books that combine words and text: any good ones?

[maculadeplata]

dear friends,

i'd just like to say hello, and have chosen to do so here in a section dealing with book reviews, among other topics, rather than the "introduce yourself" section, so as to be more to the point. i am on the lookout for good books, with primacy on the artful combination of the written word and images. if you know of any good ones already published, why not share them here?

a good one which I came across recently, but which doesn't necessarily "nail it down" is Studio practices by Hashem El Madani. Here is a good case where the photos in themselves don't tell us much; the author's descriptions are what elucidate them. There is also a good interview with the author in the front and is rather a remarkable account of the history of a country--Lebanon--and to be more precise a particular community within it vis-a-vis the people who passed through this photographer's studio. Some examples of hand-coloured photographs are included (along with the circumstances surrounding their commission) as well as "scratched-negative" photos and again the interesting particulars surrounding them. All in all, a very insightful book, especially on this area of craft--straight, commission-based studio photography--that is perhaps not as highly considered as other areas.

(Please note, I am in no way connected with the author or publisher. I just like good books.)

 

[Will S]

Practically everything by Frederick Sommer. His Aperture issue and "All Children Are Ambassadors" in particular.

Best,

Will

 

[Chazzy]

So far, 100% of the books I have read combine words and text.

 

[maculadeplata]

Chazzy, yes, in a broad sense and playing on the verb read, you could be right, but of course that's why I conditioned my statement with artfully combine, which substantially reduces the number. But this pun opens up another interesting angle: there is a case to be made for reading a book without text, too. Because that's what we do, of course, read images. This is not to mention using words in different ways, be they subversive--no, this doesn't mean propaganda--or otherwise, in combination with images, which is another possibility.

Thanks for the tip on Sommer--don't know him. Will have to look him up.

Forgot to say that the abovementioned book and the kind of book I am looking for are done with film-based equipment...I just took it for granted!

 

[Bill Mitchell]

My very favorite photography book is "TIME IN NEW ENGLAND" with images by Paul Strand, and text excerpted from old Yankee writings by Nancy Newhall. Get the later APerture Edition, not the original one as the printing is much better. It contains some of Strand's finest work.

 

[Helen B]

'Let Us Now Praise Famous Men' by Walker Evans and James Agee is quite something, if you haven't already read it.

Best,
Helen

 

[Black Dog]

Also 'Remains of Elmet' by Fay Godwin & Ted Hughes.

 

[maculadeplata]

thanks all, for these fine suggestions--i have never seen any of them, so all of this is discovery for me.

my list is growing! actually finding them will take some doing, but, "time is on my side", as they say.

i mention as a curious sidenote that in some or many of the books named, the photog does the photos and someone else does the text. this seems to be the norm. it is sort of a time honoured tradition, in fact, i.e., famous photog teams up with famous writer. (and you could also go on to add, "...teams up with famous book designer", for which there are notable exceptions of course, right now Ralph Gibson comes immediately to mind.) again, i am beginning to drift, but, let me say this: i am troubled by the fact that more photogs don't do their own text because of the implications that the photog's art is "picture-taking" and the business of accompanying it in writing should be done by someone else, which, by extension (in my own thought processes), takes away from the photog's potential as a creative force. granted, some photogs just may not want to do it, or not be well-suited for it. (the inverse would also be true, of course, namely, a writer may not want to take the photos, or doesn't have the talent, or both.) perhaps it's just "division of labour".

i am just thinking out loud here, bouncing thoughts around.

 

[Bill Mitchell]

Ansel Adams, "Examples, the Making of 40 Photographs" is a one-man tour d'force, as are the "Daybooks" of Edwrd Weston.

 

[jovo]

Well, your 'challenge' is an interesting one, because I am sitting here looking at a book by a wonderful photographer who is no less a master with words, John Szarkowski, and wondering if his book will meet your criteria. He has chosen in his recent volume - John Szarkowski, Photographs - to accompany his many marvelous photographs with excerpts from, and complete letters to various people. They tell of his circumstances at the time of the making of the photographs and also address a multitude of ancillary concerns and ideas relevant to their reason for being made. At the end of the book, there is a biographical essay by Sandra S. Phillips which satisfies the reader's interest in the chronology of the man's life and career.

Szarkowski is one of those brilliant people, who, like Beaumont Newhall, subordinated his own creative work to serve as curator and guide to the many illustrious lights of his age. His book is a vindication, at long last, that his work as curator emanated from a powerfully artistic sensibilty not dissimilar to those he promoted. I think, of all the eminent 20th century photographers who I would love to have known personally, Szarkowski would have been among the finest on the A list! I only wish I were so worthy!

 

[maculadeplata]

Thanks for the suggestion on that AA book -- I want to get into it. The Daybooks, by all accounts (incluiding mine, as I am just dipping in as we speak), is an important document but as far as I can tell, it is just that, a written document (valuable in its own right, of course!). And of course they put together a Weston photo book with fragments from the Daybooks, but I don't know if this was an express idea of his.

As far as Szarkowski, I will have to check him out. In current critical discourse on photography he seems to be one of the real heavyweights, or at the very least, someone with insight when talking about photography. So thanks for that.

In passing, although it seems somewhat passé from our historical vantagepoint, I'd like to mention a book which had a significant impact on me in this regard, which is BIKERIDERS by D. Lyon. This is very documentary-like, but I like it.

 

[Russell Smith]

I thought "The Ongoing Moment" by Geoff Dyer was a very good take on photographic history, and how subject matter can be consistant through the years. Of course Susan Sontag, "On Photography", but it's text only. Russell Smith.

