced to this unique community before.
Summit has written a five-page text to introduce the CD, which is entitled Abayudaya Music of Worship and Celebration. This essay is both informative and poignant. It reviews the various influences on Abayudaya music - Zulu music, church and Salvation Army music, Bantu folk music, Western visitors, and Nairobi (Kenya) synagogue melodies - often learned from recordings or the radio.
Summit recorded this wonderful sampling of Abayudaya music in informal sessions in Uganda in 2000 and 2002. The first half of the CD includes unaccompanied traditional hymns and psalms, some dating back 20 or 30 years, one composed by the community's founder, Semei Kakungulu, in the 1920s. The annotations themselves make fascinating reading. One note explains that Psalm 136, heard on the recording as a responsive "reading" with soloist and chorus, reminds the community of the downfall of Idi Amin since it recounts God's deliverance with the splitting of the Red Sea. A particularly precious rendition is Rena bat Esther's solo in Psalm 121, used by the Abayudaya to provide strength and comfort when a person is ill. This is one of the few compositions on the CD by a female composer. Another woman's composition is the melody to Psalm 130, which is sung repeatedly during a burial while shoveling earth and filling up the grave. Women seem to specialize in consolation.
Twagala Torah ("We Love the Torah") is a charming children's song composed by one of the youth leaders of the community, Moses Sebagabo. The text, in Luganda, English and Hebrew, is sung by Abayudaya children who attend public school.
The more upbeat second half of the CD features guitar accompaniment by Gershom Sizomu and electric keyboard by John Mark Nkoola, musical director of the Abayudaya high school. In an interesting contrast, Summit placed the a capella rendition of Psalm 136 in the first half and the electric version of the same psalm in the latter half. J.J. Keki's song "Ali Omu Yekka" ("My Only One") sounds like a standard love song: "I have one chosen one. I only have one love. I'm warning those others, don't come near me, she's enough...." But Summit points out that the Torah is the object of the songwriter's love, and the song is a veiled warning to Christian and Muslim proselytes in Uganda!
John Mark Nkoola wrote a modern song about the feeling he has when somebody has died. The words are particularly poignant in this place where deaths from AIDS and malaria are not uncommon: "The time has come. We must be going back where we have come from, to dust... When I think about death, I become afraid. I wish I had somebody to explain why this happens. Perhaps I may settle my mind. Let us enjoy life... Enjoy life in the right time, place and with the right people before you disappear like a shadow."
A few of the selections were heard on the community's first recording, "Shalom Everybody Everywhere!" produced by Kulanu with the Abayudaya in 1997. It is particularly satisfying to hear the beautiful, mature voice of Rachel Namudosi, in "Adonai Mukulu" ("God Is Great"). We heard her lovely child's voice on earlier recording. Happily, more recordings are in the works.

This was originally a gift to me, and have since given it twice to cat lovers who have raved. The photography is unusually stunning black and white, with very whimsical uses of the cat/alphabet juxtaposition. The suede cover with the cut-out is nicely designed, and helps it stand out among other gift books. There's also a wonderful description of the author and how the book came about - which just adds to the personalization of what could easily have been a "typical" cat photo gift book.

