Reviews (11)

Deadly traffic.
I would agree with another reviewer who said the black and white format makes these photos matter-of-fact and less gruesome. With over two hundred pictures in the book, between sixty and seventy show bodies, the rest are autos in various states of demolition caused by accidents.

The flimsiness of the Detroit's product is evident in photo after photo, page 126 shows a car door, seperated from the rest of the vehicle and three-quarters wrapped round a telegraph pole. There are several car/train accident photos and the trains seem to have no damage at all, the cars are crumpled like paper.

As these photos were primarily statements of record for insurance companies and the police Kilpatrick worked out the best exposure and camera angle and stuck to it, so the book reflects his style, if it was a collection of accident photos by many photographers it would not be so interesting. This is one man's professional work in the forties and fifties in southern California.

The landscape all-black format of the book helps the photos stand out but I have yet to work out the meaning of the small graphic item at the bottom of each page. Tachen are to be applauded in publishing a book of photos (clearly not to everyones taste) that normally would not be seen.

A Book You'll Never Forget
Mell Kirkpatrick's photographs in this book are like none I have seen before, and I have seen many searing, tragic photos of wars and natural catastrophes in my lifetime. Taken primarily in Orange County, Southern California during the late 40's and 50's, these sad photographic tales of auto crash victims require no words; as you page through this book, you feel tremendous sympathy for the hapless victims, and a hundred questions come to your mind. I do not recommend this powerful photographic study to the weak-hearted or the squeamish. But if stark and disturbing death scenes do not bother you, this is your book. May I also suggest you play the last movement of Gustav Mahler's 9th Symphony while looking through this book to heighten the experience.

Show it to your teenagers.
Before my stepdaughter went off to her first driving class, I showed her this book. I think it made an impression. Makes you think about the responsibilty and risks you assume when you get behind the wheel.

A Lesson in Safety, Consumer Protection Regulation, and $$$
Many other reviewers of this book have expressed shock and horror at the gruesome images contained in this book. One reviewer was appalled that this book could be found within easy reach of children and adults who may find the material objectionable. In my opinion, this book should be required "reading" if that is a proper term given the all photograph content. Why? Because it shows how much all of us as consumers are at the mercy of those who manufacture the goods that we need. Because when one looks beyond the severely mangled bodies and surveys the damage to the actual vehicles, one thing is amazingly clear: the damage involved is high, but the speeds involved in these wrecks on average is low. Indeed, these wrecks that ended up in tragedy would hardly cause a scrape to the modern driver because of advances in safety technology. One reviewer commented about the flimsiness of the Detroit product, but that's only the end of the story. How many people alive today even remember that cars didn't always come with seatbelts, and that Detroit fought the seatbelt lobby brought by consumers for years by arguing that it was safer for a driver to be thrown from the vehicle than to be strapped in to it during a wreck? These drivers are killed and disfigured over and over again not because they didn't wear their seatbelt, but because there wasn't even a seatbelt installed in the car. However, as crazy as it sounds, it may have been better in those days not to be strapped in. All you have to do is read as a companion to this book the famous "Unsafe at Any Speed" by Ralph Nader to know why. As, Nader explains, and this book shows, many of the people in this era were killed when the metal steering wheel hub was thrown by collision impact like a sledgehammer into the driver's head and face. Thus, no seatbelt would help a person in that situation but to hold them in place while death comes, er, knocking. Thus, because steering columns were so dangerous, as Detroit knew, they conveniently used that fact to argue against seatbelts rather than change the product. It seems that Detroit had manufactured a huge inventory of these straight columns and wanted to use them up before trying to change to a collapsible column. Thankfully, Detroit now manufactures collapsible steering columns and steering wheels made of softer materials and seatbelts. Why? Not because they wanted to--they cried that it would cost too much to change the design even after they used the stockpile--but because they were forced to by the government. Before we as consumers chalk up a victory, consider this: most of the safety equipment found in today's modern cars was designed and viable back in the 1930s--things like padding, crush zones, safety tires, etc. Imagine how safe cars could be today if Detroit hadn't wasted forty years of progress fighting safety in the name of increased profits for the automakers. The same goes for pollution controls. Unfortunately, many of the governmental controls in that area keep getting watered down, and the quest for alternative fuel is dead in the road at the hands of the auto industry lawyers. Many of the modern alternative and hybrid cars are using technology that has been around since the 1940s. Thus, it is new and outdated at the same time. Sixty years of progress may have resulted in a real fossil fuel alternative by now, but we'll never know. Furthermore, if we had real fossil fuel alternatives, the Bush family, that earns its money from oil imports, and its administration would have no interest in Saddam or Iraq because we wouldn't need oil. But before I digress, I think that everyone should look at this book and consider that if it weren't for lobbying Congress for governmental controls, we could easily be driving cars with this same level of safety, and ending up the same way. Still don't believe me? Just look at mortality data from countries that still don't impose such controls--or just check out the cars. Mexico is a good example, given the huge amount of safe cars that are built there for the U.S. market, there isn't even safety glass installed in cars built for domestic use.

