documentary photography

Hardcover. Thistle Hill Publications & Vermont Folklife Center, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 108 pages, 68 b&w photographs. Granite and Cedar represents an unusual collaboration between a documentary photographer and a writer of fiction to produce a haunting portrait of the people and the land of Vermont's most rural area, often referred to as the "Northeast Kingdom." Veteran photographer JOHN M. MILLER uses his brilliant collection of elegiac, but unsentimental, images dating from the 1970s to evoke the disappearing folkways, the rugged people, and the desolate and abandoned landscape of his native corner of the Green Mountain State. Miller's austere, black-and-white photos richly detail the erosion and the breakup of the small farms of the region and of the families who worked those farms. While they emphasize the stark beauty of the land, they also pay homage to the innate dignity and fierce pride of the people who live in such hardscrabble circumstances.

Hardcover. New York, Harper & Row, 1st, 1978, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 170 pages, hardcover with price-clipped dust jacket. A photographic document of the Rocky Mountain West. Foxing to top copy edge. Light edgewear to dust jacket, boards lightly rubbed. Price-clipped. Unmarked. Bright and clean; a tight copy.

Softcover. London, Reaktion Books , 1st, 2002, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 192 pages, b&w photos throughout. Documenting the grave sites of famous people. Memorializing as an art form; sculpture and text within a confined space, examples from all over the world, including: Vladimir Nabokov, Charles Chaplin, Thomas Hardy, Lewis Carroll, many others. Clean copy.

Hardcover. New York, Knopf, 1st, 1991, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 100 photos by Arnold, 25 in color. Clean, bright copy in an unclipped dust jacket.

Hardcover. 5 Continents, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 144 pages. Hardcover with no dust jacket. Still in publisher's shrink wrap. Clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. NY, Harper & Brothers, 1st, 1949, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, black cloth covers with yellow lettering. No dust jacket. 161 pages illustrated with 72 striking black-and-white photogravures by Berenice Abbott. Having spent most of the 1920s in Paris photographing such famous literati as James Joyce, Jean Cocteau and Andre Gide, Abbott returned to New York with the intention "to do in Manhattan what Atget did in Paris. " Throughout the 30s she captured New York "with a straightforward style that nodded toward 19th-century classicism while signaling a new sort of stripped-down modernism" (Roth, 100). Included here are her images of such artists as Isamu Noguchi, Edward Hopper, John Sloan and William Auerbach-Levy, each in their studios, along with numerous glimpses into the buildings, people and life of Greenwich Village. Text by Henry W. Lanier, editor, writer and son of renowned southern poet Sydney Lanier. Bright, clean copy.

Hardcover. London, Dewi Lewis Publishing, 1st UK, 1996, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket with a small close tear. The corpse of a young man lies in the street, his eyes half open, his face covered with insects. The uncaptioned image is like a jolt of electricity; no words could improve upon it. Ian Thomson's introduction confirms that life has little value in Haiti (cheap for humans, worthless for animals), a once proud nation that has declined into a police state where brutal poverty is the order of the day. Bruce Gilden's largely shocking black-and-white pictures reveal that decline as perhaps never before in a shoot-from-the-hip style of photojournalism. 120 pages. Clean copy. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Hardcover. Steidl , 1st, 2015, Hardcover, terra-cotta cloth with pastedown photo on front cover. 264 pages, 170 color illustrations. Balls and Bulldust is a rich collection of images that explores life and work among the cattlemen in the Northern Territory in Australia. It is not another cowboy story, rather one about men and women working very hard, and seeking some kind of solitude and sense of space in the midst of harsh conditions. For some, life in Australia's outback is a life-long routine. The young are attracted by its romanticism, which is-more often than not-shattered by reality's hardships. The red dust covering this vast scrubby landscape and filling the air is prevalent in Ludwigson's images. Days can be blistering hot and temperatures at nights may sometimes fall below zero. People sleep on "swags" on the ground for weeks. The food is drab and the men are in their saddles twelve hours a day mustering herds of cattle, branding and castrating young bulls. Hakan Ludwigson spent three months with the cattlemen of the Australian outback early in his career, and returned to his native Sweden with a body of work that became Balls and Bulldust. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Hardcover. Bologna, Damiani , 1st, 2016, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, brown cloth with gilt lettering, cover label on front cover, 160 pages. Diary of a Set Designer is a book of Polaroids taken over 25 years by Happy Massee while traveling the world as a production designer. The photographic journal is a journey through time, with a collection of images taken with the now-defunct Polaroid camera--which, at the time, was essential to the art of designing for film. One of the industry's top production designers, Massee has enjoyed a career spanning the realms of theater, film, commercials and fashion. He has worked with established directors such as Wes Anderson, David Lynch, David Fincher, Michel Gondry and more, while in the world of fashion he has collaborated with the likes of Inez and Vinoodh, Peter Lindbergh and Craig McDean, and worked for brands such as Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Bulgari and Swarovski. His film credits include, among others, Broken English, directed by Zoe Cassavetes, and Two Lovers, directed by James Gray, and he has designed sets for music videos such as Jay Z's "99 Problems" and Madonna's "Take a Bow." In this volume, "the images of personalities, sets, locations and encounters," Massee explains, "all tell a story related to my work and travels, and the people I met while on them. The images, raw and unretouched, are candid, and capture my art as well as my life as I like to travel through it." Still in publisher's shrinkwrap.

