Napa Valley [Hardcover]

Charles O'Rear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

When National Geographic sent Charles O’Rear to photograph a little-known region of Napa Valley for a book about rural America, he was immediately enthralled by the area’s natural beauty and vibrant tradition of winemaking. He soon made the valley his home and in the twenty-three years since, he has watched it grow from an obscure, secluded hollow in the California landscape to an internationally recognized food and wine destination. O’Rear has accumulated thousands of photographs of his idyllic environs, the best of which are brought together in this awe-inspiring volume. Each photo exhibits an artistry and grandeur imbued with the familiarity and immediacy that can only be gleaned by a Napa Valley local. From the people who grow the grapes and create the wines to the variety of winery architecture and unrivaled vistas that distinguish the land, NAPA VALLEY offers a personal and stunning look at the places, people, and events that have shaped this now-famous region. Without a doubt, O’Rear’s collection is the most original and comprehensive treasury ever assembled on Napa Valley.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CHARLES O’REAR photographed for National Geographic for twenty-five years and since 1990 has produced four books on wine. He began photographing winemaking when he moved to Napa Valley in 1978, and today owns the largest collection of wine photography in the United States. He resides in beautiful St. Helena, California. JANICE FUHRMAN writes a column about the culture of wine for the San Francisco Chronicle. She now lives in St. Helena, California, with her husband and two sons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580083226
• ISBN-13: 978-1580083225
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as good as being there!, May 30, 2001

By 

Glass Audio lover "netgear customer" (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Napa Valley (Hardcover)

Stunning imagery of the Napa region and the people behind the industry. O'Rear shows the reader the real Napa, and his breathtaking pictures do justice to this terrific region. The centerfold is a four-page foldout of the ornate wooden gates of each winery in the region; both clever and masterful at once. O'Rear shows Napa as only a true insider can. This is the one to buy and will impress anyone who opens it. A must for the true wine lover!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spectacular Photographic Journey through Napa Valley, May 12, 2001

By 

Daphne Larkin (Napa Valley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Napa Valley (Hardcover)

Anyone who loves wine country - or anything beautiful - will savor what has to be the largest photographic book ever published on Napa Valley. Charles O'Rear has done it again with his fifth book on wines and wine country - but this one is his opus, his love letter to the place he has called home since National Geographic sent him here on assignment 23 years ago. Every page surprises with a blaze of color and contrast -- seas of green vineyards, blood orange skies, clusters of deep indigo blue cabernet grapes. All this juxtaposed with Avedon-style black & white portraits of the people who grow the grapes which make the world class wine. These "farmers" are like no other, ranging from surgeon, judge, broker, teacher, and pilot to second generation Italian immigrant. Then there's the collection of quirky-looking corkscrews and a three-foot foldout of golden red winery doors. Along with the photographs, the essays by San Francisco Chronicle wine country columnist, Janice Fuhrman, capture the very heart and soul of this small paradise. And look who endorsed the book! None other than the King and Queen of Napa Valley - Robert and Margrit Mondavi, who wrote the foreword. Chef and owner of the French Laundry, Thomas Keller, and Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic, William Allen, have written glowing words on the dust jacket. I believe this book will become a collector's item for anyone who loves wine, wine country, and the joyful life surrounding it.

Books also by this photographer: WINE COUNTRY: California's Napa and Sonoma Valleys; CABERNET: A Photographic Journey From Vine to Wine; CHARDONNAY: Photographs From Around the World.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Napa, Napa, Napa, wine, wine, wine!, May 19, 2001

By 

Nils Haeck (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Napa Valley (Hardcover)

Napa: yep, that's it. The area just breathes the atmosphere of old times as can be found in the south of France.. but now in today's California, just north of San Francisco. And this book captures it all. The only thing *missing* from the book is the actual taste of the wine.

Once you've been there (either by car, or the famous Napa valley wine express) and you have seen and tasted this beautiful area, you will love the book as a souvenir. The quality of the prints is overwhelming - ranging from super-macro closups of cobalt blue grapes till wide, outstretching landscaping views.

And the book puts a face to the labels of your favourite wine. All the labels are listed, together with the matching winery's door, and some of the most famous Napa valley characters. Looking at these beautifully lighted out characteristic faces will give you an impression of the world behind the wine you are drinking.

WARNING: don't read this book if you are out of wine. You'll get too thirsty to resist.

Now let's wait for the video, Chuck! And the poster with the foldable airplane-ready frame.