Themes Books

This is a gorgeous, informative, inspiring book.

Even if your 'garden' is no more than a strip of lawn, a potted plant on the windowsill or a matter of mind, this book is an informative and imaginative gem.

Enjoy ~!

If you are a garden lover, you should definitely buy and treasure this book!

If you are like me, you think about the legendary rulers of the past and imagine that they must have had gardens that far surpass what we know today. But if you stop for a minute, you'll realize that those rulers didn't have modern machinery to take care of their gardens. Also tastes may have been different then.

So what did gardens look like in earlier eras?

Gardens in Time will provide some of the best answers you can hope to find.

Your tour begins with Persia, moves on to Islamic gardens, and then travels to China, Japan, and India. From there, you visit the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages in Europe, the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Rococo, and ultimately England. The tour concludes with a brief look at contemporary gardens.

To me, one of the big surprises is how many different elements the older gardens captured: stunning views, water, reflections, fountains, water lilies, fish, rocks, paths, geometric order, trees, hedges, mosaics, sculpture, architecture, enclosures, mixtures of shade and sun, and oh, yes, an occasional flower. I was also impressed by the intimacy of some gardens . . . obviously providing respite and calm. There was also remarkable restraint in some cases, showing that taste has long been important to garden designers and owners.

Naturally, one of the book's limitations is that many famous gardens (such as the hanging gardens of Babylon) no longer exist. I was impressed by how many gardens have survived for many centuries and are well preserved in the book.

A nice surprise for me was to find out that the Huntington Botanical Gardens that I admired as a youngster are among the best representations of many older garden types.

But I was surprised to see that I liked the gardens of artists best in the book, especially the famous Giverny over which Claude Monet labored for so many years. So perhaps there's more potential for art in gardens than the ancients realized.

The photography and the essays are superb. A lot of care went into picking lighting and foliage conditions that show off the gardens to best advantage.

Alain Le Toquin is one of the foremost nature photographers of France. Jacques Bosser is a writer and translator of more than forty books on architecture, design, and photography. Together, Toquin and Bosser have collaborated in their highly recommended coffee table book, "Gardens In Time", to provide a showcase compendium of almost 130 gardens drawn from twenty different countries in a photo documentary that is nothing short of extraordinary. Ranging from the Roman gardens at Hadrian's villa, to the late 16th century gardens of Castello Ruspoli in Italy, to the 17th century topiary gardens of Levens Hall in Kendal, Great Britain, to the 19th century gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny, to the work of such contemporary landscape gardeners as Fernando Caruncho, the Wirtzes, and Robert Irwin, "Gardens In Time" takes the reader on a brilliant and visually impressive tour. Whether it's a rooftop garden in Paris, or a Japanese garden in Kyoto, or the Tacaruna garden in Petropolis, Brazil, "Gardens In Time" is a dream tour that will provide inspiration for both amateur home gardeners and professional landscapers alike!

Believe me, I have gone over tons of "Gardens" coffee table books...and this is a stand out!
A great inspiration to us designers and anyone who appreciates monumental gardens.

This book is irresistable to anyone who has an interest in gardens. Whether old or new, the way other gardners(both professional and amature)
see the opportunities available to use their creativity with trees and plants in any of these locations over time makes for fascinating viewing.
We are still talking about thought provoking photos from many of the pages
and will continue to enjoy the book.

Bill Hess as created a masterpiece. His grainy and moody black and white capture the bowhead hunt, Point Lay beluga hunts and Inupiat life in respectfully frank perfection. The book contains several stories that are threaded in and out of the Inupiat Bowhead hunts and gives a good look into the subsistence lifestyle of the Eskimos who live on the edge of the Arctic ocean.

Hess' journalistic writing style is easy to read and appreciate. He was able to get a close-up view on many things most will never have a chance to see from subsistence hunts, search and rescue missions and the 1990's attempt to free three ice-trapped gray whales which had captured the medias attention. It was interesting how different the story that reached us was compared to the situation and conclusion was on the ice.