Cool Book
Not as gruesome as death scenes - but still interesting. Espescially if you are from the orange county, Ca. area where all of these pictures are taken. It's really funny to see places like Anaheim covered with Orange groves in every direction and other places looking like a desert when the area is so developed now. It lacks the benefit of a focused narration (like Katherine Dunn's electrifying introduction to Death Scenes) but is interesting nevertheless. What happens when you don't use a seatbelt? Buy this book and see for yourself. ... Read more

Book Description

Following the success of The New York Times bestseller America 24/7, DK is publishing 50 books that showcase the best photographs from each state - all to be published on the same day. Each individual book includes 95% new photography and is a unique peronal expression of state pride. ... Read more

Book Description

A spectacular new addition to the Photographic Tour series, The Amish presents a stunning portrait in words and pictures that perfectly captures the land and ways of the Plain People.From work and play to their beautiful crafts, tools, and homes, here is a unique look at all things Amish. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Definitive Amish Experience
This is the greatest book I have read. If you are interested in the wonderful daily life of the amish people, this is the book for you! I have visited amish country many times and love to see their daily life first hand. If you need furniture, buy AMISH! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A wonderful book
This wonderful book is about artistic expression with photography, and not a printed shopping catalog of costumes for your next bal masque. An old fan of Boutos, I enjoy his ability to blend with his subjects, capturing their mood as they communicate openly with the artist's camera. The Venice carnival offers the photographer and the reader a unique opportunity to capture the fuzzy boundary between the subjects' imagination and reality, the mix of people who appear as themselves despite their costume with the people who participate as their masked fantasies.Are the subjects representing their real self or their carnival impersonation?Is the medieval maiden with the video camera on page twentyfour an observer or a participant of the carnival event?Is the server on page twentyfive a real waiter or a costumed guest?Is the nose on the face of the person on page thirty real or an add on?Buy this book if you enjoy the challenge of capturing moods with photography, don't buy it if you are shopping for costumes.

A wonderful book
This wonderful book is about artistic expression with photography, and not a printed shopping catalog of costumes for your next bal masque. An old fan of Boutos, I enjoy his ability to blend with his subjects, capturing their mood as they communicate openly with the artist's camera. The Venice carnival offers the photographer and the reader a unique opportunity to capture the fuzzy boundary between the subjects' imagination and reality, the mix of people who appear as themselves despite their costume with the people who participate as their masked fantasies.Are the subjects representing their real self or their carnival impersonation?Is the medieval maiden with the video camera on page twentyfour an observer or a participant of the carnival event?Is the server on page twentyfive a real waiter or a costumed guest?Is the nose on the face of the person on page thirty real or an add on?Buy this book if you enjoy the challenge of capturing moods with photography, don't buy it if you are shopping for costumes.

Not a Picture Poscard
The stark wide angle lens photographs in revealing black and white are NOT the picture postcard shots Venice's chamber of commerce whould chose to promote lucrative tourism.Boutos, a resident of this city for several years,does indeed "unmask" carnival,His unsettling images, all taken at the cafe` Florian, unveil the annominityinherent in the masque.

Venice Carnival Unmasked
I was looking for a book that would give me ideas for a Venice Carnivalethemed party.This book turned out to be a disappointment.The photoswere all black & white (not advertised as such) and were not what I waslooking for at all.There is also no text in this book, and a lot ofwasted white space on the back of each photo.If it wouldn't cost me timeand postage, I'd have mailed it back. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Good introduction
If you are interested in photography and want to see a good introduction on an excellent photographer, buy this book. The Aperture edition has most of Smith's important pictures and discusses his personal/professional dilemma, which generally should be read very critically in art books, which informs us of the tension in the photographer, which is the important element of good photojournalism. In photojournalism, the tension should be the informing pointer as to what is going on in the picture.

