One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

Book Description

To live in a pristine land . . . roam the wilderness . . . build a home. . . . Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.

Customer Reviews:

True to the man.......2007-09-29

Ten years ago I spent a summer volunteering for the National Park Service at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in Alaska. My remote rangers cabin was located at Twin Lakes. Being on the lower lake, I was about 9 miles from my nearest neighbor- Dick. We spoke daily on our walkie-talkies, checking in about the weather, any visitors, or interesting wildlife viewings. I trekked up his way several times over the summer, and enjoyed a few meals with him. I can't remember if it's in his book, but his favorite sandwich was the "Twin Lakes Special": sourdough flapjaks, raw onion, and honey; don't knock it 'til ya try it! Just like his book, he was a gracious, thoughtful man, a true naturalist. Also the most spry 82-year-old I think I'd ever seen! I was saddened to hear of his death several years ago, and was grateful the NPS kept his cabin as a historical site; it is a cozy place, dark inside, smelling faintly of woodsmoke and 1948 sourdough starter, with wonderful decorative touches throughout. Dick was truly a special person, and this book captures his voice, his no-nonsense manner of talking, as well as his appreciation of the beauty of the natural world, perfectly.

A modern day "Thoreau".......2007-09-16

You cannot visit Alaska without reading this book FIRST! Just the photography alone will make you want to go. I dentify in many ways with Dick as I lived in a cabin in the White Mountains of NH for many years. He didn't intrude on nature...he simply lived in harmony with it. He appeals to all of your senses in his simple but beautifully written words, never mind the pictures. He is definitely portrayed as a "loner" but that is a good thing..for a loner has much higher self esteem and sense of character than those who can't survive in the world without people around them all the time. Dick is a true steward of the land because of his deep, abiding love and connection for this piece of God's Creation. His beautifully chronicled life in Alaska will remind you of Robert Frost's words.."We love the things we love for what they are." Enjoy!

Just as Good the Second Time.......2007-09-12

I was telling my husband about this book as I started reading it. He said, "Don't you remember, we read that many years ago when Alaska Magazine published it"? I knew that Babe, the pilot, seemed familiar. It didn't matter. I was happy to read it a second time which is unusual for me. Oh, how I would have loved to have been able to do what Mr. Proenneke did and to live where he lived. There is nothing dull about this book and I suspect the people who find it dull haven't any interest in living in the wilderness without Blackberries, i-pods, automobiles and restaurants.

Even though most of us who enjoyed the book probably don't begin to have the skills that Richard Proenneke had which made what he did possible (and a pilot friend who delivered for free) I think we all wish we could do what he did. I know I do. I didn't realize that a sequel exists. It costs big bucks, but if it's anything close to as interesting as this book, it's worth it. Maybe I'll find out if the Mission Girls ever showed-up.

Homesteading in Alaska.......2007-08-16

The year was 1968. The setting, the Alaskan bush. The mission, to live simply, deliberately, and self-sufficiently off the land, free of the trappings of contemporary society. The protagonist, clearly not what you might expect given the era. He was not some young, free spirited hippie, luddite, or draft dodger. Rather, he was a skilled hard working machinist/woodsman, who at age 51 decided to permanently leave the rat race behind.

Why this man, Dick Prenacke, suddenly left behind his conventional existence to live in a remote and unforgiving section of Alaska is never fully explored in the book. While snippets do reveal his distain for modernity, it never fully embellishes on what ultimately drove the author to do what few would ever conceive of doing. Perhaps Dick realized that at 51, the physical and physiological fortitude required to make such a transition would soon be out of his reach. More likely however, he foresaw the end of an era. No more than a few years after his departure into the wild, Alaska would enact laws prohibiting trappers and homesteaders from freely trudging off into the woods to live the quintessential "Alaskan experience." Soon Alaska would become like the rest of the lower 48, where people like Dick would be considered trespassers and evicted from any land that they did not rightfully own. Fortunately for the author, the laws were grand fathered in.

While the book is essentially a personal account of Alaskan homesteading, the author episodically weaves social commentary into his writings. He laments a society that is wasteful and superficial. The hunters that come into his Alaska, products of such a society, leave garbage and animal meat behind, unaware that the author cleans up after as well as makes use of their squander.

