Book Description

From skyscrapers to parking structures, from the Stock Exchange to the historic townhouses of Harlem, the buildings of New York are as diverse as its culture. The City estimates that there are 90,000 buildings within the five boroughs, ranging from single-story warehouses to mighty skyscrapers. Now, for the first time, 1,000 of these buildings, widely varied in style-from landmarks to architectural oddities to humble utilitarian structures-are artfully photographed and beautifully celebrated. Photographer Jorg Brockmann has captured the power and personal essence of each building, providing a fresh, close-up view of New York unlike any other.

Essential information about each building, along with neighborhood maps and useful sidebars, make this the last word on New York structures large and small. It's a feast for lovers of architecture and of great photography, as well as devotees of the most vibrant and resilient city in the world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Terrific Look At The Wonder Of NYC Buildings & Architecture!
A great value, and amazing overview of 1,000 buildings from the world's leading architectural center! Including the greatest (Empire State, Chrysler, Woolworth...) to hundreds of smaller gems all over the five boroughs like St Nicholas Cathedral, the Hong Kong Bank Building, Trinity Church, 2 White Street, on and on...Yes, the destroyed World Trade Center is also included.And Some nice commentary.A can't miss book! My only (very minor) criticisms are (1) All the photos are black and white (color would probably too costly), and (2) some structures are only shown by a facade or small ornament...In any event, a real treasure!! ... Read more

Book Description

In this second edition of best-selling Travel Photography internationally renowned travel photographer Richard I'Anson will help you capture the pictures you've always wanted.

New features:
• New comprehensive section on digital photography
• Updated, user-friendly design
• More pages and more pictures
• New images with extended captions
• Updated foreword by Tony Wheeler

Updated Information:
• Techniques to help you make the most of your skills
• Advice on avoiding common photographic mistakes, plus a guide to photo etiquette
• A guide to buying photographic equipment
• Tips on protecting and caring for your camera gear while on the road
• The low-down on assessing, displaying and earning extra money with your photographs
• Now includes advice on digital photography throughout ... Read more

Reviews (4)

PLEASE!!!!!
Please don't go to Yosemite without this book!!!!!
It tells you everything you need to know. With or without a camera,this one you must have.

Excellent help for photographers
I love this book!! Thank-you to Michael Frye for taking on this project. I hope he goes to other national parks and writes more books. Michael not only shows photos and tells where to get them, he goes into great detail about what time of day, type of film, use of filters, depth of field, exposure... everything a "professional photographer-in-the-making" can use.

good compact book with great illistrations
...It has illustrations for all kinds of photographic techniques including advice on seasons, film, lenses needed, important time of days etc. Definitely worth buying it. You can finish reading this book in couple of hours in car while somebody else is driving. i did the same. In my opinion it would really help if the authur included some kind of readmap you can follow so that u can be at right places at right time. (although considering the vastness of yosemite, i am sure it will be a difficult job) All in all great little book. i would recommend to buy it in advance...to take full advantage of authur's suggessions.

focus, click. print
Michael Frye has done a wonderful job guiding the photographer be they a novis or pro through most of Yoesmities jewels. His experience and wisdom of the art of photography are real treasures that make this book a "must" for anyone traveling to the area. Yosemites beauity and tips to capture it in pictures are explained in simple yet profound detail. ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring 275 full-color photographs, this is the first book to reveal the privately owned mansions and gardens of Newport that are closed to the public and not part of the tours given by the Preservation Society. Never-before-published photos of these homes, which have been designed by distinguished architects and landscape designers, are stunning examples of Newport's 375-year old-world architectural heritage. ... Read more

Book Description

Spectacular views of New York from high above it all. A collection of aerial photographs from then and now. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Stunning aerial vistas well worth the price.
Robert Cameron lets us share his special vantage point of New York City. Spectacular color aerial photographs of the most famous skyline in the world cram the book from cover to cover, sprinkled with a few b&w historical photos to show how the city grew. Captions are informative and knowledgeable. The photos and printing are clean and bright, unlike previous books like "New York from the Air." Sections are organized by location, and the outer boroughs aren't neglected. Lifelong native or weekend visitor, you probably have never seen NYC like this. Worth the full price, but a steal at Amazon's price -- especially if you compare the cost of a 15 minute helicopter tour! If you like New York, this is a must-have.

