NIAGARA [Hardcover]

Alec Soth (Author), Philip Brookman (Author), Richard Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 2008

By way of follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut monograph Sleeping by the Mississippi, Alec Soth turns his eye to another iconic body of water, Niagara Falls. And as with his photographs of the Mississippi, these images are less about natural wonder than human desire. "I went to Niagara for the same reason as the honeymooners and suicide jumpers," says Soth, "the relentless thunder of the Falls just calls for big passion." The subject may be hot, but the pictures are quiet, the rigorously composed and richly detailed products of a large-format 8x10 camera. Working over the course of two years on both the American and Canadian sides of the Falls, Soth edited the results of his labors down to a tight and surprising album. He depicts newlyweds and naked lovers, motel parking lots, pawnshop wedding rings and love letters from the subjects he photographed. We read about teenage crushes, workplace affairs, heartbreak and suicide. Oscar Wilde wrote, "The sight of the stupendous waterfall must be one of the earliest, if not the keenest, disappointments in American married life." Niagara brings viewers both the passion and the disappointment--a remarkable portrayal of modern love and its aftermath.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Steidl; First Edition edition (November 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3865212336
• ISBN-13: 978-3865212337
• Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 11.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Falling in love, May 17, 2009

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NIAGARA (Hardcover)

With 104 pages this book only has thirty-six photos by Alec Soth. But don't let the small number of images put you off owning a copy because this is a book that has to be considered from the front cover to the back.

To start with Soth designed it and it was probably his idea to avoid a dust jacket and go for an embossed title and panel for a pasted-on color photo. After the title spread there is a five page essay by Richard Ford followed by the photo pages, three of which use notes that Soth got from strangers while working on this Niagara assignment, next Philip Brookman contributes a six page essay on the cultural aspects of the Falls. Just before the book ends there are two spreads that, for me, make it all come alive. These are background notes handwritten by Soth and included are nine addition photos he took and one he was given by somone in a bar. Included also are some very personal notes he was given by strangers. Thumbnails of the Niagara photos with their titles run down the sides of these four pages. The back cover has an embossed quote taken from a handwritten note on page eighty-three.

I thought Soth's intriguing images are definitely given extra credence by being presented in this particular format. His design, printing, paper, binding, contributor essays all work to enhance the photos. This is not a unique way of doing things but in this case I think it works perfectly. The photos are one to a page and amazingly, with so few, the impact the Falls and motels have on the folks who go there really comes across. With each viewing they become more and more accessible.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, August 15, 2009

By 

W. Rosen "chickendog" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NIAGARA (Hardcover)

This is my favorite Alec Soth book eclipsing the classic "Sleeping By The Mississippi". In addition to the photographs in contains Soth's notebook pages at the end of the book. The exterior cover itself is a lovely, faux-leather type material that adds to the Niagara seediness. If you like Eggleston and Shore, Soth fits in perfectly.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars better than sleeping on the mississippi, June 12, 2006

By 

jack kerr (northport, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: NIAGARA (Hardcover)

i think soth has produced a better book than his highly acclaimed 'sleeping by the mississippi' here. it seems less derivative, less self-conscious, and more mature. my main criticism would be the pictures of the falls itself, which don't seem to fit and end up being a distraction from the true heart of this work - the odd people, buildings, and objects that give definition and vision to the area.