Customer Reviews

I and Eye: Pictures of My Generation

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have several of Peter Simon's books and this newest one is a wonderful addition to that collection. I feel he has put a lot of time and effort into the production of I and Eye. It is a book that can be appreciated by several generations. Music lovers especially will appreciate the insightful pictures of many famous musicians. The articles that accompany the pictures are very informative. I look forward to seeing future publications by Peter Simon.

It's been said that if you remember the '60's you probably weren't really there. It's a good thing Peter had a camera because he probably would have been wondering himself what those days were like. Parts of his world, beautifully recorded, jar our memories. Whether these memories are painful or delightful, they are part of our collective story. Many '60's communes didn't allow photographs, so these may be rarer than one assumes. The book is worth looking at and reading.

In my humble opinion, the baby boomer generation lived through some of the most captivating days our world has seen. In their 57 years (and growing) life, these people have witnessed heroes rise and fall, movements come and go, events take place and gracefully (or not) assume their places in the books of time. Peter Simon seemed to always be at the right place at the right time with his ever-ready camera aimed in history's direction. His eyes, both literally and creatively speaking, have witnessed Jackie Robinson play at Ebbetts Field; they saw student unrest at Boston University in the late 1960s; they watched his generation live simply off the earth in nature-based communes in the 1970s; they traveled with Grateful Dead and Bob Marley; they captured the 1986 Mets' victory over the Red Sox in the World Series; and dearest to my heart, his eyes have seen Martha's Vineyard come of age along with he, himself. If you lived through these days, or if you wish you had, I and Eye is more than a wise choice. It is a chronicle of your greatest memories and imaginations - one that you will want to hold in the deepest space in your mind.
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A fan,
Craig Sherman

From the moment I opened this book and read the introductions, by Peter's sister Carly among others, I was caught up by the spirit of the man. Inheriting his interest in photography from his publisher father, Peter Simon went on to record his life and times on film. The pictures from the 60's and 70's particularly appealed to me -- the musicians, the freedom, and the tumult and beauty of the times have all been captured by Simon's camera.

Simon's commentary is as revealing as the pictures. He's unafraid to reveal his insecurities and fears, and has captured the life-changing events of his times, and their effect on him, in words as well as photos. I intend to leave this book on my coffee table, not just for people my age whose reaction I can predict, but for everyone else too. It's a beautiful, life-affirming, spirit-enhancing book. Unlike many photography books that are looked at once or twice and then set aside, this is one you'll return to again and again.

Ah! From the intricacies of Tree Frog Farm to the open arms of MV's shores, the reader is webbed into every fiber of Peter's life through his descriptive words and vivid photographs - so much so, that he leaves you with a dream of being one of the free spirits on the beaches of Martha's Vineyard.Thank you, Peter, for the journey!

From the moment I opened this book and read the introductions, by Peter's sister Carly among others, I was caught up by the spirit of the man. Inheriting his interest in photography from his publisher father, Peter Simon went on to record his life and times on film. The pictures from the 60's and 70's particularly appealed to me -- the musicians, the freedom, and the tumult and beauty of the times have all been captured by Simon's camera.

Simon's commentary is as revealing as the pictures. He's unafraid to reveal his insecurities and fears, and has captured the life-changing events of his times, and their effect on him, in words as well as photos. I intend to leave this book on my coffee table, not just for people my age whose reaction I can predict, but for everyone else too. It's a beautiful, life-affirming, spirit-enhancing book. Unlike many photography books that are looked at once or twice and then set aside, this is one you'll return to again and again.

Reading Peter Simon's I and Eye really made an impact on the pleasurable aspects of my memory and my feelings of being connected to all the people I knew back in the 70s. No one has told this story as honestly and with as much warmth as Peter.

It i a big book . Big in more than one way: a big, luscious story of an era that we all hear so much about and big in size because it is more than a book book, it's a photo book. Frankly, it was rather kind of hard to hold on my lap while I read in bed, but I kept going and am glad I did. Wow! What fun. What a find!

His book inspired me to go looking for more 60s/70s stories.

At first glance, one would think that Peter Simon's book, I and Eye, is a coffee table-style, picture book. But one need only open it to find out differently. This book is an autobiography--with a really good picture album.

I had the privilege of meeting Peter Simon. He's friendly, laid back, and so open about himself you like him right away. Peter's honesty about himself, the good and the bad, was awe-inspiring. By the time he finished, I felt like we were old friends.

I and Eye is so much more than just a picture book. Through its pages, we see a life lived, with its joys--and its sorrows. Because Peter's camera was such a ubiquitous presence throughout his life--from his pre-teen years on--viewing I and Eye is like looking through an album of one person's memories. As a bonus, we get to see some of Peter's father's work (His father, Richard Simon was an avid photographer in his own right and co-founder of Simon and Schuster.) and get a glimpse of his childhood that we would otherwise not be able to see. Taken in toto, the book captures a life.

There are introductions by Carly Simon (yes, she's his sister), David Silver, Stephen Davis, and Richard North Patterson. Every one of them gives testament to the openness and honesty Peter has with people.

Technically, I and Eye is the work of a consummate photographer. Peter's specialty, to use a trite phrase, is the candid shot. Even his posed shots have a spontaneity that makes them seem candid. Some of his portraits are powerful. Some are precious. All provoke strong emotions. Peter's landscapes incorporate a love for the places he captures, a majority of them on his beloved Cape Cod. This book is a must for anyone who calls him or herself a photographer and aspires to do great things with a camera.

Take time with this book. Find a comfortable spot, relax, and allow its pages to carry you through the life of a warm, interesting, and talented man. You'll find the trip worthwhile.

From the moment I opened this book and read the introductions, by Peter's sister Carly among others, I was caught up by the spirit of the man. Inheriting his interest in photography from his publisher father, Peter Simon went on to record his life and times on film. The pictures from the 60's and 70's particularly appealed to me -- the musicians, the freedom, and the tumult and beauty of the times have all been captured by Simon's camera.

Simon's commentary is as revealing as the pictures. He's unafraid to reveal his insecurities and fears, and has captured the life-changing events of his times, and their effect on him, in words as well as photos. I intend to leave this book on my coffee table, not just for people my age whose reaction I can predict, but for everyone else too. It's a beautiful, life-affirming, spirit-enhancing book. Unlike many photography books that are looked at once or twice and then set aside, this is one you'll return to again and again.

Peter Simon is a talented photojournalist, and this book is the story of his life, with a definite emphasis on the 60's and early 70's counterculture years, which he lived to the fullest. It's all here: the protests, living on a commune, the eastern spiritual gurus, flirtations with nudism, the (impressive) series of hippy girlfriends, the rock stars (he's Carly Simon's brother).

I'm sure other members of his generation will find the book very nostalgic. As for me, it's almost enough to make we wish I'd been born 10 or 15 years sooner. I went to college during the early years of the Reagan administration. The 60's obviously weren't a very happy time, but it would be hard to imagine someone of my generation putting out a book like this: who would care?

The later chapters of the book are an odd lot of whatever he was shooting during those years of his life. Therefore we have some baseball coverage, some photos of landscapes and his celebrity friends on Martha's Vineyard and some coverage of Woodstock 1999. I'd judge these chapters as substantially less interesting than the early ones.

One thing this book does illustrate is the importance of connections in getting a book of photography published. I'm not saying it's not a worthy project: it certainly is. But a lot of worthy projects are never published, and it's hard to believe his sister's celebrity and his family's connections in the publishing industry ("Simon" is the "Simon" in "Simon & Schuster") weren't key factors, especially for a virtually unknown photographer.