If you have interest in whale hunting or Eskimo lifestyles, get this book. It is a great visual and prose look into this arctic world.

This book is a milestone among recent publications on Alaska because it portrays Alaska's Native people in an unvarnished and realistic way. This is NOT a commercial "coffee table book" or a series of pretty pictures suitable for note cards. A short story, hopefully, will illustrate my point.

When I was living in Barrow in the late 1980s, the mayor asked me to meet with a visiting photographer who had requested information on traditional whale hunting (I was a staff anthropologist at the time). The Anchorage photographer [NOT Bill Hess] wanted to "reconstruct" a whale hunt. This commercial photographer pleaded to have me call him in Anchorage next time a whale was harpooned so he could catch the next plane to Barrow (he had already talked the airline into sponsoring him). He promised that he would stage the photograph to show the local people in the best possible light and make them appreciated by all the tourists who come to Alaska.

After nearly throwing up, I politely told him that the Inupiat whale hunters were quite capable of taking care of themselves and did not need to be "airbrushed" and marketed for popular consumption.

Then I met Bill Hess. I immediately connected with his visceral understanding of Inupiat culture which he communicates so elegantly in words and photos in this book "Gift of the Whale." This book communicates a vision of contemporary Inupiat life that is unvarnished and somewhat raw; but - from my firsthand experience - authentic.

Bill Hess knows what it's like to sweat while breaking a sled trail through jumbled ice floes at 20 below. He earned his unique chance to communicate the symbiotic relationship between Inupiat hunters and the bowhead whale. This book takes the reader out onto the Arctic Ocean (in both its frozen and liquid state) and into the skin boats, skiffs, snowmachines and tents of crews who provide their families with life-giving food. The real stories (illustrated with stunning duotone photos of the people and the animals that are simultaneously revered and killed for survival) are more interesting and insightful than any pseudo-reality a market-driven journalist could create.

Bill Hess, through his photos and stories in this book, communicates how Inupiat culture continues to focus on the communal hunting and sharing of food for survival. This book communicates in vivid detail how impractical contemporary Western values of individual ego-driven materialism are when it's 20 below zero with the snow blowing sideways, and a fellow hunter is lost on the tundra. Bill illustrates how Inupiat society is built on respect and reverence for the resources and each other, keys to long-term survival in the Arctic. This book provides a visual banquet allowing the reader to enjoy and appreciate contemporary Inupiat whaling, life, and culture.

Bill Hess is a very gifted photographer, who works almost exclusively in black and white. He has spent a great deal of time with the people the people of the North Slope whose lives are shared in this book. For a number of years he was under contract to the North Slope Borough to produce a magazine about life on the North Slope (Uinniq-The Open Lead, which makes it clear that the people of the North Slope felt that he represents them clearly and fairly.

One could enjoy this book for the photography alone, but it is so much more than that. Whaling is a central focus of North Slope Inupiat culture; it is an inextricable part. People here know that; and the whalers carry it out as a sacred trust on behalf of the whole community.

This is a stunning visual presentation combined with a moving, unpretentious text. The drama of the three grey whales, the search for footprints . . . it is all powerful stuff. I have only been living in Barrow for nine months but so far there isn't a word that doesn't ring true.

I have done a great deal of reading in my life, yet never have I been more absorbed in a book than I have in 'Gift of the Whale'. I highly recommend this elegant, enjoyable and informative piece of work.

I was blown away by the enormous amount of information about the area's character, history, and interesting places. The portraits of the people and places are facinating. This is a unique guide which I'm looking forward to soon explore on the ground.

Fabulous color photographs, readable, enjoyable, interactive and fun. Many times I drive through a beautiful backroads town and wonder about it's history, it's people, and it's sights. Now I have a guide that will answer my questions and more.