The author also reveals his anxiety for a society that is increasingly consumed by materialism. He feels that man is entrapped by things that he doesn't need and he seeks to avoid the superfluous at all costs. To the outsider, surviving in the wilds of Alaska would seem to require an extravagant amount of equipment and gear. One can only imagine the bill the average suburbanite would amass at the local REI in preparation for such an endeavor. Yet the author demonstrates just how little is required to not only to survive but also to prosper in such an inhospitable region.

The book closes with some thoughts on technology, and the rapidity of change that comes with it. The author's words are both haunting and prescient as he elaborates on his first year in Alaska and how his experience conflicts greatly with society at large.

inspiring.......2007-07-14

Inspiring book. Diarist was over 50 when he began this journey. Helps me look to the future for myself.

Photography: A Cultural History (2nd Edition)

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Photography: A cultural history (trade version)
excellent resource!
Wonderful!
Exceptional Service
great shape

Photography: A Cultural History (2nd Edition)
Mary Warner Marien
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0132219069

Book Description

For one or two semester courses in the History of Photography.

A chronological history of photography ranging from the medium’s beginnings to the present, with emphasis on the major inventions and image makers and the social and cultural settings in which photography flourished.

The book was written to introduce students to photography. It does not require that students possess any technical know-how and can be taught without referring to techniques in photography. Incorporating the latest research and international uses of photography, the text surveys the history of photography in such a way that students can gauge the medium's long-term multifold developments and see the historical and intellectual contexts in which photographers lived and worked. It also provides a unique focus on contemporary photo-based work and electronic media.

Customer Reviews:

Photography: A cultural history (trade version).......2007-09-29

An exellent source. The price was unbeatable. At school a smaller version of this book was over $100 and I paid less than $50for a more complete book!

excellent resource!.......2006-03-23

i had to buy this for class, and for once it isn't a "textbook" ! finally an art textbook that doubles as a coffee table book, and one you can read. very good text - easy, and not too "academic." highly recommend.

Wonderful!.......2006-03-07

This text was hardcover and gorgeous.. and over 1/2 off what the bookstore at my school was selling it for.. Thank you

Exceptional Service.......2005-09-24

Now a days, with the uncommon hike in text book prices for already broke college kids, its nice to know we get a break somewhere. Perfect book for at least half the price. Thats business!!!

great shape.......2005-09-20

The book was in great condition and I find the content very interesting

Texas Cattle Barons: Their Families, Land & Legacy

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TEXAS CATTLE BARONS
21th century..what it means for Texas ranchers.
Wonderful photographic journey of Texas' fabled ranches

Texas Cattle Barons: Their Families, Land & Legacy
Elmer Kelton , Kathleen Jo Ryan , and Genevieve Morgan
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1580081002

Customer Reviews:

TEXAS CATTLE BARONS.......2000-08-18

UNFORTUNATELY, I DID NOT GET MY COPY FROM AMAZON.COM. I WAS FORTUNATE HOWEVER, TO GET AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY AT AN ANITQUE STORE. THE BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFULLY ILLISTRATED. A DEFINTE WANT TO BUY!

21th century..what it means for Texas ranchers........2000-07-03

This book shows the real life of Texas ranchers involved. Wonderful pictures and stories of real families; their dreams and problems that come with owning a ranch in the 21st century. The whole book is a learning tool for anybody interested in a ranchers life.

Wonderful photographic journey of Texas' fabled ranches.......2000-06-13

This book is a wonderful treatment of the few remaining cattle barons. It provides depth of coverage through interviews with residents of a number of ranches and sends the reader on a journey to the Texas plains.

Maya: Divine Kings of the Rain Forest (Cultural Studies Photography)

Average customer rating:

Marvelous Book on the Maya
Shows just why they're called the Magnicent Mayans...

Maya: Divine Kings of the Rain Forest (Cultural Studies Photography)
Nikolai Grube
Manufacturer: Konemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

Marvelous Book on the Maya.......2007-01-05

This is by far the best and most beautiful book on the Maya for the general reader that I have come across. I have traveled extensively throughout the Maya Area, and own several books on the subject, including classics such as "A Forest of Kings", "The Blood of Kings", Coe's "The Maya", and Henderson's "The World of the Ancient Maya". However, none of these volumes come close to Grube's massive, lavishly-illustrated tome in terms of spectacular photographs, wealth of topics, and breadth of scholarship.

