The Camera's Coast: Historic Images of Ship and Shore in New England [Paperback]

W. H. Bunting (Author), John R. Stilgoe (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2006

Cameras float coastward. Almost every old family photograph album contains snapshots of children and sand pails, teenagers frolicking in surf or rowing a rental skiff, young couples half blinded by love and half blinded by beach-reflected sun, mothers with infants shaded by makeshift tents, and old-timers ensconced in folding beach chairs, often shielded by umbrellas.... Now and then the rummager of attics and antique shops finds other photographs, usually made from ferries or other commercial craft passing parallel to industrial waterfronts, beneath drawbridges, beside shipyards, sweeping professional and holiday-making image-makers just a wee bit offshore. Sometimes the photographs lie mixed with memorabilia: the steamship ticket or schedule, vacation map, restaurant menu, advertising label or other ephemera that people picked up, brought home, and preserved as they did shells, rounded stones, and sea glass gleaned from beaches. Taken together, arranged and rearranged, juxtaposed and analyzed, they form a kaleidoscopic vision...." From the Introduction by John R. Stilgoe The Camera's Coast: Historic Images of Ship and Shore in New England is a wonderful collection of historic photographs, paired with a rich assortment of ephemera - the subtle colors of an old postcard, the seductive details of an advertisement, a gay poster - engagingly captioned by W. H. Bunting. This page-by-page panorama of New England coastal activity from the late-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries ranges from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from leisure and recreation to hard work. The imagery is mostly bygone but still strongly connected to our present-day landscape. The Camera's Coast began several years ago as a traveling Historic New England exhibition of photographs with informative captions by guest curator Bunting, a maritime historian who brings old photographs to life with small stories - sometimes humorous, sometimes heroic, sometimes tragic, but always captivating. In this beautifully designed book, additional images from Historic New England's diverse collection of ephemera have been carefully selected by the editors to augment the photographs and to flesh out Bunting's stories. This book is the first in a Historic New England series that will feature its collections in new ways that will appeal to both the specialist and the casual reader. Historic New England is presented by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. W. H. Bunting is the author of Portrait of a Port: Boston 1852-1914 (Harvard University Press); Steamers, Schooners, Cutters, and Sloops (Houghton Mifflin); A Day's Work: A Sampler of Historic Maine Photographs, 1860-1920 in two volumes (Tilbury House); Sea Struck (Tilbury House); and with Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., An Eye for the Coast: The Maritime and Monhegan Island Photographs of Eric Hudson (Tilbury House). He lives in Whitefield, Maine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

".. .panorama of New England coastal activity...Bunting ...brings old photographs to life with small stories...always captivating...beautifully designed book..." -- Antiques Journal, December 2006

"...Bunting's captions are written in a lively yet authoritative manner...worthy as some of the more expensive coffee-table type books..." -- Sea History 118, Spring 2007

"...W.H. Bunting offers...nostalgic journey in his lavishly illustrated book...classy and informative view of Maine and New England..." -- Kennebec Journal, January 21, 2007

"...fantastic potpourri of just about everything that could have been seen along New England's coast...exquisite artwork...unique book..." -- The Newport Daily, 1/13 - 1/14/2007

"...impressive compilation of historic period photographs...Perfect for nostalgic browsing...welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library American History collections..." -- The Midwest Book Review, May 2007

"...lively and multi-dimensional visual cruise along the New England coastine...one trip down memory lane not to be missed." -- Working Waterfront/Inter-Island News, February 2007

"...photographs dominate the pages...Bunting doing what he does best...fills in the viewer on the what, where, when, why and the 'probablies' in the picture..." -- Fishermen's Voice, January 2007

"The collection of old photographs, advertisements, historic documents, and other ephemera makes for a good afternoon's browsing." -- Down East Magazine, February 2007

"...fascinating collection of images...offers both 'a kaleidoscopic vision' of our shared past...and provides 'a better perspective from which to view the world of today'..." -- Nautical Research Journal, Fall 2007

"...wonderful compilation of unique images that describe the complexities of the New England coast...strong photographs and appealing layout would leave anyone wanting to learn more." -- International Journal of Maritime History, June 2007

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers; First Edition edition (November 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884482871
• ISBN-13: 978-0884482871
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,626,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive compilation, May 12, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Camera's Coast: Historic Images of Ship and Shore in New England (Paperback)

Compiled with brief commentaries by W. H. Bunting, "The Camera's Coast: Historic Images Of Ship And Shore In New England" is an impressive compilation of historic period photographs of the ships, communities, industries, advertisements, and people along the coastline of New England in the 19th and early 20th century. An informative introduction by John R. Stilgoe provides a useful context in which to enjoy the images and notes an old (circa 1915) color photograph of clam diggers at work in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and concludes images of the steam ship Priscilla in 1896. Perfect for nostalgic browsing with respect to an American yesteryear now gone forever under the relentless advance of technological progress and population increases, "The Camera's Coast" is a welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library American History collections - and would admirable serve as a template for similar photography histories and celebrations of other regions of the United States.