What a great travel guide! Thoroughly enjoyed reading and absorbing it. We've lived in Gloucester for almost 30 years and surprisingly learned so much in the Gloucester Back Roads Passports Travel Guide that we're inspired to be tourists and are in the process of leisurely visiting all the historical passport locations mentioned in the book. Because of the beautiful pictures and down-to-earth writing style, this travel guide brings history to life! A great gift idea, too. Highly recommended!

This book is packed with great information, beautiful pictures and fun little "games". WONDERFUL JOB Ms. Forbes!!!!!!!!!!!

This book inspired me to go 'on the road' even before I finished reading it. Wonderful tips and advice allowed me to maximize my visit to this charming part of the country.

This book mostly focused on mausoleums and unusual statuary, not very much on graves and/or headstones. It was very thorough without being boring at all. A GREAT feature was that every picture had a story right next to it with neat information - no searching around to find the text to go with the photo, or looking it up in an index in the back. I also liked the fact that 98% of the book focused on sites that you could find in the United States - only one or two of the sites were in Europe. A very interesting "coffee table" book which could easily interest others on this subject.

Okay I like cemetery books, and I received this as a present recently (THANK YOU AGAIN!!)and I gotta say, it's really nice. You get a nice selection of styles of monument and outstanding photography! I was also interested in the pictures of the Community Mausoleum at Mary Queen of Heaven and the name of those annoying little flies that live there (buy the book, or better yet, get it as a gift!).

I bought this book...sight unseen because of the reader reviewsand the description of the book. It is indeed a beautifullyphotographed book and is filled with fascinating (not just interesting) synopses of people who "went out in style". I was hoping for more pictures of cemetery statuary (as pictured on the cover of the book), but when I started reading about the masoleums, etc. I was enthralled. (The book "Saving Graces" is totally cemetery (female) statuary, but almost all from European cemeteries.) This is a new interest for me and is quite beautiful and interesting! Not at all morbid. One interesting note: all photos taken in the cemeteries photographed for this book have NO living people in them. I wonder how the photographer managed that? Or was it requested beforehand? END

GOING OUT IN STYLE

August `99

You may think that books about cemeteries couldn't possibly be of interest. Not so! The great American cemeteries such as Wood Lawn and Green-Wood in New York, Laurel Hill in Philadelphia, Mountain View in Oakland and Mt. Auburn in Cambridge, nearly all now sadly neglected, are fascinating, fantastic places filled with palace-like tombs, many of which were designed by famous architects and decorated by famous artists, as well as a feast of oddities, some funny, some ridiculous, some touching, some merely lugubrious. While such places may now seem quaint, ironically, they reflect a more realistic acknowledgment of the inevitability of death than is the case today. GOING OUT IN STYLE presents nearly 170 color photographs of tombs, mausoleums, grave stones, columbaria, stained glass, chapels and stone angels and other statuary found in cemeteries across the United States. There is an informative introduction and the captions provide adequate information about the Dear Departed. Some other worthy illustrated books about cemeteries include SILENT CITIES: THE EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN CEMETERY (Jackson/Vergara-Princeton Architectural Press, l989. All color), WOODLAWN REMEMBERS: CEMETERY OF AMERICAN HISTORY (Bergman/North Country Books, 1988. Color and B&W)the small-format SAVING GRACES (Robinson/Norton), a stunning collection of B&W photographs of the exotic and often downright erotic marble ladies who adorn European graves and BEAUTIFUL DEATH(Robinson/Penguin Studio),a volume of artful color photographs of tombs and graves in European cemeteries

This is the greatest book for people who are interested in cemeteries and sepulchral monuments. It specializes in mausoleums, mostly small family ones, but shows you what the larger ones are like, also. Doug Keister actually takes you inside a few mausoleums to see what they look like inside. The book also tells you a lot about the architecture of the tombs, so you can visit your local cemeteries and be more knowledgeable . The photos are outstandingly clear and crisp even in book form. If you get a chance to see Keister's travelling exhibit, you will be even more astounded at the large photos. I wish Mr. Keister would write more books, with Mr. Cronin's photos, about this subject. The statuary is just gorgeous, and so emotional. The information is so interesting.It is just a "must have" for anyone interested in these subjects.

