Documentary-collections Books

As a recent traveler to Colombia I found this book to be a truly great reminder of my trip. The wide angle photography gives you a pespective that can only be beaten by being there. It feels like you are truly in the picture. I also like the book because it doesn't focus on one area or on one type of geography. Countyside and City are equally represented. As are the mountains, the coastal regions and the jungle.

This is honestly one of the best ever depictions of such a rich country, not only in culture, art, architecture, history and geographical variety, but in the people, the spirit, the colors and the sharp contrasts that this beautiful country has.
The photographer exposes an intimate and personal view that allows us to be inside the picture, as if living it ourselves. He has entered areas and dangerous zones to show us those existing contrasts, and has exposed us to the magnificense of this varied country. It is a perfect example of being able to see through someone else's eyes, and how beautiful it is.

perfect and beautiful. Any time you want to visit a world of difference, beauty -go to this book. I would reccomend this book to any serious cofee table book enthusiast. Weather you have been to Colombia or not, you will like it!

Probably no country in South America has a greater geographical variety than Colombia. In 2002 I spent a month exploring Colombia (although the terrorists-FARC problem seriously restricted my movement). "Panoramic Colombia" helped me to remember, vividly, what I had seen and get a glimpse the many parts of Colombia I needed to return to see.

Using a roundshot, 360 degree camera, Villegas has done a great job of showcasing the cities and natural wonders of Colombia. Each color photograph captures mountains, jungles, coastal areas, rainforests, moorlands, towns and vibrant cities. Each geographical region is delineated by a map (a nice touch). The reproduction of color is a notch below excellent. Most of the two page panoramic photos are 30 inches long, however, there are twenty photos that fold out into three pages, over 45 inches long!

"Panoramic Colombia" is an excellent introduction to Colombia. A great book for anyone who is going to visit, or who has visited, this diverse country. "Panoramic Colombia" would make a fantastic gift for anyone from Colombia or interested in this Latin American gem. Highly Recommended

We purchased the Spanish version of this book while in Colombia. It had been recommended to us by other Colombians who felt it was the best photographic representation thus far of their country. The content is spectacular in that it captures pristine landscapes, beautiful seascapes and candid events. The photo quality itself is slightly imperfect in sharpness and lighting (sometimes the faces are in shadows), but this is understandable with the use of the panoramic lens. I have mostly enjoyed the corresponding eloquent citations from authors describing their impressions of, feelings about or experiences in Colombia.

I saw this exhibit at the Fraenkel Gallery and while a book can never really have the same feel, this one comes close with it's large size and photos that cover the whole page. The layout is just great and the photographs are perfect to enjoy over and over.

How many masterful pictures has Misrach taken? This is an amazing collection.

I am the owner of 5 Misrach books,if you only by one, "CHRONOLOGIES" is the best.High quality printed,you'll estimate the value of Misrach's pictures,all the shades of color are visible in very big size.Only one regret Amazon's packing are not strong enough I get my book realy damage.

top notch everything: IMAGES, REPRODUCTION, DESIGN - this book is an instant classic, and a great coming together of different but connecting projects. just amazing.

this book is insane, especially if you don't know misrach's work and are interested in color photography. he was not only one of the first to use the medium of color, his work remains some of the most poignant, socially significant, and beautiful. i'm not sure why he isn't more 'popular,' maybe this new volume will help put him where he belongs - up there with anyone before or since.

Excellent book. Good quality pictures and text is a fun read. My brother goes to car shows etc and loved this book. It was descriptive as to where the photos were taken so he is going to take it on his travels to see if he can find some of them. An excellent gift.

This is one way to conserve energy an see what's out there. Thank You Respectfully, George Bourque

Good Golly - Roadside Relics and the 2008 calendar of the same name are just fantastic!

Nearmost every page in this book is filled with glossy full colour photographs of automobiles rusticating ( and rusting) peacefully in out of the way locales.

