Dog Dogs [Paperback]

Elliott Erwitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998

Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt, claims that he did not consciously set out to photograph dogs. According to him, it just happened that way: one day, when he was looking through his boxes of photographs, he realized that somehow or other a fair proportion of them contained dogs and their owners. Images of dogs at shows, dogs in crowds larking around together, dogs jumping in the air for joy, dogs sitting on hearthrugs, beaches, sofas, park benches. And these were all sorts of dogs - from Airedales to Highland terriers and from poodles to dachshunds. This book presents 500 of Elliott Erwitt's dog photographs, divided into horizontal and vertical shots with short captions detailing the place and year. As P.G. Wodehouse, who was a great admirer of Elliott Erwitt's, says in his short introductory text, "What superb photographs these are. It does one good to look at them. There is not one sitter in his gallery who does not melt the heart."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nearly every one of the 500 black-and-white pictures in this book is a miraculous blend of composition and content, placing photographer Elliott Erwitt right up there with the other postwar, 20th-century masters of moment and meaning. Erwitt writes in his introduction, "This is not a book of dog pictures but of dogs in pictures." It is the photograph that counts, above and beyond its subject, for the photographer of genius. But Erwitt is bound to be called a sentimentalist because he photographs dogs, whom we, in our species-centric way, tend to think of as, well, animals. If Erwitt proves anything, however, it is that our close relationship with these furry fellow travelers is due to mutual resemblance. There is a Native American myth that when the world was created, a great fissure began to split the earth. Humans were caught on one side of the chasm, animals on the other. The dog, however, seeing the gap widen, leaped across to the human side, where he has been ever since. This book captures the pleasures of our loyal, dependent friends, as well as their sorrows and disappointment when they are forced to adapt to human callousness, neglect, or even love. Erwitt sees the dignity of the ankle-high Chihuahua; the anxiety of the homeless hound; the smugness of the adored dachshund, sitting on its chaise longue in the noonday sun; the patience of the pom-pommed poodle; and the gormless joy of a homely but well-loved pug. In his vast range of emotion, and in his easygoing but precise mastery of the abstract elements of composition, Elliott Erwitt has made himself the Cartier-Bresson of the canine world. --Peggy Moorman

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; 1St Edition edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714838055
• ISBN-13: 978-0714838052
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 1.5 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Like drinking from a fire hydrant. March 8, 1999

By Ronald R. Kyser

Format:Paperback

Flipping through this book is like drinking from a fire hose-- or hydrant. There are of course many classic pictures of dogs, in normal and abnormal situations, taken all over the world. But these are buried under too many good-but-hardly-great shots. Half these pictures would make a better collection; half of that even better. Erwitt goes for quantity.
For quality, try Conrad's "Les Chiens de Paris", 1/8th the size, but culled from a wide assortment of photographers (incl. Erwitt), though in just one (forgive the pun) spot.

Also, if you're gift-shopping for someone else's children, as I was, be aware that Erwitt includes some near-naked Frenchmen and Brazilians with his dogs.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures, with dogs July 25, 2001

By Eileen Galen

Format:Paperback

Without a doubt this is a collection of great photos of dogs (820 dogs, in 512 pages - also horses, pigs, cows, cats, and many people) taken over many years and in many countries.

It appears to be wordless; the photographs begin on page one, and there is no text or even a frontispiece before them. If you dig a little, you will find that in fact, buried deep in the middle of this book are two choice bones: an essay, "My Dog Days," by Erwitt, and P. G. Wodehouse's "About My Friends," an appreciation of Elliott Erwitt and of dogs, in Erwitt's words, " easy, uncomplaining targets." Wodehouse traces his own colorful history of dog-owning with warmth and dry humor. Whereas Erwitt writes that "with dogs, as with love affairs, the first and the last are most vivid," Wodehouse seems to vividly remember many more than a couple of dogs.

Wodehouse is convincing, for example, in his assertion that Aberdeen terriers are so "full of the Calvinistic spirit that it is impossible for an ordinary erring human being not to feel ill at ease in their presence." He loves dogs, (some more than others), he doesn't apologize for it, and asks, finally, for "a standing ovation to all dogs," which is precisely what this terrific little book delivers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Street, also December 23, 2001

By Will Moore

Format:Paperback

Not only is this a great book for someone who loves dogs, but it just has some great street photography in general. Personally, I love the mass quanities of photographs. Whenever I look through a book by Cartier-Bresson (or anyone else, for that matter) I always want to see what else he shot besides what ultimately made it into the book. Someday, I hope someone will publish a book of contact sheets, and this is close to doing that.