Lorenz Kienzle, though living in Berlin, germany, was presented by galleries in united kingdom, italy, france and so on - and he is proud to be presented by the US-publishers Stewart, Tabori & Chang in New York, Manhattan, 115 West 18th Street: and they have done their work very well: The cover of this little precious book is made of black velvet, so cats really will start to love this book too, taking place on the cover for a dream-time. CAT-ABC: the letter "S" for example shows "STRETCH" - the authors tomcat named "KATER" is doing his very best to reach the level of aerobic heroes like jane fonda. Letter "R": ROUND - a sleeping-body-hieroglyph showing a circle-form (making a mimikry-correspondance to a coffee-pot); letter "L" - LENGTH: extreme-show: cat KATER is demonstrating, that he is able to make himself as long as a hare - in order to cover the length of his favorite sofa, so that no one else can take a seat. Letter "E": EDGE: cats talent, to let the chin hang over the edge while resting on tables, chairs, cupboards, refrigerators or bookshelfs. Letter "Q" . QUADRUPED: showing footprints in the snow. Letter "C" - CUDDLE: evidence, that human and animal beings are able to make a sculpture of togetherness while sleeping in the same bed. Letter "H" - HIDE AND SEEK - I think this is a manner of playing we can find in the whole world - not only between (human) childs and their parents, between cats and dogs, birds and horses - it's a gift to see the same thing taking place between animals and the extraordinary beings, that climbed some levels higher on the evolution-ledder - HIDE and SEEK - it's a way, to remember the roots of all living. Letter "J" - JUMP - shifting the reader of the book in astonishment and leading him to the opinion, that some cats are jumping more risky than parachutists. Very often books about cats are awful kitch, indeed, portraying animals dressed as humans, posing for bad jokes, they can't identify. But this ABC of cats seems to be composed in memory of the grandfather of animal behavior-science Konrad Lorenz: The photographer Lorenz Kienzle now created a well done picture-collection of animal-observation. If cats could write a customer-review, they would scratch on the paper: "yeah, that's it!"

Lorenz Kienzle, though living in Berlin, germany, was presented by galleries in united kingdom, italy, france and so on - and he is proud to be presented by the US-publishers Stewart, Tabori & Chang in New York, Manhattan, 115 West 18th Street: and they have done their work very well: The cover of this little precious book is made of black velvet, so cats really will start to love this book too, taking place on the cover for a dream-time. CAT-ABC: the letter "S" for example shows "STRETCH" - the authors tomcat named "KATER" is doing his very best to reach the level of aerobic heroes like Jane Fonda. Letter "R": ROUND - a sleeping-body-hieroglyph showing a circle-form (making a mimikry-correspondance to a coffee-pot); letter "L" - LENGTH: extreme-show: cat KATER is demonstrating, that he is able to make himself as long as a hare - in order to cover the length of his favorite sofa, so that no one else can take a seat. Letter "E": EDGE: cats talent, to let the chin hang over the edge while resting on tables, chairs, cupboards, refrigerators or bookshelfs. Letter "Q" . QUADRUPED: showing footprints in the snow. Letter "C" - CUDDLE: evidence, that human and animal beings are able to make a sculpture of togetherness while sleeping in the same bed. Letter "H" - HIDE AND SEEK - I think this is a manner of playing we can find in the whole world - not only between (human) childs and their parents, between cats and dogs, birds and horses - it's a gift to see the same thing taking place between animals and the extraordinary beings, that climbed some levels higher on the evolution-ledder - HIDE and SEEK - it's a way, to remember the roots of all living. Letter "J" - JUMP - shifting the reader of the book in astonishment and leading him to the opinion, that some cats are jumping more risky than parachutists. Very often books about cats are awful kitch, indeed, portraying animals dressed as humans, posing for bad jokes, they can't identify. But this ABC of cats seems to be composed in memory of the grandfather of animal behavior-science Konrad Lorenz: The photographer Lorenz Kienzle now created a well done picture-collection of animal-observation. If cats could write a customer-review, they would scratch on the paper: "Yeah, that's it!"

What a pleasure to look at good photography and domestic animals, in this case, a cat. Pet books haven't had the best of luck, good ones, are hard to find. Araki has a fantastic book about cats in Tokyo, and extraordinary Magnum photographer Elliot Erwitt had photographed dogs since forever, with wit and skill. Apart from these, pet books tend to be kitsch, senseless, collections of awful photographs, with no sense of reality and story telling. Portraying animals dressed as humans, grotesque and sad. ABC Cat, is elegant, skillful and at moments witty, contemplative and revealing. I hope this is the first of a new beginning of pet books, where the subject matter is not overriding the medium. Congratulations on this book. It is rare joy; everybody who loves photography and animals (or Cats) should have one copy.