Although left to the elements , a few of these vehicles still look quite dignified in their resting places. A good example of this is the 1949 Buick Super four-door sedan resting at Navajo Twin Rocks.
Dang, those late forties - early fifties Buick were works of art!

If not too many people in the U.S. desire to restore some of these once-upon-a-time common place cars, there will be those outside the 50 States who would be more than keen to do so (if they have the time and money!)
When we folks living outside of North America were still driving 'stick-shift', and using the 'Armstrong Crank-o-wynder System' (TM) to get fresh air into our vehicles, Americans had fine forty or fifty year old examples of fully optioned autos in their junkyards. And wow, what options! Shift-o-matic transmission! A/C! Electrical upperdy-downey side-glass! And all that Chrome! (Somehow I can't see all that plastic used in modern cars looking as good with half as much exposure to the elements).

Cars from the Big Three and the smaller independents are pictured within. This book exceeded my expectations, real quality here.

Bought this as a gift for husband, and he absolutely loved it! He looks through it all the time, even wants me to order more books about abandoned or wrecked cars. He is a car enthusiast to the fullest, and I recommend this book.

Beautiful images of burnt out, rusted, and
dead classic cars, trucks and vehicle parts,
dressed in weeds, grass and mud...lovely.
Not so much in your neighborhood, but they
make fabulous images in their abandoned settings.

70's Male Nudes is the direct result of the recent friendship between Roy Blakey and Reed Massengill. It was almost an accident that the two even met, but when they did, Massengill was quick to remember the extraordinary influence that Blakey had on him. It was 1972 when Blakey self-published his first book of male nudes titled HE. It was a landmark event, for very few publishers at the time were interested in putting out a book of male nudes. The naked female was well accepted but the male body was still somewhat taboo. Blakey helped shatter that belief and paved the way for the many others that followed through the years, including Massengill.

Blakey graduated from the University of Tulsa, served a stint in the Army (where he bought his first camera at the PX), and later ice skated professionally for over a decade. He developed as a photographer throughout his military and skating career, often setting up darkrooms wherever he happened to be stationed. When he retired from skating in 1967, Roy moved to New York City and set up a studio and darkroom in his loft on Sixth Avenue. Over the years, countless men, including many celebrities, posed for him. It is this period of work that is presented in 70's Male Nudes. Massengill helped Roy in bringing 70's Male Nudes to publication, serving as both friend and editor. Now, thankfully, the whole world can again see that spellbinding studio work created by an artist who plugged away crafting a masterful body of work while the rest of the world lay hypnotized by Playboy.

I am excited that this book is available. I can remember when I saw some of my first artistic photographs of men in the 1970''s. The men were "perfection", and the images were those of people who represented the idealized man of the time. Awe struck by those pictures, an entire generation of men proceeded to redefine the male image and liberate the American male from the constraints of the generations that preceeded that generation. As a 20-something in 1970, I was permitted to redefine my concept of masculinity, and the images of Blakey helped to solidify that concept. I adore this book. I wish there was more of Blakey's work available.

Being born in 1970, I missed out on the natural men of the 70's. I can remember crushes on the natural looking men of the era, but was much to young to realize the erotic value or to even see many nude. This book showcases the wonderful men of a time that I missed out on! The average, but very hot, bodies of Blakey's models are wonders of real life and not the bulked up gym bunnies so overwhelmingly predominant in art photography of recent years. The photos are extremely well done with a variety of types of men from street looking to professionals...all with a relaxed and casual attitude that shows through in the pictures. I enjoy this book a lot and will surely be going back to look at it repeatedly many times in the future!

What a refreshing addition to the study of male nude photograpy! The men have nice, natural bodies without being "buffed and waxed." And believe it or not, they have hair, both on their heads--some actually have tresses to their shoulders-- and bodies. For that reason they look very 70's. They also look very innocent and appear to be having a good time. Some of them smile directly into the camera. I couldn't help but ask the question though-- there is no information given about who these models are-- as to how many of them are still alive today.