 

[Allen Friday]

You might look for Wright Morris' "The Home Place" and "The Inhabitants." Wright was the second photographer to receive a guggenheim (Weston was the first), and he also won the American Book Award twice.

He had the idea of creating "photo-texts", where every other page is a photograph. The photographs do not illustrate the text, but stand as a seperate artistic statement.

Interesting concept, far ahead of its time. Still makes for interesting reading.

 

[Donald Miller]

It seems that a majority of us who try to express ourselves through photography limit our exposure to those resources that are only photographic. That is a terribly short sighted and limiting view of things in my opinion.

Painting has a much longer history than photography and it would appear that if we wish to express ourselves artistically that we would benefit from studying what has been accepted as legitimate art for the longest period of time.

I recently bought a book entitled simply "Art" it is written by Robert Cumming who is chairman of Christies education. He has been associated with Christies since 1978 in addition to teaching a variety of locations both here and abroad.

One thing that he does address is the role of symbolism in art...something that really sets some self described photographers teeth on edge. The text of this book really helps one to understand the composition and the artistic impetus behind some recognized art.

dear friends,

i'd just like to say hello, and have chosen to do so here in a section dealing with book reviews, among other topics, rather than the "introduce yourself" section, so as to be more to the point. i am on the lookout for good books, with primacy on the artful combination of the written word and images. if you know of any good ones already published, why not share them here?

a good one which I came across recently, but which doesn't necessarily "nail it down" is Studio practices by Hashem El Madani. Here is a good case where the photos in themselves don't tell us much; the author's descriptions are what elucidate them. There is also a good interview with the author in the front and is rather a remarkable account of the history of a country--Lebanon--and to be more precise a particular community within it vis-a-vis the people who passed through this photographer's studio. Some examples of hand-coloured photographs are included (along with the circumstances surrounding their commission) as well as "scratched-negative" photos and again the interesting particulars surrounding them. All in all, a very insightful book, especially on this area of craft--straight, commission-based studio photography--that is perhaps not as highly considered as other areas.

(Please note, I am in no way connected with the author or publisher. I just like good books.)

 

[severian]

no words

Chazzie,
Look up books by Nathan Lyons, I forget the particular book, but there are no words. Even the preface and introduction are photographs . Words are a crutch!

Severian, autarch of urth, Jack

 

[ooze]

"Atget". Each photograph is accompanied by a text by Szarkowski.

 

[Tony Egan]

If you want something a bit irreverent try Don and Fred Imus' book "Two Guys, Four Corners". Full of acerbic one-liners, a low-brow antidote to some of the more pompous writing on photography. Colour photos by Don and Fred of the South West and a short introduction about their childhood on a ranch in Arizona.
Here's a example accompanying a photo of Sedona:
"....It is now a pretentious yuppie shithole filled with cheap curio shops and annoying fat tourists who've sucked all of the propitious energy out of the place, leaving in its void an amorphous mass of negative vibes that would piss off a priest"

 

[jovo]

If you want something a bit irreverent try Don and Fred Imus' book "Two Guys, Four Corners".

Don Imus used to be a big photography fan, even to the extent of holding a charity auction of Ansel Adam's Hasselblad kit which ended, I seem to recall, with him being the highest (and perhaps only) bidder. His sponsors included Fujifilm and Nikon, and he flogged them pretty regularly even beyond the formal ads he would read. I stopped listening a few years ago (too many ads and too much right wing crap for my taste) and occasionally wonder where his photography has taken him....digital maybe? Anybody know (or care for that matter)?

 

[Shawn Rahman]

I think, of all the eminent 20th century photographers who I would love to have known personally, Szarkowski would have been among the finest on the A list! I only wish I were so worthy!

I had the very great pleasure to meet Mr. Szarkowski at his home in East Chatham, NY over the summer. His home is about a mile down the road from my brother's, and I took the chance to seek out his phone number and call him out of the blue. He was surprisingly receptive when I told him that I was a big fan of his, particularly of a small book of his titled "Mr. Bristol's Barn" that features a centuries old barn that is on his property.

We sat on his porch for about 15 minutes while he spoke about the barn, his retirement, and MOMA. He's got on somewhat in years, but hasn't lost an ounce of wit. When asked if I was a photographer, his SECOND question was whether I used film or digital. He was quite pleased to hear that I was "still" using film & chemistry.

I was simply in awe that an ABSOLUTE GIANT like Szarkowski would welcome me, an absolute stranger, to sit with him outside his home and chat about photography. He signed and inscribed a number of books for me, and it is an afternoon that I will never forget.

 

[Daniel_OB]

The best book to me is my own "seeing" and I enjoy it every moment of my life.
Beside that one, I like four books more

Henri Carrtier, Artless Art, about individual photographs
Robert Frank, Moving out, how to capture portrait of a nation
Ansel Adams, autobiography, view camera and life of photographer....
Bible. Interpret however you like.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[Bob F.]

My favourite where the words and text are not necessarily directly 1:1, but are connected is Searching the Thames: A Journey from the Source to the Sea; text by by Priscilla Waugh, photography by Denis Waugh (mostly 4x5 using Ektachrome). They have a site here: (http://www.thames-search.com/index.html) with a selection of pages taken from the book. As usual, the web images do not look as good as the book images which are full page, coffee table book size.

The book suits my interests in local history and good photography so I dip in to it a lot. I have scanned their Bisham Church as my PC background...

Cheers, Bob.