Edited by N. Grube, a renowned Maya scholar, the book is a collection of articles by several experts on the Maya, each a specialist in some aspect of the civilization. The range of articles is wide enough to form a comprehensive general introduction to the Maya and their achievements. In addition, there are articles that discuss unusual topics covered only briefly, if at all, in the other books. Alongside the usual material on Maya history throughout the Pre-Classic, Classic, and Post-Classic, you will find delightful chapters on the role of caves in Maya religion, intoxication and ecstacy, war and prisoners, court dwarves, the meaning of the Bonampak murals, Puuc architecture, Tikal architecture and its influence, astronomy and mathematics, grave robbers, Maya Gods, cacao, obsidian, the Teotihuacan connection, the Spanish Conquest, and the Maya in the Colonial and Present Eras. Your reading will be greatly enhanced by the dozens of beautiful illustrations, many of them unique to this volume. Where else, for example, will you see large color photographs of the Rio Bec and Tonina ruins, of chicle gathering and looted sites in the Peten jungle?

While "Divine Kings of the Rain Forest" certainly does some justice to the divinity of its subject matter, it is relatively expensive. Moreover, since it is out of print, you might even have to pay more than the list price to obtain a nice copy. However, it will be worth every penny. It is truly a pity that this book is out of print. (Try used book stores in large cities, where you might be fortunate enough to get a good copy at half price, as I did.) This is definitely a volume to display, treasure, and savor repeatedly.

Shows just why they're called the Magnicent Mayans..........2004-03-13

This is the best book I have ever come across on Mayan culture. It is a oversized coffee table volume, some 450 deluxe pages, each of which is covered with maps, illustrations and many, many photographs. Each period in Mayan development is covered in the chapters and the illustrations correspond neatly with the text. The text also does not veer off into the author's own opinions as these books frequently do. The first evidence of humans in the Mayan planes date to around ten thousand b.c., the book starts there and continues to the current Mayans (yes, their descendents alive in the world today, and that, too, is an interesting look). For anyone who thinks that civilization began in the Mediterranean, this book is clear evidence that it began on the other side of the world at the same time, if not earlier. It's a shame that the price and the fact that this book is out of print makes it less accessible to readers. For Mayan historians, this book is a must, but even someone with only a casual interest in the subject would find much of interest here.

Broken Empire : After the Fall of the USSR

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bonecrushingly slanted, I get the message
Excellent photography, butý.
Absolutely Unforgettable
Wonderful
Broken Empire, Broken Dreams

Broken Empire : After the Fall of the USSR
Fen Montaigne
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792264320
Release Date: 2001-11-01

Book Description

On December 25, 1991, at 7:35 p.m., soldiers lowered the red Soviet flag flying over the Kremlin and raised the Russian tri-color in its place. The moment passed without pomp or circumstance, resulting in a strangely muted end to a regime that had, in many ways, defined the 20th century.

Christmas 2001 is the tenth anniversary of the demise of the Soviet Union. To commemorate the event, National Geographic presents a mesmerizing retrospective that captures all the turbulence of Russia's new beginning.

With 120 extraordinary photographs by Gerd Ludwig and incisive essays by Fen Montaigne, Broken Empire captures Russia in all its complexity. The book examines not only the fledgling country's notorious corruption and poverty—the only aspects of Russia covered by most Western media—but many lesser known facets, including the rise of a new urban generation committed to building a prosperous society. Taking us into the daily lives of Russians, from entrepreneurs to pensioners, Broken Empire's images and words come together to capture as no book ever has the poignant resilience of a country endeavoring to find a workable middle road between capitalism and state control.

Customer Reviews:

bonecrushingly slanted, I get the message.......2005-04-26

astonishingly shocking at times and bland at others, is this the Russia of modern day or is this the image the author sees? Certainly the latter and probably not the former. Wonder how the people of Russia feel about this commentary in pictures on their existence? Bleak and disheartening comes to mind. Could a similar tome be assembled on America...of course if one looks hard enough at any topic the horror can be visualized.