Spectacular
Above New York is one of Robert Cameron's best books of aerial photogrpahy, possibly because when your subject matter is the New York skyline, you really can't go wrong. But, come to think of it, that's not true. (see New York from the Air)

We see dozens upon dozens of skyscrapers and get a good idea as to the general geography of Manhattan, but what would have been really great were several shots looking straight down over the city, so you could see the tops of buildings and every street that went around them. What Cameron really ought to do is do another one of these books in about three years, to perfect each section and show any of the unfortunately many buildings that were under construction during the shooting of this book. Still, the majority of the photographs are purely specatacular.

Glorious collection
Robert Cameron's "Above New York: A Collection of Historical and Original Aerial Photographs of New York City" sets itself apart from other similar books. In no particular order:

a) the photos are unbelieveably crisp and the printing is of top-notch quality;
b) don't ask me how, but Mr. Cameron makes the city look like a place where human beings actually live and work, rather than making the cityscape look like an architectural diorama;
c) other boroughs are represented! New York is not just Manhattan, as so many other books would have you think.

The contrast of the modern skyline with the older photographs is very effective, as others have mentioned. But what is also appealing is the changes of the skyline between the time these photos were taken (ca. 1988) and today, as we New Yorkers would notice. The images of the World Trade Center are poignant, but I'm glad that the publishers did not update the book, in order to remove them. As time takes its healing course, we can look back fondly on those buildings--still with pain, but now with some acceptance. "Above New York: A Collection of Historical and Original Aerial Photographs of New York City" remains a glorious collection that has yet to be eclipsed in quality.

Rocco Dormarunno
author of The Five Points

The Best Photographic Book
This is the best photographic book I have ever seen. Its pictures of The Big Apple are magnificent! Comparative pictures taken in years past, many in the 1920s, show how sections of the city have changed. Whether one is a fan of New York and who isn't, you will enjoy this book. It makes me want all the other "Above" books now.

Great book
This book is really great. I recommend it to anyone who loves NY! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An amazing journey through Heaven on Earth.
This book is absolutely brimming with gorgeous pictures. I bought it the minute I finished looking at it for the first time four years ago. All photographs are tastefully done and convey a sense of wonder at what God has put here on this earth for us all to enjoy. You absolutely have to have this book!!!! It is stunning!!!!!

How to make a boring picture
Pretty amazing -- David Hamilton takes some pictures of some very attractive subjects, in extremely attractive backgrounds, with extremely expensive equipment, and manages to make them look worse than the worst of my holiday photos. Boring, self-conscious... basically, not worth a look. If you like the subject matter, I highly recommend Jock Sturges (for some very laid-back, pretty pictures) or Sally Mann (for some slightly more disturbing overtones.) But skip Hamilton, he's a waste of paper

Rehash of trite commercial images
This collection of Hamilton's work contains bland landscape photography that would fit the formulas of the Sierra Club desk calender; bland images of young girls in the same poses we've seen dozens of times in his other work, saying nothing new and with all the personality of a jeans ad; and self-conscious photos of some Beautiful People that look like they were intended for ads in a fashion magazine. Of course, none of this should be surprising considering that most of Hamilton's work is blatantly commercial and self-indulgent, but some of his earlier books -- Sisters, Private Collection, and so on -- contained genuinely unique, well-composed, and evocative pictures. (Age of Innocence was as boring to me as this book.) The only images that worked for me in Place in the Sun were the photos of flowers, which are very pretty. Seeing one photo of a "native" couple titled "The Noble Savage," and another of a young woman holding handfuls of fruit at crotch level titled "The Fruits of Love" (or something similar) gave me a laugh. For some reason, Hamilton has never gotten over his addiction to silly quotes and captions that cheapen his images. I would certainly prefer that he let them speak for themselves, but then the viewer might have a chance to experience his own response to them, rather than being directed by Hamilton to Hamilton's own narcissistic fantasy.