All the photos are shot in a studio with incredible lighting. Some of my favorites are found on pages 53,54 and 104.

Reed Massengill, who edited this book, remembers the first time he saw a Blakey photo in a short-lived magazine of the 70's called "After Dark." I remember fondly my first enconter with that magazine as well. I still have all my copies somewhere. (It was the rag that the now Governor of California chose for his full monty spread.) Mr. Blakey to his credit was shooting male nudes when almost nobody else in the U. S. was. This book, however, is much more than just a nostalgic picture of life before the awful 80's. These beautiful photographs will endure.

As Roy Blakey states in his forward, "BLAKEY'S RESURRECTION, just at first glance, might have made an arresting title for this book of male nudes, or perhaps the even more intimate "ROY'S RESURRECTION," and he further states, "Nevertheless, I definitely have been resurrected." He thanks photographer Reed Massengill, now a close friend, who helped him to secure a gallery exhibition and with the publication of this book. These male nude images from the 1970's have been stored away for many years. If you were coming-of-age in the 70's, you may be familiar with Blakey's work and the publication HE. I think it's great that his work is being exhibited, published and now is being introduced and made available to a whole new generation.

If you liked the look of the men in the 70's, you will likely enjoy these photographs as much as I did. They bring back many memories of that era, the long hair, the light bodies, the innocent looks and poses, and good-looking boy next door type male models. I think these photographs are beautiful for the simple reason that Blakey is a "Master of Light and Shadow." All of these black and white images are posed with no props. I believe the starkness of these images make the models more intimately sensual. Roy Blakey was a former professional figure skater and as you view these photographs you can clearly see the influence that this has had in the way he posed his models.

If the publication of this book is a dream come true for Blakey, then it is a dream come true for us as avid fans and collectors of male nude photography! I sincerely hope he continues to browse through his storage boxes and releases more of his photographic images for us to enjoy. A stunning collection!

Joe Hanssen

Although these are old photographs they stand side by side with any of today's photographers. The youthful men in these pictures are filled with optimism that only youth has. As they sailed the world and posed to remember their adventures and friendships. This is a magnificent collection of subtly erotic and above all stunning pictures. It easily shames all the trite beefcake stuff that is being produced at the moment.

In Sailor: Vintage Photos Of A Masculine Icon, Kevin Bentley has compiled more than 150 authentic and visually stunning period photographs of the sailor. In doing so he showcases the mystery, adventure, camaraderie, exuberance, and romantic allure of the young men who sailed the seas as work and at play. Sailor is a highly recommended collection for students of photography and a nostalgic tour-de-force for anyone who has every traveled the world aboard a naval ship with their friends and comrades.

It's really interesting to look at old photographs and imagine times gone by, what it was like to live at that time, and what the people in the photos were really like. Sailor has gathered together in one book over 150 never-before published snapshots of sailors and portraits spanning over a century of time. If you ever dreamed of being a sailor you will find these photos fascinating. The youthful men, the masculine exuberance, & companionship shown in these black & white and sepia-tone snapshots are a peak into a sailor's real life. If we could only stay as youthful and handsome all our lives as these photos show, how wonderful that would be.

So if you're a lover of old photos, or a serious collector, or if you just enjoy looking at men in uniform, you will enjoy this book. I felt like I was looking through an older friends personal photo album. Kevin Bentley did a wonderful job in gathering together these old anonymous photos, and the book design by J. White is perfect. I really enjoyed this collection of photos.

The scope of this collection is stunning, it almost made me consider joining the Navy! These beautiful young men joined together in true affection is a must have for anyone who appreciates male photography.

This is a gorgeous book! It's a thoughtful and stunning collection of vintage photos that will appeal to all those interested in sailors and those obsessed with collecting compelling historical photos. I've collected vintage photos for years, and SAILOR reminds me of the importance of finding, saving, and sharing such artifacts. A really wonderful book that I'm sure I'll give as a gift for years to come.