Another customer reviewer called this book "elegant, beautiful, and intimate." And it is. It's also gentle and oddly moving. The photographer's affection for Kater is apparent in every frame. Physically, Kater is a garden-variety kitty, but by the mid-point of the alphabet, the viewer sees him as his family does, and he is beautiful. This isn't an ordinary, vapid cat book. I think it's essentially about love.

What impresses me most about this touching book is that the children tell the story. Through their candid words and telling pictures, we enter a world that no one ever expects to find themselves in; much less a young child. And yet, the message conveyed is simple: hope. Hope to enjoy life... no matter the length of it. Billy Howard's photograpy allows the soul of each child to shine through. Buy this book. You won't be sorry!

Children's perspective of cancer is presented in this uplifting book through their own words, drawings, and photographs. Despite our natural sadness when confronted with this subject, the reader senses courage and hope when turning the pages of this book. Sadness is there as well, but the faith and fighting spirit of these children remind us of the resilience and strength and unceasing hope within all of us.

As always, Billy shows us the value of each individual. His work focuses on groups of people that we often would prefer not to acknowledge, those with AIDS, those with disabilties, the homeless and, in this case, kids with cancer. But Billy always shows us that we can learn much from each individual and that all can bring joy to our lives. Contrary to being "depressing," this book is full of hope.

Amazing .. the strength we can get from children. I knew Katie and she was a wonderful little girl. Her story continues here and she will always be in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. "Katie's Angel" is on the front of this book and on so many things she left to those who cherished and loved her. I can't see an angel that I do not think of Katie. She even wrote a personal cookbook and this angel is on the cover. The book is suitable for adults and children, because it gives us all hope and the power to be strong, sick or not. Nice pictures and very good reading... but you will fight a lump in your throat.

Angels & Monsters: A Child's Eye View Of Cancer by art therapist Lisa Murray and professional photographer Billy Howard is the impressive result of an eight year project in which Murray worked with children and had them express their feelings about their cancers through their artwork -- and then talk about their art. Howard took a photographic portrait of each child. The artwork and the portraits where paired and presented in a stunningly beautiful and thought-provoking exhibit under the auspices of the American Cancer Society, and which is memorably presented in the pages of Angels & Monsters. Sensitive, insightful, unique, and thoroughly "kid friendly", Angels & Monsters is highly recommended reading for any child (and their parents) having to cope with cancer, and would make a welcome and valued addition to any school or community library collection.

This book is a must have for any sea-faring enthusiast. The photography is extradinary and enhanced by the superb layout and design. This has solved my 2002 holiday gift dilemma!

This is an incredible book that has some very stunning photography It is hard to believe that one woman could travel to so many exotic places and still capture the feeling and personality of each local.

This is a very unique book that is more than the title sugests it has a way of carrying you into the sea.
The writings that accompany each photo are both eloquint and pleasureably to read. I love the variety of photos not the same angle with a different boat page after page.

This is a very unique book that is more than the title sugests it has a way of carrying you into the sea.
The writings that accompany each photo are both eloquint and pleasureably to read. I love the variety of photos not the same angle with a different boat page after page.

You don't have to love boats to love this book. The international subjects, the dramatic angles, the unexpected elements--all add up to great photos. On top of that the quotes that accompany many of the photos wonderfully enhance the pages. Just a beautiful selection of nautical "sound bites." A wonderful gift book.

This large book has some of the best pictures of Koudelka. It is very well printed.

troublant regard
excellent ouvrage, aussi bien pour le choix des images, la qualite des reproductions ou encore l edition
une lecon

I consider Koudelka to be one of the finest photographers to come out of Prague. This book is handsome. The images are beautifully reproduced and the camera format seductive. If you appreciate textures and rich blacks, this edition will please you. The graphic art direction is smart and intelligent - a photo art book for the fine art collector.

absolutly stuning, wonderful study of texture. and i bought it for... right after looking at it. if i don't see it every now and then i miss it. i want to say something more, something globaly political, but the images are so romantic it seems josef koudelka doesn't realize where he is. (that's a complement)

JK is a street photographer who transcends the boundaries. Eye of the artist and soul of the novelist. This book represents the closest thing to recent work. Unfortunately he has withdrawn his photographs from circulation. He is concentrating on photographing and not doing any printing.
The large format is perfect for these panoramic images. A statue of Lenin on a barge is my favorite pic. Worth the price of the book. However, there are many others to fall in love with.