Smith is one of the most important photographers from the 20th century. His influence was great and his work on the photo-essay is defining (e.g. his Life magazine essay on Dr. Ceriani in 1948). His most memorable photo was of Tomoko Uemura with her son in 1972).

Other 20th century photographers you may want to discover or learn from are: Eugene Atget (late-19th/early 20th C), who documented Paris for artists, but whose work influenced the existential air of 20th century photography; Alfred Eisenstadt (mid-late 20th C), who, in my opinion, was the father of modern photo-journalism; and Mary Ellen Mark (late-20th C), who captured the zeitgeist of late-20th century better than most photographers, who tended to project meaning onto their subjects, rather than receive them as Mark was and is so adept at doing.

Of the many photo books on the shelves, this one is worth your time and money.

great book
This is a great introduction to one of the most outstanding photographers of all time. The author obviously understands Smith's genious!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The best of Mister Speed Graphic
With 335 photos, this large size paperback is one of the better books you'll find of Weegee's work. Divided into eighteen photographic chapters (with one image per page) it really is an impressive selection, especially as it covers his output from 1935 to 1960.

The chapter on crime has the largest selection (thirty-one) with the predictable dead and bloodied bodies surrounded by police and public. Weegee claimed he (and several Speed Graphic cameras) covered hundreds of murders for the New York tabloids, he knew that that the only thing that mattered to the 'tabs' were the headlines and photos, the story could fill any space that was left. The other chapters cover ordinary New Yorkers in mostly nighttime settings.

The perfect complement to this book is Miles Barth's 'Weegee's World' (ISBN 0821226495) which admittedly does have many of the same photos but also has three long essays about this unique photographer. I have another book about Weegee, a very poor reproduction of his 1945 title 'Naked City' (ISBN 0306812045) and again most of the photos are in the New York book.

tempus fugit
This book is amazing piece of amercian history. New York history. Frozen moments of ordinary people and their enviroment. Really must have one... ... Read more

Book Description

Following the success of The New York Times bestseller America 24/7, DK is publishing 50 books that showcase the best photographs from each state - all to be published on the same day. Each individual book includes 95% new photography and is a unique peronal expression of state pride. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Superior World War Two Photographic History
Rarely do expensive books pan out, but in this case, the "U. S. Army Photo Album" is worth every penny.The volume is loaded with great, crystal clear photographs from the National Archives.Whereas many people say that a picture is worth a thousand words, the excellent commentary provided makes the photographs so much more valuable.

Admirable books like this just don't come off the press every day.First, the photographs are all in color.Second, the subjects covered include U. S. training facilities, demonstrations of equipment used, scenes of American military operations throughout Europe, and unusual units in the field, 1941-1945.It makes one hope that a similarly skilled pair of photographers were assigned to make color photographs for the Pacific theater.

The pages in this book are superb reference material.World War Two veterans, their family, historians, reenactors, and memorabilia collectors will appreciate the high value of this work.Libraries with an interest in American World War II history should consider purchasing this book for their permanent collections as well.

Highly Informative Work
The author has made a specialty of winkling out color photography taken during WW II. The modern 35mm camera had just been introduced in the late 1930s and Kodacolor and Kodachrome were just being marketed in the U.S. Butmost professionals still used Speed Graphics and other large format platefilm cameras which took only monochrome photos. As most magazines and allnewspapers, exceptin their Sunday roto sections, used B & W picturesonly, there was little incentive to take large amounts of color. As for thefilm of the day, it was quite slow compared with that of today, andrequired almost ideal sun conditions at mid-day to come out. For yearsthose of us who researched in the Signal Corps archives knew there werecolor negatives available but it was easier to order B & W copies. Inaddition, much WW II color was taken by private individuals with personallyowned 35mm cameras either captured from the enemy or smuggled overseas.Field conditions were such that color 35mm film processing was non existentfor the individual not on official business. Considering the conditionsunder which they have been kept and the chemical instability of the filmnegatives, it is surprising how much good material actually has survived.The author is to be commended, first,for finding so much clearphotography and,second, for having the detailed knowledge of clothing,arms, and equipment, to properly write identifying captions. This is onefor the serious collector and historian, not for the shelf in the localpublic library. It will probably be stolen anyway. It's that tempting.