Excellent photography, butý........2003-01-19

Gerd Ludwig photography is first-class but I wish written text had been as creative as the photographer's eye. Nothing to discredit the author, Fen Montaigne. But Fen, must you be so boring and bland. A single image captured a thousand words and your text was a dreadful mono-tone grounded in a yawning choice of vocabulary.

If your looking for images and insight text read "The Home Planet" by Kevin W Kelley. Two different subject matters, but the written text illustrates where this book went astray.

Absolutely Unforgettable.......2002-01-09

Broken Empire leaves an indelible mark on the memory. This stunning work presents a passionate and proud people, ravaged by the merciless process of political change. The book's coverage of the effect on the Russian environmental landscape alone, makes this a documentary of great importance. But most unforgettable, are the images which capture the entire spectrum of human experience that the nation's new self-image has imposed - from humiliation and despair, to dignity and triumph of the spirit against all odds - making this work an uncompromising testament to the historic realities of post-communistic Russia.

Wonderful.......2002-01-09

Contrary to the cover image of the book, this work clearly takes the blindfolds off in delivering a superb body of photographic work.

I have been traveling to the former Soviet Union now for the past twenty-five years and have always been surprised by how ignorant the world was about this marvelous nation. Ludwig clearly has an intimate feel for the soul of this great world. The images breathe and display the majesty of this people and empire wonderfully, warts and all. This is not a tragic populace, but a noble collection of races and groups who share a common pride, humanism and patriotism with a unique perspective and outlook on life that is both refreshing and vital.

I thought that the Western world would never get it right about the great land and her people, but Ludwig's masterpiece clearly and artfully reveals the nuances of an emerging colossus whose rightful place in history, commerce, politics, art and culture is assured by its dogged determinism to continue, to live, to strive to express the essence that is "Mother Russia".

And to do all of this with photography...what an achievement!!

Broken Empire, Broken Dreams.......2001-12-31

An incredible journey through the remains of the former Soviet Union both in pictures and words. Broken Empire puts the lie to the "Workers Paradise" promised by the USSR's once all-powerful communist regime, revealing the harsh realities of environmental and spiritual decay left in its wake. The images are dazzling and heartbreaking. A must see and read book for anyone who loves truth.

Book Description

This unusual book celebrates the colorful, sunwashed doorways of San Miguel de Allende, one of the oldest towns in Mexico. Picturesque, intellectually stimulating and historically fascinating, this arts-and-crafts and cultural center is a popular destination for tourists, expatriates, and vacationers. When photographer-writer Robert de Gast first visited there in 1987 he was particularly captivated by its doors---of mansions, houses, stables, churches, banks, studios, and stores. He returned five years later to document them; eighty of his photographs from that trip have been selected for this entrancing book. De Gast lives part of every year in San Miguel, where he continues to photograph and write.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Read IF YOU'RE into these things.......2006-04-11

but if not, you'll be bored senseless.

Interesting, I guess, but beware the title.......2005-08-28

This book was purchased as a gift for me. I am a subscriber to International Living, and San Miguel is a long-time favorite of theirs.

I mentioned this, and the way the city had piqued my interest, to a family member. She then promptly went online and ordered this book for me.

It is for this reason that I issue the following warning: the title should be taken LITERALLY, not figuratively.

It could be read either way, but this book is NOT about opening the metaphorical doors to life in San Miguel. You will not look in these pages and then find the metaphorical doors to San Miguel thrown open to your understanding and appreciation. You will not learn about expat or local life in this historical city. And you will not find yourself frequently referring back here as you plan your trip or your move.

What you WILL find, seriously, is heaps about the actual physical doorways on buildings in San Miguel.

If you WANT the world's premiere photo-essay collection about the doorways in San Miguel, then this is a five-star tome all the way. Look all you want, you won't find better. If you want info about the city and culture of this red-hot expat community, look elsewhere.

Great door collection!.......2002-08-10

If you are looking for rustic colonial or American Southwest doors then this book is a must buy. - jim

NICE DOOR PHOTOS,....BUT.......2002-03-01

If you are looking for information about San Miguel, this book does NOT provide it! Very little written...too many door photos!

"Doors" - a magnificent entry into San Miguel's culture.......2000-08-05

The photographs and text of this book are so intriguing the reader longs to visit San Miguel. So I did! Robert de Gast brings the riotious colors, history, atmosphere and tranquility of San Miguel right to our doorstep. His perception of quite ordinary sights makes them very extraordinary. I can hardly wait to get my copy of "Behind the Doors".