Dr. Greenberg has captured the imagination and soul of many audiences with his endeavors in the microscopic world. His vision and art are framed in an extremely intelligent perspective about life, the world, and the human relationship to the environment.

What this book represents is the need for the human being to stop, look, listen, and wonder about the natural world. We must thank him for his artistic pursuits and consider how we may each pursue an investigation as simple as this.

I worked with Dr. Greenberg briefly to setup an artistic installation, and was responsible for the sound environment to compliment his exhibit, but have had the opportunity to enjoy his friendship for a some time.

I bought this work for a Mother's Day gift, little realizing how much it would be heartily devoured by its recipient! Shortly thereafter, I was proudly shown some of its dozens and dozens of exquisite micropictographic images along with various insightful and informing passages being read aloud to me.

I was so captivated I had to spend quality time with a copy myself. Its colorful visual content overwhelms my imagination! The accompanying text is very informational in an intriguing and engaging way. I was so impressed that I used it as an adult Sunday School book discussion, even bringing out an old dusty microscope to view some sand samples we'd gathered from past trips to Maui and various Atlantic beaches. People were really buzzed.

A great read, especially for "beach" grazing. Think about projects that can be easily initiated like with summer camps, vacations (those "boring" mantras can be challenged), even Vacation Bible School activities. And, a coffee table book that won't break your pocketbook to boot!

"Grain of Sand" has so opened up my imagination with awe, wonder and respect. I'll never take for granted a walk on the beach again.

I read the original 2008 hardcover edition.

The buying recommendations e-mailed to me from amazon are oftentimes as fascinating as their reasons are funny. Why on earth would I be happy to hear that there is a book with pictures of sand available now? Oh dear! Because they have been taken by Dr. Gary Greenberg and I had ordered two books by him previously. Problem is: There are many Gary Greenbergs. And the president of the Biblical Archaeology Society of New York who has written works such as 101 Myths of the Bible isn't the Hawaiian resident who has 17 patents to the same name for developing micro photography technology. Even though both dig in sand.

In other words, there is no middle man in the information transfer from expert to reader in this book. And curiously, amazon's selling technique worked. But the reason offered should have been: "Hey, you order books all the time about stuff nobody dared to teach you before, because hardly anybody knew these questions existed." I never really thought about sand. Well, think again! This isn't merely an excellent coffee table book, it is also intriguing to actually read.

Ever wondered what sand is made of? Well, eroded rock obviously. But today that may also be eroded plastic garbage. Or intentionally micro-shredded glass to make beautiful beaches and get rid of more garbage with one stroke - in Florida of course, where else? As in ashes to ashes in the origin-of-glass-version, I presume. (For some unbeknownst reason, the book doesn't go into the obvious Ouch!-question.) But making beaches isn't a modern phenomena: Some classic Mediterranean marble sculptures and buildings have turned into grains of sand over the millennia of restauration neglect. Humans aren't even alone in making beaches: a single parrotfish poops a ton of coral sand a year. How and why the fish is doing that you will find in this book as well. Yes, you are right, the very most is about BEACH sand in this book.

But it's also marrying CSI with WWII history. As an Oregonian I always thought, it was this state's coast which was the only continental piece of US land directly attacked by its foes. Wrong again, Montana and Wyoming took the lead in occurrences. And yes, it involved sand...

No less mesmerizing that nature recycles grains of sand: They are already textured in rock in a "predetermined" way to be broken off by erosion, then pressured into new rock and so on and so forth. Science can even make estimated guesses, how often a grain of sand has undergone such a procedure. And when it gets broken into smaller pieces, it will cause you to sink in at the beach.

