Documentary-collections Books

... it's not a photograph, I say."

That captures just one side of this complex collection. A child kisses a woman's grandly pregnant belly (p.68) - is that a sibling in there? An older woman (p.94) holds up a picture, apparently of her younger self. A girl displays an injured wrist (p.147), creating a queasy and desperate sympathy for her, whoever she is. A darkly made-up punker in ripped nylons holds a doll (p.58). Somehow, these and many others each capture a stretch of time, as close as last night or as far away as decades gone by.

A number of photos appear in pairs or larger groups. Sometimes, the pictures in a matched pair (e.g. p.112-113) each reverse the sense of the other. A few times, the person or group appears once clothed, then again nude (p.80-81). Nearly all of them carry some sense of decay, one way or another. Flaking plaster forms the most common background, for example. A claustrophobic room with a window looking onto nothing frames another set of pictures. The people themselves often convey decay of some kind, too. "Ballerina" (p.57) shows a strong and shapely figure, with the woman's face seemingly decades older than the body it attaches to. Full figures appear often, ranging up to obese (p.174), suggesting decay of another kind. Another woman (p. 132) just looks life-long tired, her body seemingly softened and veined by her children's demands on it, maybe demands that ended years ago.

Saudek offers plenty of humor, too, from simple expressions (p.158), to seemingly impossible poses (p.160-161), to bawdy picture-pairs where one figure appears with or without the other (p.88), proving that context is everything. Open eroticism appears frequently, too, often mixed with the humor or other mood. Although some of these pictures are black and white, some were taken in color, and many seem to have been hand-colored and modified after the fact. Saudek's unique and often anachronistic vision unifies this set, a visual sensibility that simply has to be seen. If you like your figure models young, pretty, and only hinting at sexuality, you'll find some of that here. That's just a small part of this collection, though. Lots of these models aren't young, some are hard to call pretty, and very few just give hints. If you like photography that demands something of the viewer, you might find this very enjoyable.

-- wiredweird

Last year, we spent the winter holiday in Eastern Europe, and mostly in Prague. We ate at a very swanky restaurant that featured the photographs of Jan Saudek all over its walls. We happened to have my elderly mother-in-law and 3-yr-old daughter along, but we could handle the content. I had never seen photos quite like them and found them intriguing. I thought this book would make an interesting Valentines gift for my husband when we returned to the States. The book is great. The story of Jan Saudek is fascinating and inspiring. But be warned - some of the photos are REALLY explicit. I had expected this to be a coffee-table book, but with a young child in the house, we keep it put away. When it arrived in the mail, my dad was visiting. I started to show it to him, and felt quite awkward and embarrassed as I flipped to some of the photos. This is not a book you EVER want to look at with your dad. All that said, I think the work is strange and beautiful and provoking.

I ran across this publication in a used book barn and thumbed through it. What I saw made me wonder what kind of a violent lunatic Jan Saudek is, and what kind of a sadistic perverted mind would create such photos? But something about the book peeked my interest. I reminded myself that I am an artist, so I at least owed it to the photographer to objectively evaluate his work, so I did...two more times, from cover to cover, and quite thoroughly. What I discovered was a myriad of hidden and intwerwoven themes, many which had almost no relation at all to the photos themselves, and which all tied into one central theme. Whether this is a collection of political, moral, ethical, and social issues can only be known for sure by Jan Saudek, but all these things can be deduced if you put forth the effort and see with an artist's eye. Perhaps my favorite two photos in the entire book is one where a nude woman is sitting upright with her legs folded behind her head as she peers through a set of binoculars, and a photo of an overweight woman standing naked with large dark freckles and rosy cheeks painted on her face. They are humorous but quite thought provoking if you get past the initial images and attempt to interpret what the artist is saying. I can almost assure you that nudity or eroticism are not the issues at all. Another set of photos shows Jan lighting a cigarette. His head is shaved. In the opposing photo a woman has a pistol in her mouth. Both are killing themselves, but in different ways. It really appears to go much deeper than that, but I do not have time to explain all that I and a friend interpret from those photos. Two others that hit a sore spot, however, are: one where Jan is walking off into a rainbow with a stick slung across his shoulder and a small rag full of his bare necessities suspended from the pole. Someone who appears to be his wife is inside a barren house. She appears to be crying as she peers through a window and watches him departing. The other photo is of Jan kissing a woman as they both lie in a field, while in the distance another woman is hanging by her neck from a tree branch. These two photos spoke clear messages to me...the man leaves his true love for happier days and greener pastures, not understanding that his quest for selfish satisfaction is killing the one who truly loves him and with whom he has the most promise of happiness. These, of course, are only my own interpretations. I HIGHLY recommend you take your time viewing this book, and avoid being overly judgemental of it at first. It is truly not what it seems, and is certainly one of the best marriages of art and photography on the market.