Great Pictures
I've seen many WWII books and this is one of the best. Not just a "photo album", the author took the time to write informative comentary.

best book of color WW2 photos yet
There are other books with WW2 color photos, but they have LOTS of caption errors in them. This one does not. I also appreciated that the author took the time to track down the original photographers for their side of the story. Good photo reproductions as well. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Definitive Bluegrass Photo Book!
Les Leverett, former Grand Ole Opry photographer, gives us a window into the world of bluegrass and traditional country music as no one else has.Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Jimmie Martin--they're all here, along with Opry stars like Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff,members of the Carter Family, and more.

This collection of black and white photos, covering a span of several decades, captures historic moments that are sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, and often surprising. (Who knew, for example, that Johnny Cash and Louis Armstrong ever played together?) No photo manipulation or tricks here--these are the real thing! This paperback book deserves to be reissued as a deluxe, hardcover collectible. ... Read more

Book Description

From 1936 to 1943, John Vachon traveled across America as part of the Farm Security Administration photography project, documenting the desperate world of the Great Depression and also the efforts at resistance--from strikes to stoic determination. This collection, the first to feature Vachon's work, offers a stirring and elegant record of this extraordinary photographer's vision and of America's land and people as the country moved from the depths of the Depression to the dramatic mobilization for World War II. Vachon's portraits of white and black Americans are among the most affecting that FSA photographers produced; and his portrayals of the American landscape, from rural scenes to small towns and urban centers, present a remarkable visual account of these pivotal years, in a style that is transitional from Walker Evans to Robert Frank.

Vachon nurtured a lifelong ambition to be a writer, and the intimate and revealing letters he wrote from the field to his wife back home reflect vividly on American conditions, on movies and jazz, on landscape, and on his job fulfilling the directives from Washington to capture the heart of America. Together, these letters and photographs, along with journal entries and other writings by Vachon, constitute a multifaceted biography of this remarkable photographer and a unique look at the years he captured in such unforgettable images. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great photos, fascinating commentary
This is a terrific book. It is beautifully designed and a pleasure to look at and look through. But in addition, the editor's comments are very illuminating. They bring both Vachon the man and his photographs to life. I picked this book up in the bookstore partly because I was struck by the cover photograph and then the ones inside, and partly because I had earlier read Orvell's wonderful book on American Photography in the Oxford History of Art series for a course I was taking. That book led me to his extraordinary book on culture, literature, and the material world, The Real Thing. Through these books, I have become a fan, and this volume did not disappoint. In my judgment, it is a wonderful volume, both for scholars looking to see the work and how it is viewed by one of America's leading writers on the art of photography, and for any lover of photography. It also gives a fascinating look at the world of the 1930's and 1940's and what it was like for an artist to live through and work in that era. For me, both Vachon's letters and Orvell's commentaries give a rich sense of context to the photographs, and the whole was much more than the sum of the parts (which is great when you start with parts that are so interesting to begin with).

Mindful America
What a pleasure to receive and read this book. The minor enjoyments of the volume include its duotone printing and elegantly clean design. The photographs have been treated very well by the University of California Press, but the delights of the volume are not limited to its handsome production. Vachon's cast of mind was witty and warm as well as mindful of the task that he was upon. Any reader will gain from reading his self-portrait in letters of a thoughtful young man out and about in what was to be one of the great tasks of our time - recording America. I relished his talent for language, as well as his talent for photography, and it is most uncommon to find the pairing so well represented. The editor's selections from the letters are informed, but they also reflect his fondness for his subject, and his astute understanding of the value of an intimate and individual perspective on process in such a large endeavor. The editor is fortunate to have had a subject of such an appealing voice, but the subject is well served to have had a sensitive and subtle editor.

The photographs are equally well chosen - Vachon, to my enjoyment, seems to have been attracted to language as symbol - numerous photographs incorporate signage that textually enriches the visual symbolizing of the photographs. Vachon's awareness as a photographer of the complexities of the medium is nicely articulated not only by the selection of images, but in the revealing pairings madeby the editor. Often, the resonance between the photographs on facing pages is as telling as the photos themselves. The combinations can be funny, and they can be poignant, but throughout, the photographs,the voice, and the editor's graceful handling of both combine to create an easy entree into an American time and American places.

