Documentary-collections Books

Don't worry if you don't reside in New York. This book is a must have if you like the images of christmas.

The book and it's many wonderful pictures depict christmas that many of us share no matter where you live.

If you want a real christmas mood setter and a beautiful coffee table christmas book to share with your visitors over the christmas holidays (and you and your own family too), then this book is one to get.

A most recommended christmas book.

This book truly captures the essence of New York at Christmas. Mr. Crosby has done a remarkable job of capturing the known and the unknown, both of which make Manhattan a spectacular place to be.

The presentation is wonderful, the content is great, and the author/photographer is to be thanked for sharing his art with us.

I look forward to future books by Mr. Crosby.

Being in New York at Christmas is one of my favorite things...and now I can relive that time whenever I pick up this book. The selection of subjects for the photographs is fascinating, the quality of the photography is excellent and the comments throughout the book are illuminating. I recommend New York Christmas as an ideal book for your library or as a gift.

This is an amazing piece of work which deftly displays a wintry charm that I never knew New York City possessed. It's funny that only by looking at familiar places through someone else's eyes can we really see what's there. Whether you're a New Yorker, a transplanted New Yorker, or just an occasional visitor, this wonderful collection of Christmastime photos surely deserves a prominent place on your coffee table. Hats off to Mr. Crosby for a job quite well done.

I like the red ribbon. My favorite picture is the polar bear

This book is an indispensable reference for any artist who aspires to paint or draw Native Americans as part of their Western art if they want an authentic representation of those forgotten times.

[As an aside, I managed to find a hardback copy of this book, so they are out there if one looks hard enough for one.]

This book contains the best black/white images from the original complete collection. The portraits of Indian and the past moment of their daily life were captured with their character and dignity.

It is a marvelous image collection (Edward spent 30 years to make this 20-volume encyclopedia) of history. It represents the love of the dying population, and records the broken dream of native Indian.

Edward Sheriff Curtis dedicated his life's work to documenting the customs and lifeways of the Native American peoples of North America. This extraordinary book includes some of the best photographic examples from Curtis' twenty volume masterpiece, "The North American Indian," one of the most significant representations of traditional indigenous culture ever produced.

Curtis was one of two official photographers for the 1899 Harriman expedition to Alaska.
On his return, he stopped in northern Montana, accompanied by George Bird Grinell, editor of Forest and Stream. There he witnesses the deeply sacred Sundance of the Piegan and Blackfoot tribes, a sight which transformed his life. Grinell said to him at that time, "Take a good look. We're not going to see this kind of thing much longer. It already belongs to the past". It became clear to him then, that he was to record, with pen and camera, the life of the North American Indian.

Beginning in 1900 and continuing over the next thirty years, Edward S. Curtis, sometimes called the "Shadow Catcher" by tribes' people, took over 40,000 photographs and recorded ethnographic information from over eighty American Indian tribal groups, ranging from the Eskimo or Inuit people in the North to the Hopi people of the Southwest. In the end, the work comprised twenty textual volumes and twenty portfolios with over 2,000 illustrations
They are organized by tribes and culture areas, encompassing the Great Plains, Great Basin, Plateau Region, Southwest, California, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. Featured here are some of the photographer's most impressive pictures, including: seal-hunting Eskimos of Nunivak Island, portraits of three Piegan chiefs on horseback, portraits of Chief Red Cloud, Ogalala Sioux, Geronimo, Chief Joseph, Nez Perce, the magnificent Canon de Chelly, (Navaho), and one of my favorites, Kotsuis and Hohhuq - Nakoaktok - 2 masked performers in a winter dance.

These reproductions are a precious American legacy and an artistic masterpiece worthy of any collection.
JANA

absolutely stunning recollection of his complete photos. the reproductions are somewhat small, but easily viewable. such a complete set is so awe inspiring, anyone who has an interest or a love for native ameircan history/american history must have this book. absolute beauty.

