No comments about Arnold Newman: The Early Works.

5 comments about As We Were: American Photographic Postcards, 1905-1930.

1. As We Were is an engaging book. I wish there had been more photos. However, the ones that were used were interesting and informative and added to the contents of the book. It is a very nostalgic look at a long ago time when life was in many ways less frentic and harried. It is well written and I would recommend it. Hopefully Ms. Vaule will write another book.



2. This book was priced quite high ($), considering the number of vintage photos inside. It is a hard back book, however, I truly was expecting many more photos,considering the large size (page wise) of this hard back book. I think there are other books out there with better (& more) vintage photos. I would not buy this book again, if I had the chance.



3. My brother, Bob, read this book before I did. He's a Harvard graduate with a PhD and an extensive vocabulary, but he's a populist at heart and in practice. He was animated and enthusiastic about the book. Nodding and gesturing he said: "She gets it."
   
   AS WE WERE covers its subject, American Photographic Postcards, thoroughly and with insight, but the book does more than that. It transcends the genre and becomes a book about life "We're face to face with both their moment of reality in the card and their absolute transience.". The author's scholarly approach is laced with wisdom and humanity. Who would think that a book about real photo postcards (to use the vernacular) would be so compelling?
   
   Ms. Vaule's introduction to photographic postcards was as a child. Her grandfather had them in albums. "For my grandparents the card represented a souvenir of a place or a special occasion, a status proudly attained or an expression of delight in their son's young life. For me, the card becomes a way of getting closer to them as they were before I entered into the continuum."
   
   Real photo postcards were made by professional photographers and amateurs alike. Real photo postcards were "unpretentious, on home ground, cheap, and ready for mailing..." Surprisingly, the vast majority were not mailed but were used as souvenirs or gifts.
   
   Real photo postcards showed people in their everyday clothes standing in front of the clapboards of their homes. The author elaborates on one such photograph: "This is such a stable picture, all verticals and horizontals except for the collar and windswept skirt. Rebecca, her left foot solidly at center, is a pillar of cheerful strength." There's a family in their Sunday best, out on a rural road, standing for their portrait. One young man curiously sits apart on a pile of stones. There is a delightful photograph of a boy on the ground with his hand on a resting pig. The sender's message: "Dear Aunt.....Joe wants to know if you know which one is he......"
   
   Ms. Vaule comments on a photo of a working man holding his baby: "........incongruity of strapping man and tiny child so tenderly held, and of their physicality against the painted romantic landscape.....We are struck with the man's concentration on the task: hold the child carefully, face the lens so that a fitting image can be made."
   
   Real photo postcards showed how people worked, and what they wore when they worked. There is an outdoor portrait of a group of postal workers, who hold their packages of mail like trophies. Their humble presentation becomes our treasure. In another scene, there's humor in the two loggers who turn the saw blades on themselves. On another page, the huge barn with the symmetrical slope in front of it defines the four farmhands who stand in its doorway. The Ohio bootmaker looks like an actor on center stage.
   
   The selection of photographs is especially rich. We see a group of children arm in arm, running in a joyous dance on the beach in Santa Barbara. We know it wasn't as spontaneous as it appears, but who could've choreographed the two children to the right who are side by side with legs raised, or the bunching that occurred to the line at the left?
   
   Not all is blissful in this America. There is the photo of the general store with a message about the sick father on reverse. There's the interior of Mary Fletcher Hospital where patients and nurses alike pose for the camera. The three men from Hornbreak Tennessee seem to gawk at us, just as we gawk at them. We see George Schmitt's Red Devil plane in flight, taken in rural Vermont. The plane transforms this card from mundane to captivating, and then we read the message: "This is Schmitt flying the day he was killed."
   
   in looking through the imagery in this book, we have to abandon the concept that all is naive, for much of the work is informed, even if it's informed by an earlier time. There are the Montpelier boys in front of the ruins of a still smoldering fire. Their dark clothes provide great contrast to the snow around them. A pedestrian is a blur and the dog is a 'ghost' image. This depiction of action is now perceived as a modern value, yet it's as old as photography itself.
   
   We bring ourselves into these photographs. What's more surreal than the Cincinnati flood scene showing an urban landscape populated only by people in boats with oars?.This particular scene has added significance since Hurricane Katrina, and yet it still seems imagined.
   