Average customer rating:

Makes you think
Good Book
Buy This Book!
Wonderful book!
Great Images

100 Photographs That Changed the World
Editors of Life Magazine
Manufacturer: Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931933847

Book Description

he power of pictures is celebrated in this portfolio of the most forceful still images of all time. Robert Capa's dispatches from the beach at Normandy and Joe Rosenthal's photographic report of Iwo Jima stirred a nation, as did-in quite an opposite way-Eddie Adams' and Larry Burrows' searing imagery from Vietnam.LIFE thinks outside the box in this book: Did Marilyn Monroe's pinup change the world?Did Harry Benson's photography of the Beatles deplaning in New York in 1964 alter our cultural focus?The pictures in this book are sometimes beautiful, often striking-and undeniably powerful.

Customer Reviews:

Makes you think.......2007-05-12

I found this book really interesting and the fact that it has the full photos but also has a blurb about each of them makes it more interesting than some of the National Geographic books which only have the photos.

Some of the images will be well known to all generations who pick up the book, and some I found myself learning about for the first time. One particular photo which stood out for me was one in Jackson, Mississippi where a crowd of white citizens are abusing and taunting a black girl who is sitting at the counter of a cafe. The pain in her face is amazing and it is interesting to think how far we have come from 1963 when that photo was taken.

There is of course the Tiananmen Square and the fall of Iraq, but there are also photos of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the first ever moving picture.

Overall the book is a great keepsake if nothing else, but I'd recommend it as a coffee table book because a lot of the photos will definitely get people talking.

Good Book.......2007-02-17

A good general book of famous photography. The pictures are, of course, famous, but not of the highest quality. A nice book to sit and browse through.

Buy This Book!.......2006-04-20

100 Photographs that changed the world can only be described as an intimate and emotional view of our world over the last century. The book was created by Time magazine, many of the photos coming straight from their covers. Many of the pictures are published elsewhere and have no doubt been seen by many people, but having them put together in this fashion is amazing. Complete with date and description, you find yourself having a little history lesson without even knowing it. Every page is readable and interesting, it will definitely keep your attention.

There are pictures from "The Arts", "Science and Nature", "Society", and "War and Peace". Beginning with the first photo ever taken and moving on to amazing things like the ex-ray that allowed to discovery of the double helix in our DNA. There are also many controversial issues such as lynching in the south, and young black students being sprayed by a fire hose; showing just how horrible slavery and racism really has been in America. There are pictures of the many starving children from other countries with their tiny arms and legs and huge bellies created from the horrible conditions that they live in every day. There is no question that many of these photos are hard to look at, but they force you to face the reality of our unjust world. They document some of the many mistakes we have made in the last 100 years and all that we have learned from them. It also includes groundbreaking photos such as the first picture taken of a baby inside of a mothers womb, the very first photo of the earth from the surface of the moon, and JFK's assassination. They are undeniably breath taking, heart breaking, and thought provoking. Even if all of these pictures did not actually change the world. They definitely changed the way we view the world. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, there are simply not enough words to describe the power and emotion contained in these photographs.

This book is simply a must have for any library. Young or old, it is a book that you will undoubtedly pull from the shelf many times. Definitely the kind of book that parents should look at with their children to help them learn about history. I'm sure the pictures will provoke questions and curiosity from both sides, and it is a great way to learn together. It is the kind of book that you can pass on through generations of your family and it will be just as valuable to them as it is to us. We are so lucky to have to opportunity to be able to document our lives with pictures, which has only been possible for about the last hundred years. We need to take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity. Don't pass up the chance to own a book that is this powerful.

Wonderful book!.......2006-03-24

As a keen buyer of photo books I could not miss the opportunity of possessing this collection of immortal shots. I already had many of them in other books, but at such a budget price I simply could not resist the temptation! It was also the occasion to get to know the names of some professionals that made the type of photos that you look at and say "Wow! I saw this 100000 times and it is a pleasure again... but... any clue about the author?". Good starting book for people naive of photo history, avoid buying it if you already have a good collection of photo books and are not afraid of navigating them to find out that immortal shot.

