Typical Leica photographer, I enjoy collecting and reading books. The past few years though I don't buy because of the horrendous size of the books.The latest book of Magnum "Degrees" is typical. Is there a way to persuade book companies/publishers to bring out small companion books, like The Art Book and The Photo Book ? I recently sold many of my books and older magazines to make space. Even Leicas magazine is billboard size...I know every author wants to show off his work but my favorite book is still H-C-B small book done for the Museum of Modern Art.I travel all over the world with it. Try that with James Natcheway's book of war...

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-- jason gold (leeu72@hotmail.com), November 05, 2001

Answers

Crazy as it sounds, "bigger is better" echoes in many places (medium format, LF) and HUGE DPS's are impressive, so it's not surprising that this is (at least) a trend. Seen Helmut Newton's "Sumo"? My goodness. I think it's supplied with a table.

So maybe this is a trend, not to say there weren't previous executions of this idea, but it will probably never go away.

-- Mike DeVoue (karma77@att.net), November 05, 2001.

It also gives one an inaccurate depiction of a photographers work. I've seen a number of books on, for example, Atget. One was a nice coffee table book with 8X12" images, yet the photographer used mostly an image size of about 6X8" and did contact sheets on

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), November 05, 2001.

These things always come and go in waves.

As the 'art photographers'' mantra used to go when I was in college: "If you can't make it good, make it big; if you can't make it big, make it small; if you can't make it small, print it on Arches paper."

My Magnum "Degrees" split the binding the first time I actually looked at the pictures - I guess these boooks are meant to be kept in the same locked cases as our Leica collections 8^).

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), November 05, 2001.

Try the excellent, $8, and very small "55" photo books from Phaidon. My cool local bookstore stocks them...They're new this year, and I haven't seen them in the big chain bookstores.

See the amazon page here.

-- David Carson (dave@davidcarson.com), November 05, 2001.

Speaking of Helmut Newton, this past Sat, I was to ICP, NYC, for his exhibit. Photographs of models, both nude and clothed, full scale. I mean, these were really big prints.

-- Leicaddict (leicaddict@hotmail.com), November 05, 2001.

One that impressed me was a book of photos taken by an Afghan who now lives in New York (I think). He returned there sometime in the mid- nineties and as he was a native got some portraits that would've been difficult for non-Afghans to take. It also includes photos of Kabul streets and some very moving photos of children. There are even photos of women without their burqas. He used a Leica (an M I think) and the book won some Leica-backed prize. I don't have the reference but I can get it if anyone's keen.

-- Neil Philip (philipnc@mail.aramco.com.sa), November 06, 2001.

My personal problem with photo books isn't concerning size... it is when some publishers decide that it is acceptable to render a great shot across two pages with the "never correct" mating at the spine.

I almost bought the special edition of the "National Geographic's top 100 images", which is on the news stand now, until I noticed while flipping through it that many of the shots were those hideous two page deals. You would think that the top 100 images from a magazine that is famous for its photography would deserve the best presentation... clean and unencumbered.

If it takes a huge book to allow me to see the whole photo uninterrupted by a seam, then I say, "Make um big!"

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), November 06, 2001.

I see that a number of the Phaidon 55 books (recommended by David Carson above) are even more affordable at

http://www.edwardrhamilton.com/subject1/pg.html

It's a good source for all kinds of photo books at clearance prices.

-- Terry (tcdvorak@aol.com), November 06, 2001.