The "Perfect" Hamilton book for your coffee table!
David Hamilton is perhaps the most talented photographer in the world... This volume is proof. While his other US releases, "The Age of Innocence" and "Twenty-Five Years of an Artist" focus almost entirely upon his obsession with nude girls between the ages of 12-18, "A Place in the Sun" incorporates the beauty of a young girl into the larger, greater beauty of the tropics; Making the beauty of her nude physical form into just one part of the whole of the surrounding beauty of the water, the sky, the beach, and the flora and fauna of the environment of which she is a part. This book is a true journey into fantasy! The topless girl standing on the beach looking out to sea on page 44, the single cloud over the Bali sea on page 104, the peaceful young goddess sleeping in the hammock on page 46... These pictures alone would be with the price.

This is THE most beautiful photography book I have ever seen, and far less controversial than his other US releases... Buy this book. It will one day be a collectors item.

Beautiful girls in the nude
This book contains a variety of beautiful pictures of various things, from deserted beaches, to storm-encroached seas, to even a mule! It also has some excellent photos of young girls, some of which are extraordinary in their perfection of beauty and their playful attitude toward life. I would say there are 10 to 20 photos of beautiful girls in this book. They are well worth the asking price of the book. ... Read more

Book Description

Timeless, limitless images--monumental 14 x 20 inch platinum photographs -- of one of the world’s most mystical places by a renowned artist. More than any other photographer, Izu has made over thirty visits to the sacred Cambodian site of Angkor Wat. And, like the makers of the sacred image of Buddha, who utter three prayers for each stroke of the carving tool, Izu himself considers the act of picture-making a type of divine practice. His photographs capture essence and light. Of his famous photograph of Tibet's Kailash in which the snowy peak is seen in otherworldly light, he recently said the image was a ""gift from God."" The photos are accompanied by the poetry of Helen Ibbitson Jessup, inspired by Izu’s work. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Beautiful!
I have never lived in Maine, but have vacationed there. This book certainly captures the majestic beauty of one America's most breathtaking states. Hubbell's work displays the classic "old New Engalnd" landscape each of his pictures. All of the photos, from the ocean to mountains, are just magnificent. This book makes you want to live there!

Peruse it at your leisure or use it as a "must see" tourbook
If you want to know where to go, and the special places to see in Maine, this book will serve as an inspiration for the unconventional traveller. It captures with its beautiful photography and concise, evocative prose the essence of all that the state has to offer. I have lived in Maine for 12 years and looking through the book reminded me of some of the beautiful places I have been, but it also showed me how many other places are left to explore! Unlike a regular tour guide, these photos bring the places to life and draw you in -- after seeing them I am inspired to make a list of places to go. Some of the photographs are almost painterly in style, there is one of a Native American sitting by the river on a rock at daybreak which is haunting -- mist hovers on the distant bend in the river while the man is gazing in sharp focus at the coming day. This would be a great gift for anyone you know who loves Maine.

Maine at Its Best
My favorite photograph in this wonderful book is the very last one - it captures the diversity, the geography, the activities, and the natural beauty of our state. Those of us who are lucky enough to live here in Maine can be proud of Bill Hubbell's appreciation of its beauty and majesty. I might add that the other 139 photos are close runners-up for my favorites!

Jean's captions inform and enhance what the eye may have missed, while the mind is transported to "places you'd rather be". I'm glad I'm not "from away".

Superb artistry in photography
Bill Hubbell's work always shines with a superb technical clarity and artistic insight. This book continues his tradition of technical and artistic genius as he covers his favorite subject matter in Maine.

This book brings a breadth and scope of vision to these images of Maine that will inspire you. (...as they have me.) ... Read more