Great Images.......2006-03-17

These are many of the most memorable photographs ever taken. The images and stories are inspiring. I found myself reflecting on what I was doing the first time I saw each of these images. This is an essential book for all photographers.

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3-5 weeks to ship = a lie
A Testement and Epitaph to Human Cultural Diversity
Ethnography as an Unknown

Secret Museum of Mankind
David Stiffler
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0879059125

Book Description

6X9In, 576Pp, 1000+ Black & White Photos Travel Four Continents and The Islands of The Seas Through The Pages of This Fascinating Book, Originally Published Nearly A Century Ago. Illustrated With Over A Thousand Black-And-White Photos, The Secret Museum of Mankind Offers A Glimpse Into The Lives of Hundreds of Cultures of Mankind In Nativve Dress, At Work and At Leisure. From Masked Warrior Tribes of New Guinea and Decoratively Intricate Scars of Congo Natives To Heavily Veiled Women of Islan and Incredible Postures of Hindu Ascetics, You Will Be Captivated By The Range of Dress, Body Decor, Traditions, Rituals, and Religions Displayed Within Its Pages.

Customer Reviews:

3-5 weeks to ship = a lie.......2006-02-25

I ordered this on Jan 24, and now they're telling me it won't ship until the end of March. Ridiculous! If you want this book, be prepared to wait while Amazon constantly pushes back your delivery date.

A Testement and Epitaph to Human Cultural Diversity.......1999-09-13

Awesome book. It is made up entirely of captioned photos taken in the, apparently, the 1920's. It subject is indigineous cultures around the world. It's an amazing testement to the diversity of human cultures while also being an epitaph for many of these cultures no longer exist or have been absorbed into Westernized one we live in today. The captions are enthnocentric but the photos boggle the mind.

Ethnography as an Unknown.......1999-06-13

I doubt that you, the reader, will often encounter a review of a book that the reviewer hasn't read (or maybe that's more common than we know). I will eventually buy and read this particular book, if only to see if it's as enthralling as is the original edition from decades ago. I may or may not have the original edition, nobody really knows. The origins of the book seem to be shrouded in mystery. Hopefully, Mr. Stiffler provides some expository information in his introduction. My copy lists no author, date of publication or other information; only the cryptic "New York, Manhattan House."

This is a book that must be read (rather perused) to be believed. One could certainly think the author (?) a racist and a unicultural bigot, if it were not for the fact that there seems to be no race, ethnic group, or gender about which he (?) cannot make a disparaging or condescending remark. All of that aside, however, this is a book (actually the original is "Five Volumes in One") with some of the most remakable photographs one will ever encounter. If, indeed, one person is responsible for all the photographs and did visit all the lands, peoples, and cultures featured, this is one of the most astonishing journals of travel that can be encountered. There are photographs the like of which you will not have seen anywhere else. It is the "Geographic" taken to degrees of documentation they could have achieved only by a conscious decision to toss any pretense of science out the window and replace it with sensationalistic photographs that even the pulps of the day wouldn't have touched. But, oh those photographs!

Book Description

Following World War II, China found itself struggling with a conversion to communism that had wreaked havoc on the nation's economy, causing a devastating famine and extreme economic depression. In 1966 China's leader, Mao Zedong, gave his support to radicals within the communist party who envisioned a revolutionary social upheaval that would destroy all traces of the reactionary past. This was the beginning of a ten-year period of violence and chaos known as the Cultural Revolution. Many top officials lost their positions and numerous provincial governments came under the control of the radicals. The radical movement was primarily led by students who formed organizations known as "Red Guards," which used violent methods to punish people they saw as "anti-Maoists" or counter-revolutionaries. At the height of the Cultural Revolution (1966-70) China's universities were closed and much of its populace was sent to rural "re-education centres" where they were indoctrinated with Maoist policies. It is during this period that Li Zhensheng worked as a photojournalist for the "Heilongjiang Daily", shooting film both for the paper and, as we know now, for himself. While Li worked for a newspaper supporting the Maoist movement and admits he did not think Mao's policies to be incorrect at the beginning of his tenure at the newspaper, his hiding of film was a highly subversive action. As a photographer, Li wanted to document the Cultural Revolution for himself and for others in the future. He put himself at risk by hiding film stills that the government would have destroyed, capturing events of which little or no other visual record exists. Looking at the photos in this book, one sees the difference between the photos published in the "Daily" and those Li hid for himself, allowing for a rare understanding of how the Chinese government controlled media during the Cultural Revolution. The Heilongjiang province where Li worked was crucial because of its proximity to the then Soviet Union. Its main city, Harbin, had been occupied by the Soviets following World War II and was later set up as a communication hub between the Soviet Union and China. It was the communist centre which bred the revolutionary movement, leading to China's unification under communist control in 1949. This Russian influence can be seen in the details of Li's photographs, right down to the city's typically Russian-style architecture. Many of Li's techniques as a photographer borrow from his training as a filmmaker, including his creation of "handheld panoramic" photos by shooting overlapping frames of large panoramas and pasting the stills together to create the illusion of one continuous shot. His inventive techniques and powerful images make Li one of the premier Chinese photographers alive today. This book, which takes its name from the literal translation of Li's accreditation as a photographer approved by the Communist Party headquarters in ! Beijing, is part of the key to understanding one of the most turbulent and still notorious eras of modern history. The book includes a preface, introduction, text by the photographer, chronology, maps, and extensive photo captions for over 400 photos (almost all of which have never been seen before).

