India: In Word and Image [Hardcover]

Eric Meola (Photographer), Bharati Mukherjee (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 2008

India is rapidly becoming one of the pre-eminent leaders of the twenty-first century. For more than a decade, Eric Meola has returned repeatedly to India, photographing the people, temples, landscapes, architecture, celebrations, and art of this uniquely exuberant and incredibly diverse country. Meola's journeys took him from the Himalayas and monasteries in the North to the temples of Tamil Nadu in the South, from the color and pageantry of Rajasthan in the West to the tea plantations of Darjeeling in the East. Over 200 photographs (edited from more than 25,000 images) will fill this beautifully printed, large-format book. The photographs will be accompanied by dozens of essays, stories, and poems by contemporary and classical Indian writers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although photographer Meola's claim that he is drawn to India because the people are blessed with childhood's sense of wonder seems slightly patronizing, his photographs are an affectionate tribute to the subcontinent's diversity and history. Meola has a fine eye for detail and devotes equal attention to the grand and the humble, from spectacular Buddhist mandalas and Rajasthan's sprawling forts to rose-ringed parakeets nesting in trees or henna on a woman's hands. Suffused with light and color, his images sidestep cliché to achieve an intimacy and spontaneity that readers will relish. Excerpts from such writers as Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie and V.S. Naipaul round out this breathtaking book. (Nov.)
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Review

"[An] ambitious and distinctive pairing of pictures and prose...The images are seductively beautiful; the texts are well-chosen and adroitly placed...What the book aims to convey by this weave of image and word is something essential about the cultural experience of India...the result is exhilarating and highly engaging."
--Color Magazine

"Undeniably exciting...the color images are gorgeous, also, there is text by such writers as Salman Rushdie and Jhumpa Lahiri. This is more than just a book of pictures."
--The Wall Street Journal

"Meola has a fine eye for detail and devotes equal attention to the grand and the humble...Suffused with light and color, his images sidestep cliche to achieve an intimacy and spontaneity that readers will relish. Excerpts from such writers as Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, and V.S. Naipaul round out this breathtaking book."
--Publishers Weekly

"[An] exotic five-star vacation in itself. The portraits, landscapes, and photographic studies of flora and architecture are more art than documentary, and are accompanied not by history lessons, but by masterly prose...Such words can hold their own with any pictures, even Meola's glorious photographs."
-- New York Times Book Review

"Eric Meola, the photographer who shot the cover photo of Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album, has been traveling to India for more than 10 years, recording its people, landscapes, culture, and art. He sifted through 25,000 pictures from his journeys to select more than 200 images for this dazzling book."
--San Francisco Chronicle

"Eric Meola is one of those particularly inventive and imaginative artists."
--Rangefinder Magazine

"From temples to color-washed images of people, India: In Word and Image presents an outstanding splash of cultural insights and color combinations...very highly recommended."
--Midwest Book Review

"[Meola] is truly a grand master of color photography...He has the true eye of an artist. I feel he painted the festivals, the humanity, and the landscapes of India with a most compassionate eye...This book should be on everyone's coffee tables."
--Frank Stefanko, author of Patti Smith: American Artist

"India...is a lavishly illustrated and captivating coffee table book, its colorful and compelling photographs by Eric Meola interspersed with text from a variety of India-themed writings through the ages. We see people, landscapes, decorations, celebrations, poverty and excess, joy and sorrow, and all of it combines to tell the story of a nation that equally embraces its past and its present. 'India' would be a nice addition to a holiday wish list for travelers who have been or long to go."
--The Denver Post

"Eric Meola has gone to India and photographed every inch of it. He has brought back a vision of color unmatched anywhere on earth. When a master of color photography meets India's festival of colors, we have the ultimate magical mystery tour!"
--Pete Turner, photographer

"A strong sense of graphic design and brilliant saturated colors have always identified Meola's photographs...and now it comes as no surprise he's added his tender sense of humanity to the pictures in this breathtaking book, India."
--Anthony Edgeworth, photographer

"As the years have gone by Eric Meola has deepened his vision. India is altogether a stunning book with indelible images."
--Jay Maisel, photographer

