Documentary-collections Books

Bronzeville, located on the South Side of Chicago, was apparently given that name by the editor of the Chicago Bee and before that it was known as the 'Black Metropolis' because it was the center of black culture in America. Clearly an important place in black history and this stunning photobook shows what life was like there in the early forties.

What I thought was so remarkable about the book was the comprehensive coverage by FSA/OWI photographers Russell Lee, Edwin Rosskam, John Vachon and Jack Delano. With just over a hundred (beautifully printed) photos you'll see homes, workplaces, church activity, street scenes and folks having fun. These images are just so content rich and each has a story to tell. A nice touch is the inclusion of many text pieces taken from the Federal Writers' Project about Chicago. These excerpts are placed near relevant photos.

The book is an excellent production (paper, printing and design) but I just wonder why roman numerals were used for the first thirty-four pages, so that the contents page has two numbering styles. Also there are couple of examples of soft focus photos. Roy Stryker the boss in the Washington headquarters of the FSA/OWI used to punch holes in the negs of photos that he considered poor quality, clearly he missed some. The first photo spread in the book has a street scene on the left that is soft and blurred and the right-hand page has another street scene but pin sharp. Strangely both are by Russell Lee.

Maren Stange is to be congratulated on a first class editorial job with 'Bronzeville'. If you are interested in other FSA/OWI photos of Chicago have a look at 'Chicago and Downstate' (ISBN 0252060784) by Robert Reid and Larry Viskochil. The 162 photos (including some from 'Bronzeville') are a much wider coverage of life in the city and beyond by the same photographers.

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

Warning: Once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down.

I first skimmed it simply to enjoy the compelling photographs...that alone would have been enough for the money. But then add the text, especially the contemporary accounts from Richard Wright, and you'll feel you've time travelled. I've read about the Great Migration, but this book lives it.

Chicago was the "black capital" in the 1940's, having supplanted Harlem as the center of black culture and nationalism. It was home to notables like Joe Lewis, Thomas A. Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, Ebony Magazine and Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. But the most arresting images and stories here are about the everyday people, ranging from grim images of the overcrowded slums to the more joyful life: a crowd watching the orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom, kids lined up in front of the movie theater, the Easter Parade outside Pilgrim Baptist. The book is divided into four parts: House & Home, Work, Church, Going Out.

One of the original essays discusses the fact that during the time period, most white media images of blacks perpetuated negative stereotypes, while many black photographers strove to counter this with "the strongest possible contrast to such representation." Which makes this collection even more important in that it presents such a wide range of people and situations, without trying to support an agenda. The photographers simply captured life.

I agree: This book should be a part of every photography and African American history collection.

Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage.com

One can only concur with Jane Goodall when she says that this book is "both beautiful and profoundly disturbing"--partly, because it is, and partly because animals, in themselves, are "both beautiful and profoundly disturbing." Not only are we not altogether certain what it means to be human, but also we are not altogether certain what it means to be animal.

Frank Noelker is an associate professor of art at the University of Connecticut. His photographs of animals in zoos have been widely exhibited in both group and solo exhibitions. The design of the book is simple and straightforward. It says nothing about cameras, lenses, photographic techniques or f-stops. As well, it says almost nothing about Frank. The Forward by Jane Goodall and the Introduction by Nigel Rothfels provide its only text. Each of the fifty photographs bears a simple caption like this one: "Leopard, Tulsa, 2002."

What is most striking, from cover to cover, is the atmosphere of isolation. Nearly every photo shows a single animal in the very center of the picture. One gets the unmistakable feeling that the artist is relentlessly transgressing a fundamental rule of photography. Of course, there are a few exceptions; "Hippopotamus, Washington D.C., 1997" is one.

In this photograph, we see a hippopotamus on the left side of the picture, moving toward the center. In the center, we see a small, narrow and empty rectangle. Despite its great size, the Hippo does not compete with this diminutive symbol of emptiness; rather, he seems to be descending into the depths it represents.

The penguin photograph is another exception. In this photo, we see a penguin slightly off center. In the center, a vertical line, a stain, extends from top to bottom, from heaven to earth (or vice versa). The crucified penguin stands close to this mark, this stain, this hieratic symbol of mystery and sacrifice.

Even the photographs that include more than one animal exude a sense of unalleviated isolation. The two antelopes (the epitome of dignity and resignation) look as if they are quietly waiting for Godot. The baboon mother with its two babies might as well be sitting on the moon. The young baboon walking off to the left already knows everything there is to know about its world.