Book Description

In summertime, Nantucket welcomes tourists with its sunny harbor and Main Street boutiques. For residents, the island holds year-round charm, with each season lending a different character to daily life. At Home in Nantucket takes an intimate tour through the private homes of this beloved island, with more than 200 photographs of 16 beautiful houses. A quintessential harbor-side hideaway with a boathouse feel and spectacular seaside views. A historic carriage house re-envisioned as an airy, modern retreat with minimalist furnishings. A secluded barn nestled near cranberry bogs and the mysterious Hidden Forest.Author Lisa McGee introduces us to the fascinating residents of these charming homes, and even offers up a smattering of traditional recipes, making it possible for anyone to bring home the flavors of Nantucket. In all, At Home in Nantucket is a delightful celebration of life on this captivating island. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Every visitor and resident to Nantucket should cherish this
The book is written in a style that warms the reader to life on Nantucket. The photographs come to life with the descriptive prose that the author uses to provide detail. A true sense of life on the island is conveyed in the book which made me want to rush to Nantucket for some R&R! ... Read more

Book Description

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the architectural and engineering wonders of the world. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Bridge of Dreams
The photographs in this book vividly capture a very unique period of the Brooklyn Bridge as it was being restored in the late 1980's. The use of black and white photography, together with the unusually decorated subject matter, namely the Brooklyn Bridge draped in safety nets, make for a visually stimulating combination.

Bridge of Dreams
One of a kind photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge as it has never been seen before, mysteriously draped in safety nets. A a real treat for the eye. ... Read more

Book Description

A hundred miles north of San Francisco on California Coast Highway 1, the Sonoma County coast meets the Pacific Ocean in a magnificent display of nature. Waves crash upon the rocks or wash up on beautiful stretches of sandy beaches. This is the location of The Sea Ranch, an area covering several thousand acres of large, open meadows and forested natural settings interspersed with award-winning architecture. When the area, a sheep ranch well into the last century, was rediscovered for its beauty in the 1960s, it came to be envisioned as a home community that harmonized with the environment.Renowned landscape designer Lawrence Halprin's master plan for The Sea Ranch community accordingly incorporated a set of building guidelines that minimized the visual as well as physical impact upon the landscape. Subsequent buildings by architects such as Joseph Esherick, Charles Moore, William Turnbull, Obie Bowman, Donlyn Lyndon, and others have been recognized worldwide for environmentally sensitive planning and architecture. They sparked a generation of imitators that became part of what is known as "The Sea Ranch style," epitomizing what many people imagine when they think of Northern Californian architecture.This beautiful monograph, lavishly illustrated with over 300 newly commissioned photographs and including maps, plans, detailed descriptions of the houses, and essays by Donald Canty and Lawrence Halprin, presents the definitive record of The Sea Ranch community. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fine house-by-house considerations of design
Essays by Donald Canty and Lawrence Halprin accompany beautiful black and white and color shots of California's architectural wonders of the coast which comprise the exclusive Sea Ranch community of homes. Ecologically inspired planning and innovative architectural dreams and designs went into the formation of the California's Sea Ranch community, which sprawls across several thousand acres of land. This could easily have been a picture presentation alone, but the fine house-by-house considerations of design, plan, and history makes it much more, and The Sea Ranch will be revered by architectural reference collections in art libraries. ... Read more

Book Description

American Heritage, Preservation, Conservation (and Grand Living)

Lowcountry Plantations Today is the definitive document to the storied past and purposeful future of 35 South Carolina Lowcountry plantations; some of America's largest tracts of undeveloped land and home to significant and magnificent houses, whose owners have-in this rare instance-opened their doors for all of us to peek inside. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Visual Dissapointment
Based on the cover of the book, and being a lover of all things about the Old South, I was anticipating a beautifully illustrated book in the tradition of Deborah Turbeville's "Newport Remembered" or "Versailles--Absolutism and Harmony" by Claire Constans and Jean Mounicq. I found a few interesting photos scattered through the book, but thought it was cast in a dreary light for the most part, and just plain awful in others. NOT a pretty cocktail-table book, if that's what you're looking for. Must admit, though, it is very informative. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautifully presented
Beautiful photos, good text, but awkward size (doesn't fit on book shelf)

Trememdous book by a tremendous photographer
In my opinion this coffee table book is the one by which all others should be judged. Gleason is one fine professional photographer who needs to expand into yet more regions on this same subject of old plantation homes ... Read more