Of course the main attraction of this book is its major eye candy. With the advantage that this eye candy comes as a revelation, as you can't see it in real life because it's too small (or because you are too big). Usually, the images of the sand are enlarged between 150 and 300 times. Some pictures are offered with different illumination effects for further fluctuations of perception. There are even some 3D effects in this book. For that you have to cross your eyes. Unfortunately, there's no quick guide in this book "Cross Eyeing For Dummies". I was so happy to be able to roll my tongue, that I made myself dizzy attempting to cross my eyes, too. But maybe I'll find a cross-eye-coach on askville. So, this makes even a great party book, I assume. A dinner party table book, in a manner of speaking.

UPDATE: I DID get an askville cross-eye-coach for dummies. However, coincidentally, I have also read Stories of the Invisible: A Guided Tour of Molecules with one 3D image. And this book thought it necessary to explain how to watch such images: "Place the page about 8 inches [20.3 cm] from your eyes, and cross your eyes slightly so that you can see three images. Focus attention on the middle one - in a few seconds, it should become sharp"

Now, that I have read a further book by Gary Greenberg and expressed my primary interest in the New Yorker part of "the" author, I'll probably get another amazon suggestion soon, about a book by a New Yorker author named Gary Greenberg: The Pop-Up Book of Phobias. Yet again, this would be another one, also known as a stand-up comedian. At least in Hollywood they prohibit their artists to use the same name when becoming one...

What a beautiful and interesting book. Dr. Gary Greenberg's stunning micro-photography shows the infinite beauty of biological and mineral sand grains found in sands from around the world. Some photographs show collections of grains, other showcase the exquisite beauty of a single crystal found in sand magnified 200 times, other photographs show artistic arrangements of sand-grained sized sea urchin spines, sponge spicules, and tiny shells.

The book and its photographs tell stories of bountiful and diverse reef environments, glacially eroded grains, the durability and beauty of garnet grains, or the polishing effects of the relentless surf on grains. Looking at the micro-photographs and reading the text opens up a whole new understanding and appreciation of sand.

And personally as a sand collector, I've known how sands vary around the world, but Greenberg's book and his stunning micro-photography really raised my appreciation of the biological and geological stories sand can tell in addition to the showcasing the beauty in minute grains of sand. After seeing and reading this book, you will never walk on a beach without wondering about the history and story the sand grains can tell. A fascinating read with mesmerizing photographs.

This is a stunningly beautiful art book with intriguing subject matter. The photography art in this book is absolutely gorgeous and then to think that each of these gorgeous works of art are actually grains of sand is just mind blowing. The author had invented and developed his own high powered light microscope to photograph different grains of sand from different beaches around the world and the result is incredible. Who knew that grains of sand were so unique and captivating? I would recommend this book to anyone and especially people who love Art, geology, nature, science, the ocean, life, the earth or photography. This also makes a perfect gift for just about anyone and any occasion. This has been a real crowd pleaser on my coffee table lately and all my friends want to look through it.

I have the full collection o Graphis Nudes, volumes 1 through 4. The best buy I've made get. They look really cool in my living room...

'Graphis' is the 'Science' magazine of the visual design world, the premiere outlet for the most thoughtful and innovative in imagery and image-makers. Books published by Graphis give every reason to expect the world's best pictures, figure photography in the case of this series of books. Although there's a commercial purpose here as an artists' showcase, this delivers the very finest artistry in praise of the human form.

There's no one mood or style here. There's a mix of color, B&W, and one striking monochrome with just one trrace of color (#58). Some of the photos capture the simple elegance of a figure (#1, 11, 29, 61). Others (#17, 27) create abstractions from utterly literal rendition of the body's line or surface. Others (#87, 91, 96) draw more on classic portraiture. The pictures aren't all about conventional beauty (#6, 23, 64, 66), though many (#49, 51, 93) are. Bare skin predominates, but is sometimes draped (#46, 81, 84), decorated (#18, 30, 82), or complemented with other visual elements (#35). A few image explore techniques of image capture (#48) or printing (#44). Unlike many collections, these photos cover wide ranges of skin tones (#97, 24, 32, 15) and shapes of body, with nearly as many male models as female.