Having had the forune of being born and raised in Florida's...pre theme park era, I have had the luxury of experiencing an evolving FLORIDA.

Jon Kral's photo journalistic approach to capturing a little known, and almost forgotten quality of Florida is remarkable. Not only for the absolute thought provoking images, but what they represent...where we are from...and where we are going.

From the images of the Kissimmee round up and cattle drive, to those of a lone horseman at the end of the day...one is left with a new sense of what the true Florida was...and remains today.

The images range from brutally honest, to surrealistic, yet each conveys it's message clearly...provoking the human spirit and emotion.

This approach to a "land forgotten" should be high on one's list to view. Jon Kral touches not only the meaning of the past...but how it drives the future.

Jon Kral has created a beautiful picture story of the life of the Florida "Cracker". Words are not necessary when the picures tell the story, Kral has insight into the life of the cowboy, and it is obvious that he loved every minute of photgraphing the men at work and at home. He put the book together with love of each and every picture. Readers will be surprised and amazed at the cattle country in Florida. We forget that there is more to this state than Walt Disney and Interstate Highways. This book will make the reader want to take a car trip to the Cowboy Country and see the country in person.

"Kral captures (the cowboys) laboring and relaxing in rich monochrome photos that, when meticulously focused and organized, sometimes echo the sculptural quality of Ansel Adams' work, and when more softly focused and granier, resemble impressionist paintings in-oddly enough-black and white." Ray Olson, BookList

I have read every book Carl has written and I keep waiting for the next one, the new novel to come out. Carl, I miss you! Please put a new book out for us. No one does it better. Do you hear me, Carl? HURRY please because I'm going through Hiaasen Withdrawal!

I'm a Welshman who has ranched in Florida for nine years, and I can tell you this is indeed a remarkable book of atmospheric photographs concerning the life of the Florida cowboy. It is a creation that colour could not do, building up a fascinating, fantastic reality in an unique way. I salute the author for his originality. I bought four copies, kept one and sent the rest to my kids across the Pond, sayin', "Y'all better come an' see your ol' pop, Florida ain't what ya think it is!"

I love this book! Great as a gift or just to feast your eyes on celebrities. Top Quality Book - and I know what's sexy! - Kristy Welsh, Author of "Good Credit is Sexy"

though some of the featured celebrities weren't on my "sexy" list, they were presented very well and the photography was high quality. entertaining and creative shots, worth the price if not just for the alice in wonderland shot of drew barrymore on the first page. also includes some random text; very intelligent, provocative and fun. i keep this book out for frequent viewing.

Actually, I have two favorite celebrity photography books: this one and Rolling Stone: Photographers. I am an avid autograph collector; so, I use these books whenever I hear about a celebrity being in the area. At the moment, I have this book signed by Denis Leary and Stephen Dorf..with more to come, I hope. About the only photograph I didn't like was the two-pager of Alicia Silverstone. It doesn't really look like her. This is definitely a great book to have on the coffee table for company while you're still getting ready. :)

I cannot remember ever seeing a book of photography as filled with fun as this collection of images from Us Magazine. The humor is solid and clean, something that comedians have a hard time duplicating. The book is greatly enhanced by the special genius of Mark Seliger for this type of work.

Before going further, let me caution you that some images are of partially undressed women that would earn this material an R rating (on the soft side) if it were contained in a motion picture.

The photographs are reproduced in both color and black-and-white. The reproduction quality is very high, and the editors have chosen well where to use two-page spreads and where not to. Although not every image displays good-humored fun, about two-thirds of them do. The book probably would have worked even better if every image had followed that theme. In most cases, the image itself is a happy one that also contains a joke about the celebrity involved . . . creating two ways to have a fun with the image.