Book Description

As part of the popular Then and Now Series, Pittsburgh is celebrated with archival photographs shown alongside specially commissioned contemporary images of the same scene. We find that the evolution of Pittsburgh over the last century has produced a compact urban landscape of older buildings blended with more recent architectural development. Downtown, the office blocks are still punctuated by traces of Pittsburgh's industrial heritage-the so-called "sliver" warehouses-mingling with the conveniences of modern city life. Over 100 photographs are featured in this amazing view of a fascinating city. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pittsburgh Then and Now, Revisited
Note well: this book is NOT the popular coffee table book of the same name: PITTSBURGH THEN AND NOW by Professor Arthur Smith (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990). I was confused when I bought my copy. The original book is larger in format and offers more content (350 pages to 144). But while the 1990 book offers black-and-white images, this new version places the black-and-white vintage photos on the left side of the spread, and brilliant full-color contempary photos on the right side. Very nice. Author Walter C. Kidney is the historian for nonprofit Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. He does an excellent job of photo selection. I also like his captions, which are longer and more informative than the 1990 book. Finally, this is a great price for a quality picture book, but my heart sinks to see that it was printed in China, not Pittsburgh, or anywhere USA. ... Read more

Book Description

The images of early west photographer William Henry Jackson capture a Colorado landscape both pristine and already dramatically affected by the onslaught on western civilization. Standing exactly where Jackson stood, and pointing his own camera in precisely the same direction, John Fielder has rephotographed Jackson's Colorado images to capture the often startling change that has occurred over the last century. The result is both breathtaking and stark, hopeful and disquieting. Jackson's and Fielder's photography is accompanied by thoughtful and provocative essays by respected experts in the environmental field: Roderick Nash, America's foremost wilderness historian and author of Wilderness and the American Mind; Ed Marston, journalist and publisher of High Country News; and Eric Paddock, Curator of Photography at the Colorado Historical Society. John Fielder describes the profound experience of traveling the state and seeing the landscape from Jackson's perspective, and reflects upon changes of the last 130 years.

The contrast between Jackson's and Fielder's photographs not only illuminates Colorado's past but will help us determine the course of land management as we move into the next century. Accompanied by an educational program that includes lectures, a traveling exhibit, newspaper serialization, and television series, this book is aimed at encouraging people to appreciate and reflect on nature, history, and photography as we move into the next century. Colorado: 1870-2000 stands not only as an important document of westward exploration, expansion, and urbanization, but helps define our past and future environmental values. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A Tale of Two Books
John Fielder is one of America's greatest living photographers, and he brings his love of the Colorado wilderness to this book. His re-shoots of Jacksons 19th century photographs are both beautiful and thought-provoking.... the photographs make it worthwhile.

On the other hand, the text is a different story. Reading a text-only version of this book, one might conclude that the title is a misprint, and that the book should really be called "Colorado 1970 - 2000." Fielder roamed across Colorado capturing the changes in places like Kremmling, Denver, and Ouray, but the text never tells us anything about these places, or why they changed, or why we should care. Instead we get chapters about oil shale and the Forest Service.

Ahem. If I wanted to read about the relationship between Forest Service bureaucrats and small Western towns, I would have bought a book called "The Relationship Between the Forest Service and Small Western Towns." My book is called "Colorado 1870 - 2000." That is what I want to read about.

It's true that oil shale schemes, government agencies, and others have played a role in shaping Colorado in the past 30 years. But before that there were events like the Silver Crash of 1893, the City Beautiful movement, the Depression, World War II, and Urban Renewal. You won't read about those in this book.

The pictures are beautiful, and the text is well-written (if misplaced and unwanted). Just don't expect to learn much about the places you are looking at- except that they are very pretty.

This is a wonderful book
John Fielder has recreated photographs of Colorado that were taken 100 years ago by William Henry Jackson. It's fun to see the changes that have taken place over time. Some change is good, some bad. Fielder even went to the trouble of making sure that the same or similar items, such as trains, automobiles, even people, were in the images that he captured. It's an expensive book, but it's worth the money in my opinion.