Nice Try
Mediocre writing,mediocre design,mediocre printing.Vachon's letters and journal entries are the reasons to buy this book.Document footnotes are few, far between-- and not very helpful. The book is a good start,but not equal to the artist or his art. ... Read more

Book Description

More than 350 photographs by Mathew Brady and his corps of cameramen, many of them never seen before, make this the most comprehensive collection of Civil War images ever published.

Mathew Brady is arguably the most widely hailed documentarian of America’s bloodiest conflict: the Civil War. He and his cameramen created an indelible record of bravery, suffering, and sacrifice. Exhibitions of Brady’s photographs helped to introduce Americans to the brutal realities of war, and he was a pioneer in the field of photojournalism by providing his battlefield scenes and portrait photographs to Harper’s and other weekly publications of the time for use as woodcuts.

Arranged by battle site and event, each of which is introduced by a brief explanatory essay, the volume offers carefully researched archival information about each image and its photographer. Photographs by Alexander Gardner, Timothy O’Sullivan, and James Gibson are among those included in this thoroughly documented collection.

Caption material includes Library of Congress digital order numbers; order numbers are also given for images from the National Archives. This information helps to make the volume a valuable resource for anyone interested in Civil War history or nineteenth-century photography. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A 'Must Have' book for every Civil War library
What an valuable tome, Surley one of the most impressive collections of Civil War images ever collected. The introductions to the twenty-one sections are very helpful for appreciating the 400+ haunting Brady photos. I especially enjoyed the Federal Navy section, with photos I had never seen before, although I've read and edited several publications about the Civil War. Included also is a very practical guide to acquiring copies of the photos. In has been ten years since the prolific George Sullivan presented his biography of Mathew Brady. It was worth the wait as we have here an award-winning work that should be in teh history section of every private and public library. Not one of the 450 pages is disappointing. ... Read more

Book Description

Lewis W. Hine's famous photographs document the construction of the Empire State Building, the world's tallest building at that time.In the brilliant black-and-white photographs collected in this volume, Hine pays tribute to the human spirit by dramatically contrasting the workers with the mammoth scale of the structure. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Craftsmen in the air.
The sixty-five photographs in this book are probably the best of the thousand Lewis Hine took during the construction of the Empire State Building. Several are now the standard image used to depict industrial output during the Depression and rightly so. Hine concentrates on the workers rather than the actual building and you can see just how precarious some of their activity is. Years before hardhats and workman's comp hundreds of seasoned craftsmen managed to erect a building nearly a quarter of a mile high in 410 days and weighing 365,000 tons.

Author Freddy Langer writes an interesting short essay about Lewis Hine explaining how he became interested in using photography to expose the exploitation of child labor during the early years of the last century. These photos were used in his book 'Kids at Work' (ISBN 0395797268). His interest in photographing the workplace got him the commission to record the building of the Empire State and some of these images also appeared in his 1932 book 'Men at Work' (ISBN 0486234754).

It is a shame that the book does not give more explanation to what the craftsmen are doing in the photos. A book that does have photos (though not by Hine) and detailed captions is 'Building the Empire State' (ISBN 0393730301) edited by Carol White, it reproduces seventy-seven pages of typewritten description, some of it quite technical, that someone at Starrett Brothers, the builders, produced as a record of the construction.

The Empire State was in competition with the Chrysler Building and a book by David Stravitz, 'The Chrysler Building' (ISBN 1568983549) is a week-by-week photographic construction record of Van Allen's Art Deco masterpiece with detailed captions to the pictures. Strangely many of Hine's photos clearly show the Chrysler Building in the background.

All three books celebrate the building of two stunning New York skyscrapers.

Beautiful Memories
This book is wonderful. The pictures bring back a time in our country's history that was hopeful and expansive - a nice antidote to today's closed attitudes. Anyone with an interest in American history and the story of one our momumental achievements should have this book. P.S. Children love this book too -- my two sons take it off the shelf almost every night!