Jan Saudek's deeply erotic and personal photographs have rarely been seen outside europe. It is remarkable that most of them were produced under communist rule. Saudek's hand-coloration is absolutely unique. His studio is a cellar and the peeling brick walls his trademark. This book is an excellent example of his work

Jan Saudek is the most important artist of his type. This beautiful hard-cover edition has many of Jan's most obscure work as well as some of his earlier works, many of which can not be found anywhere else. I have been amazed by this work and recommend it to anyone. It shows both the power and the development of Jan. We can see his style change from a wide eyed-ideailst to a bitter man, consumed with the evils of life and the horrors of humanity. Jan Saudek is truley the master.

i purchased this book for my 17 year old son as a christmas gift. he's a fan of music in general, no specific genre. and he absolutely loved it. pictures and the quick stories are fascinating.

I really appreciated seeing proof sheets created from Marshall's rolls of film. For every pair of pages in this book, a black-and-white positive proof sheet is on the left-hand page, and the chosen (usually quite famous) print from that roll of film is on the right-hand page, along with a short paragraph describing the occasion of the shoot. The individual frames of the proof sheet are quite viewable: there are usually 35 frames printed on each sheet, and each sheet is printed in the book at about 8x10". As a photographer, I envy other photographers' final products, and many times I like to see their rejected frames to catch a glimpse of their decision-making and their ad hoc/candid photos. The proof sheet serves as a documentary on how Marshall worked that day: how many repetitive frames he takes for well-prepared money shots, how he shoots horizontal portraits with the rule-of-thirds, and how many candids he takes. The only thing missing is that the short paragraphs describing each shot do not delve into how Marshall selected the one shot from each roll. Looking through the proofs, it's clear that many good frames were left behind. Finally, there is also a very nice picture evidently of Marshall's gear bag, containing several Leicas, rolls of film, and other stuff.

As a photographer myself I have always been attracted to the idea of seeing the original contact sheets from which a finished print is first judged.

One of the greatest photo shows I have ever seen of Gary Winogrand included large scale preproduction's of some of his contact sheets and it has always stayed with me.

In Jim Marshalls "Proof" that is exactly what you get. A contact sheet with all of his markings and foot notes and then the print that was pulled from that process. Side by side.

It is a great learning tool and a great visual look into the mind of a Photographer that has taken an inordinate amount of iconoclastic images, particularly from within the music world.

Photographer Jim Marshall captured some of the most notable musicians in historic candid shots still remembered today: Janis Joplin with whiskey bottle and the Beatles racing across Candlestick Park at the end of their final public performance: but what about some of his other shots. Proof shares his contact sheets from the concerts, sessions and sittings of his more famous shots. These contact sheets, nicely accompanied by background history and explanations of the photographic methods and shot settings, are outstanding representations and when viewed here as a unit and package, explain the origins of the famous works. Highly recommended.

After the stunning achievement of Not Fade Away Jim Marshall has equaled that effort with this important book. If you care about music or photography this is a MUST HAVE book. Period! Buy the book - pour yourself a single malt, put Jimi Hendrix on a (good) stereo system and enjoy!!!