If, as Ortega y Gasset said, living consists in "having always to do something in order to bear oneself up" in the midst of circumstance, these photos show us something else. Can this be called `living'-when circumstance has been virtually nullified? Where is the "dynamic intricacy binding all things together...the system of relations in which all things are implanted...the "unity by co-implication?" ('Jose Ortega y Gasset's Metaphysical Innovation,' by Antonio Rodriquez Huescar) These animals have no projects and precious little circumstance. Their system of relations is vestigial at best.

Nigel Rothfels writes an excellent introductory essay on the subject of "Animals and Zoos and History." Even though this essay is valuable and well written, one should study the photos first. One should read the text only after an extensive contemplation of these beautiful but unsettling images.

In his essay, Rothfells quotes from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke: `The Panther: Jardin des Plantes, Paris': "The bars which pass and strike across his gaze/ have stunned his sight: the eyes have lost their hold./ To him it seems there are a thousand bars./ a thousand bars and nothing else. No world."

Well put, Mr. Rilke: "No world!"-and "no dynamic intricacy binding all things together."

The book is sub-titled, `Zoo Portraits.' Nevertheless, these photographs are more than that: they are also portraits of us; they are portraits of human values and human awareness--or the sad lack thereof. There is much to learn from these quiet and unassuming photographs; and much that will be missed-partly because our vision and perception are limited, and partly because life is forever inexhaustible.

And, this wonderful inexhaustibility is the very essence of art.

I was surprised at how captivated I was once I opened the book. in the past, I've don't remember many photographs touching me except for those of Ansel Adams and Gordon Parks, whose images from a half century ago touch me in the new millenium. However Frank Noelker's portraits of zoo animals generated great sadness in me for these animals while at the same time instilling a greater appreciation for the freedoms we humans have, and at this time of desperation both here and abroad, seem too willing to sacrifice. I envy Frank Noelker for his courage. I imagine that to have spent ten years photographing animals at 300 zoos across the world must wear on his soul as well as his soles.

This book is for any photographer who wants to see what it is truly like to "Capture the Moment." This books not only contains stunning photojournalism pictures, but also the stories that go with each. Together, they provide a real sense of the stories behind the photos.

No doubt everyone has seen at least one of these pictures in their lifetime. The raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima, the naked girl fleeing her napalmed village during the Vietnam War, or Babe Ruth's final bow.

Whether you are a photographer who wants to be able to take pictures like these, or just an admirer of such hard hitting photography, you WILL enjoy this book.

This books is a compilation of Pulitzer Prize Award Winning Photographs. It's a great book.

I bought this book at the recommendation of a friend. He loved this book and so do I. The book is filled with old polaroids of women in various states of undress from clothed to fully nude. The shots are not crisp, and some tend to be poorly lit, yet they feel very real. The images are almost alive, and the women very sensous. And as most women of the time used to be, they are quite real. Their bodies reveal the natural beauty that women used to have without all of the plastic and fakeness that we see today. I don't think there is a silicon breast in any of the photos, and i loved every image becuase of it.

Fulvio Ferrari's Carlo Mollino Polaroids gathers a range of small color vintage photos of women. Chapters provide intriguing images which are diverse and unusual. An excellent art library acquisition, especially for collections strong in photography.

Intending just to thumb through the book, I found I could not put it down. Having just returned from a vacation to Myrtle Beach (and visiting Charleston and Ft. Sumter), I was pleasantly surprised to recognize so many of the structures in the photographs. In addition, the captions were entertaining and provided a further glimpse into the lives of those in the photographs. Pictures included people, structures and scenes from all walks of life--high society and economically disadvantaged. Pre-civil war daguerrotypes start off this photographic history book. I wish I had taken this book with me to visit Charleston!

An exciting way to visit the City of Charleston. A city that has survived five major fires, earthquakes, tornadors, cyclones, hurricanes and the 587 day siege of Charleston. Pictures show this proud old lady's struggle to survive during the last 140 years. Wonderful text by Alice Levkoff gives amazing accounts of what was and is Charleston. A pictorial history that shows Charleston is not a sleepy old Southern city.

With an artful eye master photojournalist Art Shay gives a treasured glimpse of American culture and Chicago history. Not just outstanding images, but Shay provides a wonderful read as well.

Art Shay's latest work will certainly contribute to his status as an American Icon. Every time I look through the book I delight in finding something new. This book would make a great gift for Nelson Algren and Chicago fans alike.

This is a fun book of photos by a man with a keen eye. Many of the pics are gut-busting hilarious.

