Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive

Book Description

For 9 months, during the day and night, Meyerowitz photographed "the pile," as the World Trade Center came to be known, and the over 800 people a day that were working in it. Influenced by Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange's work for the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression, he knew that if he didn't make a photographic record of the unprecedented recovery efforts, "there would be no history."

Sept. 23. Assembled panorama of the site from the World Financial Center, looking east. (All images copyright Joel Meyerowitz from Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive (Phaidon).

Sept. 25. The south wall of the South Tower.
Oct. 11. An FDNY rescue team resting on Liberty Street.

Nov. 8. Spotters in the South Tower.
May 1. Ralph and Paul Geidel waiting for a fresh raking field.

Marking the 5th anniversary of September 11th, Phaidon Press has published this extraordinary new book AFTERMATH: THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ARCHIVE with photographs and text by Joel Meyerowitz, which will feature, for the first time, the vast collection of Meyerowitz's previously unpublished photos from Ground Zero along with the engaging account of his experience in his own words. This historic publication is the only existing photographic record of the monumental recovery efforts post-9/11.

From portraits of the people he met to the accidental beauty of the ruins at dusk, AFTERMATH features 400 breathtaking color photographs, many taken with a large format camera. Bronx-born Meyerowitz brings his trademark sensitivity, intelligence and eye for beauty to these poignant images that will hold an important place in American history.

AFTERMATH brings to life the tireless determination of the scores of individuals who assisted in the clean-up process, including construction workers, police officers, firefighters, welders or "burners," engineers, crane operators and volunteers. Presented on a monumental scale, and interspersed with fascinating stories, the book documents the transformation of the site chronologically from piles of devastation to an empty pit six stories below ground. This landmark book offers current and future generations the opportunity to finally travel inside a forbidden city where thousands were brought together by a common cause.

"I was taking pictures for everyone who didn't have access to the site," says Meyerowitz in AFTERMATH, "so I decided to work with a large-format wooden view camera. This camera was impossible to hide, but it enabled me to make images of the fullest description, with a sense of deep space. I wanted to communicate what it felt like to be in there as well as what it looked like: to show the pile's incredible intricacy and visceral power.... I could provide a window for everyone else who wanted to be there, too--to help, or to grieve, or simply to try to understand what had happened to our city."

The World Trade Center Archive, consisting of thousands of Meyerowitz's images, is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of the City of New York where it is available for research, exhibition and publication. For the past few years, a small selection of these photographs was featured in an exhibition, "After September 11: Images from Ground Zero," which traveled to more than 200 cities in 60 countries, reaching over 3.5 million people.

Book Description

After September 11th, 2001, the Ground Zero site in New York City was classified as a crime scene and only those directly involved in the recovery efforts were allowed inside. The press was also prohibited from the site, but with the help of the Museum of the City of New York and sympathetic city officials, award-winning photographer Joel Meyerowitz managed to obtain unlimited access. By ingenuity and sheer determination, he was the only photographer granted unimpeded right of entry into Ground Zero.For 9 months, during the day and night, Meyerowitz photographed "the pile," as the World Trade Center came to be known, and the over 800 people a day that were working in it. Influenced by Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange's work for the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression, he knew that if he didn't make a photographic record of the unprecedented recovery efforts, "there would be no history."Sept. 23. Assembled panorama of the site from the World Financial Center, looking east. (All images copyright Joel Meyerowitz from Aftermath: World Trade Center Archive (Phaidon).Sept. 25. The south wall of the South Tower. Oct. 11. An FDNY rescue team resting on Liberty Street.Nov. 8. Spotters in the South Tower. May 1. Ralph and Paul Geidel waiting for a fresh raking field. Marking the 5th anniversary of September 11th, Phaidon Press has published this extraordinary new book AFTERMATH: THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ARCHIVE with photographs and text by Joel Meyerowitz, which will feature, for the first time, the vast collection of Meyerowitz's previously unpublished photos from Ground Zero along with the engaging account of his experience in his own words. This historic publication is the only existing photographic record of the monumental recovery efforts post-9/11.From portraits of the people he met to the accidental beauty of the ruins at dusk, AFTERMATH features 400 breathtaking color photographs, many taken with a large format camera. Bronx-born Meyerowitz brings his trademark sensitivity, intelligence and eye for beauty to these poignant images that will hold an important place in American history.AFTERMATH brings to life the tireless determination of the scores of individuals who assisted in the clean-up process, including construction workers, police officers, firefighters, welders or "burners," engineers, crane operators and volunteers. Presented on a monumental scale, and interspersed with fascinating stories, the book documents the transformation of the site chronologically from piles of devastation to an empty pit six stories below ground. This landmark book offers current and future generations the opportunity to finally travel inside a forbidden city where thousands were brought together by a common cause."I was taking pictures for everyone who didn't have access to the site," says Meyerowitz in AFTERMATH, "so I decided to work with a large-format wooden view camera. This camera was impossible to hide, but it enabled me to make images of the fullest description, with a sense of deep space. I wanted to communicate what it felt like to be in there as well as what it looked like: to show the pile's incredible intricacy and visceral power.... I could provide a window for everyone else who wanted to be there, too--to help, or to grieve, or simply to try to understand what had happened to our city."The World Trade Center Archive, consisting of thousands of Meyerowitz's images, is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of the City of New York where it is available for research, exhibition and publication. For the past few years, a small selection of these photographs was featured in an exhibition, "After September 11: Images from Ground Zero," which traveled to more than 200 cities in 60 countries, reaching over 3.5 million people.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing collection of photographs by a very gifted photographer.......2007-07-14