I run into Jimmy and Dena occasionally in the West Desert. They do an excellent job evoking the strange solitude of Utah's West Desert and the Great Basin. This area seems to stimulate originality. The salt is remarkable in preserving history while at the same time destroying anything left unattended for long. A must-have photographic collection for desert lovers.

Beautifully presented and printed. The images are vivid, bold and very stark. The photographers really know how to isolate and present their subjects, and the large format photography really shines through. As a fan of good photo lighting i was a little distracted by the double-shadows in some of the images. Apart from this, technically all the photos are wonderful.

In "Salt Dreams" photographers Jimmy and Dena Katz have used large format technology to capture the strange clashes between people and what was once a vast naked desert. The images are produced in such clarity and detail they seem to insist on the discovery of a new reality, neither hyper- nor sur-real, but a pop-reality made of rocket and race-car dreams, and civilization's discards. These photos make both artistic and conceptual statements in brilliant color and fantastic precision. No more fuzzy roanticism; this is how we really are.

"Salt Dreams" by Jimmy and Dena Katz will mesmerize you. In unique large format color photographs this inspired artist couple captured the other-worldliness of Utah's Salt Lake flats. Spending months of patient observation, they came upon scenes of such strangeness you may think they were contrived but they're not. And that's the real magic of this work. Buy the book and read the excellent introduction by Vicki Goldberg, photography editor of the NYTimes to appreciate the freshness and brilliance of this work. It's unlike any other professional photography you've ever seen.

This is a beautiful and interesting book. Having shared it with others I have found that everyone has a different opinion of the story the pictures tell, and all were impressed. I would reccomend this book highly to all those interested in people being people in the desert.

During the middle of the twentieth century, American black and white people lived in separate communities by law. White people never entered black areas while black people only entered white areas if they were employed as butlers or maids. This segregation created many impoverished black ghettos but there were a few black communities that prospered and this book is about one of them, in Greenville, in the American state of Mississippi.

The inspiration for - and focus of - the book is the collection of photographs by Henry Clay Anderson who died in 1998, a few months after selling that collection to Shawn Wilson. These photographs show successful black people going about their normal lives at school, at home, at weddings and a variety of other everyday situations as well as photographs taken in a studio. Most of these photographs would be unremarkable if they were of white people, but because most photographs of black people are of the poor and oppressed, these photographs may come as a revelation to some.

Supporting text by Clifton L. Taulbert, who remembers the area from his childhood (he was raised in a nearby community), explains what Greenville was like during the period in which these photographs were taken. Greenville is not one of America's more famous locations. I only recognize the name because it is mentioned in a song that I know well - Mississippi, by the Dutch pop group, Pussycat. As this book is about a particular period in Greenville's history, I (and I'm sure many readers of this book) would have appreciated the inclusion of a chapter about Greenville's history and culture to set this book in context, explaining what it was like before the period covered and hw things have changed since. In its absence, I have to drop the book (otherwise easily worth five stars), to four stars.

Another chapter is devoted to the rise of the civil rights movement and the murder of the Reverend Gus Lee, accompanied by some dramatic photographs that are not typical of the rest of the book, which set out to portray the good aspects of black people's lives. However, bad things happen to everybody and it was necessary to cover this episode in the book.

This book, despite the murder, shows that black people can be very successful. It's the kind of book that shouldn't be necessary and it's a sad reflection on society that it was felt necessary to publish this book.

This book is a moving pictorial testament to the daily life of middle class blacks in the deep South in the time of Jim Crow, as well as on the cusp of the civil rights movement. It is a slice of black life with which most whites at the time were unfamiliar, as most photo-journalists chose to capture the more sensational types of images in the black community.

Henry Clay Anderson was a black school teacher and minister who, courtesy of the G. I. Bill, studied photography and became a professional photographer. In 1948, he established his own business, Anderson Photo Service, in Greenville, Mississippi, where he lived. For more than forty years, he would photograph moments in the lives of Greenville's black middle class community, forever freezing in time images of a rich life that paralleled those of their white counterparts in the Jim Crow South, separate but equal.