JOSEPH BRODSKY, LENINGRAD: FRAGMENTS succeeds on every level. For those not familiar with Brodsky's brilliant poetry I would recommend that you spend time with WATERMARKS, his tribute to the city of Venice, before coming to this book. Once the gentle subtleties of his poetry are in mind, then spending time perusing this pictorial essay of Brodsky's face and the scenes of Leningrad (the old name for St. Petersburg is used because that was the city's Soviet name used when Brodsky lived there) will form a complete picture of this amazing expatriate. Mikhail Lemkhin addresses not only the pictorial influences on the poet, but also adds some words of wisdom. The tribute at the end of the photographs, in some of Sunsan Sonntag's most eloquent writing, is a fitting closure to this very lovely book. Highly recommended.

If an appreciation of the personal perspective of the poet can deepen the experience of his words, then Lemkhin's photographic tribute to Brodsky's beloved home belongs on our bookshelves alongside the poetry books and essays of the Nobel laureate. Except for an intimate foreword by Milosz, a moving afterword by Sontag, and brief postnotes in which Lemkhin provides background details on several of the images, the message of this book is delivered entirely through black-and-white images. The voice of those visions comes through most clearly when one imagines viewig through the eyes of the poet himself, not only in the streets and the statues, the skies and the stories of Leningrad, but in the mirror of the close-up snapshots of Brodsky himself placed throughout the collection of pictures. Even the mediocre artistic quality of some of the individual snapshots can be forgiven as the soft footsteps of the poet can be heard stepping through his own lines in the movement of these deeply personal worlds of his own home.

I greatly enjoyed the two books by Mikhail Lemkhin: "Missing Frames" and "Fragments". I am especially moved by portraits. There is something about the portraits that make them very different from most others. The pictures are not posed, but don't seem to be too candid either. I get the impression that the subject is aware of the photographer, but is not posing for him, at least not physically. It is as if the subject is exposing his/her inner soul to the camera. The photographs work, in deeply satisfying way, very well. I know I will look at them again and again.

Mikhail Lemkhin's book is a book in the fullest sense: not an album of exquisite photo studies, but a composition which transcribes a train of thought. The pages roll like clouds across the sky: Look, this is what we cherished in our lives, this is what happens to people, to stone, to memory, thanks to a little acid rain, that most noiseless rain, they call it - `time`. This is an experience of the `literature of silence`. Like a telepathic séance. The Covetous Knight's soliloquy over a chest of devaluated bank notes. Poor Knight! Over a hundred shots taken at the speed of 1/100 - in all, why that's just around a second! Someone else's story, made up mostly of the same things or signs as mine or yours, only linked in a different way to yield a personal fate. In particular, or rather, most importantly, it included a City which inspired a dream about the meaning of existence, and a Contemporary who succeeded in rendering the tonality of that meaning. But the second has passed, having absorbed almost all that could be held dear. The light wanes. The sound is off. And a question arises: Out of that which man has lost forever, is there anything that he possesses for eternity? The gaze, seasoned with peppery essence of silver, shows irony, pain, and tenderness.

Samuil Lurie, Neva Magazine (St.Petersburg, Russia)

Photography informs the poetics of Joseph Brodsky, photographer's son and himself no novice to the camera. Mikhail Lemkhin's double homage to the recently deceased poet and the city of his -- and Lemkhin's -- birth should be thought of as photography's own reply to Brodsky. Lemkhin calls his _Joseph Brodsky, Leningrad_ a photo-poem; to this one might only add that it is a particularly Brodskian photo-poem -- Brodskian not in its type of montage but in its predilection for montage, not in its sensibility but in the realities it conveys. To imitate Brodsky is to traduce Brodsky. Lemkhin understands that Brodsky's prime legacy is intellectual independence; his photography engages Brodsky's poetry rather than illustrates it, works with, rather than within, its visual counterparts of Brodsky's speech. The end-result belongs on the bookshelf as much as it does on the coffee-table.

A very nice Eggleston Book, nice color reproductions including some of his early works. What i like most is the size of the book wich makes it an atractive photography book to buy of one of the greatest masters of colour photography.

