No comments about One Hundred & One Beautiful Towns in Great Britain (101 Towns).

5 comments about Photography: Revised Edition.

1. I've been a photo student for nearly two years and this is the textbook I started with. I didn't realize at first how amazing and inspiring it was until I couldn't find it. Horenstein's book is organized and it is easy to read. It covers a great deal and has wonderful images as examples. I enrolled in a photojournalism class last semester and had to purchase Photography (8th ed) by Barbara London & John Upton. I was very dissatisfied with the textbook when remembering how great Horenstein's is. I urge every hopeful photographer to make an investment in this book.



2. This book by Horenstein and Hart was bought as an introduction to photography. Before I bought it, I looked at numerous other books on photography, but none of them seemed to tell me a lot more than what I already knew. In addition they did not inspire me. I only tell this because my opinion is that this book is what I searched for. It is well written and gives a decent treatment of the different topics. The illustrations are clear, and there are several photos showing the concepts involved, the photos being so good that they also show more subtle effects. And then there are works by various professional photographers all along. These are not just dumped there, but actually fit the topic being treated. The chapter on digital photography is perhaps a little short. However, I would rather by an additional in-depth book on digital photography anyway. This book gives the basis knowledge on how photography evolved and on different techniques. I only wished it had been available in hardback, because the relatively large format makes it somewhat unhandy in paperback.



3. I enrolled in a photo one course, having always enjoyed the art form. Not only was this book immensely helpful throughout the course, but I refused to return it at the end of the semester. It doubles as a superb textbook and a lovely coffee table look through. I find myself flipping through it just for entertainment and also to find solutions to camera or developing problems I might be having. I also agree that the only negative aspect of this text is the fact that it doesn't come in hard back. The paper back version becomes awkward, it's best if you read it whilst your sitting up or at a desk. If you're one for pleasure reading in bed, like myself, this book might prove to be a challenge. Other than it's awkward dimensions in paper back, this is a must-have-book for those vaguely interested in the hobby all the way to those who are professional photographers. Hooray for well written books and well constructed page layouts with tremendous photos around every turn!!



4. I thought that this book would be in better condition. A lot of the pages were bent and wrinkled and the back cover had a sticker the was ripped off. Overall quality - POOR! The book was packaged nicely and shipped fast.



5. This book definitely covers pretty much everything -- sometimes in ultra-minute detail -- that you would need to know in order to understand the basic fundamentals of the art of photography. For anyone with medium to advanced photographic experience, this book will have a lot of pages to skip. However, even for those expert photographers, this book contains a lot of odd technical details that are required for testing for certification (such as for PPA) that you may have forgotten since high school, or that you just may have never learned on your own through self-study and/or trial and error. In short, this book is a valuable reference to have handy for any serious photographer.

No comments about Paul Fusco: RFK.

5 comments about San Francisco Giants: 50 Years: 50 Years.

1. I'm sure the author is a nice guy and everything, but he writes like an eleven year old! This photos are nice, but I can look at those on the internet for free.
   
   Save your money on this one, folks. Buy game tickets instead. No matter how obnoxious the fans are around you....they can't be worse than this guy!



2. If your a loyal S.F. Giants lover, you'll need to get this fantastic history book. (with simply great pictures) It covers the Giants days at the old S.F. Seals ball park at 16th and Bryant. I use to get there on the Muni for I think 5 or 10 cents each way. But more than a fan gem, it covers the Giants MLB history like no other book. A great gift, should be displayed on a coffee table etc., etc.



3. My siblings and I bought this for our dad for father's day and he was really happy with it.
   
   One of the neat aspects to it is team photos and lists of the team players during specific years.



4. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 50 YEARS BY BRIAN MURPHY: As only a recent fan of the San Francisco Giants, I know of the 2002 World Series defeat, Barry Bonds's race to reach and beat Hank Aaron's homerun record, and the young and magnificent arm of the 22 year-old pitcher Tim Lincecum. I know the names of the great Giants like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal; but the period from the 1958 move of the New York Giants to San Francisco up to the end of the 1990s is a time I know little ...more SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 50 YEARS BY BRIAN MURPHY: As only a recent fan of the San Francisco Giants, I know of the 2002 World Series defeat, Barry Bonds's race to reach and beat Hank Aaron's homerun record, and the young and magnificent arm of the 22 year-old pitcher Tim Lincecum. I know the names of the great Giants like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal; but the period from the 1958 move of the New York Giants to San Francisco up to the end of the 1990s is a time I know little about. Thankfully 2008 is the fiftieth anniversary of the San Francisco Giants, and to commemorate it a beautiful book has been published, written by Brian Murphy (a host for the KNBR sports radio station), celebrating the fifty years of San Francisco baseball history with the Giants.
   