Softcover. NY, Harmony Books, 1st, 1982, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 176 pages, illustrated in b&w, some color. In a charming, straightforward way, Benson tells of his life in photography. Benson presents a useful mix of his own photography with personal ancedotes and specific lists of how-to's. The photos are useful for showing some of the great moments that can be caught on film, as well as for giving the newer photographer something to aspire towards. Mixed in with the photo sections are pages of up-front writing about how Benson achieved what you are looking at. "Certain qualities are essential to a photojournalist -- an inherent love of photography, a strong determination to succeed, and a willingness to put everything second to your work. You also need a sense of history, an awareness of human behavior, physical stamina, a fascination with gossip, a survival instinct, a naive belief in yourself, and a bit of luck." -- Harry Benson

Hardcover. New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1st, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 222 pages, color and b&w photographs of celebrities from 50 years of work. Small remainder dot on bottom edge.

Hardcover. Atglen, PA, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 176 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to dust jacket. Black and white pictures throughout. Freelance photographer Harvey Caplin recorded ranch life in the American West from the 1940s to the 1980s, before the last roundup, magnificent landscapes, and picturesque people. See 173 of his beautiful images and revel at the grandeur of the land and drama of life played out upon it.

Hardcover. NY, Prestel, 1st, 1999, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 104 pages. Ever since Fidel Castro came to power as the leader of Cuba's communist regime in 1959, Havana has remained all but impenetrable to the outside world. The revolution cut Cuba off from the West, but at the same time preserved a century of built substance and style through the accident of fmancial stagnation. Without capital investment, time stood still, and five epochs of architectural style have survived to the present day. From the majesty of colonial city palaces to the half-hearted hope of heroic modernism, Engels' photographs show a city in silent transition, a microcosm of architecture through the ages. All of the structures picttired here were built in the twentieth century, but for the most part they have suffered from neglect in the form of peeling paint and stucco, &M grime, and abandonment. Yet there is utter beauty and dignity here-a sense of being trapped in time-that is no longer evident in America's everchanging cities. Like the structures he photographs, Engels uses a timeless approach to the artistic and technical aspect of his work. He uses a Sinar catnera with a 4 x 5 inch format, standing under a darkening cloth, just as photographers did a century ago. Using a Polaroid image to feel and see the light, Engels takes a single shot of each building. Most of these images were taken during die month of February, in 1997 and 1999 respectively. These photographs of apartment dwellings, office buildings, private residences, and places of worship tell a story on their own. Their haunting images seem to speak about more than just the men who made them or the materials they are made of. The buildings and streetscapes depicted in Havana speak to us of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Softcover. London, Secker & Warburg, 1st, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 9 3/4 " - 12" tall. 156 pages, 120 b&w photos. Introduction by John Le Carre who found these photos " electric, haunting and at times unearthly". Fading to color on spine, previous owner's signature on front fly leaf otherwise very good.

Softcover. San Francisco, San Francisco Museum, 1st, 1991, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 84 pages, 61 b&w and 24 color plates. Like new in publisher's shrink-wrap.

Hardcover. London/NY, Merrell Publishers, 1st, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 192 pages. Photographer Andrew Shaylor has been given unique and long-term access to the secret world of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Over 300 stunning photographs reveal the rich diversity of the HAMC. Includes HAMC events, members? motorcycles (always Harley Davidsons), clubhouses, over 100 incisive portraits and a multitude of details that uniquely define HAMC culture. Specially commissioned foreword by American legend Sonny Barger, internationally well-known and respected member of the HAMC. Limited to 1000 copies SIGNED by Andrew Shaylor on the limitation label to the front endpaper.