Customer Reviews:

It reveals that horrible human nature of both individual and masses.......2006-12-28

Li's photos captured the extreme madness of hundreds of thousands people in China during that so-called Cultural Revolution and it reveals the very dark side of human nature as seen from, for instance, that young woman cheerfully recorded the place, date and time when she saw Mao going by in his jeep, the humiliating punishment of all sorts of people such as Communist Party Provincial secretaries or provincial governors, newspaper workers, peasants, or whoever in huge mass demonstration against so-called "Anti-Revolutionary Reactionaries" to different Red Guard factions infightings they reminded me how Hitler got into power, how Japanese militarism got in total control in Japan in its war efforts, and, believe it or not, how George W. Bush & Co. got "elected" into the White House, they all show that similar built-in weakness of human characteristics- or the human genes! This book tells a lot about all of us. The monolithic political power, century's religious indoctrination are at work around clock and real enlightening secular education around the world is probably struggling in a losing battle. A good book of historical documents.

Wonderful.......2004-06-11

This isn't just a history book laced with photos; this is also a personal view on the Cultural Revolution from the photographer's point of view. Informative and emotional at the same time. Wonderful.

The Many Faces of the Cultural Revolution.......2004-03-22

For those of us fascinated and puzzled over the cultural revolution in China, here are photos to bring to life what we've been reading.There are many faces to study. This document seems curiously objective even though the author has his own story to tell of being treated unfairly. I would not describe the photos as shocking to those who have studied these events in China's history. This is a great companion to any other narrative one might be studying on the subject. Also, the author is a remarkable person. This is another work on the cultural revolution where I come away feeling gratitude toward the author. Li Zhensheng has a more benign story in comparison with some other personal accounts that were part of my introduction to this subject. I enjoy this additional perspective. There is much to see here.

Amazing.......2004-03-14

For those readers whose knowledge of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution is limited to film, here is a document that shows that some of the films that portray these scenes were not exaggerated. These photographs do much more work than most documentary photographs. There is something uncannily immediate about them, as though the events depicted happened only yesterday; sometimes it is as though they were still happening. The text that accompanies the photographs follows the story of the photographer and his work through these years, and is interesting and well written. I came away from this book with the feeling of horror at fascism that I have never felt before. This book communicates something original and timeless about the human condition that I believe is priceless and rare. If you can't afford this book, you should seek it out at a bookstore and read it.

A shocking look at a remarkable period.......2003-12-22

Although the photographs are the main focus of this book, the accompanying text is also illuminating as an individual's account of his experiences of the Cultural Revolution. The text has, of course, been written with the benefit of hindsight - and one gets a sense of retrospective self-justification coming in. The passion that the period inspired amongst the younger generation is also evident, however.

The photographs are, of course, contemporary accounts of the living through that period, and consequently have the power to shock significantly. The "struggle session" photographs of senior party leaders undergoing "self-criticism" are particularly horrific. The concluding photographs of a "victor" of the Cultural Revolution on her way to her execution after the restoration of a more normal society also have a big impact - though curiously there is a sense of the pathetic about the woman that Li captures.

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