Documentary-collections Books

I am fairly new to the Wenders world, his school of life and wings. The movie and the book are beautiful. Cinematoraphy/photography tightened into the form of a man's luminescent imagination.

Photography has always been an outlet to certain visionaries in our society. Giving them a way to express to others the way they interpret somewhat ordinary and sometimes not so ordinary sights. This collection of images inspires all those who look at them. And then combining these with words of inspiratin and thought provoking prose makes it a treat to the soul as well as the eyes.

Very compelling work for people interested in art photography. I especially like the range of photo subjects, as if the artist is unafraid to capture the drama using objects from the most intense to the most mundane. The drama conveyed through the static medium of black and white photography is quite striking. This book has a great deal of polish for a first offering from this artist, and will easily set a high standard for future works due out from him next year.

Tony Brown has painstakingly put together what appears to be a quite accurate almost day by day diary of Jimi's brief career. He lists the dates Jimi went into the studio, the various concerts he played and other activities Jimi did such as specific days of when he was interviewed or on TV. It is in calendar form so it goes from beginning to end, obviously mainly from 1966 to 1970. This is a great way to read about Jimi's life. It has less opinion and more statement of fact, as best as Mr. Brown could reconstruct from his research. There's always some controversy here and there when books about Jimi are published but this book seems to provide a very sensible presentation of Jimi's life as it actually appears to have happened. As a big Jimi I was delighted to find this book and delve into it. Based on going over a few other Jimi books this one appears to be right in step with others, that is, it does appear to be a quite realistic reporting of how Jimi's life went, pretty much day to day in his famous years. Thanks Mr. Brown, a great read. chrisbct@hotmail.com

This is an outstanding book that contributes to a cultural understanding of Tijuana. Many issues are explored with many facts presented to illustrate points regarding the diversity and cultural hub that is Tijuana. The book is full of black and white photographs and many beautiful color photographs. These photographs are usually highlighted by corresponding facts about the particular issue being examined. This was a project undertaken by three individuals from different backgrounds to create a synthesis of diverse views to a common phenomena; the vast and richly emergent artistic and cultural city that is Tijuana. Living close to this border city and visiting it often I found the book to be completely engrossing in both it's narrative and visual style. If you want to know more about Tijuana than pick up this book. This is not a tourist guide but rather a cultural reflection on one of the busiest and most fascinating cities in the world. Recommended for a better understanding of Tijuana, Mexico.

I was in Kathmandu in Novemver of 1998, staying at the Hotle Vajra and had the opportunity to meet Thomas Kelly. He gave a signed copy of this book to the host of our trip and I got to flip through it. What a fabulous book! I wasn't aware that The Hidden Himalayas and Kathmandu City on the Edge of the World were out of print until I returned to the states. I've tried to located it everywhere and I'm not having any luck. Can you help me get a copy of these books?

A wealth of detail in quality pictures and history. Just one of many similar books in my collection that I refer to time and again. Of course, no one book can cover the gambit of houses in Britain, but this one makes a good stab at it.

My only complaint is that the size is a bit small--I'm used to coffee table size. But well worth Amazon's price despite that small drawback.

I have been eating on Route 66 for years and I just loved this book. Nothing like reading about all the famous ham and egg joints along America's highway. Wallis' remarks hit the nail on the head, 'specially the part about the double orders of spicy hot Texas chili and the Gallup "Git 'em an' Go" pork belly sandwiches with honey butter. I do hope there is a sequel in the works, and I hope the authors have a lot more potato dishes, ones with cheesey sauces and maybe a few with some of that gooey Missouri Donkey gravy. Bravo!

Landmark retrospective collection of the artist's photographically-based paintings. Published in a small and limited print run as a hardcover original only. The first and only edition. An austerely elegant production by Holly Roberts and Chris Pichler: Oversize-volume format. Pale gray silk cloth boards with art reproduction pasted on cover and black titles embossed on cover and spine, as issued. Art by Holly Roberts. Introduction by T. D. Moley-Martinez. Essays by Robert H. Wilson and Steve Yates. Notes on the Plates and brief Biography appended at the end. Printed to the very highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents the artist/photographer's work over the last decade. Holly Roberts begins with a photograph and then proceeds gradually to efface it by turning it into magical paintings, drawings, and mixed-media art that are powerful not just because they evoke the rudimentary and elemental power of art (now missing in most contemporary painting), but also because every image is "dreaming out loud". "She found that by painting over a photographic surface, she was able to manipulate the paint (scrape it, scratch it, even wipe it away) with the luxury of never losing the underlying image. A modern pioneer of the method, Roberts ups the ante with an understanding of human dynamics and a technique that appears unstudied" (Publisher's blurb). While Holly Roberts's lapidary skills are masterly and make one think of "craft", her works are psychic projections, potent, profoundly personal, and indelible works of art. A brilliant collection. © 2006, ModernRare.com

A fascinating book of Brandt photos contrasting English slums with planned municipal estates. This was the kind of assignment that he loved: the chance to put across a social point-of-view using real people and places. The sixty-three photos (beautifully printed with 200dpi) are probably the best of visits he made to Birmingham and London for the Bournville Village Trust.

There seems to be a continuing mystery about these photos though because they were discovered in the Trust's archives as a series of seventy-seven prints mounted on cardboard with the negatives (but actually missing eight of these). It would be rather unusual for a commercial photographer to hand over negatives to the client because additional income could be made by doing extra prints and the print quality could still conform to the original supplied prints. Brandt said of the commission that it was "...a job well done".

An interesting essay in the front of the book reveals how Brandt manipulated the artificial light in the slums to contrast with the brighter better homes where sunlight through open windows is the light source. Frequently a semi rural location is shown outside the windows. There is a stunning shot on page eighty-four of a young boy looking in a window at his parents eating a meal (with full plates) heavy shadows on the tablecloth from the bright sun and trees in the background. Compare this with a family eating in their dark slum living room on page twenty-nine, cups of tea and sandwiches possibly the main meal of the day.

As well as the sixty-three photos, one to a page, there are the eleven cardboard mounts shown that had the original prints, again one to a page, and three essays about Bill Brandt and his approach to photojournalism. A worthwhile photobook in my view.

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