The theme is religion but there is nothing here to offend the religious. I highly recommend Churches Ad Hoc: A Divine Comedy to every one.

Guy P. Harrison, author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

New York Times, Internet Edition

By Rebecca Fairley Raney

Even through the confusion of the last 30 years, people have managed to maintain some basic social tenets: don't hit, don't run around naked and don't laugh in church. Laughing at a church is definitely out of the question.

Perhaps that's why Herman Krieger is getting so many laughs. He made a career of making light of churches in a photo essay called "Churches ad hoc", a sort of renegade Rorschach test fit for any Sunday school.

In Krieger's eye, a statue of a Jesus without hands is "Carpal Deum." A boarded-up church is "The Pope's Answer to Luther." And a happy blond toddler on the lawn of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church becomes "Young Zionist."

This sometimes irreverent photo essay on churches draws a variety of responses. It is either too funny to be religious or too religious to be funny. The pictures speak to the perspective of whoever sees them. Christians see devotion. Atheists see satire. Photographers see artistry.

Krieger was most surprised at the response from Christians. He thought they might take offense. "I'm not a Christian," he said, "and I got so many comments from people who thought I knew something about theology."

In more than a year since the site went up, "Churches ad hoc" has drawn more than 50 links from Christian Web sites, and pastors often ask if they can use his pictures for their calendars and newsletters. The photographs were even exhibited in the Art Rageous tent at the 1996 Cornerstone Church Festival in Illinois. After the festival, Christian chat rooms lit up with praise, and many people called the photos the best art exhibit shown.

On his own Web site, Krieger lists people's responses. "Your photography is as playful and cogent as your prose," one fan wrote. "By the way, I pastor a small church in Washington, D.C., and thoroughly enjoyed your poking through the pious facade."

Paradoxically, the response from atheists and freethinkers has been just as enthusiastic.

"Thanks for carrying on the tradition of laughing at religion!" one wrote.

"You manage to capture the essence of the hypocrisy that fuels all religions in a very clever and humorous style," another commented.

Then there are the photographers, who see only photography. "I loved your panoramic photos; I wish I had your skill so that my contemporary photos of Detroit would look even close. Care to pass along any tips?"

When his work holds such broad appeal, you have to wonder why Krieger is giving his pictures away for free. But he's 71, and his days of working for other people are gladly past. He produced the photo essay in pursuit of the bachelor's degree in fine arts he earned after he retired.

Photography has long held a fascination for Krieger. He worked for a photo lab technician during his teens in Detroit in the 1940s and did darkroom work for press photographers. During World War II, the Army put him to work as a photo lab technician.

But then his career took a turn. He went to California in 1950, earned a degree in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley, then spent 30 years as a computer programmer in Holland. When he retired, he and his wife moved to Eugene, Ore., and he promptly enrolled for classes at the University of Oregon.

He shot the first pictures for "Churches ad hoc" in 1993. In the last four years, he took his camera wherever he went: Oregon, California, New York, Las Vegas, Arizona, Illinois, Washington state.

Krieger started shooting churches on a whim after taking a picture of a cross in a tree for a different essay. His own religious background did not prohibit him from pursuing the concept; he was raised Jewish. In fact, he thinks his upbringing helped.

"I can look at them without getting emotionally involved," he said.

The work continues to prompt comments such as: "clearly your artistry transcends ideological statements and speaks to people of all faiths, or of no faith."

To the diverse, boisterous masses of the Web, he contributed a unifying icon, an image that was a success not because he set out to make a point, but because he didn't.

This book combines history and photography. Many landmarks are featured, including the Art Institute, the museums, the Regenstein Library of the University of Chicago, the Sears Tower, Daley Center (formerly the Civic Center), Wrigley Field, and much more.

Chicago inventions are discussed, such as the Ferris wheel, the Chicago-style hot dog, the Hostess Twinkies, softball, etc. Besides, many "firsts" took place in Chicago, including the first man-made nuclear chain reaction in 1942.

Although Chicago is now the third largest city in the US, and is dwarfed by many urban complexes throughout the world, it still is ranked among the top "Alpha" 10 cities in the entire world in terms of its overall influence (p. 11).

A bibliography is provided for further reading about this exciting city.

