The Photography Shelf
MWBOOKREVW
Dassonville
Susan Herzig & Paul Hertzmann
Carl Mautz Publishing
228 Commercial Street, Nevada City, CA 95959
1-887694-15-3 $35.00 1-530-478-1610
San Francisco photographer William Dassonville (1879-1957) gained national and
international acclaim for his evocative studies of the California landscape and
for his insightful photographic portraits. His images were frequently published
in books and magazines both in America and Europe. Sought after for his fine
portraits, he was also acclaimed for his impressive technical knowledge in
photography and wielded considerable influence in Northern California artistic
circles between 1900 and 1930. He even developed and marketed his own line of
photographic printing papers called "Charcoal Black". Dassonville: William E.
Dassonville, California Photographer 1879-1957 showcases the life and work of a
prominent, influential American photographer, and is enhanced for the reader
with an insightful and informative essay by Peter Palmquist. Dassonville is
also available in hardcover (16-1 $65.00)
Baraka: A Visual Journal
Mark Magidson
St. Ann's Press
c/o The Visioneering Group
11837 Darlington Avenue, Suite 1, Los Angeles, CA 90049-5449
0-9671744-0-6 $65.00 1-310-979-9227
The 1993 award-winning motion picture, Baraka, was shot in the rarely used
70-millimeter wide-screen format in 24 countries over 14 months. Baraka was a
journey of discovery, a mesmerizing celebration of the creative beauty and
destructive power of the natural world and human consciousness. In Baraka: A
Visual Journal, Mark Magidson (who produced, co-wrote and co-edited the film)
has compiled 58 stunning still photos, 36 of the in full-color, which he shot
while the crew was on location. The photographs were shot through Hasselblad
medium-format lenses with Hasselblad camera bodies. This luxurious, oversized
(10" x 12-1/2") volume is casebound, with an inlaid image on the cover. Barak:
A Visual Journey is a superb collection of stunning images and a tour-de-force
of the photograph as art.
Exposing The Wilderness
Robert Bogdan
Syracuse University Press
621 Skytop Road, Suite 110, Syracuse, NY 13244-5290
0-8156-608-7 $39.95 1-315-443-5546
Exposing The Wilderness: Early Twentieth Century Adirondack Postcard
Photographers explores New York State's Adirondack Mountains through the lives
and images of six postcard photographers who left a revealing visual
documentary of this wilderness region and its culture in the opening decades of
the 1900s. Robert Bogdan combines a richly descriptive text enhanced with
striking illustrations to create vivid biographical sketches of these pioneer
photographers, who worked their individual styles to illuminate six different
regions of the Adirondack Mountains. Exposing The Wilderness also provides
insight into the popular culture of the times, mainly through postcards, and
takes an in-depth look at the families and work lives of these artisans as they
plied their photographic trade in the popular venue of commercial postcards.
Aside from Adirondack locals and a few postcard collectors, the gifted folk
artists and craftspeople profiled here were virtually unknown until the
publication of this remarkable history. Bogdan, a professor of social science
at Syracuse University, has drawn upon his collection of nearly 250
illustrations to produce this remarkable volume. Many of these images have
never before been published. Exposing The Wilderness is a valued and much
appreciated contribution to the history of photography and American popular
culture.
Aperture
20 East 23 St., NY, NY 10010-4463
Over a hundred photographers grace the pages of Male/Female (0-89381-881-X,
$34.95), a fine presentation introduced by Vince Aletti and including an
interview with Madonna. Many unusual views of male/female anatomy, from
fantasies to the fantastic and extraordinary, are captured in a photographic
collection which challenges the concept of what constitutes male/female
characteristics. Merce Cunningham's Fifty Years (863-1, $39.95) provides an
intense selection of ballet and movement photos with the chronicle by David
Vaughan edited by Melissa Harris. Fifty years in choreographer Cunningham's
life are detailed in a blend of photo essay and biography which does more than
just capture the man himself, but reveals his art. Robert Capra's photos of the
Spanish Civil War in Heart Of Spain (831-3, $55.00) gather works from the
Museum Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, and represent the first volume to
be devoted entirely to his works. Many images come from previously unpublished
sources and offer striking insights into the experiences of the times: highly
recommended for history collections as well as art history holdings. Luca
Babini's Francesco Clemente: A Portrait (872-0, $45.00) pairs an essay by Rene
Ricard with photos by Babini. The black and white and color photos provide an
excellent access to the works of the Italian painter, revealing his many
talents and abilities to grasp contemporary life and art in a single snapshot.
Letizia Battaglia's Passion Justice Freedom (805-4, $45.00) provides fine
photos of Sicily, and is also very much a political chronicle as it details her
fight for justice against the mafia in that country. The black and white shots
provide involving views of the peoples of Italy. Ronald Compton's Stillpoint
(873-9, $35.00) captures the beauty of classical ballet and modern dance,
gained from a lifetime of watching rehearsals and performances. Many of the
color photos present alternative views of ballet performances, moving away from
traditional ballet costuming and presentations to explorethe range of the
medium. Mary Ellen Mark's American Odyssey (880-1, $50.00) is a fine
achievement of historical photography blending over a hundred tritone images
with sometimes-shocking viewpoints ala Diane Arbus style. The result is an
involving, revealing presentation. Nancy Newhall's From Adams To Stieglitz
(373-7, $16.95) follows some of the pioneers of modern photography, providing a
strong collection of biographical sketches which follow the impact of modern
photographers and the changing world of photography. Surveys of the works of
each don't have the visual impact of other titles but do offer a depth of
exploration narrower focuses may lack.
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