The book has one hundred and thirty of his photographs, memorializing a time long past but one that continues to haunt America today. Clifton L. Taulbert, who was raised in Mississippi in a town not far from Greenville and is the noted author of the book, "Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored", writes a poignant and moving essay in remembrance of the black denizens of Greenville, grounding the photographs in the context of the times out of which they arose. It is as if it were a walk down memory lane.

Mary Panzer, curator of photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., writes an essay that details Mr. Anderson's photographic involvement in the early civil rights movement, when he agreed to go travel to Belzoni, Mississippi in 1955. Belzoni had been the scene of the grisly shooting of Rev. Gus Lee, a black civil rights activist who had been involved in voter registration efforts. Mr. Anderson's photographs memorialized the shooting and its aftermath, appearing in magazines such as "Jet" and "Ebony", which were well known in the black community. Ms. Panzer grounds his photographs in the political context of the time, which affirm Mr. Anderson's political commitment.

There are also two essays in Mr. Anderson's own words that are culled from two interviews conducted by Daisy Greene for the Washington County Oral History Project and by Shawn Wilson, in whom the idea for this book germinated. The book is a loving tribute to Henry Clay Anderson. His legacy of photographic images will delight and haunt those who look at them, seeing in them not only America's past but its future. This is simply a beautiful book.

These photographs show proud and dignified human beings living in a culture that once really existed in America (believe it or not). You will not find pictures of people being chased by dogs or being subdued with fire hoses. You will not find pictures of lynchings or cross-burnings...

I am a Greenville native who just sat down and shared this book with my mother who still lives in Greenville, Mississippi. She remembers the photographer and we both knew people mentioned in the book and some of the people in the pictures. It is a great depiction of early Black life in the Delta and tells a compelling story of the photographer,
Mr. Anderson. It shows that not all black Mississippians in the early days were cottonpickers living on plantations. The town of Greenville has a rich history, this book gives a minor glimpse of it. I wish the photo index had of had exact names of the people in them, that would have made it even more personal and touching.

Separate But Equal is a unique gem. A combination of historic photographs and personal essays, it chronicles the lives of an African American working middle-class living in the Mississippi Delta during the years of segregation.

H.C. Anderson snapped the deceptively simple but beautiful photographs, and they are a revelation. Through the lens of his camera, he documented a segregated but proud society aspiring to its own version of the "American dream." Anderson provides us a personal glimpse into the lives of children and families celebrating special events - beauty contests, weddings, proms, birthday parties - and they are truly dressed for the occasion!
One of the more striking photographs depicts a mid-wife who has just helped deliver a baby in a family home. The bedroom floor is covered in newspaper, as the new mother looks on from her bed, covered by a clean crisp white sheet. Although the photographs primarily focus on the every day lives of their subjects, there are also powerful photographs documenting the burgeoning civil rights movement, and a grim reminder of the fate suffered by some individuals who chose to play an active role.

The essays accompanying the photographs provide insight into Greenville's history. As seen through the wide-eyed amazement of a child, noted writer Clifton L. Taulbert paints a vivid picture of his youthful visits to the prosperous and magical Greenville, the "Queen City of the Delta." Taulbert along with Shawn Wilson provides the reader with a fascinating insider's view of the process involved in bringing this book to print. In a personal and touching essay, Wilson reflects on how the search for an old photograph of his mother, long since deceased, led him back home to Greenville and Mr. Anderson. It was there in Anderson's now defunct photography studio, that Wilson discovered the wealth of photographs comprising Anderson's life long work. Reluctant but trusting, the aging Anderson handed over his photographs so that Wilson might share them with the world. In doing so, we have the opportunity to view images of a rarely explored segment of society, one that combines both the struggle AND celebration of life during the period of Southern segregation.