"Eric Meola's India is a stellar collection of images and a must-have for the coffee table. It offers the reader a rare view of Indian culture filled with emotion, vibrant color and history. With this book, Eric has outdone himself. He has once again produced a book with images that are truly memorable. Eric brings back a collection of images that most photographers would have missed even if they were standing next to him. The composition, color, and graphic appeal are a testament to one of America's best photographers. This is a must-have book."
--Seth Resnick, photographer

"INDIA: In Word and Image is a breathtaking visual celebration of this incredibly diverse country. With an introduction written by award-winning, Indian-born author Bharati Mukerhjee, and photographs by Eric Meola, this book showcases the beauty of India from the Himalayas and monasteries in the north to the temples of Tamil Nadu in the south, from the color and pageantry of Rajasthan in the west to the tea plantations of Darjeeling in the east."
--Mona Sharma, SiliconIndia.com

"Filled to the brim with sumptuous color photographs from all over India. No matter the subject, Meola's photos are an invitation to share in Meola's skill with the camera and his love of India."
--lotusreads.blogspot.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Welcome Books (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599620499
• ISBN-13: 978-1599620497
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 1.2 x 13.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, not excellent..., February 21, 2009

By 

Cimaroli Sergio "book lover" (Rome, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: India: In Word and Image (Hardcover)

I bought this book because very interested in everything related to India, and in particular history, traditions and religions. Reviews were all very good, so maybe I had too great expectations... In my opinion this book represents a good documentary introduction to India, but lacks something if you're looking for an innovative or original interpretation of this beautiful country.
Pictures are quite good, but too often they look like "seen before" images.
India is so spectacular in its variety, its different moods and colors, that sometimes western travellers risk to miss its deep roots, its hidden soul.
By a technical and artistic point of view, I hope I'm not alone to consider debatable the actual trend to print photographs with unreal, super bright colors. Far from adding any charme, "boosted" colors cannot help a weak image, but they could render false and dull a good one.
For those interested in a more intimistic and reflective approach to India I'd suggest "India" by Don McCullin, "Children of Bombay" by Dario Mitidieri or the beatiful works by Raghu Ray

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masala of color, light and texture., October 14, 2008

By 

Rob Atkins (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: India: In Word and Image (Hardcover)

Between the covers of Eric Meola's staggeringly beautiful India in Word and Image is a vision as large and dynamic as India itself. In a similar way to his first book, Last Places on Earth, Meola's peripatetic photography takes us on a journey to reveal the pride and dignity of a culture living in an ever-shrinking world of globalization and instant communication. Yet his new book goes further: through his lens we enter the soul of a country full of color and an unrestrained enthusiasm for life. From the riotously colorful celebration of Holi to a lone, meditating monk under a bodhi tree, the photography of one of the medium's true masters shows us an amazing part of the world.

The immediacy of Meola's photography is breathtaking, whether he's focusing on an expansive vista or some minute detail that he has found and wants to share with us. Viewing the many and varied portraits throughout the book, I feel as if I'm looking not at images printed on a page, but directly into the eyes of the subject.

The inclusion of writings on India by Tagore, Narayan, Rushdie, Kiran Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri and several other great writers of India help make this a very illuminating and moving book.

A Gujarati friend taught me a useful phrase in his language: "Salu che." It is good. But that doesn't begin to describe this astounding book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visually exquisite !, November 10, 2008

By 

Frank S. Stefanko "photographer" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: India: In Word and Image (Hardcover)

Eric Meola is a master of color photography. This book is a visual trip for the eyes, mind, and heart. Mr. Meola has captured the festivals, but more importantly, the soul of India. Whether or not the reader is interested in India, you can't help being drawn in to the photographs of the people, the landscapes, and the atmosphere that is so richly portrayed.

Beyond the exquisite color photographic compositions in this book, Mr. Meola has that rare photographer's eye to see what most people don't even notice....the glow off a burning cigarette, a gecko that happened to be sitting on a sculpture, a telling expression in the eyes of a young woman.

This book along with its moving text, is a tribute to an India that exists in a Kiplingesque dreamscape that may one day be gone. Enjoy it now and share it with those you love.

Frank Stefanko / photographer