Binding Fell Apart
I noticed the review that said this book was worthy of "permanent display on your coffee table." Well, I don't think that will be possible with my book, as the binding fell apart after 6 months. The book has gotten a fair amount of use, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've since seen a similar problem with a couple of the display copies at bookstores (which is why they've been demoted to display copies). So I don't think this is an isolated problem. It seems like the book is so big that they didn't make a strong enough binding for it. So just a warning for this thinking of buying this book. The good news is that, on the advice of one of the reviews, I bought Colorado: Yesterday & Today to replace my copy of Colorado: 1870-2000. I agree that it is the better book and now it will be on permanent display on my coffe-table.

Worthy of permanent display on a coffee table
This book is excellent in look, feel, and quality. It is intriguing to see how much landscape has changed in 130 years. Many times for the better and many times for the worse. In every case it is very interesting to see two pictures side by side and compare 1870 with 2000. The photographer was very meticulous to capture every shot as closely as possible to the original perspective and frame, which really enhances the "then and now" feel of the book.

Clearing Up the Confusion and Getting the Photo Details
There appears to be some confusion as all of the reviews of the original "Colorado 1870-2000" big book are credited to this, the paperback "Colorado 1870-2000 Revisited: The History Behind the Images". This book is a companion book to the original. It takes each photo set from the big book and goes into detail about the location, changes, and how Fielder acquired each photo. These are the things that, being left out of the original, made several people give the big book negative reviews. While it would have been nice (and certainly less expensive) to have everything in one volume, we now have the information for which those disappointed with the big book were looking. While the big book is a piece of coffee table art, the Revisited book fits neatly on your bookshelf, ready to be taken down to answer those questions posed by your friends perusing the big book. I take a bit of offense at having to have paid for two different books, but they belong together and I feel were money well spent; the big book for the beautiful photos and the revisited book for its entertaining and educational material. ... Read more

Book Description

North Carolina is one of America's most temperate, scenic, and historic states.It is the home of exquisite colonial mansions, Civil War battlefields, and energetic midsized cities.It is one of the nation's most modern and distinct states, and many localities have been rated among the nation's top-ten places to live.
In North Carolina: A Photographic Tour, photographer Carol M. Highsmith and writer Ted Landphair take the reader on a guided tour of the state's incomparable sites and scenic vistas that highlight its remarkable diversity.You will visit Durham, the home of the venerable Duke University as well as one of the world's most modern research enclaves.In Raleigh, "the City of Oaks," with its oak trees, magnolias, and restored Victorian houses, the reader will discover the epitome of the classic city of the Old South.In Chapel Hill, the home of the University of North Carolina and legendary Sutton's Drug Store, one will encounter what has been called "the southern part of Heaven."
If you love to decorate, High Point—the "Furnishings Capital of the World"—full of furniture factories and outlet shops, will become a must to visit in person.A great surprise will greet the admirer of architecture in Asheville, which has more Art Deco structures than any other southeastern city—except Miami Beach—and is the home of the Biltmore Estate, a Victorian mansion that is the largest private residence in North America.
These and many other memorable cities and places are brought vividly to life in North Carolina: A Photographic Tour.With its striking photos and thoughtfully insightful text, it is an exceptional book that makes a superb memento or gift for anyone who has visited or is planning to visit this unique state. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

North Carolina Is Picture Perfect
North Carolina is so often overlooked as the subject for a beautiful coffee table book. Yet it's a "natural," with so much variety (seashore, steamy lowlands, Piedmont, rugged mountains). So I was dubious that an affordable book like this could do the job. But congratulations to Carol Highsmith and Ted Landphair for pulling it off. The photography is absolutely magnificent. There's a compact introduction with delightful old photos that sort of sets up the "tour" of the state. And then a very logical trip across North Carolina. I especially loved the unexpected and quaint shots, like the old general store exterior in Catawba, two guys playing checkers inside another general store in Valle Crucis, and some nostalgic shots of tobacco farms and wildflowers and a Civil War re-enactment. The photographer and writer even managed to include a great shot of the Dismal Swamp. Next to taking a month and touring the Tar Heel state on your own, this surprising book is the best way to see North Carolina. ... Read more

Book Description

Americans in search of family oriented domestic travel, safe and inexpensive, are buying trailers and RVs in record numbers. At the same time-with fantasies of Lauren Bacall sipping an extra-dry Gibson against a gleaming metal doorway in Palm Springs and Lucy and Desi's madcap Long, Long Trailer trip-they crave the vanished luxury and quirkiness of antique auto trailers. Those simpler, slower days of freedom and security are being recaptured in trailers from all eras, rescued and restored as living, road-ready Americana.