This wonderful book would make a great holiday gift for those that love history or photography!

Persian Images, are fascinating to begin with right? However, what brings more interest to this book, is that most of these pictures come from a collection that was purposely destroyed in the early 1900's,by the Iranian government. The stories shared in reference to each photo are as interesting as the pictures themselves. There happens to be a much larger collection both in Iran, and in the states, but sadly they did not make an appearance in this particular book.

If the area of your study or/and interest involves Art,Photography,History of Asia and Near East this is a must have book. Sevruguin went to Iran and stayed there for almost all of his life. This book is a collection of the first photographs from Iran (that of course he took). Through Sevruguin's eyes the reader/viewer is able to discover a new world. Not only this world is new to you if you are a western viewer, but also these photographs reveal yet another angle for a native viewer, such as myself, since many of these photographs have never displayed back in Iran. I think, in a broader sense, as long as one keeps in mind that these are representations of one culture through the eyes of an outsider, this book is useful and interesting.

One of my favorite photo essays on the old middle east. Wonderful collection of photographs and fascinating history.

this is a great collection of some excellent photos of iran at the turn of the last century - it chronicles everyday life, including peasants, and the aristocracy and monarchy - there is a great picture of tehran's bustling main street, with horse-drawn, rail carriages, and the throngs of crowds, some of whom are temporairly mesmerized by the photographer perched on some rooftop. A must-have for iran-history-nastalgic buffs. Only wish there was more...

"Sevruguin and the Persian Image" presents the Smithsonian's collection of one of Qajar Iran's preeminent photographers. In addition to the photographs, the volume contains valuable histories of early photography in Iran, the career of Antoin Sevruguin, and how the collection itself came about. The double entendre of the title refers to how Sevruguin's art was informed by and catered to the Orientalist tastes of a Europe in which he was educated. Yet as an Armenian Christian who was born, lived, died and was buried in Tehran, he presented a different image of Iran than the typical Orientalist photographers of the day. "Sevruguin and the Persian Image" is both a solid examination of a photographer's art as well as a thoughtful analysis of the Western image of Iran in the late nineteenth century.

The pictures are elegant even if the subject isn't. Very beautiful book. Know that the book is not intended to show you all aspects of life in Soviet Russia. It focuses more on the downside of life.

Having traveled in Russia during the Soviet era, I believe that Sherbell, in words and images, has captured the essence of the latter stages of the Empire. The picures and text show a deep understanding and appreciation of the problems of the Soviet system. More importantly, the beauty, humanity and resiience of the Russian people come shining through. It is a terrific photo book.

One can always tell looking at a book if the photographer was just a "tourist" in the area, on a brief assignment from a magazine, or if he really "lived" in the story and made it part of his life. There have been numerous failed attempts by western photographers to capture this period of history. Shepard Sherbell's book is different. He obviously not only put his heart into every image, he made this work a part of his life, spending several years in Moscow and in different Soviet republics before, during and after the USSR fell apart. His photographs speak about the human spirit, the dignity of the people, their feelings and day to day worries. It is well balanced.
But for someone unfamiliar with the subject the advise is - don't try to "consume" all the images at once. The material is too rich. One has to sink into the book little by little, explore it and revisit it again and again.

Sherbell is a master of his craft. He takes the reader on a virtual tour of the former Soviet Union. This talented photographer manages to convey the personality and texture of a complex country and period of history with sensitivity and wit.

"Soviets" is a book that is best savoured one page at a time. The photographs are matched only by the text which, unlike many photography books, adds another level to the work. This is a book that could be placed in the history section of any library as easily as photography.

Whether or not you ever visited the Soviet Union in its dying days, Shepard Sherbell's photographs will grab you. His images of that moribund nation reveal the darkest secrets of the U.S.S.R. Those of us who lived through those final moments will recognize the chilling faces of a great power in demise. The crumbling buildings, cracking monuments and crushed spirits of a once-mighty state are beautifully portrayed in this book. It's an eyewitness to a land of infinite impossibilities.