Eggleston is a bit of a mystery. His photographs make you open your eyes wide and say, "Wow!" but it's hard to say what it is about them that is so stunning. This book is the best thing he has published to date and it offers the clearest window into Eggleston's genius that I've seen. Reproduced on large pages in rich colors that leap out and shake you until you splutter, these pictures bypass the intellect and kick your sense of raw beauty like a mule with a belly full of habaneros.

It's clear to you that the beauty is all about the color, or is it? What's happening with the composition? Soemthing is at the tip of your tongue, but try as you might, you can't say what makes these pictures so obviously works of great genius.

When you calm back down and try to figure how a book of pictures that look almost like snapshots could sting you so hard, the accompanying essay by Thomas Weski gives the best account of Eggleston's work that I've seen to date---short, but clearer and more insightful than Janet Malcolm's meditation on color and snapshots in Diana and Nikon or Eudora Welty's introduction to The Democratic Forest.

The photos in this book are not about Los Alamos, New Mexico. Although some of them may have been taken there, many--maybe most--are from Eggleston's familiar Deep South. One is done in an airplane flying over God-knows-where.

But the photos aren't about the locations. They are about color. And the main colors are red, white and blue.

If Eggleston's "...Guide" was photographed under the influence of the design of the Confederate flag (as Eggleston has claimed), then the framework and inspiration for this book are the colors of the American flag.

Robert Frank's monotone classic "Americans" had the underlying theme of the American flag. Eggleston's "Los Alamos" uses the colors of the flag as a motif. Shot over the years 1966 through 1974, there is a range of emotions within the photographs. There is cynicism--those were times ripe with cynicism--but there is also much found to admire in the American landscape at that time. Particularly the richness of the colors portrayed in the most banal and commonplace of subjects. In this arena, few photographic artists compare with William Eggleston.

Los Alamos is a full-color, 175-page, photographic portrait of a New Mexican town. These images, captured on film by master photographer William Eggleston, range from 1966 to 1974 and superbly capture the ups, downs, scenery, and close-ups of a living, breathing city. No text distracts from the full-page photographs, which are presented as the works of art they are. This large sized compendium is a welcome and recommended addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library Photography collection.

This book is stunning! A large number of Eggleston's photographs beautifully printed on good paper. "Los Alamos" is one of the best photography books I have seen in years.

A collage and kalidescope of photographs of the one and only Madonna taken over the years. Many looks and messages from the world's biggest icon.

I bought this book when it first came out in the very early 90's. Madonna looks gorgeous in the photos. All of the photos are beautifully shot and Madonna looks fabulous! I was the biggest Madonna fan back then and loved this book to death. now, pushing 30, I am still in love with this book because the photos are so amazing!

You won't be disappointed! I think the best photo is the one where she's kissing the mirror. Great photographic techniques!

What do you do if you have tons of Madonna pictures?A photo book galore!!!This jewel encompasses her early years,from the wild lion mane,bracelet wearing,Boy Toy,Take it or Leave it era to a more sophisticated,cropped haired,blonde, True Blue til Who's that Girl? incarnations.Photographed in full color,this one's a Fan delight!!!

The photographs in this book capture the "glamour" Madonna perfectly. The pictures have a very crisp feel to them, at times verging on remote; Madonna's glamour shots, though largely reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe in this book, do not have the same "inviting" allure that Marilyn had. I suppose this is because it is unmistakable that Madonna is a powerful woman who must always be "in charge" and is in complete control of her career and her image, whereas Marilyn Monroe projected an air of vulnerability for which Madonna is probably without the capacity. But Madonna is still a beautiful and at times "exotic" creature.

Several pictures in this book had previously been published in magazines, the cover shot, for example, was once the cover for Life magazine. Many pictures from that same photo shoot are reproduced here, with the most touching being the "group hug" between Madonna and about seven siblings. A few out-takes from the "Like a Virgin" album cover photo shoot are included in this book as well.

The era of Madonna's career that is covered in this book is somewhat small, considering that she has now been in the public eye for nearly 20 years. All these pictures seem to be from the the years 1984 to 1987.