I first saw photographs from this collection at the Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg, Austria. Anyone who entered the gallery was immediately struck by a panorama of ground zero on one wall, each emitting an audible gasp, then standing before it for several minutes in silence. Meyerowitz is an extremely gifted photgrapher, and I recommend other of his collections for viewing. Cape Light: Color Photographs by Joel Meyerowitz, Tuscany: Inside the Light: Inside the Light (Photography). The "Aftermath" collection is the only archive of the activities following 9/11 at ground zero, and it is quite moving. Meyerowitz had access to many vantage points to capture for posterity the many facets of ground zero and this tragic event in our history. Viewing these photos takes time and thought, as Meyerowitz has also included brief descriptions and stories about each photograph. You will be struck by many emotions, sadness, anger, shock, and awe. But, there is an eeriness and a beauty, as well as hope in these photographs, inspired by the photographer's exquisite eye for detail, composition, lines, faces, and light. Photographers, professional and amateur alike, will deeply appreciate and learn from these aspects. Anyone to whom I have shown this book has been as immensely moved as I, from the UPS driver who delivered the package, to my father, a refugee of WWII, who still cannot speak easily of the events of 9/11. This book is highly recommended as an addition for one's library.

A True Memorial.......2007-04-13

Aftermath represents the efforts of Joel Meyerowitz to document the destruction and cleanup of the World Trade Center following 9/11. This is a beefy coffee table book that is large enough to give his photos some real impact. Unlike most photo essays, however, you won't find hundreds of beautiful images. After a couple of pages show what New York's skyline once looked like, you are confronted by image after image of the horrific destruction of these huge landmarks. There are also many instances where we see the people who worked the cleanup site. Many of these are the most moving images as you can imagine the emotions that sometimes overcame these men and women who were there every day for months on end.

In addition to the photos, Mr. Meyerowitz also shares some anecdotes about what he went through to get these photos. He also talks about some of the people he met. I found these stories at least as powerful as his words. Most Americans were obviously distraught by the events of that day, but most of us were also able to start moving on with our lives and slowly put it behind us. But these people were there on the ground confronting the effects for months. Recovering bodies and personal objects, as well as being asked by survivors to put mementos on the pile of rubble as little memorials to their lost loved ones.

This is not the happiest book you can buy. It doesn't have the prettiest photos or the most elegant prose. But it may be the most worthwhile book I've ever purchased. I would urge everyone to buy a copy and read it cover to cover.

Excellent Documentary.......2007-03-28

I have other books on the 9/11 disaster but this is by far the most comprehensive. The photographs are excellent. The price was reasonable for the quality.

Incredible 9-11 Photos!!.......2007-03-04

Of all the books on the aftermath of 9-11, this is absolutely the best ever!! These photographs are stunning and capture all of the remaining structures at Ground Zero. This is the most comprehensive book I have seen to date. I highly recommend it.

Laraine.......2007-01-18

I purchased this book as a Christmas present and the gentleman I gave it to was extremely excited about receiving it. Your service in getting the book to me was terrific.

Life: The Platinum Anniversary Collection: 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography

Average customer rating:

Excellent Photo's and Stories of Our History
Too much of America.
the image of a century
A reminder of how great the original Life Magazine was and what photojournalism should be
Life: The Platinum Anniversary Collection

Life: The Platinum Anniversary Collection: 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography
Editors of Life Magazine
Manufacturer: Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1933405171

Book Description

For seven decades, Life has been thrilling the world with its unrivaled presentation of the very best photography to be found. Here, the editors have assembled the crme de la crme from the magazines vast collection of images.Because Life has always dealt with matters of every sort, the entire spectrum of society is represented in these pages. One after another, there are unforgettable photos from Hollywoods greatest stars, from the wonders of small-town America, from the terrible wars, as well as from the zestful years of childhood. Life has always represented the apex in photojournalism and its roster of great photographers is unequaled.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Photo's and Stories of Our History.......2007-07-18

This booked turned out to be a prized gift for a history buff friend of ours. Absolutely LOVED IT and wants to share it with his grandkids. Interesting reading, in a beautiful format.

Too much of America........2007-04-15

I picked up this book and "The Great LIFE Photographers" off the shelf of an art bookstore last night. Great books, a lot of emotion, great photography. Although, I wouldn't recommend buying these two books together. A lot of the photos are repeated, so one should be enough.

When I was going through this book, I was slightly annoyed by how "American" it is. I'm sure the Americans did a lot of great things. But about half a dozen of photos of baseball games/players?

Between those two books, I recommend "The Great LIFE Photographers" as it is smaller, more compact, and puts less emphasis on the US.

the image of a century.......2007-04-11

the life of each day all over the world.
The life of men and woman , in peace and at war.
To have, absolutely.