There's a lot more to say, but "writing about art is like dancing about architecture." Only the images themselves can convey their messages. These are messages well worth understanding, and well worth coming back to.

//wiredweird

I love nude art and photography from an artistic and appreciative standpoint. I have several books of nude photography. Most use airbrushed looking models, but this one has a little bit of everything from tiny to large, white to black, male and female, etc. This has definitely put my other books to shame! I just wish they could have included more male pics since most are of women (which honestly probably make more beatiful nude models than males ;-).

Graphis presents a book of excellent fine art nudes. The pages are heavy gauge and the pictures are maximized in the space without going edge to edge. My only complaint is that the information on each photographer is stuffed together in the back. There is plenty of room on the page opposing the photograph for this relevant information.

If you, dear reader, know the Graphis Nudes volumes 1 to 3, buy this one too. It's just as great as the other ones (I now own all 4 of them). If you don't know the series, start saving money, because if you buy one of them you will want them all. I do have a whole shelf of books with nude photography. These volumes are my absolute favourites. If I could take only 10 books with me from my ~1000 book mini-library, all 4 Graphis Nudes volumes would be in there.

Every single photo in this book is beautiful (In most other books I usually am not very fond of 30 to 50% of the pics).
If you are into very provocative photographs, this book might be too quiet for you. Most pictures are black and white or in a limited color palette. The photographers rather concentrate on form and texture of the human body then on provocative poses. The artists in this book play with beautiful lines and curves, strong light-shadow contrasts, or the contrast between a soft human body and rough nature. It is a praise of the beauty of the human body in all its forms. If you like classic black and white photography, get this book, I am sure you will like the color photographs in there too. (Oh, and see whether you can get the other three volumes ;)

Some more facts: The paper of the book is heavy and semi glossy, and the print quality is magnificent. Photographs are on the back and front of the page, so no empty pages (don't worry, no shine-through with this paper). Also the binding is very well done. The book opens easily and lies open flat without having to press down on it. There are many black/white photos, but also dualtone photos and color photos.

I usually do not endorse or praise any products, but with this one (and the whole series) I do. It is definitely worth the price.

This book makes a wonderful gift or a reference to pour over time and time again as it is packed with information about the history of the Lodges of the National Parks, information about their architectural aspects, interviews with individuals involved in their building etc, along with wonderful photos that make you want to see them all, today! And, we understand that there is a NEW Great Lodges of the National Parks coming out in July, 08, along with an accompanying PBS series. If it is anything like this book, I won't be the least bit disappointed

We purchased this book as a thank-you gift for friends, and we were *delighted* with the quality and beauty of it. Truly glorious photos, not a ton of information but enough, and makes a spectacular gift. Highly recommended.

What a treat to find Great Lodges of the National Parks! Not only is the book full of lucious color photographs of the lodges (both inside and out and every season), but historic images and architectural drawings that make you really appreciate the simple fact that they were built in the first place. You also get the full history along with a sense of what the lodges are like today written in a very accessible style. I know people who are trying to go to all of the lodges in Christine Barnes' books. I plan on beginning this summer. (The book also includes Timberline Lodge in Mt. Hood National Forest outside of Portland.)

This book features amazing photos of the Great Lodges along with brief histories of the parks, locations, and lodges themselves. Wonderful illustrations and blue-print depictions are also included. Great gift idea or coffee table book! Will make you long for more travel time!