   The cover of San Francisco Giants: 50 Years captures the book perfectly with a split picture: on the top is Seals stadium, formerly a place for minor league baseball, it was where the new San Francisco Giants played their first games; at the bottom is the breathtaking AT&T Park, where the Giants currently reside. A foreword from longtime fan Danny Glover takes the reader back to moments in Glover's history as a little boy watching the greats play as Giants. Brian Murphy then sweeps you back to the first days of the New York Giants gracing the streets of the city by the bay as the new San Francisco Giants. Murphy uses a descriptive style that congers images in one's mind of the history of this baseball team, not overloading the book with stats and numbers, but providing facts and details where necessary, informing the reader of the many great strides the Giants have made, as well as the crucial times they came within reaching distance of the World Series ring: in 1962 against the New York Yankees, in 1989 against the Oakland Athletics, and in 2002 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
   
   Brian Murphy takes the readers through the many highpoints of the San Francisco Giants history, as well as the many low points. There is the miraculous story of the pitcher Dave Dravecky, a star for the team until a tumor was found in his pitching arm, who after surgery and recovery returned to pitch one of his best games ever. In the following game, he snapped his humerus bone, and eventually had to have his arm amputated. The story of the great Bobby Bonds, as his son hung around the clubhouse and watched his father and god father, Willie Mays. The career of Barry Bonds who came to the Giants in 1993 and spent the next fourteen years smashing records and creating news goals for future players to reach. And hints at possible future greats for the San Francisco Giants like Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, who pitched in the 2008 All Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The book ends with a superb finish: an afterword from the great Willie Mays, as he recounts some of his memories as a Giant.
   
   San Francisco Giants: 50 Years is a treasure for any sort of fan of the Giants bursting with photos, booklets featuring team photos and opening day lineups for all fifty years, along with an audio CD recounting fifty years of play-by-play highlights. It is a book that will never spend long on the shelf, as readers will keep picking it up again and again, whether to look up a detail of history, check on a team member or stat, or simply to look at some of the greatest players the world of baseball has ever known.
   
   
   [...]



5. The book came absolutely perfect. I am very happy with the service.
   I couldn't wait to open it and start reading it. I am a huge fan of the Giants. Thank you

5 comments about Route 66 Lost & Found: Ruins and Relics Revisited.

1. Both volume one and two are very interesting and well researched books.
   I traveled Route 66 a couple of years ago and reading the book was fascinating- now I know how many locations I went sailing past without a clue!
   When I next get a chance to do a repeat journey, I shall certainly re-read the books very thoroughly and travel slower so as not to miss such historic scenes.



2. this is a great book in my opinion i love it very informative nice pictures and comparisons from old-new of most photos of places .. i have been on bits of 66 over the years i may never drive the majority of it but reading this book made me feel like i did wonderful is all i can say



3. I was very disapointed with this book. I was hoping to get some information about route 66 as it is today, but it's all but gone now.
   
   What made it a bad book for me is they showed how it used to be then should it as it is today. I just wanted to cry. It would have been all right if they just showed the old or the new, but the before and after just about killed me emotionally.



4. Great Photographs, yesterday and today. Gives you a good feeling of the old Route 66.



5. This book is great to take a look into the past and the hearty souls that created the famous route..To read it is to take a trip into the past..It is a great book I throughly enjoy it.

5 comments about Flower.

1. Christopher Beane's new book, Flower, is a floral autobiography.
   
   Beginning with traditional, abstract, black & white compositions in the 1990s, Beane's early works make reference to a number of noted photographers but also reveal how he developed his own eye for presenting unusual floral shapes and textures.
   
   In the late 1990s, Beane left the b&w world behind and dove head-first into vibrant colour. In the words of Anthony Janson, who narrates the book: "Fortunately, in 1997 Beane began to experiment with color photography."
   
   "Fortunately" is an understatement: right from the first few photographs in Beane's aptly titled "orgy" series, we see a whole new world of color within his macro subjects, and Beane's explorations quickly depart from whatever preconceptions you may have of floral macro photography. Beane's colour work is truly his own: creative and evocative in a manner not as obvious as one usually finds in the sensual photography of pistils and stamens and pretty petals. In his representations you will find more abstract emotion, perhaps evoking flames and mysterious sea creatures... as well as gasp-worthy ultramacro depictions of familiar subjects.
   