A reminder of how great the original Life Magazine was and what photojournalism should be.......2007-04-01

Before television - an era that well over half the population never experienced - there was Life Magazine, which brought the world into people's homes. The magazine's editors hired the world's best photographers who in turn became some of the world's greatest photojournalists. Life also never said no to great photography from any source. Life was, indeed, a window into life for many millions.

Alas, society moved on and rising costs and television ultimately killed off Life, Saturday Evening Post, Look and many other wonderful magazines.

This book is actually a little bit disappointing in that it is only 304 pages, 251 of them being given to pictures from Life Magazine. The book could have - and, in my opinion, should have - been two, three or even four times the size. Life Magazine represented the epitome of photojournalism for much of its history and I think people would pay handsomely to have the "complete" Life photo collection. Perhaps someday, like the New Yorker did with its cartoons and articles, all of Life's photos will be available for browsing on DVD.

In the meantime, for any student of popular culture, 20th Century History, photojournalism or photography, this book is essential. It does contain a wonderful treasure of Life photography, which in turn gives a mirror into the world as it was.

Perhaps the best part of the book are the tiny reproductions of every Life cover. These provide a true summary of the fleeting nature of fame (many Life cover subjects are entirely forgotten today), the restless world with its wars, famines and other upheavals - and reaffirmation that nothing ever changes.

For the money, this is a wonderful value - a great browsing and viewing experience.

Jerry

Life: The Platinum Anniversary Collection.......2007-01-27

If you want a coffeetable book that has decades of images which have enthralled all of us, this is the perfect choice. Also, photographers can learn what makes a compelling image.

Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese Americans

Average customer rating:

informative and elegant
A powerful, highly recommended, historically factual book
A fascinating look at this historical tragedy
A magnificent work!

Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese Americans
Ansel Adams
Manufacturer: Spotted Dog Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1893343057

Book Description

It was 1943. In Yosemite National Park, the magnificent Ahwahnee Hotel closed its doors to tourists, transformed into a temporary Naval convalescent hospital. Wartime shortages forced the rationing of gasoline, sugar, and film. Living with his wife, Virginia Best Adams and their children in Yosemite Valley, Ansel Adams, sought ways to help with the war effort. Too old to enlist, he volunteered for for a number of assignments in which his photographic skills were put to the countryÕs use. Among his contributions, he both escorted and photographed Army troops at Yosemite training for mountain warfare in Europe; he taught photography to the Signal Corps at Fort Ord, and traveled to the Presidio in San Francisco to print classified photographs of Japanese military installations on the Aleutian Islands. Despite his volunteer efforts, he was frustrated that he could not do more to help the war effort.

That summer, friend Ralph Merritt asked Adams if he would be interested in creating a photographic record of a little-known government facility in the Owens Valley, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. ÒI cannot pay you a cent,Ó Merritt told Adams, Òbut I can put you up and feed you.Ó Merritt was director of the Manzanar War Relocation Center, a collection of hundreds of tar-paper barracks hastily built to house more than 10,000 people, behind barbed wire and gun towers. All were of Japanese Ancestry, but most were American citizens, forcibly removed from their homes to ten relocation centers across the country by presidential order. The resulting effort was the book Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese Americans published by U.S. Camera in 1944 under the direction of the War Relocation Authority.

While at Manzanar, Adams met Toyo Miyatake, the official camp photographer, interned with his wife and children. A student of the great photographer, Edward Weston, Miyatake had established his own respected professional photography studio in Los Angeles before the war. In the introduction to this book, MiyatakeÕs son, Archie, who was then 16-years old, recalls the visit made so long ago.

In 1965, Adams wrote in a letter to Dr. Edgar Brietenbach at the Library of Congress: Ò . . . I think this Manzanar Collection is an important historical document and I trust it can be put to good use. . . Ó With the goal of realizing that Ògood use,Ó Spotted Dog Press presents Born Free and Equal to new generations of Americans who may come to a better understanding of a distant incident in our recent history that should not be forgotten.

Customer Reviews:

informative and elegant.......2007-05-20

I have read quite a few books and articles about the unfortuante/sad/?criminal Japanese-American experience during WW II. This book, although it does not add to the historical record per se, includes rich, wonderful pictures from Ansel Adams that bring more visual support to ones' images of how terrible the situation was, but also how strong and resourceful the Japanese-American people were and hopefully still are (just look up the Japanese word "gaman")

A powerful, highly recommended, historically factual book.......2002-05-06

Born Free And Equal: The Story Of Loyal Japanese Americans is an impressive combination of historic photographs and writings about the Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned in Manzanar, one of ten such relocation camps, as a result of wartime fears regarding possible sabotage by members of the Japanese and Nisei (American-born men and women of Japanese ancestry) living along the American west coast. During the era of World War II, virtually all the American people of Japanese descent in the states of California, Oregon and Washington (most of them citizens), were interned in relocation camps scattered through the Midwest. Born Free And Equal captures memories of this prison community and how the families in it lived in broad, sweeping, black-and-white photographs. Born Free And Equal is a powerful, highly recommended, historically factual book, accurately capturing with poetic realism a dark and controversial aspect of America's WW II effort, which, along with such horrors as the European Holocaust and the Japanese atrocities in the Far East, must never be forgotten.