This is a gorgeous book.
It has 192 pages--loaded with lovely glossy pictures.
Not all of these lodges, however, are located in the national parks.Timberline Lodge is in a national forest and Oregon Caves Chateau is located at a national monument.
The pictures in this book are breathtaking. Historical pictures as well as present day pictures are located in the book.
This book is VERY similar to the Great Lodges of the West book (also by Christine Barnes). Some of the EXACT same pictures that are in the Great Lodges of the West book are in this book!
But this book adds more pictures.
This one has more pages (as compared to 136 pages) and this one has more pictures. Also covered in this one is Belton Chalet and Sperry & Granite Park Chalets (which the other book doesn't cover in full detail).

16 lodges are featured:
1) Old Faithful Inn (Yellowstone National Park- Wyoming)
2) The Ahwahnee (Yosemite National Park- California)
3) Paradise Inn (Mount Rainier National Park, Washington)
4) Timberline Lodge (Mount Hood National Forest- Oregon)
5) Oregon Caves Chateau (Oregon Caves National Monument-Oregon)
6) Crater Lake Lodge (Crater Lake National Park-Oregon)
7) El Tovar (Grand Canyon National Park- South Rim)
8) Zion Park Lodge (Zion National Park)
9) Bryce Canyon Lodge (Bryce Canyon National Park)
10) Grand Canyon Lodge (Grand Canyon National Park- North Rim)
11) Glacier Park Lodge (Glacier National Park- Montana)
12) Belton Chalet (Glacier National Park)
13) Lake McDonald Lodge (Glacier National Park)
14) Many Glacier Hotel (Glacier National Park)
15) Sperry & Granite Park Chalets (Glacier National Park)
16) Prince of Wales Hotel (Waterton Lakes National Park,
Alberta, Canada)

Also in the front and back is a map that shows where these lodges are located.In the back are Preservation Resources and Travelers' Resources (websites, reservation information, etc...)
Although I didn't know that this book would be so similar to the Great Lodges of the West book--(it's just a bigger version), I do not regret buying it. I have them both and the pictures are mesmerizing.

McCabe presents a Greece living now only in the hearts and minds of Yia Yias and Papous but never quite forgotten as this book proves masterfully through the fantastic photography. The reader walks through post-WWII Greece and experiences the simple wonders of the Greek people and land. This book is a journey not to be missed.

The photos in this book are in turn beautiful, warm, moving and joyful. In all of them, McCabe's love of Greece and all things Greek shines through. This book is awesome and wonderful. The reproductions are superb and the images evocative of a time in Greece when life was simpler than today. Find a comfortable chair, open the book, and enjoy the journey!

I have not seen such photography since Cartier Bresson's photos on everyday French life. It brings the people and land to life and presents a marvelous "record" what was and is about to partially disappear. It is a rare work of art. Peter Sichel

This is a spectacular book. Robert McCabe's intimate knowledge of Greece and its people informs the beautiful photographs that are presented in this record of a truly idyllic land. When I first received the book, I did something highly unusual for me: I sat down and went through the entire book, page by page. What a treat that experience was. I recommend this collection of photographs to anyone interested in Greece and to anyone who loves great photography.

Many of these collected black and white photographs, taken with a Rolleiflex in the 8 1/2 inch square format by the photographer during some of his many trips to Greece in the mid 1950's and 1960's, take one's breath away - arresting lansdcapes, portraits, and scenes of life as it was lived then, a vanished era, to quote the author. The pictures were made by someone who undoubtedly knows and loves the people and the country with a passion that shines through. McCabe is not a professional photographer, but rather the best kind of amateur, in the sense of comparing Olympic sports to professional sports. His work has a freshness and vitality that is more amazing considering that the pictures were taken over 40 years ago. The book recalls for me a trip I once made to the Greek Islands. During a night passage, our boat anchored off the coast of Delos, an uninhabited island (then) that is known as a sanctuary and the birthplace of some important Greek Gods and Goddesses. My memory of proximity to the aura of this sanctuary, the way it made me think about history, the ancient Greeks, was summoned back by McCabe's photographs in a way that made clear his understanding of the interconnectedness of people. His pictures make one think about how human intellectual history, our knowledge, began there, in Greece. Whether it is a picture from great height of an amphitheatre where Sophocles' plays were originally performed, or a glimpse of two young girls giggling over a shared secret, the effect of this book is to draw out a fascinating combination of history, landscape and human emotion.