The book isn't very long and contains very few pages with actual words on it, but I didn't buy it for a story, I bought it for pictures of Madonna. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because it was made near the end of 1987, so it only has pictures and information on Madonna from 1982-87. In the back portion of the book it does however have a short year by year biography on her. The pictures are black and white or colored. Many of them are from her different concerts. The book also includes some information on the earlier movies Madonna starred in such as Who's That Girl? and Shanghi Surprise. There are alot better books on Madonna that you could get, but for the price this is a great book. The pictures are beautiful and it is a welcome addition to my Madonna collection.

Catch a glimpse of some of the more rare and overlooked vistas that this amazing state has to offer. Wunrow offers an incredible visual aesthetic in both photography and book design that takes the reader on a voyage to all corners of this wonderfully diverse state. A keen eye for composition, combined with strenuous backcountry hiking to areas unknown to even avid backpackers like myself, the images are striking and sometimes haunting. Former Governor Lamm's essays are engaging and well written, and form a wonderful complement to the photographs. Highly recommended for anyone looking to enjoy the most uniquely magnificent and previously unpublished views of America's most beautiful state.

Eric's photography shows his ultimate commitment to artistic perfection. Each photo is a work of art and carefully composed. The essays capture the meaning and beauty of the mountains of Colorado. I am honored to be his uncle.

I purchased several copies of this book and sent them to my friends and relatives across the country.

Everybody loved it.

This is one of the better Colorado photography books out there. While the photos are not consistently great, they are consistently good. Wunrow spent a lot of time hiking to remote areas of Colorado, which is to be commended. I do recommend 'Colorado II' by David Muench over this book, but I have ranked 'Mountains of Colorado' as the third best book on my list of 'Best Colorado Picture Books' (which can be seen by clicking on my name and looking at the Listmania lists).

I moved to Colorado in 1989. Without fail, when friends and relatives come to visit, they marvel at the beauty of the scenery, awesome landscape and amazing sights nature has handmade in Colorado's mountains. This book has made a perfect holiday gift for all those friends and relatives who only dream of being here in Colorado every day! From winter to summer, the Mountains of Colorado has it all! Without a doubt, the most beautiful photpgraphs I have ever seen!

Urban Exploration is the art of sneaking into abandoned or off-limits factors, aviation ' boneyards', and other derelict ex-military or industrial centers to photograph abandoned holdings, and NIGHT VISION captures these Urban Exploration results, comes from one of the foremost photographers of the phenomenon, and offers a blend of night photos and special lighting effects. A powerful art guide highly recommended for any contemporary art collection.

Anyone who's followed Troy Paiva's Lost America work will know what to expect from this book. Lavishly realised images of fascinating relics, awe-inspiring sights, and Troy's personal perspective on the world of discarded infrastructure.

This is the sort of book you'll find yourself insisting friends, relatives, and workmates look through. Buy a spare copy :)

Troy Paiva has knocked one out of the park with this book. The quality of the photos leave little to be desired. His writings lead the reader through an odyssey of the macabre world of abandoned night photography. The added spice of light painting creates the mood so required to complete the aura behind this type of photography.

It would be an injustice to not purchase and enjoy this book.

Troy Paiva, whose work is handsomely reproduced in this book, is one of the acknowledged masters within the small cadre of professional night photographers. The stunning photos in this monograph demonstrate the high quality of Troy's work.

These are images of crumbling ruins in the American west ranging from abandoned military bases and resorts to the old train station in Oakland, airplane part junkyards, and erstwhile roadside attractions. If it is romantic, seedy, falling down, and visually arresting it is grist for Troy Paiva's night time mill, who previously mined this vein in his classic Lost America: The Abandoned Roadside West.

Night Vision is subtitled The Art of Urban Exploration, which strikes me as a bit odd. Certainly, the fascinating photos in this book and the related stories are about the archeology of recent human culture. But they are not particularly "urban." In fact, with the exception of the wonderful series of photos of the old Oakland train station, this work shows isolated or even rural settings (you can get a sense of this even from the book's cover).

While Troy Paiva's writing is lucid and compelling, I also don't have much use for the trendy and mostly irrelevant opening essay, Desert Iliad by Geoff Manaugh.