A fascinating look at this historical tragedy.......2002-03-07

In the autumn of 1943, the eminently talented photographer Ansel Adams traveled to the Relocation Center at Manzanar, California. This was one of the camps where the United States government relocated (some would say "imprisoned") the many people of Japanese descent who lived in the western, Military Zone 1, so that they could not assist Imperial Japan in its war against the United States. Among the many people sent to this camp were men, women, children and the elderly; immigrants from Japan, the children (born in the U.S.) of Japanese immigrants, and the those even farther removed from Japan; not to mention a decorated veteran of the Spanish-American War (Seaman 1st Class Harry Sumida of the U.S.S. Indiana).

It was here that Ansel Adams set up his camera, and put a human face on this tragedy. This is his book; the pictures he took, and the text he wrote. Originally published in 1944, this newer edition (published in 2001) contains all of the original photos, several additional photos that Mr. Adams took but didn't include in the original, and several fascinating introductions written by Japanese-Americans.

Considering the topic of this book is something of a cause celebre, one might imagine that this book was something of an anti-American screed. Well, if you thought that, you would be wrong. This book is a very balanced look at what happened, and the people who were caught up in it. Mr. Adams wanted the book to be factual, so both the good aspects and bad aspects are covered. That said, though, the book was something of an expose of what happened, and is not a whitewash. Therefore, if you are looking for a book that will tell you about this historical tragedy, then I highly recommend this book.

A magnificent work!.......2002-01-17

Finally, I was able to pick up a copy of this long-awaited book. The original is extremely expensive to pick up, and with the additional introductory information, this is an improvement. A fascinating read, fantastic print quality... A must have!

Russell Lee Photographs: Images from the Russell Lee Photograph Collection at the Center for American History (Focus on American History Series,Center ... History, University of Texas at Austin)

Average customer rating:

Images for heart and mind
Perhaps the best of the best

Russell Lee Photographs: Images from the Russell Lee Photograph Collection at the Center for American History (Focus on American History Series,Center ... History, University of Texas at Austin)
Linda Peterson
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0292714998

Book Description

"Russell Lee's sense of the possibilities of photography was almost as generous, open, and democratic as photography itself. His appetite as a spectator was as wide as the prairie, and his sympathy for his fellows appeared seamless."

—John Szarkowski, from the foreword

Russell Lee is widely acclaimed as one of the most outstanding documentary photographers of the twentieth century. His images of American life during the Great Depression, created for the Farm Security Administration between 1936 and 1942, hold a preeminent place in one of history's best-known and most useful photographic collections. This famous body of work demonstrates Lee's extraordinary ability to reveal the humanity of his subjects and to become a part of the communities he photographed. It also displays Lee's superior technical ability—his legendary skill in using a flash enabled Lee to create some of the finest candids in the history of photography.

Russell Lee Photographs is the first book to show the full range and quality of Lee's entire oeuvre beyond the FSA work, as well as the first major publication of his photographs since F. Jack Hurley's 1978 book, Russell Lee: Photographer (long out of print). The book contains over 140 images, 101 of which have never appeared in book publication. The photographs are grouped into suites of images that represent all of Lee's important, non-FSA subjects: early work from New York City and Woodstock; the Spanish-speaking people of Texas; the mentally and physically disabled; political campaigns, including the Kennedy-Johnson campaign of 1960; commercial work for chemical and other companies; a portfolio of images of Italy; and quintessential scenes of small-town life.

Setting Lee's images in context are a foreword by John Szarkowski, one of America's leading photography curators and critics, and an introduction by Lee's friend and fellow photography educator J. B. Colson, who offers fascinating personal insights into Lee's life and career.

Considering Russell Lee's stature in American photography, it is surprising that much of his post-FSA work is unknown to the public and has been seldom seen even in the photography community. By making these images readily available for the first time, this book gives long-overdue recognition to the full range and excellence of Lee's work. Russell Lee Photographs is the essential book on this major American photographer.

Customer Reviews:

Images for heart and mind.......2007-06-25

A wonderful large format and beautifully produced book of 140 photos by Russell Lee made more worthy because 101 of them have not been published together in book form. Lee is rightly famous for his FSA work though none of that output is included here. Instead there are photos from the Texas political scene from 1935 to 1965, Italy in 1960 where he did a portfolio of work commissioned by the Texas Quarterly, Saudi Arabia in 1955. The majority of the photos are of the US with plenty showing small town life.

I'm not convinced that the absence of FSA work was a wise editorial choice, clearly this aspect of his career has been well documented in other books but perhaps in this one there could have been a chapter devoted to Lee's extensive 1940 work in Pie Town, New Mexico. The photos of this small town seem to be the high point of his career, also he was experimenting with color at this time (seventeen shots are shown in Bound for Glory: America in Color 1939-43) and I hope some publisher would consider a book just on Lee's Pie Town photos.

'Russell Lee Photographs' compares very favorably with Jack Hurley's 1978 'Russell Lee Photographer' (ISBN 0871001500) though the reproduction, with 250+dpi gives a much better showing than the 200dpi used in the Hurley book, which has 121 photos and a more comprehensive biography of Lee.