Make no mistake: THE SOVIETS is not another collection of snapshots from Red Square and the Bolshoi Theater. Instead, its pages are populated with glimpses into the real life of that now-extinct country. Unless you'd lived there, this is a side of the Soviet Union you probably never saw.

Brace yourself.

Paul Kallmes compiled and edited a stunning collected of photogaphs and essays concerning the work of Vittorio Sella. He is to be commended for bringing this collection of Sella's photographs to the attention of North American readers. Mr. Kallmes is a visionary. Bravo and thank you Paul!

This is one of the key volumes in any collection of mountain photography books. Sella was one of the earliest and most accomplished practitioners of this difficult discipline and this Aperture monograph does full justice to the importance and beauty of his work. The book, measuring approximately 28x31 cm, has been handsomely and meticulously produced. The quality of the photo reproductions is very good, capturing the spirit of the originals. There is a very pleasing layout, with pictures alternatingly presented on white and grey backgrounds. Formats vary, with about 25 photos spilling over onto a second page. There are two large foldout panoramas: one taken from the summit of the Elbrus and the other one representing the Baltoro area in the Karakoram. As far as I can tell, the 3:4 aspect ratio of the original 30x40 and 18x24 plates has been respected.

The documentary value of Sella's images is undisputed. But Sella's images surely transcend the boundaries of a purely documentary kind of photography. Take one of the earliest images shown in the book, taken on the Aletsch Glacier in the Bernese Alps in 1884 (Sella was 25 then). It is not easy to reconstruct the standpoint of the photographer, but I suspect that he is looking towards the Lötschenlücke, with the the onset of the Sattelhorn ridge barely visible to the left and a sizable chunk of the Mittaghorn-Gletscherhorn chain in full view on the right hand side of the pass. It must be early morning as the light is slanting from the East, softened by a disperse cloud cover above the Mittaghorn. The picture is titled `Crevasse on the Aletsch Glacier, Alps, July 18, 1884', but for me the real protagonist is the mysterious human figure nearly in the centre of the picture. It is the silhouet of a mountaineer in period attire, including the typical Alpenhut. He has left ropes, ice axe and other climbing gear behind and is studying a document. We can presume it is a map, although from the shape and size of the document and the climber's posture, we could deduce it is a kind of letter he is studying. The incongruity between the majestic surroundings, bathed in ethereal light, and the hard-etched casualness of the human figure remind us of the surrealists who would be experimenting with strange juxtapositions only a few decades later.

A later example of a fascinating image is the picture on page 111, showing the Duke of Abruzzi and guides climbing the Chogolisa icefall in the Karakoram range. The diffuse colours, the halos around some of the ice towers and the brushed effect in the gloomy sky place the picture in the Pictorialist tradition (à la early Stieglitz or Steichen). Again, there is an oddity which makes the attentive observer pause. The first climber has taken a position on a small shoulder and is overlooking the terrain they have to tackle next. Clearly, he is not belaying the second man (presumably the Duke) who, assisted by another guide, is attacking an ice bulge under an ice cave. Curiously the lead climber has left his ice axe behind on a little ledge in front of this ice cave lower down. It is difficult to say why in that particular situation anyone would feel tempted to leave behind this essential piece of climbing apparel. As in the Aletschgletscher picture, there is a detail in this picture, a slight twist of perspective, which reveals a deeper layer beyond the purely documentary.

The essays accompanying the pictures vary somewhat in quality. Individual chapters are ordered chronologically, reflecting Sella's progress as he worked through his major campaigns in the Alps, Caucasus, Yukon, Ruwenzori, Sikkim and Karakoram. Paul Kallmes' short introductory essays to the chapters are informative and well written, if only a little short. Wendy Watson's concluding essay "Picturing the Sublime" is a disappointment. Although it contains a lot of interesting biographical material, Watson fails to penetrate to the heart of what makes Sella's photography truly great. Compare this to Ansel Adam's all too brief but very insightful introductory essay where the artist and master practitioner reveals something of what it takes to create the particular spatial depth in mountain photographs. Whilst Watson occasionally tends to hyperbole, Adams' language is movingly poetic, but remains focused and precise.