   One senses the hope and changing values of the time. A small town shows off its shiny fire engine. The store advertsiing "New & Second-Hand Furniture" reminds us that the recycling industry is not completely new. A young woman dives off a dock to this response; "I guess by the picture that the College girls have fully as good a time as we do." We see people posed with machines and a couple of factory postcards could be right out of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times.
   
   Ms. Vaule's sense of inclusion truly reflects the American experience. While celebrating diversity with pictures, the author points out the racist language on the reverse of an image of people in an alfalfa field as well as the disturbing sign above the Hopi and Navajo dancers. We marvel at the beauty of 'Alaska woman' and are intrigued by the woman holding the puppy and an empty chair.
   
   Don't let the title AS WE WERE deceive you. It is accurate, but this is not a nostalgic book. It offers insight to who we are and how the past precedes the future.
   My brother is right. Rosamond Vaule does 'get it.' And while she 'gets it' her greater gift is in the telling.



4. What a great book! Ms. Vaule's informed research and graceful writing make "As We Were" a wonderful weekend or vacation read. Her historical perspective ties together fascinating photographs to help illuminate our national identity as America entered the 20th Century. This is a book to enjoy, to share and to give.



5. Rosamond Vaule's new book, As We Were, is a wonderfully readable study of the early twentieth century "real photo" postcard. What began as a childhood passion for her grandfather's basket of photographic postcards has evolved into a scholarly look at over 200 true-to-size postcards which reflect aspects of American life from 1900 - 1930: a Model S. Ford, a three-desk schoolroom in South Carolina, the bi-plane and airship, cowboys in N. Dakota, a barn raising in Wisconsin. The author provides a detailed and colorful history of this seemingly "humble" subject matter. One learns about the intriguing ghosts of "spirit photography," the "Kodak girls" and the craze for postcards by 1905 when 7 billion were sent worldwide. But the real soul and beauty of the book reside in the images on the "real photo" postcards themselves. One is struck by the grave expressions of early twentieth century Americans and the matter of fact messages they sent. "Arrived Saturday. Start work Monday." Many of the "real photo" images in the book are compelling works of art and each postcard begs investigation for informational clues about its subject. I found myself looking repeatedly at each postcard, intent on unearthing a new find; an untied shoelace, a face peeping through a window. In our era of digital image manipulation, As We Were celebrates the integrity and unintended surprises of the early photographic postcard. Handsomely presented, this book is a pleasure to read and a treasure to keep.

1 comments about Fashinonable Clothing From the Sears Catalogs Early 1960s.

1. A good accurate reference book showing several actual pages from the Sears Catalog. There are sections on Women's, men's & children's clothing the emphasis being on women.
   The only complaint would be that there is not enough, I would have preferred more photos showing a wider range though it is still a very usual book for anyone interested in this time period.

2 comments about Fog City: Impressions of the San Francisco Bay Area in Fog.

1. Fast shipping, beautiful book. Galen, was such a wonderful photographer. Glad to add it to my collection.



2. Fans of either Rowell's gorgeous photos or the San Francisco Bay Area will welcome Galene Rowell's Fog City: a set of impressions of the San Francisco region in fog. Poetic sayings accompany beautiful full-page color photos displaying the many nuances of San Francisco weather in full glory. A gorgeous visual guide and a keeper for any with a special affection for San Francisco, Fog City is enthusiastically recommended.

2 comments about Henry Wessel: Five Books.

1. Quite simply, if you're a Henry Wessel fan or a fan of his type of straight, observational black and white photography then this is a terrific book to have. Having seen the prints in person I can say that the reproductions are not great but they're good enough.



2. Thanks to an article in a recent NY times, I am now acquainted with Mr Wessel, who no doubt has had a very full and satisfying life as a photographer operating just below the radar. This is a beautiful set of 5 individual 'monographs' each devoted to a subject or theme,all in a sturdy white slipcase. The production is very good indeed, and the photographs are fine examples of pure vision...as the photographer himself says, the pleasure of the eyes operating outside of the mind. No tricks, no manipulations, just profound (and humorous) seeing. My only complaint is that this set of books whets the appetite for more of Henry Wessel's work.

2 comments about Washington, D.C.: A Pictorial Souvenir.