Both books celebrated the work of a dedicated humanist photographer whose creativity will equally stimulate your heart and mind.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Perhaps the best of the best.......2007-06-11

Russell Lee was one of the group of photographers that were assembled by the government during the Great
Depression to document and publicize the poverty that had hit the heart of the nation, and the ways - through
various federal programs - those that were hurting the worst could be helped. Today, that group, which included Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott, Eudora Welty and many others who worked for the Farm Security Administration and other agencies, has been recognized as perhaps the greatest collection of documentary photographers ever gathered. Russell Lee was one of many, some of whom became much more famous, but who was recognized by them as perhaps the best. This collection strengthens that
reputation as the best of the best. He wasn't fancy, and took what he saw - he did not pose subjects for his
camera, but shot the truth. This book covers not only the Depression years, but continues with photographs in other countries, politics and of course, his chosen home state of Texas. This book is getting a lot of attention - well deserved. Center For American History and University of Texas, Hardcover, with over 140 b/w photographs, some never previously published.

Average customer rating:

One of my favorite books

Islands of Italy
Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395593026

Customer Reviews:

One of my favorite books.......2003-02-26

I found this book quite by accident while doing research for an upcoming trip to Italy. This was only one of many books I looked at and I didn't expect it to be anything more than a resource. Instead, it turned out to be one of the most beautiful and satisfying books I've ever read.

I really cannot say enough in praise of Barbara G. Harrison's writing. She tells anecdotes, expresses odd thoughts, describes scenarios, but the impact of her words goes far beyond a simple travelogue. Never mind the excellent photography featured in this book; Harrison's writing is reason enough to seek out this book.

Meditative, thought-provoking, occasionally disturbing, and at times quite challenging, The Islands of Italy isn't simply a book about Italy.

Book Description

Censored by the U.S. Army, Dorothea Lange's unseen photographs are the extraordinary photographic record of the Japanese American internment saga.

This indelible work of visual and social history confirms Dorothea Lange's stature as one of the twentieth century's greatest American photographers. Presenting 119 images originally censored by the U.S. Army—the majority of which have never been published—Impounded evokes the horror of a community uprooted in the early 1940s and the stark reality of the internment camps. With poignancy and sage insight, nationally known historians Linda Gordon and Gary Okihiro illuminate the saga of Japanese American internment: from life before Executive Order 9066 to the abrupt roundups and the marginal existence in the bleak, sandswept camps. In the tradition of Roman Vishniac's A Vanished World, Impounded, with the immediacy of its photographs, tells the story of the thousands of lives unalterably shattered by racial hatred brought on by the passions of war. 104 photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Great photography and history.......2007-01-12

Outstanding description and photographs documenting the terrible injustice done to American citizens and residents solely because of their Japanese ancestry throughout the Second World War. The indecencies suffered by these people can barely be described adequately, but this book attempts to further illustrate the horrors that can be inflicted on an ethnic group if racism is allowed to influence government policy, as it did in this country during that war.

Text, yes. Photographs, no.......2007-01-10

These important photographs taking during WW2 in the Japanese internment camps scattered around the American west are almost unreadble. The are reproduced very small, and without the requisite skill to make deteriorated images look half decent on the printed page.
The text is informative, especially about Dorothea Lange's trials in gaining access to the camps in California.

Impounded: Important Photography of the Internment and American History.......2007-01-08

Dorothea Lange's photographs document an important American event that is still unknown to a large number of Americans. The fact that the government impounded the photographs speaks for itself.

Heartbreaking images of a shameful past........2006-11-06

Although the text is informative in telling the history of Japanese internment during World War II, the images speak for themselves, page after page in stark black and white, the young and innocent, the old and careworn, carrying rope-bound suitcases and cardboard boxes, standing in long lines, waiting to be processed by indifferent jailors, an entire race herded into the camps that will be home for the war years, disenfranchising them of investment in community and the pride of being Americans. As history has proven over and over, fear is a monster that cannot be contained once the public is infected, the vulnerable a source of suspicion, marked by the color of their skin and the shape of their eyes.

Whole families gather in these telling photographs, leaving treasured belongings behind, grandparents to infants, all swept up in an infamous display of mistrust in a country suddenly driven to panic by a surprise attack, demanding a quick response from their government. Lange has a particular talent for capturing the very human face of the internment camps, children with ID tags attached to their coats, chain link fences topped with barbed wire circling the arid landscape, family laundry hanging from a window, the barren rows of housing units assailed by constant dust storms, women working on camouflage nets for the War Department.

Famous for her Depression era photos of migrant farm workers, this series of photographs, while ordered by the US Government, were censored for the duration of the war. The most striking feature of the collection is the very American look of these people, standing proud while saluting the flag, teenagers trying to act cool in spite of their surroundings, family gatherings that are familiar Americana. It is also important to mention that, in spite of the extreme measures undertaken, "no Japanese-American was ever found guilty of espionage". Lange's work is enhanced by the two essays that precede the collection of photographs, Linda Gordon's biographical essay on Lange's life and work and Gary Okihiro's "An American Story", outlining Japanese immigration to America and the history of Japanese internment, with personal anecdotes by detainees. This is a moving portrait of a country's response to threat, reminding us to value the precious tenets of freedom. Luan Gaines/2006.

