Christmas in America: A Photographic Celebration of the Holiday Season [Hardcover]

Peter Guttman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

Nothing reminds us of the good things in life—family, friendship, food, and good cheer—more than Christmas. With stunning images and illuminating text, award-winning photographer Peter Guttman offers a dazzling overview of the wintry landscapes, traditions, ceremonies, spectacles, and pastimes of the holiday season throughout the United States. His photos shine a spotlight on caroling, tree cutting, ski picnics, burning of the greens, ice sculptures, and hearth cooking in New Hampshire; sleigh rallies, cozy inns, and ice fishing in Vermont; dog-sledding, Christmas teas, and the nation’s largest gingerbread house in Minnesota; sculpture creations, bonfires, and slave cabin illuminations in Louisiana; plantation displays and riverboat festivities in Mississippi; and gloriously decorated store windows, tree lightings, and The Nutcracker in New York. This is a treasure that honors more than the holiday: it celebrates America and the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Using light to its fullest, Mr. Guttman creates stunning images no matter how far he travels.” (The New York Times ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Peter Guttman is a photographer, writer, author, television personality, and lecturer who has traveled on assignments to all seven continents and over 190 countries. He was named the Lowell Thomas Journalist of the Year in 2000, an honor awarded by the Society of American Travel Writers. His work has appeared in National Geographic, Traveler, Country Living, Men's Journal, Outside, Travel & Leisure, and The New York Times.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602390665
• ISBN-13: 978-1602390669
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Touching and Compelling Account of Christmas, October 7, 2007

By 

Krisztina V. "english professor" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christmas in America: A Photographic Celebration of the Holiday Season (Hardcover)

Peter Guttman's visionary photographs of the holiday season and his heartfelt captions in his new book, "Christmas in America," grabbed me with the power of a passionate virtuoso. The most difficult task an artist can face is to reconfigure and reintroduce the imagery of a well known topic such as Christmas in a way that we understand once again why this holiday is so special. By portraying people from sea to shining sea as they revel during the month of December, by candidly capturing the countless ways we celebrate our love, compassion and appreciation for each other as we come closer to the end of yet another year show what a sensitive and an insightful photographer Peter Guttman is. His words are equally compelling and illuminating. I'm a professor in English and teaching literature in college, but I have never read such a beautiful, eloquent and inspiring portrayal of Christmas and its history of celebration all through the ages, on different continents and in America. A true jewel, a must have Christmas ornament!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's the most wonderful time of the year, December 29, 2007

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christmas in America: A Photographic Celebration of the Holiday Season (Hardcover)

A pleasant enough selection of photos but pay attention to the title sub-line because probably half the photos relate to winter/holiday season rather than Christmas specifically. The pages are divided into three chapters: Christmas in the East (there are no page numbers but this chapter is eighty-four pages) Christmas in the Heartland (thirty-six pages) and Christmas in the West (forty-seven pages). I wonder editorially if it might have been better to put all the Christmas images together with the winter ones filling pages either side.

The photos concentrate on the outdoors, either in the countryside or cities and strangely there are hardly any of folks enjoying a domestic Christmas Day around a decorated tree, opening presents, mealtimes or just enjoying the company of each other. This does seem a major omission. The book's fly leaf biog of Peter Guttman reveals his extensive photo assignments so maybe the contents are made up from a trawl through his archives.

I think the outdoor shots work best with several stunning landscape photos especially in the West chapter. Mountains, trees, a frozen lake and plenty of snow seem sure fire ingredients for inspiring creativity. The city photos come across to me as average with several rather badly cropped.

The book's printing and paper are excellent with the photos presented in a picture book layout rather than a formal photo book look. If this kind of subject matter interests you check out Christmas in America: Images of the Holiday Season by 100 of America's Leading Photographers a large size photo book published in 1988 (part of the Day in a Life series) that takes a closer look at the season than Peter Guttman's book.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.