This is an incredible collection of pictures. Piles on piles of pictures. But... The pictures are small. I was hoping for a collection of large pictures(i.e. 8x10) but the majority of them are approximately 4x5. It's a wonderful book, but don't expect full sized images. Irregardless it's a great buy for the price. You'll have a hard time finding a collection of pictures as big as this(even if the pictures are small) :)

First, I want to say that I have purchased a great many books on Amazon.com, and I have never bothered to write a review; although I do read the reviews of any book I am interested in. I am a woman of a certain age and have returned to school(again) to finally complete my undergraduate degree. I registerd for a photography workshop and was required to do a final paper on any photographer of my choice. Naturally,for me the first person to pop into my head was James VanDer Zee, and then I saw something on television about a Roy DeCarava, however there wasn't very much information on this gentleman. As fate would have it I was searching around on Amazon for something and Eureka! I stumbled upon One Shot Harris. I took one look and I was hooked. Needless to say my paper was on Teenie Harris. What a man, what story, and he is the bomb photographer!!! After looking at his images I wanted to travel to Pittsburgh and walk the streets that this man walked. Teenie Harris: A Little Known Black History Fact. If you are a photograpy buff, please pick up a copy. You will not be disappointed. Teenie was the man.

As I slowly turned the pages on this masterpiece, it brought back so many memories. I came along much later than most of these photographs, however, I can remember as a little girl walking down Herron Avenue or driving through as we lived not too far from there. I left Pittsburgh 20 years ago, and much has changed. My father was also a picture taker and I remember watching him develop his pictures in the cellar. He used a very dark bulb and I can almost smell the chemicals he used. It was amazing to me and my sisters to watch those pictures come to life right before our eyes. I don't know if my father knew Charles Harris, because I didn't hear about him myself until a few years ago and I had lived in Pittsburgh for 40 years before moving away. I did hear talk that some type of building is to be erected or dedicated featuring most of Mr. Harris' photographs. To my knowledge that has not happened yet, but when it does, I will make a trip home to see it.

The 120 photographs in One Shot Harris depict the struggle of African Americans against discrimination and show the strength and dignity which they displayed in creating their own unique community institutions. Although the days are gone when a corner of Pittsburgh's Hill District, Wylie and ? were known as the Crossroads of the World - a casualty of "urban renewal" in the form of the Civic Arena, Harris's photographs survive as a reminder and a record of that time. Charles Harris' familiarity with this community infuses his work with a uniquely intimate sense of the neighborhood and its people. A recent exhibit of his work at the Westmoreland Museum of Art even had the title "Spirit of the Community."

Charles "One Shot" or "Teenie" Harris was born in Pittsburgh and his work as staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier and as an operator of his own photographic studio spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s, provide us with a glimpse into the lives of people in the Hill during that time. His work shows many different aspects of society, including people at work, at play - mostly in the restaurants or clubs, such as the Crawford Grill and the Hurricane. Harris also captured musical celebrities such as Louis Armstrong (pg. 145), Duke Ellington (pg. 146), Billy Eckstine (pg. 151, 153, 155), Lena Horne (pg. 150), Sarah Vaughan (pg. 151), Sam Cooke (pg. 152), Cab Calloway (pg. 156), Ray Charles (pg. 158), Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (both on pg. 155). All of these musicians flocked to the Hill's clubs to jam. Harris also captured legendary Negro League baseball players of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords (pgs.96-99), for whom Harris himself played for when they were known as the Crawford Colored Giants. His images also show unique scenes with legendary boxers Muhammad Ali (pg. 92) and Joe Louis (pg. 93, 156). Politicians such as Eleanor Roosevelt (pg. 84), John F. Kennedy (pg. 88-89), Martin Luther King, Jr. (pg.91), Dwight Eisenhower (pg. 86) and Richard Nixon (pg. 87) are shown interacting with the public.

Literary and social critic Stanley Crouch gives the photographs a context by presenting an overview of Pittsburgh's history that emphasizes the importance of African American people and especially by identifying the significant migration of African Americans from the South to the North, filling the jobs of the recently departed soldiers in factories whose production was crucial for the war efforts. Between 1910 and 1930 the African American population of Pittsburgh grew by some 120 percent, from 25,600 to 55,000. Although the Pittsburgh's population has declined significantly since 1910, its African American population has increased from 25,600 to over 86,000. These photographs help document the most vibrant period in Pittsburgh's growing African American community. His essay displays a meticulous recognition of details in photographs, making even the most common image an interesting story. Crouch also identifies the significant figures in jazz that emerged from this community to affect the international Jazz scene in an important way. Several photographs capture Pittsburgh's own Billy Eckstine, the best of which show him with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (pg. 155). A young George Benson (pg. 157) sprawls across a piano and a smiling 11-year-old Ahmad Jamal plays the piano for an adoring crowd (pg. 26).

