Documentary-collections Books

This book is extremely interesting to anyone interested in the history of Western Maine or the Rangeley boat. I loved the old photos with their captions describing a charming time in Maine's history. As an amuture boat builder I found the information on the developement of the Rangeley boat and its builders helpful and informative.

The Rangeley Lakes region of western Main is an area dominated by four big lakes and linked by streams. This lake system more resembles a series of inland seas than simple and connected freshwater lakes. Sporting camps and lodges became numerous and as tourists were able to access the area by carriage, train, and steamboat in ever larger numbers, a local economy evolved that included craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and guides. By the 1870s a double-ended, lightweight, shapely, swift boat was developed and favored by guides. "The Rangeley And Its Region: The Famous Boat And Lakes Of Western Maine" by Stephen A. Cole (director of natural resources and sustainable communities programs at the community development corporation Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) is the detailed and profusely illustrated history of the area along with the technological innovations and cultural changes associated with the distinctive boat included seas added to the thwarts fo keep the craft passenger centered, and a squaring of the stern to accommodate a motor. The hand-crafted Rangeley boat declined with the coming of post-World War II introduction of factory produced aluminum and fiberglass boats. Yet this unique craft continues to be seen plying the waters of the Rangeley Lakes. "The Rangeley And It Region" is a unique and highly recommended regional history that would make a welcome and popular addition to academic and community library collections.

I bought this book as a gift for birders, and they really loved it. It consists of photographs taken of some of the most elusive birds in North America.

Taking picture of the most rare and shy birds in North America is not an easy tasking, not even for an avid birder and expert in the field. Well, William Burt is an expert in the field, and it took him over 10 years of hard work to research, track down, and photograph America's most elusive birds. Burt has not only delivered a full package of top quality photographs, but he has written an excellent story of his episodes of wandering through endless praries and dark swamps to find these birds. For anyone who loves birds, or loves an adventure, this book is a must.

As a conservation biologist this book provides the general public with a way to really see those species that are in danger of going extinct. It is the prefect conversation piece for any coffee table. Even if you just want to look at the pictures it is worth it!

If you love wildlife photography and are conscious about our habitat, this book is for you. It has extraordinary and beautiful pictures in an spectacular presentation.
Each page is just amazing.
EXCELLENT
Thanks CEMEX

This 119-page book honors the memory of 149 men and women and 19 children murdered in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was attacked.

Since the book's July 1995 publication, questions have been raised as to possible connections between this devastating 1995 attack and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Concerning those, one can consult The Final Report on the Bombing of The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building April 19, 1995--conducted by the private Oklahoma Bombing Investigation Committee organized by Oklahoma State Representative Charles Key and Jayna Davis' more recent book, The Third Terrorist.

The Grand Jury which indicted Timothy McVeigh, along with "others unknown," including at least one subpoenaed Jordanian suspect, who had fled. The "others" were never found.

This book is a fine memorial for the victims, and its proceeds from its sale were donated to the family of victims.

I was there and saw the destruction.
This book illustrates the event well and brought
tears to my eyes.

Beautiful photos of (mostly) campesinos and landscapes of Andean Peru. While the subjects are often the indigenous people, the visual approach and sparseness of the images also strongly captures a sense of the land and the environment where they lived and worked. There is a true connection to the place for the viewer.

What is also astonishing is the timelessness of these photos, in that the dress and the places remain largely unchanged in many rural areas of Peru. One could capture many of these images today - all they need is the talent, sensibilities, and eye of Robert Frank!

An inspiring must-view for any photographer traveling to Peru.
www.dojoklo.com

In fact there is not much to say. Robert Frank is probably the greatest photographer alive, his bool The AMericans being the true bible of the second half of the 20th century. here we have a collection of well-known and less-known pictures displayed in a fascinating scheme bringing about unheard of parallels and feedbacks. It is a deeply moving book showing that photography can be a lot more than just pictures here we talk of passion, emotion, life and death. Frank is at his best suggesting rather than displaying. Some of those pictures will bring tears to your eyes

I was fascinated by Perkins' book examining the fashon industry---something that was quite foreign to me. His insightful photographic analysis of the industry and the people opened a new understanding of this activity so foreign to those of us in west Texas. His photographs conveyed the the energy, the joy and despair, anxiety and confidence that accompanies modeling. A great "inside look" by an immanently accomplished photographer.

The books cover caught my attention, I picked it up, looked at it and knew I had to buy it. As a photographer I found this book to be a new way of looking at the world of fashion. "Runway Madness," takes you on a journey of what happens backstage during a fashion show. This book is perfect for anyone who likes fashion and photography.