   The cover of the Flower is itself a flamelike depiction of tulips; fortunately, an unadorned version can be found inside (plate 40). The book continues through the evolution of his macro photography, with each subject a new step forward for Beane. After mastering a particular motif, Beane deconstructs and reinvents his approach and summons up entirely new perspectives, new ways to infuse form with colour.
   
   While it is impossible not to marvel at the intricacies of his macro subjects, from the Coral Charm Peony (plate 51) to the sensual Bearded Iris Blue (plate 42), his latter work moves forward ever more progressively and ultimately departs the ultramacro realm in the direction of abstract art. Particularly striking to my eye are the Fritillaria (plates 127 and 128) which play with a reduced colour palette in an entirely new way, departing from the natural colours of the flowers themselves but somehow remaining true to them in abstract impression.
   
   In addition to plate after plate of masterful 4x5 colour photography, the reader will find details of Beane's battle with stage-4 lymphoma, how this affected his mood and vision, and how he returned, triumphantly, to his craft. Beane's adventure is inspiring and not only in the visual sense.
   
   I very highly recommend this book. It is truly inspirational and provocative.



2. A disclaimer up front - Christopher Beane is our son!
   
   For over 40 years we have watched Christopher grow and develop - both as an extraordinary human being and as an exceptionally talented artist. His creativity has always been evident - whether in the things young kids make in school; in his water colored paintings; as he advised his mother how to decorate our home; in his landscaping of our yard; through his intriguing work during freshman year in the Rhode Island School of Design's challenging one, two and three dimention design studios; and finally, as his photographic career has evolved the past fifteen years.
   
   But, as parents, perhaps we are most proud of how he battled near fatal cancer, diagnosed just three years ago, including the eight months Christopher spent in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital. He never lost his will to live. And with his engaging personality he brought out love and support from all those around him.
   
   Perhaps the greatest fear Christopher had during his long illness was that his talent might somehow desert him. As all can see this concern has been fully relieved and his newest work exibits both continued artistic growth and his amazing creativity.
   
   Some thoughts from Christopher's proud parents Rosemary & Frank Beane



3. We just finished our first reading and viewing of Christopher Beane's "Flower". What a beautiful prose and photography volume this is.
   
   The essay reads with warmth, knowledge, and critical praise for the photographic plates that adorn the book, not to mention the affection communicated for the photographer and his professional development. The author's grasp of the essence of art history including photography builds a firm foundation for the complex interpretations and lucid explanations he provides.
   
   The crowning elements of the book are, of course, the photographic plates. Grouped by Christopher's evolving periods and changing forms of expression, many of the plates will evoke a gasp, a sigh, a tear, or a smile upon turning the page. One in particular caught my eye, Plate 112, Bloomed Clemantis, as appearing almost human in the blossoms struggle against the wind. The author, we later found, also saw that strength and aligned that with Christopher's own strength in dealing with his health issues over the past two years.
   
   We highly recommend the book to anyone interested in art, photography, or life, since the essay and the plates create a valuable life story of strength and beauty.



4. This pictorial book is totally outstanding in it's presentation of a perfectionists view of many beautific flowers. Just stunning!



5. If you love beautiful and unique photos of flowers, then this is the book for you. I purchased it for inspiration as I am an amateur photographer and believe me, I am inspired!!!! You won't be disappointed.

3 comments about The Education of a Photographer.

1. I'm only halfway through and can only ask why such a book only surfaces now. Previous concise compilations of writings on photography concentrated on the mediums origins and historical figures. This one gives us a more contemporary context (ie the 50ies) and goes on from there until today, focusing on the ideas of key figures. Thank you editors!



2. Since I purchased this book, however many months ago it was,I have yet to sit down and read through any of its essays. I did scan over a few and found that many of the authors were more interested in flexing their extensive vocabulary to convey their abstracted views of photography and the meaning of the photograph. Not really what I had in mind, though there might be some treasure buried within the pages. I don't think I'll start digging for a while.
   
   It's not an entry level read. I was hoping that the book would contain life experiences and advice from seasoned photographers. It might, though I haven't found it. Before you buy see if you can find it at a bookstore and read some of the chapters. Then consider whether it's worth the money.