Troy writes that he shot film until fairly recently, switching to digital in 2005 (about the time I did). I believe that most of the photos in the book were taken with digital equipment. Troy's preferred subject matter and technique differ from mine. He is looking for lost human artifacts at night, I primarily like the natural landscape. Troy's exposures are in the 2-4 minute range, and he light paints with flashlights and gels. My exposures are often far longer, and I'm not that interested in colored light painting. These differences help point out the vast vocabulary range available in night photography, and why this is an exciting area for many people.

In his description of his technique, Troy writes that mostly he doesn't post process his images much: "These captures are virtually untouched, straight out of the camera, with all the scene's warts and blemishes intact." Why Troy thinks this is a positive is unclear to me, although obviously many people share this viewpoint. (I won't go into the argument in great length here, but a digital camera is a computer with a scanner and lens attached, so why not do some of the processing on a computer with greater capabilities?)

I highly recommend this book for three different reasons:

You can learn techniques of night photography from a master.
Troy's stories of getting these photos on location in crumbling America are a great tale of adventure.
The images are stunning, and worth the price of admission on their own.

I thought this collection of Paiva's night photos much better than his previous 2003 book Lost America: The Abandoned Roadside West mainly because Lost was issued by Motorbooks, a publisher of picture books rather than photo books which unfortunately meant that Paiva's images were mixed together with text in rather bland spreads. Chronicle Books are much more sympathetic to creative endeavors and with 'Night Vision' they give these remarkable photos the presentation they deserve.

All the photos pages are black which certainly enhances their appeal and air of desolation but it also throws up Paiva's use of colored spots which, by now, is clearly his trademark. The five photo chapters reveal a wonderful selection of man-made abandonment. Chapter five featuring photos of the Aviation Warehouse at El Mirage, California is my favorite. To my mind nothing looks so dead and poignant as scrapped jetliners with miles of cabling, spars and struts from a half dismantled fuselage and cockpits with dust covered instrument clusters. The twenty-six photos capture all this so well.

The four other chapters cover: the abandoned Byron Hot Springs Hotel between Oakland and Stockton, California; Desert; Southern Pacific's Oakland train station in all its crumbling splendor and decommissioned military bases. This last photo section could easily make a separate book with plenty of abandoned bases across the US.


In the front of the book Paiva writes about his photo technique and adventures as a solitary nighttime snapper. He also writes a short intro to each photo chapter. The layout and printing are fine (with 175 screen) though I thought the blue captions on each page are rather hard to read in a domestic lighting environment.

'Night Vision' delivers some wonderful images in a format they deserve rather than the bland presentation that weakened the photos in 'Lost America'.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Absolutely one of the finest books ever created on the subject of the American Civil War that I have seen. It is simply a "Must Have" for any family who has roots that stretch deep into the soil of this era of America. Unlike so many other books that address this popular subject, there is no differentiation of importance by glorifying only the known names, yet somehow skipping over the common man. Kristoffersen elequently makes all men equal with heart-wrenching statements from the loving and often unforgiving view of the camera. You'll never view the Civil War quite the same.

I've gone through three copies of this book so far. As a reenactor I'm sometimes asked what it's like to be in one of these events. I used to give vivid accounts of the smell of smoke; the taste of powder in your mouth when you tear open a cartridge; the sounds of men and horses moving into line; the clash of steel on steel during a ripping good cavalry sabre fight; the awful beauty of a straight line during the charge. Theater of the Mind only goes so far; this book takes you the rest of the way.

Bugler, 7th Texas Cavalry

A fellow reenactor who marched along side me on the muddy fields of Shilo told me about this book. He said the photographer captured us on film at the Shilo reenactment. I bought the book and was very impressed with the authentic photographs of living history (civil war) reenactors at camp, on the march and on the battlefields. This book really captures what the war must have looked like and felt.
Even my mother and sister had to have a copy. A great book for the coffee table. A real conversation piece.