Deborah Willis, professor of photography and imaging at New York University's Tisch School of Arts and the author of Reflections in Black and, gives us the background on "Teenie" or "One Shot," the origins of his nicknames, how he came to be a photographer, and the social and cultural background and significance of his work. She points out that the sincerity of the people Harris photographed was a product of a trust that they placed in Harris which resulted in a depiction of African Americans with great dignity that was absent from the mainstream "White" press. Willis quotes former Pittsburgh Courier editor Frank Bolden who described Harris as a storyteller and said his "pictures all told a story." Some of the significant stories are hidden below the surface. For example, the men counting coins (pg. 69), were most likely doing so for number runners like Gus Greenlee (pg. 142) or Woogie Harris (pg. 156) - the brother of "One Shot" who loaned him the money to start is own studio. These men served as neighborhood bankers for African Americans who could not secure loans from banks and the example of Charles Harris was much like that of many other successful Black businessmen in that they needed to borrow from these men to get their start. The Black Businessmen's parade was a large neighborhood parade that gave African Americans an opportunity to display pride in their community and its legacy lives in these photographs of streets packed with onlookers (pg. 44-46). The Crystal Barbershop shows the classic barbershop owned by "Woogie" Harris (pg. 132).

The story of Pittsburgh's Hill District and its African American community has and will continue to become an important subject of research. The publication of "One Shot Harris" presents us with a look into work of one the greatest visual documentarians of that community and urban life in the Northern United States during the period of time that is now known as "The Great Migration," signaling a shift in the African American population from rural Southern communities to urban Northern cities. This work is the immediate product of the Carnegie Museum of Arts acquisition of the over 80,000 negatives that represent the Charles "Teenie" Harris photographic archive. Its publication provides us with a glimpse of things to come and a look into some of the visual stories of the Hill's past. The 135 images in this book remind us of why the Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay once described Pittsburgh's Hill District as "The Crossroads of the World."

Teenie was a true master of his craft. He captured mid-20th century Black Pittsburgh as did Matthew Brady during the Civil War. Teenie's photos do "jump off the page." Teenie's vivid images reflect his vibrant, passionate approach to life and his surroundings.

One of the best well kept secrets, and only known to the Pittsburgh area, was Charles Teenie Harris, who made photos out of one shot(hence his other nickname),worked for the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as owned his own photo studio. He photographed the famous and ordinary, rich and poor, black and white(sometimes integrated), and most events in Pittsburgh at the time(1930s-1970s). Once you open this book, you will fall in love and enjoy the photos that this man has made and appreciate his love for art. Although for the most part the photos are tasteful, there are some that are not(murder and accident scenes) and even those are not obscene as one may feel. I recommend this book to all who wish to know of Mr Harris. It is sad that he got accolades after his passing, as well as to never know that his work was returned to him, after going to court to retrieve it. Oh and one more thing, check out Stanley Crouch's biting commentary on Pittsburgh and its history at the beginning. You won't look at history that way again.

This oversized pictorial book describes the training conducted at BUD/S in pretty good detail. In my opinion the photographer, did a fairly decent job with the capture methods used to entail the rigorous training involved in the six month training program.

Let's face it, we don't have a clue - not unless we've been there. Most of the pictures we see, the stories in the press, they only tell half of it, if at all.
We don't know what it takes to want to be one, a Navy SEAL, not really. And we don't have the slightest idea what hardships these men have to go through to be able to be called one, in the end.
I needed stories and pictures for research I'm doing on a manuscript. I found a handful of great books on the Navy SEALs and Special Forces, but photographs - and I mean those that tell a story - they were hard to come by - which of course is logical. These guys don't wait around for someone to snap their picture.
Then I found this. It's huge in every sense of the word. Richard D. Schoenberg sure knows what he's doing. Not only do you get tons of pages with just about anything you would want to know about Navy SEAL training. Richard won the trust of these young men so his portraits show you a depth that is hard to find, most certainly during the harshest training conditions imaginable.
Sure, in the end we still don't really know what it's like cause we have not been there but with this we get as close as we can get.
If you're interested in Navy SEAL training, this book should be in your hands and on your shelf.

