Customer Reviews

Bruce Weber: Roadside America (Spezial Fotografie, No. 22)

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I am a huge Weber fan and I was really looking forward to recieving this new book. I was disappointed to find that this is not actually a book, but a magazine, complete with ads in the back. It is a European magazine filled with previously released Weber photos. If you are new to collecting Weber photography books, this may be a good introduction to his work outside of his famous advertising work. Just don't be expecting a "book" in the traditional sense. And don't be expecting new Bruce Weber photographs.

I was anxious to receive Roadside America, Weber's first widely-published new book in years. The book is actually an Italian pictorial magazine but it is very large and the printing is first rate. A lot of the pictures seem to be taken from his previous works making this a great way to catch a diverse sampling of Weber's photography. There are not many of his prized male nudes in this book. Still, owing to the sheer size of the pages, the pictures look striking in such proportions. One picture in particular of five men running naked on the beach, shown as the cover above, looks quite impressive as a two-page spread. There is another beautiful photo of Peter Johnson from The Chop Suey Club, where he is naked covered only by photos that Weber took of him.

For Weber fans, Roadside America is a worthwhile purchase. Expect a sampling of his photos - his dogs, celebrities, the American frontier, landscapes, and a few impressive nudes - presented in a unique 10x14 oversized magazine format.

I think this would be a fine way for a novice photography collector to begin. The price is right, the images are terrific and the photographer is, arguably, one of the finest working today, both in advertising and in art.

Weber is, of course, known now as the man who brought Abercrombie and Fitch away from the canoe & rifle set and onto the college campus. He is almost single-handedly responsible for A&F's remarkable success. Take a look at any of their recent catalogues and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

This softbound large format "magazine" has examples of Weber's advertising photographs and his celebrity portraits (Matt Dillon in a playful mood; Robert DiNiro in a pensive mood, etc.) his informal family-style images (kids and ever-present dogs) and his landscapes (color and black & white). Obviously, since the book is not hard-covered, it is difficult to keep perfectly. But maybe that's the point. If you like the images in this portfolio, you can research more Weber on the web.

As I said before: a good place to start.