1. 
   Nice book of this type depicting Washington DC. This one is better than most because the pictures are large and there's some unique perspectives. The only downside is there are so many books of this type it's hard to tell them apart. I've seen other works by this pair and they always do a nice job displaying their subject.



2. I have visited Washington, D.C. several times, by myself and with my family. This book has the best photographic coverage of Washington in one cover that I have seen. The captions for the photographs are accurate and helpful. If you go on the Washington by Dark bus tours, this book is better than the photos most of us take for the monuments. You can save your film for pictures of your friends or family at the sites during the day. Additionally, the preface history of Washington is interesting and concise. I heartily recommend this photo essay to any Washington, D.C. visitor.

3 comments about On the Surface of Things: Images of the Extraordinary in Science.

1. This book consists of a number of fascinating photos drawn from the world of science. The pictures are works of art in themselves, and include a simple scale indicator to give you a clue whether what you're looking at is microscopic or full sized. The accompanying prose explains in a short description what you're looking at and why it's so interesting. The prose is brilliantly written and easy to read.

   This book is not for scientists per se, but for anyone with a fascination for the world around them. A perfect accent to any coffee table.




2. This is not a science book ! The photos are really great, but the name fooled me...it is not a book on surface science ! Just a photography book that have some phothos that were taken with the help of scientific media.....



3. As a student in Material Science and Engineering, I couldn't resist when I heard of this book, and I was not disappointed. Mrs. Frankel's photography is beautiful and illustrative without losing an artful touch as far as composition is concerned, and Mr. Whitesides' explanations can be easily grasped due to their intuitive approach. For someone who wants to know more about the science behind the effects the explanations may not be detailed enough, which is why I don't rate this book a ten, but whoever desires to gain an overview of surface effects and understand the basics of it, this is the book to read. I sincerely recommend this book.

5 comments about 365 Ways to Save the Earth.

1. This is a compact hardback book with some incredible photographs of various places and things in our natural world. It does have some good tips for helping the environment although these suggestions are basically repeated towards the middle of the book. The book is worth it for the pictures alone.



2. The pictures are all beautiful! The ways they have to help the Earth are well organized and very practical!



3. Good photos and points made, but #1: Recycle?
   
   Yes, yes, that's why not ONE page of this book is made from post-consumer material (i.e., the paper stock that this book uses isn't even recycled, despite recycling being the first point made in the book!)
   
   SO, #1: don't buy this book, get it from a library instead.



4. I have ordered this book as a gift for numerous friends and family members. It is a beautiful and thought-provoking introduction to environmentally-friendly behaviors in a time when most Americans aren't thinking about the problems we have created in our environment.



5. I bought 5 copies as gifts for Christmas.
   
   I gave it to some friends, to my grandmother. The whole family was looking at the beautiful pictures. I had my uncle reading the daily inspiring messages.
   
   "It brings me peace when I read this book, a day at a time" my grandmother said.
   
   Highly recommended! I even kept a copy for myself.

3 comments about The Best of Portrait Photography: Techniques and Images from the Pros (The Best of).

1. Bill Hurter's BEST OF PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY is packed with techniques and images from a range of professionals who make their living through portrait photography, so any would-be pro will want to have this. It covers both technical and aesthetic qualities of portrait photography, provides image examples in sepia and color, and is filled with professional insights.



2. I love the way they explain the behind the scenes of the industry and also their techniques. You learn posing elements And compositional elements aS well as lighting and retouching images.He also explains the different types of portraiture, like children, familys, and groups. This is a must have book. I am glad I purchased it!



3. I found this book very helpful. The author is very knowledgable and offers great ideas, tips, and advice on how to properly pose and illuminate your subjects.
   
   Many great examples throughout the book.
   
   If you're stumped on "how to" in general, this is a GREAT place to start.
   
   I would, without hesitation, give two thumbs up on this book.

1 comments about Photographing on Safari: A Field Guide to Wildlife Photography in East Africa.

1. I am about to leave for Africa, so I needed some preparation. McDonald's book exactly served my needs. It is helpful, with both technical advice and inspiring photographs. He makes you believe that you will be successful. I later found referrals to this book in the nature photography usenet group; so it seems that others find the book helpful as well. Small enough to take along. Packing lists too.