The book ends with a notes section, a bibliography and a very good timeline. This is worth studying in detail as it includes some startling anecdotes. For instance, in December 1892 Sella traveled by train from Dover to London. During the journey he leaned too far out of the window, thereby striking his head on the tunnel wall. After spending two weeks in coma, he fully recovered from his skull fracture.

We also have to wait until the very final pages of the book to see two pictures of the man himself, both taken at very old age. One wonders how he looked like when as a young man of 25 he wandered through the Alps with his 30x40 camera ...

Vittorio Sella photographed primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century and chronicled many important expeditions. In this book, the authors present an wonderful array of his work, and the photographic reproductions are remarkably loyal to the originals in coloration. Admirers of Ansel Adams will love this book and will clearly see the antecedents of his style.

This book is absolutely breath-taking. Whether one is an avid climber or an avid lover of nature and photography, this book pleases all aspects of the senses. Wendy Watson and Paul Kallmes are obviously a gifted and talented pair, bringing first-hand knowledge and intellectual and artistic prowess to this magnificent book. It is a must-have for every library!

Vittorio Sella is little-known today, but knowledgeable people like Ansel Adams consider him one of the greatest mountain photographers ever. Sella did his work at a time when cameras weighed 40 pounds, glass negatives two pounds apiece, and mountain climbing was much more primitive than today, without the warmest clothes, tough equipment and bottles of oxygen. Sella is also known for being the first person to scale the Matterhorn in winter.

Sella was the son of the first Italian to write about photography and his uncle was a famous leader of Italian mountaineering. Expedition photographs were a new idea in his day, and primarily served the purpose of map-making for subsequent expeditions. Sella's work also served that purpose, but transcended it with stunning minimalist views. As Ansel Adams points out in his preface, Sella also understood the technique of mountain photography in ways that are missed by many current photographers.

His work was of such stature that he was invited along on important expeditions by the Duke of Abruzzi, which allowed him to be the first to create images of many important scenes. These expeditions included his native Alps, Alaska, Uganda, the Caucasus range, and the Himalayas. His photograph of K2 in the Himalayas is considered the finest one ever.

As dazzling as these images are, the essays in the book greatly add to them by explaining the context of their creation, the photographic problems involved, and the artistic aspects of the work. I enjoyed reading each of them, because each shed a different light on the work.

Although the book is about summit photographs, the book includes many photographs during the ascents, of the people met during the expeditions, and of local scenery.

The summit photos are remarkable to me in many ways. First, he made great efforts to get the right perspective -- often climbing another mountain to get a view the the one alongside. Second, he created stunning panoramas of the major chains which exceed what the eye can see, even if you were there. Third, the pictures have a sense of motion in the glaciers that is quite remarkable. These rivers of ice look like they are moving in videos when you look at them. Fourth, the mountain views have a spiritual quality that is uplifting. Your view of mountains will be forever changed by these photographs.

Also, I feel grateful for the photographs because, although I love mountains, I am not a mountain climber and would never have a chance to see these beautiful, inspiring scenes otherwise.

I encourage you to read and enjoy this book as example of what goals can provide. In the days when Sella was climbing there was no chance of reaching the top of many of these peaks, such as K2 (thought by many to be the toughest mountain in the world to climb). Yet the climbers and Sella achieved lasting meaning for themselves and for us in their partially successful endeavors. Goals take us to the top of our skills by extending our ambition and focus. Be sure you are always looking for the next mountain to climb (and photograph). Let these wonderful images inspire you on to your personal greatness! Also, think about choosing goals that will aid and inspire others for many years in the future as Sella did.