3. If a photographer might think that a picture is worth 10,000 words, why would one need a book of words about photography? Wouldn't a few well chosen photographs have obviated the need for this book? Probably not, because the aforesaid major premise is probably wrong, or at least overstated. There are some concepts that are so complex that they can't be expressed in pictures. That presumably was the thought of the editors.
   
   In his introduction Charles Traub, who is the chair of the School of Visual Arts' department devoted to photography, says that the world of photography has changed in recent years and that the writings included in the book are designed to prepare the fine arts student to enter into the world of contemporary photography. In order to do this the authors have divided the book into four parts: "Reflections on the Medium: What It Means to Photograph; How Others See Them: Considering the Photographer; Finding an Audience: Working with the Professionals; and Guide for the Uneducated: Higher Education and Photography. Each Section contains several short essays ranging from less than a half page to 11 pages. Although the editors disavow any idea of providing photographic instruction, the piece by Henri Cartier-Bresson comes the closest to instruction. On the other hand, the piece by Dave Eggers, in which he describes the thoughts running through the mind of a young women waiting to take a gritty but artistic photograph might be interesting to a creative writing student, and while a bit of fun, does not seem to be useful to a photographer. The interview with Charlotte Cotton, a museum photography curator, seemed the most accurate and insightful description of the current photographic art market. For me the most useful piece was an outline of how to critique a photograph by Ralph Hattersley.
   
   The Amazon star system is not useful in the evaluation of a book like this. The readings in this book are a mixed bag. I suspect that most photographers, including those earning a living from their work, will find little to benefit them here, although they may find some of the articles of interest. On the other hand, for the individual earning a Master of Fine Arts in Photography, and interested in entering into the contemporary art photography market, the essays may prove useful.
   
   If they have not done so already, those who want to read more about photography, with an emphasis on its history as well as its philosophy might do better to read an old classic, "Photography in Print: Writings from 1816 to the Present" by Vicki Goldberg.

No comments about Influence.

5 comments about Sleeping by the Mississippi.

1. Alec Soth builds on the tradition established by William Eggleston, Stephen Shore and Joel Sternfeld. But Soth dramatically moves beyond these masters by presenting a more eccentric cast of characters, a stronger thematic melody and a more personal insight.
   
   Soth's photographic journey down the Mississippi evokes a boyish sense of adventure. Dreams, flight, religion, race, sex and unusual personalities appear repeatedly in the work, often in subtle allusion. The young photographer captures a rainbow of quirky characters defining a life filled with rich personal meaning outside the mainstream of cultural or artistic norms, locations, institutions and without significant financial expense.
   
   The book's forty-six pictures reflect a richness of detail possible with Soth's 8 x 10 inch camera. Each page offers a title on the left and the work on the right. Photographers Notes at the end of the book hint at the depth within Soth's work. Essays by Patricia Hampl and Anne Wilkes Tucker complete this wonderful Steidl publication.
   
   The Whitney Bienniel 2004 prominently featured Soth's work, which has been acclaimed by the critics and will be embraced by the broader public as this young photographer becomes better known. A spectacular body of work, Sleeping by the Mississippi places Soth squarely at the front of young American photographers continuing to move art forward.



2. this work is solid, beautiful, and thoughtful, but if you are interested in this kind of work you should first get Eggleston's Guide, Stephen Shore's "Uncommon Places," and especially Joel Sternfeld's "American Prospects" which this book seems to pick up from. but in all honesty, those books are not only better, groundbreaking (this is not groundbreaking work), and significant in an art/photo history context, they did so 30 years ago at a time when color photography was still seen as nothing to be taken seriously.
   
   so, buy this book, but only after the others. this is 'friends', go buy seinfeld first.



3. While this MAY not stand up to JOEL STERNFELD, STEPHEN SHORE, RICHARD MISRACH, ETC. (the people SOTH has been compared to by OTHERS) it is about as good as anything contemporary that's going around. 8x10 COLOR may not be unique at this point, but soth's work is a nice addition to the genre.



4. The Mississippi is as american as it gets, and has never been explored photographically in quite this intimate a way. The book is good, but not as good as some other books out there in this genre of large format color american road pictures. Seek deeper.



5. I'm glad to finally own an Alec Soth book. I can study these photographs many times and never get bored of them. All I can say is that I wish I could shoot as well as he does.

No comments about The Kennedy Family Album: Personal Photos of America's First Family.