Reaching Towards Heaven--An Empire of a Feat
I like architecture. I like buildings. And I adore The Empire State building in New York City. (as if I need to mention location) This is an informative book by Mr. Doherty and others giving us a detailed view into dreams coming to life of the then tallest building in the world. How it was built, human drama behind the scenes, how fast it went up---4 stories a week, the limestone that was only brought in from Indiana, and other fascinating information.

With a glossary, index, photo's of helmeted men in 1930---daringly straddling beams above a floor of cement doom, one can relive visiting this icon or enjoy true anticipation of using one of its 73 elevators to reach for the heavens on an open aired viewing floor where everything from weddings to arm wrestling competitions take place.

Did you know they began using outdoor lights due to an aircraft bomber, lost in the fog and crashing into her 79th floor back in the 40's? And now, one can see it adorned with special lit colors--Blue was done as a tribute to Frank Sinatra, Blue & White for Churchill, and Gold for the Pope.

Yes, the building that may now not be the tallest, will forever hold a special place in our hearts. As seen in many movies, from King Kong to Sleepless In Seattle, we can step back and wonder who is behind those 6,000 windows ( you might spot Donald Trump, he owns part of her now ) and wistfully sigh at the romance of it all.

other reading suggestions: "The Majesty of the French Quarter" by Kerri McCaffety

--CDS--

Unsung hero of American photography
Pictures that are not well known, but warm the heart ... Read more

Book Description

Armed with a camera, Thomas Roma spent 14 months prowling the halls of the Brooklyn Criminal Court Building, documenting lives transformed by the workings of the law. From within the confines of the oppressive atmosphere, Roma has created affecting portraits of people whose fates will be decided by the fall of a gavel. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

AN EMPTY SHELL...
It is hard to believe that it took Thomas Roma fourteen months, roaming the grimy corridors of the Brooklyn Criminal Court Building,to take the eighty black and white photographs that appear in this book. There is nothing special about them. On any given day, one can see faceslike these in the Brooklyn Criminal Court Building, which is located at 120 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn, NY. Perhaps, this is what the photographer intended.I am only surprised that it took him fourteen months to capture what should have been all in a day's work. As a practitioner in Brooklyn, I am disappointed that the portraits are, for the most part, so very ordinary, but, perhaps, that is his intended silent commentary.

The foreword byNorman Mailer is ridiculous, as he talks about the ubiquitous attorney who "...charges more than you can afford while all the while he emanates his profound dissatisfaction with what he is being paid." In Brooklyn Criminal Court, the majority of defendants are assisted by public defenders or court appointed attorneys who do not charge the defendants for their services. It is taxpayers who are footing the bill. Moreover, Mailer also assumes in his foreword thatlawyers and judges are men. He would be shocked to discover that many are women. He also further assumes that defendants are all men. Although, the majority are men, women are also increasingly appearing as defendants. I do not know whether his perceptions are born from an inbred misogyny or from simply not having done his homework before writing this foreword. The introduction by Robert Coles is much better written, as it is more substantive and seemingly better informed, though he, too, assumes, as does Mailer, that all the photographs in the book are those of defendants in a criminal case, as well as those of their families.

As to the photographs themselves, the problem is that it is not clear whether they are photographs of just defendants and their families, or whether the photographs include police officers, victims, and witnesses, as well. From the book cover flap one would think that it was inclusive, but the text from the foreword and introduction would lead the reader to think otherwise.There is no text accompanying the photographs that clarifies this issue. The photographs themselves are divided into two parts. Other than part one presents predominately male portraits and part two presents predominantly female portraits, I do not really understand the bifurcation or why it was necessary, as it does not add to the cohesion of the book. The problems inherent in this book may be chalked up to poor editing but, considering the price of the book, that is really no excuse. The end result is that the book is merely another overpriced art book that is nothing more than an empty shell. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great photographs, but you can do better ...
Before Eudora Welty was a published writer, she was a semi-professional photographer. The "snapshots" (her term) in this book are eloquent images in themselves; Welty's accompanying essay, though brief, is excellent.