I have to say that I have seen this book form the inception. Kris is my mentor in photography and my very close friend. We traveled from Shiloh in the knee deep mud to Gettysburg in the boiling 4th of July heat so Kris could capture these historical images. Had Brady and other photographers of that era had the equipment that we have in 1999 there would have not been a need for these photographs, however, he didn't and there is a need. I hope that eveyone who receives a copy of this book feels the emotions that are intended. The many thousands of re-enactors who take part in these events are delivering a very special form of education to all spectators, and as we all know our past can never be forgotten.

I am a salesperson for a professional photography house in Nashville Tennessee. Over the past few months I've had the fortune of waiting on and somewhat getting to know Kris. A few months ago, he mentioned to me that he had a book going to press sometime in April or May. When asked what it was about, he told me that it was a collection of photos of Civil War reenactments shot as if the photographers of that era had the equipment of today. I must say that I was intrigued. Then, a few weeks later he brought in a page of proofs of photographs slotted for the book. OUTSTANDING!!! As a photographer, and from an emotional standpoint I was deeply moved. On that single page, he managed to capture the essence of what battle must have been like for those brave soldiers during the darkest times this country has ever seen. This book is a must see, and I am anxiuosly awaiting this finished masterpiece.

The Graphis Nudes series presents the best in recent figure photography. This is no exception, and presents many different views of the nude model. Some of the artists emphasize the raw physical presence of the male (p.110, 132) or female (p.37, 118, 229) figure. Others artists address the model as sculpture (cover, p.109, 200) or abstraction (p.12, 60, 188). Yet others display sentiment (p.101, 209,215), passion (p.92-3, 139), or simple appreciation (p.18, 158). And ordinary beauty isn't the only goal (p.148).

It's a worthwhile collection, featuring classic masters like Herb Ritts as well as the newer masters-to-be. I enjoy the collection immensely, don't get me wrong, but I never felt that it demanded a lot of me. Perhaps the commercial purpose of this book, to showcase its artists, encouraged accessible kinds of imagery. I want art to stretch me, at least a little, but this generally stayed well within the common comfort zone. Well, that's not really a bad thing. Go ahead, enjoy.

//wiredweird

Graphis has put out yet another elegant, handsome collection of some of the finest nudes ever reproduced. With over 200 classic and innovative photographs from around the world, this book features exceptional work from some of the most esteemed talents, including Herb Ritts, Sheila Metzner, and Robert Farber--as well as some exciting emerging artists. Editor Nichole Ray did an exceptional job of collecting the best in fine art nude photography today. The elegant presentation will please and inspire you for years to come. A defite BUY for anyone interested in respectful and intriguing photography of the human form.

Graphis Nudes 3 ranks as one of the best photography collections of the year. One of the most impressive aspects of the collection is the editor's decision to include emerging artists alongside some true legends in the field. One of these exciting new voices was the Maine couple of Nancy and Matthew Sleeth who have five (!) photogrphs included in the book. Their passion for the female form, as well as the personal subtext of their work qualifies these pieces as truly exceptional. I had the luck to find a collection by Nancy and Matthew at a wonderful little art gallery in the Georgetown part of Washington, D.C. called Urbanspace. Their work in Grapis Nudes 3 was amazing, but seeing it in person was an extra treat.

great photographs, with a great layout and nice printin

"Nudes 3", Graphis Inc.(1999) ISBN: 1-888001-66-6 is a superb 255 large-sized page presentation of some 200 nudes, mostly female and almost exclusively in B/W monochrome with a rare duotone or color. Publishers deserve praise for this elegant edition.

There is an excellent, quaint but all too short introductory commentary by photographer Barry Lategan who provides a brief digest of the nude form both historically from Biblical and pre-16th Century Irish churche times down to its present-day employment in advertising, girlie magazines and calendars. He provides some reflections on perceived but not totally explained limitations and restrictions governing male nudity. He also gives an interesting explanation of why horseshoes are hung over door ways, a Celtic custom handed down from olden times.