Ready to Roll, with more than 300 color photographs, taps into this trend in gloriously illustrated and insightfully chronicled retro style. Here is the complete evolution of the trailer, from the utilitarian Covered Wagon to the aristocratic Airstream and Aerocar Land Yacht to the homemade Hammer Blows of the Depression. Here too are the people who drove these cherished chariots and increasingly lived in them in trailer parks, from the stereotypically seedy to the likes of Bing Crosby's exclusive Blue Skies Trailer Village. The amazing camaraderie of groups like the Tin Can Tourists marks the trailer phenomenon as a major segment of American consciousness and history. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Photographic Romp Through the World of American RVing
An architect and a photographer co-authored this classic mix of pix and text that rolls us down the American back roads in high style. From the early almost-train cars manufactured for the wealthy, to the poor man's alternative --- "Sleep in Your Car," one ad suggests --- we are drawn along by the fantasy of life fully lived away from home, a fantasy that could only have taken root in America, where roads and cars grew up together in serendipitous symbiosis.

Before the metal bodies and custom interiors, there had been the Conestoga wagons and, before that, the wooden gypsy vardos of old Europe. Sheepherders had "arks" made for crawling across the lonesome prairie, precursors to "tin can tourism" that attracted freedom-loving Americans almost as soon as they discovered the practicality of the auto itself.

From the 1930s onward, the question was not if they would buy it but what shape they would purchase, as independent companies vied for a market share, assembling campers shaped like teardrops, bread loaves and fantastical avian forms lifted from the burgeoning airplane industry.

Today's RVers owe much to Wally Byam, a true fanatic whose conception of a trailer accessible to the average middle-class family resulted in the Airstream, arguably the finest development of the pull-along format. With wood paneled mod cons within and an aerodynamic metal bullet exterior, the Airstream divorced trailering from the Oakie image and spawned many imitators. While confections like the Curtiss Aerocar and Pierce Arrow's faux railcar sought the aristocratic end of the market, and utilitarian itsy-bitsy tent-trailer combos attracted the low budget traveler, Airstream sat doggedly in the middle, offering class, ease of hauling and fine workmanship at an affordable price. "Today, more than four decades after his death in 1962, Byam's basic Airstream design continues to roll off the Jackson Center production lines, still widely regarded as the Rolls-Royce of trailers, and still inspiring imitations."

For nearly fifty years in the heyday of over-the-road vacationing, there was a Very Large Array of metal boxes on wheels, with names like Comet, Gypsy Wagon, Spartanette and Airfloat, and some more durable brands like Shasta. Because these ephemeral blips on the trailering screen were often handcrafted and built, remarkably, to last, many are still rolling or at least set up on blocks in mint condition, alluringly photogenic.

Gellner and Keister sought them out and tastefully snapped their innards and their outer skins, along with the cars that pull them. Where the snowbirds flock, these metal bubbles proliferate, often hauled by cars of equal interest to collectors. Now there's a new craze, and why are we not surprised --- that of building "vintage" campers, look-alikes to the old timey road runners of the early 20th century. Is this true "camp" or what?

Peering inside these metal marvels, via the camera's eye, we get a feeling for what was considered essential to the traveler in times past: parquet flooring, lounge chairs, recessed doors and plastic laminate kitchen counters, the latest thing. Beginning as a simple imitation of home interior design, trailer construction soon became a playground for experimentation in the technology of the tiny, the art of making things work smoothly in cramped quarters without skinning knuckles or having to sleep in a ball.

Like millions of Americans, I've followed the camper craze, the boondoggling and midnight interstate rest area getaways. I've moved with the carnival where homes on wheels have to be durable for the weekly hops. Maybe when I retire I'll look for a campsite at Slab City in California or Quartzite, Arizona.