Here are my favorite images in the book:

Drew Barrymore (cover shot) holding boxing globes up as a visual bra as she stands in a sparring pose in a boxing ring by Mark Seliger;

Elizabeth Shue nude holding a dog by Mark Seliger;

Patrick Swayze in a slip by Mary Ellen Mark;

Emma Thompson undressed but covered by the bottom of a stage curtain wrapped around her by Neil Davenport;

A puckish looking Hugh Grant by Jon Ragel;

Kato Kaelin in a swimming pool that magnifies the size of his torso by Mary Ellen Mark;

Jodie Foster laughing by Mark Seliger;

Ashley Judd as Marilyn Monroe wrapped in a sheet in bed by Mark Seliger;

Jason Priestley as an urban cowboy tough guy by Lance Staedler;

Whoopi Goldberg looking alarmed by Mark Seliger;

Helen Hunt half-wearing a man's white shirt with a wistful smile by Mark Seliger;

Sharon Stone looking like a 40's pinup or a 50's Playboy model with lots of fluff by Andrew MacPherson;

Julie Louis-Dreyfus spitting water like a fountain statue by Jon Ragel;

Garry Shandling seriously sitting in business attire in front of a burning desk he cannot see behind him by Mark Seliger;

Leonardo DiCaprio thinking in mismatched, outrageous clothing by Mark Seliger;

Kennedy wearing a veil, and using an arm and a hand to create modesty over an otherwise nude body in a take-off on the classic ways to pose nude women without being too revealing by Mark Seliger;

Smiling Rosie Perez by Dewey Nicks;

Sting in a bathtub with rubber duckies by Max Vadukul;

Siegfried and Roy doing an illusion by Mark Seliger;

Juliette Lewis featuring her face and the soles of her feet by Peggy Sirota;

Smiling Lisa Kudrow by Davis Factor;

Matthew Perry by Andrew D. Berstein;

Gamine-like Sandra Bullock by Kate Garner;

a funny, foreshortened Paul Hartman by Mark Seliger; and

David Schwimmer curtseying in a t-shirt and khakis.

"You are a vision of nowness" is the description of this book written inside. I personally found the images more timeless than that. You get a sense of what is universally appealing at all times and to almost all people.

After looking at these happy images, think about the ways that fun appeals to your better nature. How can you experience that kind of fun more often? How can you surround yourself with an environment that teems with such fun? How can you extend and share that fun with others?

Have a great giggle . . . as often as possible!

In this book, there are lots of pictures of celebrities. There is also a selection of quotes from celebrities. It is worth the money.

This is a very beautiful book. Although not for the faint hearted Spirit and Flesh is very revealing of the ways in which the mind and spirit can transcend the material body. It deconstructs accepted 'modern' thinking about physical pain as a negative experience and paints a picture of ecstatic and spirit filled existentialism. One of my favourite bod mod books.

Fakir Musafar's "Spirit + Flesh" is a must for any fan of contemporary body art. In a time of crass uniformity and conservative, right-wing ideologies running rampant over the global consciousness, this book shines like a beacon in the darkness. This is what the world needs now. Fakir is a master photographer who is not afraid of putting forth images of his deepest self. Not all of the photos are of Mr. Musafar; there are lovely photos of other individuals, some of whom will be familiar to people who study alt-culture. As stated by others, the forward by Mr. Thompson maps the context of the spiritual place from which Mr. Musafar's art emanates. I cannot recommend the book highly enough.

This book is becoming hard to find, so get it while you can. Buy it before our president bans it. This is an important book because it documents spiritual liberation in its purest form. As such, it is required material for anyone who is interested freedom and free thinking.

This book is very well made. It was not exactly what I expected but I was not disapointed. I was hoping for more piercing pictures or scarification or suspension but all in all it is still fun to look at. I think if you are into bondage it is a good book for you. I myself am not but I still found the pictures inspiring.