May I Take Your Order: American Menu Design 1920-1960

Average customer rating:

Good reference
Excellent historical book inspires journey down memory lane!
Great Book...

May I Take Your Order: American Menu Design 1920-1960
Jim Heimann
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0811817830

Book Description

Our special today is a tasty treat called May I Take Your Order? Brimming with classic restaurant menus from the roaring '20s through the fabulous '50s, May I Take Your Order? is the first book to feature this hot new collectible and design resource with hundreds of color reproductions. Author Jim Heimann showcases 250 original menus from all kinds of restaurants, including roadside diners à la Route 66, theme restaurants (travel, Western-style, celebrity eateries), five-star restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and cafés. With menus and vintage photographs from some of the greatest dining establishments of the era, this survey of a popular artform offers an uncommon perspective on design in the early half of the century -- as well as a glimpse of prices and culinary preferences of yesteryear. From the elegance of Art Nouveau to playful Art Deco designs to the ultra-modernism of the late Ô50s, this is an exciting new y'nd for artists, designers, and restaurateurs looking for ideas and inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

Good reference.......2003-04-09

As a designer, I consider this a must-have as a visual reference, though incomplete because of it's general lack of interior art. I suspect the cover art is prevalent because of it's appeal to collectors. Well-designed presentation by Jim Heimann. Glad to have it, but I want to see more.

Excellent historical book inspires journey down memory lane!.......2001-02-16

As the author of "Restaurant China, Identification & Value Guide for Restaurant, Airline, Ship & Railroad Dinnerware, Volume 1 and Volume 2," I was delighted when I received this excellent historical resource. The 1000+ priceless photographs, along with difficult to document dates and locations are most appreciated. In addition, it is a pleasure to simply page through Jim Heimann's books and imagine life as it was in days gone by.

Great Book..........1999-01-16

I thought the book was great, but I was hoping it would show more of menu interiors rather than the covers/exteriors. While folks can show you excerpts from text...it's a bit harder when you are buying a book for the images.

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America, America
Fundamental para entender la fotografía norteamericana
Good Wrap on the FSA photographers
Looking at masters in photography
Stryker's vision revealed

FSA: The American Vision
Beverly Brannan , and Gilles Mora
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810954974

Book Description

The photographs produced by the FSA during the Great Depression constitute one of America's greatest artistic legacies. The project launched a stellar group of young photographers, including Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Carl Mydans, Arthur Rothstein, Marion Post Walcott, and Gordon Parks, who fanned out across America and created images of intense power and poetry. Thousands of FSA photographs have been exhibited and published, and we may feel that we know them well. For this remarkable volume, however, Gilles Mora and Beverly Brannan immersed themselves in the vast archive at the Library of Congress and emerged with unknown treasures. Theirs is a new view of the achievement of the FSA photographers—the most comprehensive in print—that finally gives them their due as the creators of a new American photographic vision.

Customer Reviews:

America, America.......2007-09-19

Sure their vision was a bit romantic, but anyone who appreciates what the FSA photographers, under Roy Stryker's direction, did will also appreciate this book. Never before and never since then (pace, Robert Frank) has the country sat for its portrait. It would have been nice to have the numbers in the Smithsonian's Prints and Photographs Department, where the pictures are kept. The nation may have sat for its portrait, but the pictures belong to you.

Fundamental para entender la fotografía norteamericana.......2007-05-15

Un libro fundamental para entender una parte importante de la fotografía norteamericana.

Good Wrap on the FSA photographers.......2007-04-18

This book have done a great job by putting this all together by project/Date base and indicating where they went. It has answered alot of my questions on the FSA photographers.
I am pleased the book used mostly unknown photographs.
I have already raving about this book

Looking at masters in photography.......2007-01-09

The FSA book is a wonderful look at an ear gone by. And the works of Dorothea Lang, Ben Shahn, Walker Evans, Arthur Rothstein, Theodor Jung and Carl Mydans in the early years is well worth the price of the book. But to continue going forward is remarkable. But the things that make this a wonderful collection of photographs is that it is not just the most famous works by the photographers of the FSA but the ones that have not been published in some 70 plus years or not at all. Projects like this come once in a life time. For any photographer who enjoys photo essays this book is a must and if you are interested in history of America this is a book that will leave and impression on you. If you want to see great photographs this book is for you, if you want to see them by great photographers than this book id definitely for you.

Stryker's vision revealed.......2006-10-15

A worthy addition to a very small number of books that present a general selection of Farm Security Administration photos in an art book format. To my mind there are only three others, In this proud land: America, 1935-1943, as seen in the FSA photographs, A Vision Shared: A Classic Portrait of America and Its People, 1935-1943, (the only sumptuous large book production of the three) and Long Time Coming: A Photographic Portrait of America, 1935-1943. 'FSA' easily joins this list with 470 beautifully printed photos on quality paper with an impressive 250+ dpi screen and a unique and interesting editorial format.