I would recommend this book to anyone seriously wanting to get an idea of what it takes to become a Navy SEAL. This photo essay chronicles the journey of an actual BUD/s class from start to finish. While I have read other accounts, the pictorial evidence really clarifies some of what happens and why so many would-be SEALs drop out during the process. Only the most determined and mentally tough make it through these lengthy, grueling tests of strength and character. These men have my respect and my admiration.

Bravo to Richard for his hard work and dedication to the SEAL/SOF community. I was an instructor in BUDS during the making of Richards book and couldnt have asked for a more genuinely interested person to be around us. Richard has the unique ability of photographing his subjects in the most intimate situations, all while maintaining unshakeable rapport with instructors and students alike. Richard has given a much needed inside look (without going too far) at what these men go through during training. Hats off to Richard for a first class photo journal. BH

I must admit I am a bit biased. My son was in Buds class 246 which is the subject of the book. It gave me a real life insight into what BUDs is really all about. I had a difficult time finding the book a local books stores and really appreciated the fact that Amazon carried it. Some hard to find dealers wanted as much as $120.00 for a used copy of it.

All Pictures of R.F.K.'s last journey and the American people turning out
to say goodbye to a good guy.

Really touchy pictures: words are not necessary. I don't know if in Italy this book will be published, so I decided to buy it from Amazon to make a present to my dad.
My brother, that's a photographer, has remained with his mouth shout as he has seen such a phoenomenal talent as Robert Fusco is.

These images resonate. Sadness and hope were two emotions I felt while examining the photos. Very well done and effective in capture the time and emotion of the nation following the assassination.

I was 14 when RFK was assassinated. Despite the fact I'm French and was living in Paris, I had followed all RFK's campaign since his announcement on March 16th, 1968. I had had grief after the Oregon primary, lost to Sen. Eugene McCarthy, yet high expectations for the California primary and of course the next stages. "Bobby" was the hope of a whole generation. There are no words to tell the unspeakable but he was a very respected man, one who could go everywhere in the U.S., including in Black ghettos and Indian reservations, thrilling audiences, moving people forward. Fusco's book successfully reports on the tragedy and trauma of RFK's assassination. Hundreds of thousands of people stood quietly, hand to heart, in the heat of that Spring to pay their respects to "a president who never was". It was one of those rare instances when a nation - and actually people from the whole world - comes together, when individuals from all horizons and backgrounds shared a respect for a leader whom, they believed, could have reconciled the whole country and put it back on track.

This is a profoundly moving book. Each photo is a revelation. I've never looked at individual photographs so long or seen so much in my life. A real experience.

As the owner of an antique customized 1940 Studebaker, I wanted to get fresh ideas for a paint finish. I saw this book offered for a ridiculous low price and didn't expect much. However, everyone who comes over by passes all my design books and picks up Roadside America! Even my daughters spent an hour looking at the nostalgia. If you like American cars and American highways, you'll love the color pictures. I'm buying another copy to cut up and use for framed art in one of our design offices.

Joy!
Jeanette Fisher
Flip That House with FAUX: How to Have Fun Fixing and Flipping Houses and Make More Money

When it comes to the love of automobiles, my hub is somewhat of a road warrior. So, when he purchased this book, I must admit I feigned polite interest. After thumbing through pages of classy, glossy dream vehicles--- I was hooked. This was no ordinary book on cars. This was eye candy with all pedals to the metal.

Photographer Lewis relates that ad agencies would urge her to shoot cars in studio setups. But she always preferred to go on location to wait until the dawn sky "radiated a glow that rolls like warm caramel across a car's sheet metal."

That glow rolls through the pages of this sumptuous photographic history of the American motor car. The book starts with the Model T (costing $850 in 1908) and Henry Ford's vow to "build a car for the great multitude." It picks up speed in the '20s with the birth of the U.S. highway and cruises to our current national love affair with SUVs, "two-ton behemoths that swill fuel like hogs at the trough."

The automobiles themselves will be treat enough for car nuts. For the rest of us there is Lewis's affection for Americana. She shoots a '35 Ford pickup, black with red-rimmed wheels, against the bleakness of Two Guns, Ariz.; a ruby red '59 Cadillac Eldorado convertible in the glitter gulch of Fremont Street in Vegas; and a muscle-car legend, the '64 Pontiac GTO, beneath a towering doughnut sign in L.A.