If you love this book, then you're the guy for me. You and I could hit the high spots --- starting at Braden's Castle in Reno (that's where we'll get married), then on to Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona, where overnight guests can stay in vintage trailers. We'll honeymoon there in the Spartan Royal Mansion.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott

Perfect Blend of Text and Photos
Ready to Roll: A celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer
Although I am admittedly a bit biased because of Tin Can Tourists' association with Dough Keister and this project, I found the book to be top notch. The blend of Arrol Gellner's text with Doug's pictures provides the reader with much more than a typical "coffee table" book.
I believe it deserves a place with Galloping Bungalows and Wheel Estate as a must for those that require a fuller understanding of the RV evolution from the Tin Can Tourists to Airstream Founder, Wally Byam.

Simply Awesome!
This book is a great overview of the history and variety of travel trailers out on the road. Great quality pictures of all types of trailers, trailer parks and vintage ads. Finally, an un-biased history of the trailer, which tells the real story of how the Airstream came into being. The inventor of the aluminum aircraft-style trailer finally gets his due (hint: Wally Byam didn't invent it, he just perfected it and marketed it better). Also a great source of ideas for those lost souls who undertake a restoration of these beauties. Americana never looked so beautiful and interesting. ... Read more

Book Description

The documentary film "Born into Brothels," by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski, won for Best Documentary at the 77th Academy Awards®."Born into Brothels" has won more than 20 film festival awards in 2004, including the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, Best Documentary at the National Board of Review, and the LA Critics Awards. The Born Into Brothels companion book is a powerful story that unfolds in the red-light district of Calcutta; of a photographer that becomes a teacher, and the extraordinary children she meets who learn to dream with cameras in their hands. In the red-light district over 7,000 women and girls work as prostitutes. Only one group has lower standing: their children. In the face of abject poverty, abuse, and despair, these kids have little possibility of escaping their mother’s fate and creating another kind of life. Briski became involved in the lives of these children seven years ago while she was photographing in the red-light district. Spending time with them, Briski realized that their fascination with her camera could become a creative outlet. She began holding photography workshops to teach the basics of photography, from lighting and composition to editing and narrative sequencing. The results of their work together are documented in this book, which features short biographies of and photographs taken by the children, film stills from the documentary, and commentary by the co-directors Kauffman and Briski. The story they tell is one of the collaborative triumph of self-expression in a complicated reality. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Powerful, Poignant Companion to the Film
My advanced-placement high-school seniors recently read and discussed George Bernard Shaw's play MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION, which explores British class structure, the roles open to turn-of-the-last-century women, and the morality of prostitution. Their own strands of thought were largely theoretical; however, after seeing BORN INTO BROTHELS last Friday evening and immediately buying the companion book, this Monday I was able to present some concrete images to my students of the horrors of slum-living and prostitution in Calcutta. The photos here are beautiful, heart-wrenching, intelligent, savvy, and fraught with layers of meaning. It is clear that the lives of these Calcutta youngsters are a far cry from the lives of suburban Americans. One of the functions of literature is the engendering of empathy for those whose experiences are far different from our own. While Shaw's play is insightful, these images from India had an immediate, powerful effect on kids raised more on television and video than on the written word. Ms. Briski is to be commended for her compassionate work and for trying to raise public awareness about the plight of millions of young people across the planet. One can only wish that even more could be done to ease the horrors of the lives of these impoverished youngsters and their families. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Comprehensive view of California Missions
This was very interesting to read, as well as a terrific photographic reference for the California missions. The landscape-page layout lent depth to photos of the beautiful colonnades and porches these missions are famous for. I am proud that my native state of California has done such an outstanding job of restoring these missions, and enjoyed the skill Young and Levick used in crafting this volume.

Best Pictures of California Missions
I've looked and I've looked, but I still haven't found a better pictorial representation of California's missions. If you appreciate architecture, you'll love this wonderful, definitive reference source. Bravos to Melba Levick for her terrific photos - they capture the very essence of each mission in a way I've never seen. Minor quibble - earlier editions were elegantly art directed and printed on glossy stock. The design work on this edition is heavy-handed and the photo reproduction on matte stock isn't nearly as brilliant or as sharp. Ah, but those gloriously composed photos! Nothing can deter their splendor. ... Read more