Each of the sixteen FSA/OWI photographers gets a chapter that is divided into two parts. Firstly there is a selection of photos covering a single subject, usually between thirteen and twenty-five photos, though John Collier gets an impressive thirty-four of his work in the Pennsylvania coal industry, followed by a general selection of that photographer's work of between four and twelve images. I thought the single theme idea worked well, you can see how Walker Evens seemed to search out monuments and his love of typographic signs or Jack Delano and Russell Lee's interest in people doing ordinary jobs. Esther Bubley has a fascinating twenty-four shots taken on Greyhound bus trips in 1943. Each photographer's gallery selection is a mix of their well-known work and others, some published here for the first time.

The two authors contribute interesting essays, Brannan explains the overall idea of Stryker's vision and Mora writes about the creative aspects of the photographs. The back of the book has a useful chronology and bibliography for each photographer.

'FSA' is a beautiful book of content rich photos but I was rather disappointed with the over generous amount of white space on many pages. So many of these photos are landscape and would suit that book format which is why I think Michael Lesy's 'Long Time Coming' was so successful. It has slightly less photos than 'FSA' but they are bigger and presented in the more appropriate format. The captions also, in 'FSA', are printed on a separate page following each photo selection when they clearly should be on each relevant photo page (when will book designers get this right!). Despite these reservations and as I said earlier, 'FSA' is a wonderful addition to the published photo archive of America's Depression and early war years.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

The Black Panthers - Photographs by Stephen Shames

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The Black Panthers
Offering candid and rare glimpses behind the scenes.
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BLACK PANTHERS
All Power to the People!!!!!!!
a Must have

The Black Panthers - Photographs by Stephen Shames
Charles E. Jones
Manufacturer: Aperture
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1597110248
Release Date: 2006-07-15

Book Description

In 1966, as the largely nonviolent Civil Rights movement swept through America, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the legendary Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. Revered by some and vilified by others, the party burst onto the scene with a militant vision for social change and the empowerment of African-Americans. Its methods were so controversial and polarizing that in 1968, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover described the organization as the country's greatest threat to internal security. During the height of the movement, from 1967 to 1973, photographer Stephen Shames had unprecedented access to the organization. He captured not only its public face--street demonstrations, protests and militant armed posturing--but also life behind the scenes, from private Party meetings to Bobby Seale at work on his Oakland mayoral campaign. Shames was prolific and his archive of Panther images is the largest in the world, presenting an uncommonly nuanced portrait of this dynamic social movement. Released on the occasion of the Party's fortieth anniversary, this illuminating publication gathers an astonishing collection of never-before-published images, offering an electrifying visual history. Panther newspapers, posters and other ephemera help convey the ethos of the Panthers and of a transformative period of social upheaval for the whole nation.

Customer Reviews:

The Black Panthers.......2007-03-21

Stephen Shames' The Black Panthers provides some very powerful and insightful documentary images of the Black Panther Party. Shames served as their official photographer- and was actually close to publishing this book decades ago until convicted felon and Vice President Spiro Agnew told his golf buddy (and publishing honcho) that he best not publish any such book.

This book also serves to remind us how our government first denigrates, infiltrates and then obliterates any political movement committed to the direct service of its people and community.

Offering candid and rare glimpses behind the scenes........2007-03-12

While the visual study The Black Panthers could've been profiled in our Arts or Photography sections, it's reviewed here because no serious collection of titles on social issues and 1960s American history should be without it. The foundation of the coverage is black and white photos by Stephen Shames, which have taken nearly forty years to appear in book form. Shames was involved with the Panthers since a student at UC-Berkeley: his photos thus document the party from an insider's viewpoint, not your usual outsider's journalistic documentary approach, offering candid and rare glimpses behind the scenes.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BLACK PANTHERS.......2007-02-17

FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Recently I posted on my blog an article passed on from the Partisan Defense Committee protesting the recent arrest of some former Black Panthers for crimes allegedly committed in the early 1970's. Apparently, when the government gets you in its sights you are there forever, especially if you are black. That article got me to thinking back to the days when we of the white left were head over heels in love with the Black Panthers as the epitome of revolutionary manhood (and it was mainly men) and of revolutionary struggle. Well, as we are all painfully aware, those days are long gone although the goals fought for in those days are still desperately in need of completion. Thus, some thoughts about the ups and downs of the Black Panther experience, the most militant and subjectively revolutionary part of the black liberation movement of the 1960's, and its role in the history of black liberation is in order.

It is extremely improbable that the phenomenal rise of the Black Panthers in California, and later elsewhere, would have occurred had it not been for the tidal wave of the black civil rights struggle in the South in the early 1960' s and the various ghetto uprisings in the mid-1960's. The victories achieved in the civil rights struggle, limited as they were, taught masses of blacks how to organize around their own interests. That those victories were limited became apparent with the hardheaded and hard-learned experience that those problems were only the tip of the iceberg for the black community as the struggle moved North and West. This contradiction played itself internally in the black liberation movement and eventually caused a profound political collision between the liberal integrationist, pacific wing epitomized by Martin Luther King and the separatist, nationalist, self-defense oriented Malcolm X wing , of which the Panthers were the heirs. A shorthand way of putting this is the black liberation variant of the age-old tension between revolutionary and reformist strategies for social change. The Black Panthers throughout their rise and fall never did successfully overcome that tension, to the detriment of militant leftists, black and white.