A great gift for car loving guys & gals on Valentine's Day or any day. Warning: The rumble of the road will be calling you!

Lewis captures the epic wonder, strange beauty, and raucous vitality of the American road. Her eye is attracted to the things we often notice, but seldom observe. The text is excellent, offering actual experiences of those who journeyed along these fabled highways in the past. The color photography is mouth-watering and extremely vivid (the neon practically jumps from the page), but the black and white photos are especially haunting. They explore some of the same terrain immortalized by photographers such as Robert Frank and Dorothea Lange. All in all, a splendid book.

...Arranged in chronological order, the seven chapters take us from 1895 through 1999. The pictorial focus is on American iron, largely from the '50s and '60s. Lewis' narration accompanies in a casual tone with dry humor and interesting historical anecdotes, allowing the reader to mentally complete the cross-country journey with ease. I found myself reliving the multiple coast to coast excursions I took in the 1970s and felt the seeds of yet another trip being planted.

...Roadside America is a long-term book. Lucinda Lewis has lovingly recorded historic cars in historic settings with such visual detail that it is impossible to take them all in at one viewing. You will come back time and again. This book evokes all the romance and sense of adventure that early automotive culture has come to mean. Whether you are a fan of beautiful old cars, traveling Americana, automotive culture, or dramatic professional photography of all of the above, Roadside America, The Automobile and the American Dream is for you.

this may be one of my favorite automobile/landscape books of all time. its just beautiful. the pictures of vintage cars and famous vintage sites is worth any price. dont think about it, buy it while you still can.

I was born in San Francisco and know the beauty of this city. I recently visited my cousin who lives in Italy. She was teasing me that she wanted to come home with me to San Francisco so I did the next best thing and purchased this book for her. I understand from her emails that she treasures it and hopes to come here one day

San Francisco is one of the most stunning cities in the world and if you look inside this book it's not hard to see why. Morton Beebe brings it to life in this beautifully presented colourful book. Not only are there beautiful photos and pictures, but essays and interesting reading material and information about this gorgeous Northern Californian city.
If you have been fortunate enough to travel to San Fran and enjoyed it, then you'll love this book, - and if you haven't yet been, then this might be just the inspiration you are looking for to convince you to travel there. This book is well worth it's price and makes either a great gift or a nice treat for yourself. I really loved reading through this book.

Absolutely gorgeous pictures, great for San Francisco lovers. New edition has several new pictures and essays. It serves as a great gift if you are visiting someone and want to show off the city you live in

Bring together an elegant top-quality publishing company, a gifted photographer, superb essayists and you have all the makings for a good book. Let the subject be San Francisco, though, and you have a great book.

This is the 3rd edition of this best seller with 218 full color images by Morton Beebe as well as essays by Herb Caen, Tom Cole, Barnaby Conrad, Herbert Gold, John Hart, Allen Pastron, Miguel Pendás, and Kevin Starr. Together, they provide an intimate portrayal of the City by the Bay. This stunning collection of photographs captures the contrasts, the energy, and the vitality of San Francisco. As do the essays.

Tom Cole takes us back to the beginning and provides an historical review of the raucous town that suddenly grew up overnight in its feverish bid for gold. Barnaby Conrad leads us into the night with anecdotes witty, clever, and sensuous from an eclectic mix including, to name just a few, Graham Green, Frank Sinatra, and Eva Gabor.

"Bahnaby tells me you haf a vooden leg, vitch vun iz it?"
"Eva, I never thought I'd have to tell a Gabor what a man's leg feels like."
"Vell, dahling, ve vass never in zee lumber business!"

In a final essay, Allen Pastron walks us through much of the city beneath our feet. Here, we discover the world's finest anchorage being dug up and, therein, its archaeological heritage. Penned a "worm's-eye-view," the essay provides some wonderful insights into what was once the bawdy Barbary Coast - particularly, the story of the discovery of the buried ship General Harrison.