Ordinarily this would be more than enough for me to recommend the book. But in this case, there's a much better collection of these photos for you to own. _Eudora Welty Photographs_, also published by University of Mississippi press, includes the hundred photos collected here plus about eighty others. Although it lacks Welty's introductory essay, it more than compensates with a tribute from Reynolds Price and an in-depth interview. The photo reproduction is superior as well. So skip _One Time, One Place_ and buy _Eudora Welty Photographs_ instead. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A disapointment
I am an avid lover of books of photography and happened to find this one to be a bit of a disapointment. I would not recommend it for the average photography enthusiast, however if you are interested in warfare you might enjoy this book. It is the type, however, that I would suggest borrowing from the library before purchasing. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"I am a journalist," says John G. Morris, "but not a reporter and not a photographer." He is a picture editor--the person who selects which photos get used in a newspaper or magazine--and he's worked for some of the top names in the industry: at Life under Henry Luce, for Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee at the Washington Post, and for Abe Rosenthal at the New York Times, where his bold page-one use of a photograph by Eddie Adams of the execution of a Vietcong suspect by Nyugen Ngoc Loan became one of the Vietnam War's most enduring images.

Morris, who also served as the first executive editor for the Magnum photojournalist press agency, looks back at his career in this lively memoir. Among the colleagues who turn up in anecdotes are Alfred Eisenstaedt, Lee Miller, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Robert Capa; the book leads with a grainy Capa photograph of the D-day landing, 1 of only 11 shots that survived a freak accident in the London photo labs of Life as Morris and his team raced against the clock to get images to America in time for the next issue. There are over 100 other powerful photographs, taken at the Japanese-American internment camp at Manzanar, the Nazi concentration camp at Majdanek, and the front lines of the Vietnam and Gulf Wars, and other locales. In addition to being a dynamic storyteller, Morris is also steadfast in his determination that photojournalists should be given the freedom--both in resources and lack of censorship--to provoke us into a new awareness of what is happening in the world. --Ron Hogan ... Read more

Reviews (3)

more than a history of photojournalism, and sometimes, less
One imagines John G. Morris as the sort of grandfather with a thousand amazing stories, whom everyone in the family has asked to write a book for years and who finally sets about the task.

As a sequence of compelling snapshots, Morris selects and arranges his tales into a layout that explores unresolved questions, ambivalences, regrets, hopes, thrills, and humor.

For anyone interested in photojournalism, as a profession, its personalities - the lives, loves, and losses of those standing on the other side of the camera while celebrities splash across the pages - this book is an excellent starting place.His 'editor's eye' view of the profession turns the camera back upon the photographers, telling tales behind pictures generally left untold.By disclosing the various photographic negatives, he discloses a positively fascinating image of the origins of modern imagemaking.

Getting the Picture
This is a well-written rolicking ride through the last century and the history of photojournalism in the American media. It has an index that reads like the Who's Who of the century with anecdotes and insights galore on the movers and shakers of photojournalism and history. I enjoyed every word and I recommend it highly.

A fantastic novel through the eyes of a great man
I just finished reading this novel and I must admitt it is one of the best novels I have read this year.It really is an exciting travel through the 20th century, through the eyes of a man who's carreer made him involved with major political and social events.I would say this is a must to anyone interested in photography and journalism, and a recommended for anyone with a heartbeat.I really loved this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Vanishing is a riveting collection of 16 photo essays taken over 16 years by one of the world's most acclaimed photojournalists. It is a tour through endangered life forms and ruined environments, human catastrophes and destruction-resulting in vanishing cultures. From the book's introduction: "Vanishing speaks on behalf of life, despite man's ever-threatening presence. This body of work offers nothing in the way of answers, neither is it a sermon in hopes of brighter days . . . Vanishing gives those who go about their business, living their lives, a chance to look beyond their worlds and into others."

Included are Guyana, Bohemia, Beirut, Bolivia, Congo, Louisiana, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Prague, Chernobyl, Angola, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Iraq and New York City.

Antonin Kratochvil, born in 1947 in Czechoslovakia, is a founding member of VII, the esteemed cooperative picture agency. Over the past 25 years, his diverse assignments have taken him around the world. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Time, Condé Nast Traveler, GEO, Mother Jones, Smithsonian magazine, Natural History and the United Nations' Choices magazine. His other books are Broken Dream and Incognito.

Michael Persson was once a war correspondent. His essays have appeared in the Harvard University School of Journalism's Neiman Reports, The American Society for Free Speech and in Rethink: Cause and Consequences of September 11. This is his third collaboration with Kratochvil.