The majority of images are excellent, nicely representative of acknowledged and established photographers of the nude body and I had especial respect for the artisitic works of Herb Ritts (folio of 12 images from "Women Through the Ages"), Barbara Bordnick, Howard Schatz, Barry Lategan and many others. However, I found Suzanne Opton's "Device" (from the midriff tragedies) and Nancy & Matthew Sleeth's "Venus at Thirty" (still no pubic hair?) contrived and of uncertain merit in the context of this book. Nonetheless, "Nudes 3" - Graphis is substantial, and could find place on many coffee tables and open library shelves.

'Our World' is a pleasingly presented book. Intended to depict the life shared by Molly and Mary (Oliver). It relies on journal notes by Mary and photographs by Molly... recalling conversational moments between them, times with friends,and shared ventures into galleries, publishing, etc.

It succeeds in its intention .. and is a pleasant glimpse into their life... poignant in view of Molly's death in recent years.

I find it to be a little too distant and a good degree removed from their real relationship and life .... rather it relies on anecdotal episodes ... glimpses .. and momentary flashes.

Pleasant - Yes. Deeply told, or fundamentally informing of their real life - No.

This is a great read. I had just heard of Mary's work and ordered quite few of her books. They are all wonderful. She has such a wonderful way to look at nature and the world in general.

OUR WORLD BY MARY OLIVER IS A MEMOIR AND A TRIBUTE TO MS. OLIVER'S LONG TIME PARTNER AND FRIEND WHO WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER OF NOTE. MANY OF MS. OLIVER'S PARTNER'S PHOTOS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK. FOR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE MS. OLIVER'S POETRY, THERE ARE NOT MANY POEMS IN THIS MEMOIR. IT IS A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE BOOK, HOWEVER, AND ONE THAT GIVES THE READER A GLIMPSE INTO HER PRIVATE WORLD.

ANNA M. SEIDLER

Simply the name Mary Oliver causes a shift in my countenance and my being. My steps are different when I am present to who she is as a writer and human being, so it shouldn't surprise me, what happened this morning.

I was minding my own business walking across my local bookstore when I heard the sound of wind rushing from my mouth. It was like the jolt happened so quickly my brain couldn't quite orient around the words, "Our World" and the names Mary Oliver and Molly Malone Cook.

I had no choice. I had to stop all my other book plans and sit with this one, just be with it, soak it in, allow it to do its work on my soul as I knew intuitively it would.

Last winter I became the self-appointed one woman marketing machine for Mary Oliver's "Thirst" - a collection of poetry written as she grieved the loss of her life partner, Molly Malone Cook, someone who I never knew yet felt I knew through reading Oliver's work. I stood at a bookstore crying as I read that book, sobbing, openly - aching and simultaneously being stunned by the beauty of the poetry.

Now, in this volume, not only do I have words - I have Molly Malone Cook's photography.

It is like being invited into the most intimate chambers of a lifetime soul-love affair. It is deeply personal, extremely intense memoir of love. That energy is on each page as Oliver builds a model of appreciation for Molly Malone Cook for us all to follow.

Now, the "other" juicy stuff - photos by Molly Malone Cook that show a deep love and appreciation of books, of learning, of activism, of art and of the "faces of the world" - one of her early childhood ambitions, so it tells us in the text "was to see every face in America."

Well, in these photographs "every" face is, indeed, communicated.

We see photographers, playwrights, restaurateurs, activists and places the writers and artists among us dream about seeing.

There are too many numerous memorable quotes to share here - and I don't want to take away your own discovery of words that speak directly to you.

I know I will be forever grateful for the work of Mary Oliver and this volume amplifies that gratitude by bringing Molly Malone Cook to life for me in a more vivid way than in the past.

I can only hope there will be many more opportunities for my heart and breath to be swept away, simply by seeing this author's name on a book jacket.

I just loved this book. Somehow it opened an intimate window into the life of Molly Malone Cook, without ever disrespecting the sacred nature of her life. Mary Oliver does this with grace. They clearly shared their lives together, yet still kept their individuality intact. Mary Oliver remarks, towards the end of the book, on her own recognised gift for attention. She goes on to pay tribute to Molly for teaching her this: "attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An openess - an empathy - was necessary is the attention was to matter." This tribute inspires me to continue the journey towards greater presence in my life.