A wonderful large format and beautifully produced book of 140 photos by Russell Lee made more worthy because 101 of them have not been published together in book form. Lee is rightly famous for his FSA work though none of that output is included here. Instead there are photos from the Texas political scene from 1935 to 1965, Italy in 1960 where he did a portfolio of work commissioned by the Texas Quarterly, Saudi Arabia in 1955. The majority of the photos are of the US with plenty showing small town life.

I'm not convinced that the absence of FSA work was a wise editorial choice, clearly this aspect of his career has been well documented in other books but perhaps in this one there could have been a chapter devoted to Lee's extensive 1940 work in Pie Town, New Mexico. The photos of this small town seem to be the high point of his career, also he was experimenting with color at this time (seventeen shots are shown in Bound for Glory: America in Color 1939-43) and I hope some publisher would consider a book just on Lee's Pie Town photos.

'Russell Lee Photographs' compares very favorably with Jack Hurley's 1978 'Russell Lee Photographer' (ISBN 0871001500) though the reproduction, with 250+dpi gives a much better showing than the 200dpi used in the Hurley book, which has 121 photos and a more comprehensive biography of Lee.

Both books celebrated the work of a dedicated humanist photographer whose creativity will equally stimulate your heart and mind.

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

Russell Lee was one of the group of photographers that were assembled by the government during the Great
Depression to document and publicize the poverty that had hit the heart of the nation, and the ways - through
various federal programs - those that were hurting the worst could be helped. Today, that group, which included Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott, Eudora Welty and many others who worked for the Farm Security Administration and other agencies, has been recognized as perhaps the greatest collection of documentary photographers ever gathered. Russell Lee was one of many, some of whom became much more famous, but who was recognized by them as perhaps the best. This collection strengthens that
reputation as the best of the best. He wasn't fancy, and took what he saw - he did not pose subjects for his
camera, but shot the truth. This book covers not only the Depression years, but continues with photographs in other countries, politics and of course, his chosen home state of Texas. This book is getting a lot of attention - well deserved. Center For American History and University of Texas, Hardcover, with over 140 b/w photographs, some never previously published.

This book, a gift from a friend, provides a sensitive portrait of the men and women who spent their lives on or at the edge of the sea. It chronicles their daily battles as well as the beauty and tranquillity that the islands provide. A factual presentation, the book illustrates the relationship of people and the sea from numerous viewpoints. While not written to be glamorous, there is a beauty and passion in the book that captivates and fascinates the reader. One finishes the book with a new viewpoint on those who make their life and living in and near the sea and a new appreciation for the hardships, dedication and passion that these men, women and children demonstrate. We can all take some life lessons from the pages of this handsome volume.

I have been curious about the people who have lived and worked on the Outer Banks in the past. They had a special kind of endurance and obvious love of their wonderful environment, which is apparently inherent in the current residents of the area. When I found this book, I couldn't wait to read it cover to cover. My anticipation was rewarded with a comprehensive look into the lives and livelihoods of the hard-working and family-oriented "Bankers". It is with admiration that I refer to this book again and again for a reminder of why the Outer Banks is such a great place.

This book is a fantastic documentation of some of Muniz' work (before his recent piece in the Whitney, which enlarges photographs of reproductions in dust of some major Whitney installations and their galleries). Most amazing, for me, were the thread-versions of well-known drawings, where thread substitutes for ink; and the reproductions from memory of a series of famous photos -- something like a graphic version of Sophie Calle's display of the Gardner museum guards' descriptions of the stolen paintings. Alas that it should be so hard to find.

Through playfullness, ambiguity, and our trust in photography as a purveyor of ultimate truth, Muniz's photographs question not only the nature of photographic reality but the reality of images themselves. The commentary in the book from co-authors and artist is excellent and further helps in understanding the work and the conceptual ideas behind it. Muniz's photographs are not only conceptually intriguing but are also aesthetically just beautiful to look at as well. Most of the plates are full page reproductions with a few smaller plates from earlier work. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in photography.

This book is visually stunning, and should be owned by anyone who treasures real insight into the lives of the Rom. The photo quality is award-winning, and the candor in the faces of the subjects gives one a glimpse behind the usual self-protective personas is one is used to seeing. Several of the photographs of the children, in particular, stopped my heart. Friends who have picked up the book to glance through it have expressed the same feeling. There is a texture to the photographs that makes your fingers twitch to reach in and examine further. I treasure this book.

A poetic journey deep into the lives of the Roma people living in the former republics of the Soviet Union. Should be on your bookshelf next to Koudelka's Gypsies.