Customer Reviews

A Book of Books

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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What Morell achieves in "A Book of Books" is quite extraordinary. He takes a commonplace object -- the book, which you probably have at least several of around you right now -- and invites us to consider it as a rhapsodic, even a sacred object. The book as tower, the book as person, the book as metaphor for its contents...these are just a few of the associations that swirl throughout this lustrous volume. And while the tomes on your shelf may not be quite as grandiose or even comical as Morell's examples, each of your books is somehow related to his, which renders the photographs even more exciting. For anyone who enjoys the heft of a book in their hands, for anyone who likes to meander through bookstores, for anyone who cherishes gazing at photographs that distil the essence of something while hinting at something more mysterious, this book is a great gift.

Everything Abelardo Morell does is gorgeous but what makes him such a genius is the mudane things he works with. The only photographer I can compare him to is Josef Sudek.

Let's be honest. Anybody can go to a beautiful place like Yosemite or Big Sur, take a view camera and wait for nice light. Instant Ansel Adams; you can't miss unless you kick the tripod.

But how many people can make a heartbreakingly beautiful photograph from a crumpled ball of paper or some peeling paint? Get this book of books and you'll see what I mean.

Some of the photographs in Abelardo Morell's A Book of Books are of great books: A Tale of Two Cities, A Farewell to Arms, Alice in Wonderland. And in placing these photographs together in this wonder-filled volume, Morell has created a great book of his own. For like all great books, this one makes you see the familiar in new ways; offers layers upon layers of meaning; and pushes you to make connections among objects and ideas that sometimes appear to have little, if anything, in common. At the same time, it is a glorious book to look at, to sink into, again and again. If you love books, you'll love this one.

When I first saw this book in a book store last December, and began looking through the pages, my eyes welled up with tears at the sheer poetry of the images. It was as if doors opened into other levels of awareness. When I put the book down, I realized that I had been looking at it for over an hour, and that's when I knew I simply needed to own it. Since then, the detail and depth of the images have provided a refuge from the news in the world today. There is still beauty and peace. Thank you, Abe Morell.

One book leads to another. I started with Kertesz' 'On Reading' the book I would choose if I were to have but one book; the book of which I had many paperback copies, which as soon as I saw the reissue in hardback, I began to buy, one for myself, one for my neice's 40th bday, one for my god-daughter turning 21. The trick of the tale is that this is a book that one does not even read! just the reading of the photographs, the moments captured in time, so that we the observer may time travel to those moments and thus be timeless.

And now, there is this 'book of books...' timeless again...

For any bibliophile or biblioholic, these photos are a true visual feast. Combined with the provocative quotes, the book is sublime.

We can all agree the Morell's work is fascinating and beautiful. I recently was lucky enough to be able to attend a screening of the documentary film Shadow of the House - Photographer Abelardo Morell.

Filmmaker Allie Humenuk shot Morell at home and abroad for over 7 years. The film is absolutely beautiful, and it honestly depicts the artist and the artistic process.

Check out the website at http://www.shadowofthehouse.com. You can purchase the film online via this site.

For anyone who appreciates the beauty of books or black and white photography, this is an absolute must have. It is beautiful. Highly recommended.

This is a great book and very interesting for everyone, not just artistic photographers. I love it! The only thing that was disappointing was that the label on the back of the book put on by Amazon was incredibly sticky and very hard to remove. I nearly damaged the book trying to get it off so be careful. Rubbing alcohol and a dull scraper of some kind works pretty good.