Rudyard Kipling opined San Francisco was "a mad city inhabited by perfectly insane people." So it lives on! Multi-faceted lifestyles unfold with each page, the images capturing the curious joie de vivre that reigns over The City. Other pictures highlight the unmistakable landmarks: the skyline with its Pyramid Building, the Golden Gate, and my favorite, the Palace of Fine Arts in the gentle light of dusk below a full moon glowing. The photos speak volumes in this book. Each offers a glimpse as to why the city Herbert Gold called "America's last great metropolitan village" has won the most coveted travel destination award in the world - now ten years in a row - the Condé Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Awards.

San Francisco, City by the Bay, was first published in 1985. This edition features ninety new images and three new essays. The publisher, Abrams, boasts that Beebe's book is their longest running best seller. Not surprisingly. It is said that San Francisco is a city full of people that want to be here. Morton Beebe, a 3rd generation San Franciscan, reminds us of why this is so.

Beebe's images have truly captured the many diverse flavors and charms that make San Francisco the unique city that it is. Combined with the entertaining and informative essays, the beatifully printed images in this book bring a reader as close as one can come to walking through the streets of San Francisco itself. I throughly enjoyed this book.

I have a Snog book and so does my friend, Bernie Calaway. We both like it. Thanks!

Kiss and Cuddle..yes Snog! This is the name of the latest work of Rachael Hale. It is the type of book that everyone who visits your home will look at and be touched. The photography of Hale is once again better than cute and I doubt that anyone can find one picture of any puppy that won't move you in some way.

If you are a dog lover, you will love this book. What I like about Rachael Hale's photography is that she is able to capture something special about each dog, puppy, kitten. Each picture seems like you are looking at something intimate about the animal that even he or she doesn't know about itself.

Rachael Hale lives in New Zealand with her three cats Edmund, Gianni and Versace.

Rachael Hale has written that it would seem that "Henry Miller, Rachael's pet dog is the embodiment of patience and calm as one of the world's most photographed pets. The Newfoundland debuted in Rachael's 1999 calendar with Pipi the parrot, the same image winning gold at the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography in 1999."I love photographing Henry" Rachael says. "Each time you can tell by his eyes he's thinking "oh no, not again". But he's got to understand he's got a photographer for a mum!"

I am not sure if anyone noticed but Rachael has a new dog to add to her family; the cutest Dalmation/Boxer cross named Kizzie which fiercely looks like my Bentley's twin. Picture of her new adopted dog is on the back inside cover.

You cannot go wrong with this "snogly book" which will make you feel warm and cuddly all over. And if you do not have a puppy before getting this book; we can be pretty sure you will be sneaking peeks at ones afterwards.

Bentley/2008

As a professional photographer I am always looking at books in the "photographic section". I came across this book and immediately fell in love with the images. I gave the book to me 12 year daughter who loves the images for different reasons than I do. Just a fantastic book and a great gift.

After reading "Snog" a few times, I set it on my coffee table. So far, there hasn't been a visitor in my home who hasn't picked it up.

The photography and phrases are first rate.

Next time your puppy has an "accident" on the floor, and you wonder why you love him/her so much, just glance over at "Snog" on the coffee table. You'll remember why.

It would be hard to beat the cover photo but I think there were many just a good. I've seen a lot of calenders and books with dog photos but this may be the best yet.

This is a very good book on space history filled with excellent pictures, the only thing I wish was different is that is was a hard cover and not a soft back book.

Andrew Chaikin's Space: A History Of Space Exploration In Photographs is a visual display gathering over 300 images which pay tribute to and trace the history of space exploration. Its appearance in a new paperback edition makes affordable and accessible a visually dynamic, classic history which charts the range of space exploration efforts and discoveries.

Andrew Chaikin is best known for his classic book "A Man on the Moon" which describes the Apollo missions to the moon and was basis for the equally classic HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon." In his latest offering, Andrew Chaikin presents the history of space exploration from the early space pioneers, through the space race, to the latest space shuttle missions to the International Space Station (ISS) using numerous high quality, large format photographs and a very small amount of introductory text for each chapter. I feel that this book will be another one of his classic space exploration books.