Hardcover. New York , powerHouse Books, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 96 pages, 80 richly printed, b/w duotone photo plates. Vivian Cherry began her career in the 1940s while working as a dancer in Broadway shows and nightclubs. Cherry supported herself partly as a 'darkroom technician' for Underwood & Underwood, a prominent photo service to news organizations. She began shooting the world around her during this time of change, combining informal portraiture with cityscapes of the Lower East Side, the Third Avenue El (and its ensuing demolition), the streets of Harlem, Hell's Kitchen, and the Meatpacking District. She joined the Photo League where she studied with Sid Grossman. - throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Her work from this period provides lively vignettes of New York City, of gritty street-scenes, of social consciousness, and of history. Cherry's work is in major national collections. and has been well published. Very good in a bright dust jacket.

Hardcover. London/NY, Thames & Hudson, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket The first visual chronicle of a little-known chapter in the career of Henri Cartier-Bresson--one of the great photographers of the twentieth century.In December 1948, Henri Cartier-Bresson traveled to China at the request of Life magazine. He wound up staying for ten months and captured some of the most spectacular moments in China's history: he photographed Beijing in "the last days of the Kuomintang," and then headed back to Shanghai, where he bore witness to the new regime's takeover. Moreover, in 1958, Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of the first Western photographers to go back to China to explore the changes that had occurred over the preceding decade. The "picture stories" he sent to Magnum and Life on a regular basis played a key role in Westerners' understanding of Chinese political events. Many of these images are among the best-known and most significant photographs in Cartier-Bresson's oeuvre; his empathy with the populace and sense of responsibility as a witness making them an important part of his legacy. This volume allows these photographs to be reexamined along with all of the documents that were preserved: the photographer's captions and comments, contact sheets, and abundant correspondence, as well as the published versions that appeared in both American and European magazines. Clean copy. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Hardcover. NY, The Museum of Modern Art, 1st, 1987, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover with dust jacket, 152 pages. Oblong small 4to., 125 b&w photos, 4 in color. Dust jacket with 2 small tan stains at bottom of front panel, not affecting book except for very faint mark on cover. Otherwise a clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. New York , Museum of Modern Art, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 376 pages, b&w photographs throughout. Hardcover, light shelf-wear to dust jacket, else a clean, tight copy. "Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is one of the most celebrated and influential figures in the history of photography. Published to accompany a major retrospective, this offers a fresh understanding of the panoramic scope of Cartier-Bresson"s photography, from his Surrealist innovations of the early 1930s to his career as a leading photojournalist after World War II."

Hardcover. New York , powerHouse Books, 1st, 2004, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 120 pages, hardcover. Some of the photographer's finest unpublished work, in one volume. Most of the photographs were taken in New York City, Levitt's primary subject in the course of a seven-decade photographic journey (she spent some time in Mexico City, and the pictures she took there are collected in a book named after the city). Here are 110 photographs, 90 of them never before published, including portraits of her close friends James Agee and Walker Evans.

Hardcover. Loa Angeles, Los Angeles Times, 1st, 1999, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. Hollywood's classic stars were icons for most of the world. But for The Los Angeles Times and The Los Angeles Mirror, these celebrities were the stuff of everyday local news. And the newspapers' photographers were on hand to record all the important events of Los Angeles' emerging film community. Marriages. Divorces. Births. Even, perhaps especially, arrests, court appearances and suicides. You'll find 200 of these extraordinary photos inside, many of them in their first-ever printing. You'll see Marilyn Monroe as she entered Hollywood, and as she left it; Liz Taylor when she signed her first studio contract at age 11 and as she lived with it for the next four decades; Mae West, in wax and in trouble. Also pictured are Jane Russell, Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Errol Flynn and scores of other stars at the height, and sometimes the depth, of their Hollywood lives.

Hardcover. New York , Macmillan, 1st, 1962, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover. An photo essay of the intimate details of daily life among primitive Indians of the Brazilian jungle. Tall yellow boards, 32 pages text, 127 b&w photos, 16 color plates. Minimal shelf wear,small chip to top of dust jacket spine.

Hardcover. New Haven CT, Yale University Press, 1st, 2014, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 160 pages. Photographer Laura McPhee, noted for her stunning large-scale landscapes and portraits of the people who live and work in them, has been traveling to eastern India for over a decade. This book features a selection of McPhee's works in and around India's former capital.