Photoeye Magazine invited 17 largely well-known publishers, photographers and critics to list their top ten or so photography books which came out last year. Most of the lists they got back listed the choices in no particular order, but by combining the lists, Photoeye has come up with an overall top ten, and as well as seeing all 17 lists you also look at the books and see who chose them.
Even more usefully there are links to the books so you can take a peek at them on line if you don’t already have them on your shelves – and it is hardly a surprise that you can also buy at least nearly all of them. My own shelves are so overflowing I hardly dare add anything, and most that I do are second-hand or books sent for review. But there are one or two listed I’m thinking about – just a shame the publishers didn’t send me review copies!
The Magnum blog also lists the choices made by the two Magnum members among those asked, Martin Parr and Alex Soth. The only point in looking at them there rather than on Photoeye is that you can if you wish make comments. But there were none when I read the post.
I am adding,quietly, but am amazed that the majority of choices are available. So often, classic reprints especially, go O/S very quickly.
I’m sure you follow the excellent http://5b4.blogspot.com/ where the picks tend to be more esoteric and do go out quickly, often despite prices that can make your eyes water.
Theonlinephotographer.com/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html
highlighted “Vancouver Photographs” by Fred Herzog which, not surprisingly given the large readership of that blog,sold out at Amazon.com (and .uk) Some enterprising reader found it in stock at the Canadian site, perhaps not surprising given the title, and when mentioned it was that sites top seller for a brief time.
Well, I didn’t go through them all. Yes, I saw the piece about the Herzog book but wasn’t moved to order it.
There are many books that I look at and think are worthwhile and interesting but don’t buy for various reasons. Often because I have other books by the same photographer and don’t feel a need to own more – as with several on the list. Or because I don’t think they really represent the work well – as with the Soth book, which I think was better on line and very much better as the actual prints (which definitely isn’t always the case with photography.)
The books which become worth an awful lot of money are often those that aren’t quite good enough to sell well at the time they come out. I’m always surprised when I look at price lists for second-hand books to find that some of the more worthwhile titles are available for less than the postage while high prices are asked for things I wouldn’t give shelf space to.
5B4’s row of books at the top include several I own and a few I’ve written about, including Chauncey Hare’s Interior America – and I had some correspondence with Hare about this after I did so.
5B4’s list of the top 15 books has some in common with Photoeye, its at http://5b4.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-books-of-2008.html though I’m sure you’ve seen it already.
Reviewing is certainly the way to go. I had a relative who for many years reviewed for a local paper, he had a magnificent library, of all first editions. On our too rare visits I was always given a choice to take home. At that time it was Hemingway for me so I have a few 1sts from there.
I did wonder about the Soth as price wise as well it was attractive as opposed to the Stephen Shore which price wise was OTT, but looks absolutely fascinating. I am looking seriously at the Solitude of Ravens as being very different to anything I have. It’s always possible to find a reason not to to buy, though I often regret it a few years later.
Interesting how the group converge on relatively few titles.