The book opens with a small discussion of the early space pioneers such as Wernher von Braun, Sergei Korolev and Robert Goddard, and their efforts to develop workable rockets. The book then moves into the dawn of the space age and the race between Russia and the United States to achieve various "firsts." For example, the first satellite, the first probe to the moon or another planet and of course the first country to put a man into space. After this portion of the book, the Mercury, Gemini, Vostok, Voskhod and early Apollo programs are examined. The next section is devoted to NASA's exploration of the moon and contains many full page photographs. To further emphasis the grandeur of these missions of exploration, there are several two page foldouts. The next chapter of the book covers the early robotic exploration of the solar system, up to and including the Viking and Voyager missions. The next portion of the book examines the space shuttle era. It is here that I feel that the book should have included more. While the space shuttle has been flying for over twenty years, there is less than twenty pages of shuttle related photographs. The book concludes with the current robotic exploration of the solar system, some really excellent photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope and the construction of the International Space Station.

I only have two minor criticisms about the book. First, most of the photographs are devoted to the space race up to the Apollo moon landings, with very little dedicated to the Space Shuttle and International Space Station projects. Secondly, many of the photographs are ones that have been published before so there is very little new here. Nevertheless, these two very minor complaints, are overshadowed by the splendor of the numerous high quality photographs is this book.

it's hard to believe we haven't gone back to the Moon, after seeing these phot0graphs

This book is loaded with photographs as well as a historical narrative. What I found especially interesting was a series of photographs of the unsuccessful Soviet effort to beat the US to the moon in the late 1960's. These include the large new Soviet booster rocket that kept exploding shortly after launch, as well as a scaled-down (one man) Soviet lunar module that was never used. This information exposes the falsehood, advanced against the US Apollo Program at the time by certain left-wing circles, that posited that there had been no moon race because the Soviets ostensibly never had intended to land men on the moon. They certainly did--and they failed.

As a professional photographer, I can honestly say that this is a wonderful book! It is full of fantastic photos of a culture that is struggling to survive. I highly recommend it!

This book is beautifully shot by a truly skilled photographer -- a must have for anyone with an interest in photography or of the people of Tibet.

San Francisco Sunday Examiner and ChronicleBy Linda Watanabee McFerrinFreelance photojournalist Alison Wright's vivid portrait of Tibetan life in exile will kindle the warmth in any heart. In her vibrant visual sojourn with the Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, India,she reveals lives rich in reflection and celebration, and creates a doorway into a culturethat survives in spite of travail. Nuns, monks, musicians, yak herders, children, the survivors of political prisons and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, animate the pages. Her compositions are stunning, the color and light with which she adeptly enflames her subjects exuding both strength and intimacy. A short forward by the photographer underscores the spirit of the composition, but truly this is a book that needs few words. Wright, whose work appears frequently in the Examiner, is most articulate in her photography; and that is worth countless lines of text. "Good intent very important. Most important in all that you do. Never forget, " the Dalai Lama advises her in a garden encounter in Dharamsala. In her work, Wright makes it clear that the message is, indeed, unforgettable.

Ever since I read Heinrich Harrer's "Seven Years in Tibet" six years, then the later "Return to Tibet" by the same author, I was hooked to Tibet, the Tibetan people, the Tibetan land, the Tibetan mountains, the Tibetan monasteries, everything Tibetan. I have cultivated an unspeakable tie to this unique land and its people. I began screening movies such as Kundun and Seven Years in Tibet. I have imagined and pictured Tibet according to Harrer's lively and mindful description during his residence in Lhasa. "The Spirit of Tibet" graciously allows me, for the very first time, to see Tibet unveiling its mysterious yet solemn beauty. A few other readers have complimented on the artistics and aesthetics of this collection. The collection really touches me because it communicates an unfailing passion. After the Chinese invasion in 1950, it is the Tibetan spirit and passion that sustain and unite the country and its people. When you look through the pictures, try to look into the Tibetans' eyes. Behind these eyes you will free yourself from the ordinary and see their life struggles, one and one, rooted deep in their mind and soul.

As a photographer and teacher of the photo arts it is easy to realize the quality of capturing the humanity of the people in this beautiful book. Alison Wright has done an excellent job. Place this in you home so that the tragedy that has been inflicted on the Tibetan people by the brutal and ruthless government of China is not forgotten.

Additional reads on the subject should include Tears of Blood / A Cry For Tibet by Mary Craig and for those who like their history in the style of Hollywood check out Kun Dun by Martin Scorcese, 7 years in Tibet, and Little Budda.

This book will move you to write your elected officials and ask them to support policies that will get China out of Tibet. You may also want to visit the official website for the Government of Tibet in Exile.