Spirit + Flesh - Anyone who picks up a copy of this remarkable book to admire the photographs should first read the tender forward written by Mark Thompson. The forward is a guide to understanding the story behind the beautiful, artistic photographs taken by Fakir over many years. Some people may find them disturbing or shocking, but there is more to the photographs than images of body modification, visual beauty, and our own perceptions of pain that might have been endured to reach the altered states represented in some of the photos. Leafing through the book and studying the stunning photographs, a story of a remarkable and unique man emerges. This is a book to linger over and share with friends whom understand what it is like to be "different". I am very pleased I added this book to my library.

...Fakir Musafar's personal transformation from nerdy teenager to seeker of transcendental sublimity is measurable in this collection from brave little Arena Editions. With knots, corsets, tattoos, piercings, suspensions and body modification tools not easily describable, Farkir goes where few dare.

Be forewarned, this book, beautifully designed and realized as it is, is disturbing. If you think Robert Mapplethorpe went too far, this is probably not for you. The images we run here in the Libido Review Gallery are on the cuddly end. Others in the book make me wince no matter how often I see them.

Not all of the images in this book are of Fakir, but most are. And this is as it should be, because it is clear that Fakir is the centerpiece of his own universe, in which the TV idea of the makeover is taken to an extreme hard to imagine without seeing it.

After the initial shock wears off, one can't help but wonder why, one would want to poke very large nails into one's self or hang one's body from giant hooks like so much cattle carcass. Why would one do this to one's self.

The answer is found both in the photos and Mark Thompson's excellent introduction. For me the question turn on the point at which performance art becomes a public spiritural quest. For Fakir, pain is a portal to the divine; he has turned himself into a "technician of the sacred," using his own body much the same way flagellants from a variety of religions use pain to seek the divine.

The only difference is that Farkir has documented his experiments with a photographic artists's eye.

This book has certainly become a treasure to my girlfriends and I. Our dear friend Loretta had to leave us, she died of cancer. Her story is in this book on page 20. Lauren Cowen and Jayne Wexler have done such a supurb job recapturing her spirit on paper. This tribute alone indicates the tenderness and compassion shown in their artistic talent for conveying the everlasting bond of girlfriends. Many of the stories contained in this book remind us of our soul's thirst for love of our female friends. Famous or not, rich or poor our needs are the same.Each story will touch your heart. Take my advice and cherish your girlfriends while they are here.

I recently purchased the book "Girlfriends" by Jayne Wexler and Lauren Cowen for my girlfriend. She had recently lost her best friend from childhood to cancer, so I thought the book would be theraputic for her. I couldn't have been more right! She treasures this book. The images captured by Jayne Wexler are poignant and Lauren Cowen's words will certainly strike a chord with any woman who has ever had or has a very special friend. I had purchased their earlier book, "Daughters and Mothers" as a Mothers Day gift for my Mom and know how much it meant to her. Wexler and Cowen seem to have a keen insight into what matters to women--and express it beautifully in both pictures and words. Either of these books would make a great gift for any woman.

It is refreshing to see a coffee table book that has not only wonderful pictures, but inspiring stories. Lauren Cowen has captured the essence of the female spirit across the ages. It exemplifies the many different sides and interests of women. All share the common bond of female camaraderie. These stories depict real women who in their daily lives support each other. I was truly inspired by the group of women who courageously took care of their dying friend. Their bond with each other appears so strong that it transcends death. This would be an exceptional human interest story to pursue. These women are not famous, but truly rich in their caring and compassion for each other.

From the moment I saw the cover I knew that "Girlfriends" would be a beautiful book to hold, peruse, read, and give as gifts to the women in my life whom I call my bosom buddies. The photography is stunning and evocative, the words reflective of what it means to be a female. Simple and solid, "Girlfriends" reminds us of how little it takes to anchor us in a commercialized world that suggests we need more.

this is a great book to give to your best friends for the holidays- the stories are unique and the photos are spectacular- you can read one story every day for inspiration.