If you love Chicago, you'll love this book, especially if you are no longer near Chicago.
We have here 140 pages of pictures of Chicago landmarks, sorted into "then" on the left page and "now" on the right, accompanied by about a hundred words of caption explaining what you are looking at and why it is significant. All are landmarks of Chicago and include at least one spot everybody who has ever been there must have gone by, stared at, gone in, or admired.
As a graduate of Illinois Tech., I did catch one awful clinker. To have the building on page 109 (the original Old Main of Armour Institute of Technology) called Crown Hall (it is really about two blocks from there) must have had Mies van der Rohe spinning in his grave for at least a month.

Bob Thall happens to have been my Photo/Darkroom 1 teacher in college back in the late 80s. This gentleman is the bomb! Hey, I already got my grades, so I have absolutely nothing to gain here! Going into the class, I had, to put it mildly, a very poor eye for photography. I mean, anyone can use a camera. However Bob enabled me to acquire a real appreciation for photography as an art form, to the extent that I am still taking photographs, almost every day of my life, literally! In fact, I recommend to every serious student that I meet (I am still taking classes!) to enroll in a Photo/Darkroom 1 class with Bob Thall. He has helped imbue me with an artistic sense and keen eye that is helpful in any art class or artistic related endeavor. OK now about the book: It rocks! While some consider his work dry (he said it himself almost 20 years ago), if you take a close and careful look at every aspect of his work including content, composition, shooting, printing, etc., you may see what I see... Who else could make a photograph of a Chicago alley look so darn beautiful?!

Bob Thall has been making marvelous photographic books from marvelous big-camera photographs for more than a decade. He's also been systematically investigating the city of Chicago as a test case for the 21st century city. PERFECT CITY began by looking at the creative destruction of an architecturally significant and economically vibrant American urban downtown; THE NEW AMERICAN VILLAGE then looked at the new "urbanism" of what Joel Garreau has called the Edge Cities that have sprung up along the interstates and tollroads at a safe distance from the old metropolis. Now with CITY SPACES, he's tackling the newest phenomenon of American urbanism: the nostalgic return of downtowns as places to work, live, and be entertained. It's Thall's quirky intelligence at work that a collection of photographs of alleys could become a book about the resurgence of the old city, but that's what he shows us-- the way the city's encrustations of history, its graffiti, old signs, strange corners, odd spaces, and once-vibrant functional loading docks have become objects of nostalgic reverie, and Thall offers to be our guide in this visual treasure-hunt. This is a photographer of decidedly modernist sentiments. The play of subtle light on worn brick, the way mirror glass recedes deceptively into a non-existent, yet absurdly convincing surreal skyscape, the delight you feel as things line up into sensuous arrays when you stand precisely THERE and tilt your head like THIS and bend your knees oh-so-slightly: these are the matters of this book. Such visual sleight-of-sight requires superb printing to work in a book; luckily the Icelandic printers have labored with Nordic determination and the results are astonishing: blacks as smooth as velvet but still retaining a sense of detailed dark space; silvery sheens to steel, walls that crumble as you look at them.

Really enjoyed this book. It was easy read and not weighted down with a lot of stradegy. I thought it captured the meaning of brotherly love, when at the end of the war, the Union troops even shared their food with the enemy.The fact that the Confederates were allowed to keep their horses was very moving to me, as these animals is some cases were all they owned. And in the end,it makes no difference which side they fought on, they were finally all together on a common ground, even if it is in eternal rest.

Ray Carson's the Civil War Soldier: A Photographic Journey brings a fresh perspective and new treatment to a photographic subject that was defined 135 years ago by renown Civil War photographer, Matthew Brady, whose battlefield photos brought the grisly horrors of the war home to the American public. Ray Carson's photos, although more than a century removed from the subject, have a dynamic, impromptu quality and spontaneous intimacy that Brady, with his long exposure times that required subjects to be perfectly still (or dead), was never able to capture. Carson's photos capture the action and vitality of scenes that Brady couldn't, with a technique that is brilliant in the way it preserves the old daguerreotype quality of the photography of Brady's times with the movement and close-up action of modern photography. Carson's photos put the viewer right into the middle of the action. He did this by photographing re-enactors at the sites of the Civil War's great battles who annually recreate, with painstaking attention to detail and authenticity, those great conflicts which tested the mettle and honored the valor of both sides, North and South alike, and, in the process, forged a stronger, undivided nation. Civil War Soldier is absorbing reading, too, with many first-hand accounts, and the foreword by James Robertson, Jr. of Virginia Tech is a compelling introduction to one of the most dramatic and moving periods in the nation's history. Once I picked up Ray Carson's book, I couldn't put it down. Civil War Soldier belongs on the bookshelf of every Civil War buff, along with Matthew Brady.