This is a beautiful black & white collection of photographs of Greece, mostly taken in the mid to late 1960's. These are 'true life' photographs; some deeply emotional, some merely depicting day-to-day activities, but all are wonderful. The whole collection gives the reader a flavor of the 'real' Greece. The photographer is a true artist and I would happily purchase any other collections of his work, sight unseen, if this collection is representative of his artistic vision (and I feel confident it is).

The black and white images show what every day life was like in Greece when Manos made these pictures. The pictures speak to the heart and show the darkness and light in life, which is what black and film does best. Manos obviously had to have been in Greece long enough to understand the people and their lives and his pictures show it. This is a book to treasure.

If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then Manos' "A Greek Portfolio" speaks volumes! Mr. Manos has captured (thankfully!) a Greece that is now more or less gone. Luckily for us, he was photographing at a time before McDonalds became an everyday sight, before "Rooms to Let" signs dotted the landscape, before everyone owned a cellular phone. Even in remote and rural parts of Greece today, it is rare to find images, activities, and people similar to those seen in this book. As an anthropologist, I think this is a great ethnographic work; as a Greek-American I think this is wonderful "window" to the homeland of yore!

will love this book. It captures a time in our existence as human beings and particularly for those who trace their heritage to Greece that is unparalleled in art. These photographs, in your quiet moments of reflection, will warm your heart and soul, and for Greeks and those who love Greece, will remind you of the importance of history and the story told through art.

Consta is one of the best photographer/printers of the day. His willingness to not only capture the moment to convey feeling, but to take great strides in the darkroom to further his view is a rarity nowadays. This additional emphasis is evident in all of this Magnum photographer's work, but most so in "A Greek Portfolio". He uses a minimum of equipment, yet achieves a height of awareness in this monograph not present elsewhere. If one has the chance to see the original prints on display, do so!

First, this book is chocked full of Bruce Roberts' beautiful photographs of the lighthouses in this region. The photographs are nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Combined with the revised and updated information on each makes this regional lighthouse guide a requirement you won't want to be without whether you're visiting the region or a life-long resident. The text contains full, rich descriptions of each lighthouse, too.

I have many lighthouse books and all of Bruce Roberts' and Ray Jones' regional guides. I've read them all and used most of them while traveling. I've found them to be first rate, an excellent choice for people who want everything lighthouse between two covers. A joy to look at and informative to read.

There are directions and other info for finding and visiting lighthouses. They do not always show all lights for a given area. The photos are all color. I own 3 of these books. There are not many other guide books out there so if you are looking for guide books these are good to have. Since there are so many books in this series I thought I'd help people find them easier. This is the series.
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American Lighthouses
California Lighthouses
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Western Great Lakes Lighthouses - I own this one
Southeastern Lighthouses - I own this one
Southern Lighthouses
New England Lighthouses
Mid Atlantic Lighthouses
Gulf Coast Lighthouses

Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones produce the best lighthouse travel guides available. This one is no exception.

This is a very comprehensive collection of information about the lighthouses along the gulf coast. The photos are wonderful, the historical facts interesting and layout beautiful. And it includes directions to all the pictured lighthouses.

There aren't that many books about Gulf Coast Lighthouses, especially the Western Gulf. This book covers all the lights that are still standing, gives a picture and directions to each one, as well as a short history. It also has some good history in the introductions to each section, and general maps. It isn't an encyclopedia, but a very nice coverage of its subject. I think it belongs in the library of anyone interested in Gulf Coast Lighthouses.