As any photograph taken of the Panthers from the period would demonstrate the Panthers and particularly the central leadership, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Elridge Cleaver among others were not adverse to little provocative demonstrations or shock-value publicity. The FBI, however, early on had other plans for them and they were not pretty. If J. Edgar Hoover saw the placid Martin Luther King-led branch of the civil rights movement as some kind of communist conspiracy then he turned apoplectic at the thought of armed black men asserting their right to bear arms. Since early slavery times that possibility had always been the fear of whites and the response was no different this time. Over a very short period the Hoover-orchestrated federal and state drive against the Panthers left most of the key leaders and cadre dead, in jail, on bail or in hiding, This was not the first time a perceived leftist threat had been deal with this in this way. One can think of the International Workers of the World (Wobblies) in the World War I period, the Communist and Anarchist `red scare' raids and deportations after that war and more recently the anticommunist witch hunts of the 1950's. With this difference, however, in the case of the Panthers there was a concerted effort to kill off every one they could get their hands on.

The repression of the Panthers became so intense that in many ways they became a de facto legal defense organization. That was quite a difference from the wild, revolutionary black nationalist days when they believed that they could go it alone on the streets with a cadre of black street militants in an American version of a `third world' guerilla warfare- driven national liberation front. Their nationalism initially alienated them from the black community (except, perhaps in their home base of Oakland, California) as until very late the ordinary black worker could not relate to the Panther political line despite the fact that even then the East Bay and other locales where the Panthers had influence were solidly working class areas. In short, they were looking in the streets not in the factories to organize the revolution.

The state repression also caused a shift in strategy as a matter of self-defense. However, the price the Panthers would pay for this was a capitulation to Democratic Party reformism through the vehicle of the Communist Party's legal defense organizations, which they latched onto out of desperation. I have personal experience of this change. A fair number of blacks I had known from various earlier political struggles drifted into the Panther revolutionary nationalist orbit in revulsion against Martin Luther King's non-violent strategy for social change, the incessant racism of American society and the barely hidden paternalism of the white liberal establishment and a fair part of the left. For a period in the late 1960's it was almost impossible for white radicals and revolutionaries to talk or to socialize with many Panthers, especially the rank and file. On more than one occasion I was either snubbed by or threatened by Panthers for attempting to argue for an integrated black and white alliance around a common program to fight the beast of American imperialism. Then in the very early seventies all of a sudden I was invited to various Panther support meetings and social affairs. Obviously the line had changed (through the concept of the united front against fascism) and now I was a comrade again

Even a cursory glance at the current American class structure points out that blacks (and more recently Hispanics) are heavily concentrated in the working class so that in order to be successful the struggle for socialism will have to deal with the fact that blacks will be a central component in the leadership of, and the struggle for, those goals. This is where the sad lessons of the demise of the Panthers between the rock of black nationalism and the hard place of democratic reformist politics is especially important. Looking back at the history of the 'sixties' black liberation struggle one can see little turning points where if hard communists had had enough forces they could have shifted the axis of the struggle away from black nationalism and democratic reformism. A working class program to break from the Democratic Party and struggle independently for a freedom/workers party could have gained a cadre. Do you not think that such a program would have not gotten a hearing from the landless rural workers in the South and the black industrial proletariat of the North and West? That, dear readers, is the ultimate tragedy of the demise of the Black Panthers. Enough said.

All Power to the People!!!!!!!.......2006-11-23

First off peace to all those panthers that are still living and fighting for freedom (FREE ASSATA SHAKUR!!!!!!!!). This book is awesome!!!!!!!!!! Has great historical value, unseen articles and never before seen pictures of the panthers. I was looking for a christmas present for my brothers and it looks like I found it!!!!!!! I love my people and my history and recommend this book for anyone who wants to enrich their book collection or enlighten someone in the dark.

a Must have .......2006-11-19

I've always collected books&things on the Black Panthers. the Panthers were a Powerful movement&they made a strong impact. this Book captures the Images&elements that made the Black Panthers a Powerful force. hard to beleive it's been 40 years since the Black Panthers first emerged. Props to Bobby Seale&RIP to Huey P.Newton. this Book takes you behind the scenes&showcases so much more. a Must have.

Asbury Park: A West Side Story - A Pictorial Journey Through the Eyes of Joseph A. Carter, Sr

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Asbury Park: A West Side Story - A Pictorial Journey Through the Eyes of Joseph A. Carter, Sr
Madonna Carter Jackson
Manufacturer: Outskirts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159800963X

Book Description

Negatives Expose Positive Images

A photographer's daughter preserved her father's archive of hundreds of black and white negatives. The Images are of a media neglected population of people living in Asbury Park, New Jersey's West Side. She shares her memories about the people and places captured in the photographs that were taken almost seventy years ago.

The Author/Photographer Madonna Carter Jackson has selected over 200 photographs that document the varied influences, innumerous contributions of social, civic, and community pride. You will see an amazing visual display of pictures from the 1940's through 1980, some of streets and avenues that no longer exist in the one square mile town on the Jersey coast. Readers of all ages will enjoy and relate to the reminiscing and will without a doubt, have memories of their own sparked by the display of nostalgia regardless of where they live. African American's sought to find a better life during this period, and you will be able to see life being lived lovely through this pictorial journey as seen through the camera lens of Joseph A. Carter, Sr. (1917-1980)

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