Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail (Hardcover)

by Ansel Adams (Author), William A. Turnage (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A rare jewel has been discovered in the oeuvre of Ansel Adams. SIERRA NEVADA: THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL, originally published in an edition of only 500 copies in 1938, is an extraordinary publication in many respects. Adams, at the age of 36, was commissioned to prepare a book of his photographs taken along the world-famous John Muir Trail as a tribute to Pete Starr, a young American mountaineer (and son of a Sierra Club president) killed in a climbing accident. Composed of 50 photographs of the Sierra Nevada--many never published again--the book is an exquisite portrait of the mountain world of the High Sierra in California. When first published, it set a new standard for fine photographic reproduction in book form. Little, Brown takes great pride in announcing a new edition of this magnificent book.

About the Author
Ansel Adams, the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century, photographed throughout America's national parks and wilderness areas.William A. Turnage is managing trustee of The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. He worked closely with Ansel Adams as business manager and environmental associate.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; 1st Little, Brown and Co. Ed edition (October 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082125717X
• ISBN-13: 978-0821257173
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book of so-so quality for AA's gem prints, October 31, 2006

By	Michael Wu (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is always told that AA put enormous energy and care in producing his 1938 edition of "Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail", originally published in only 500 copies and a fine art book of highest quality at the time.

I never saw a copy of the origional edition and my comment is purely on what I see in this 2006 standard edition. I don't know how this book is made from the original edition. It says tri-tone but the printing quality is so-so. Some images are a little vague, some losing details in shadow or highlight. The book is pale in compasrison with some great AA books published by Bulfinch in the past, such as "California" or "Yosemite and the High Sierra". You can find some images from this book in other AA books and in better quality. Overall, it would make AA uneasy to stamp his famous AA Authorized Edition to the book. If it were not for its historical value, I'd skip this book.

Now Bulfinch also offers a 2006 deluxe edition at $1,200. Again I haven't seen a copy but perhaps the pricier version can live up to the standard of the original edition.

The trend looks a little worrisome recently in AA books pulished by Bulfinch. The printing quality goes down from "California (1997)" to "Ansel Adams at 100 (hardcover 2001)". "Trees (2004)" rebounds just a little but "Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail (2006)" is a little disappointing. I would hope the next AA book by Bulfinch can rejuvenate the printing quality, even if doing so means a higher price tag.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to the original, November 10, 2007

By	Ben Crane - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The original version of this book was published in 1938 in a limited edition of only 500 copies. Ansel's other well known work of this early period include his portfolio entitled Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras (1927) and his other early books include Taos Pueblo (published in a limited edition of about 100 copies around 1930), and the relatively common instructional book "Making a Photograph" (1935). I have seen all of these works in their original form and was grateful to see this book reprinted making it accessable to modern Ansel Adams fans of modest means such as myself.

Ansel's printing style changed over the course of his life. For instance, the Monolith (face of Half Dome) print included with the Parmelian Prints looks completely different than the much more familiar and frequently reproduced prints from this negative made in the 1970s. Several other examples can be found of this change in printing style. Most books currently on the market and prints that are frequently shown focus on the dramatic Wagnerian style of printing Ansel adopted in his later years. Modern Ansel Adams publications which seem to include several new books every year focus on already well known images as Ansel printed them in the final decades of his life. This book is refreshing in that focuses on Ansel's early images and printing style. The book is also focused on the John Muir trail rather than being a "greatest hits" collection.

Printing technology has also changed and improved a lot since the original version of the book was published in 1938, and his improved significantly even since 1984 when Ansel died. Of course not every book is printed with the best technology of an era. I have not seen original prints of all of many of the images reproduced in this book, but I believe the printing to in the spirit of this era and to the original edition.

Plate #49 in the book, "Lake and cliffs, Kaweah Gap" has been reproduced in several other books as "Frozen Lake and Cliffs" including as plate XIII in the 1935 "Making a Photograph" and on page 10 of the 1983 printing of "Examples the Making of 40 photographs." I have taken the opportunity to compare these three reproductions side by side. The 1935 reproduction is clearly the worst of the three to my eye - likely because of the printing technology of that era. The 1983 book and the current book are much closer. The blacks are deeper in this book. There is more constrast in the cliff in the current "John Muir Trial" reproduction at the expense of a slight amount of shadow detail which is present in the "Examples" book. In "Examples" Ansel mentions that the negative was processed in nearly exhausted developer and lacks density in the shadows making it difficult to print. He goes on to say in "Examples" (which he wrote in the early 1980s), that it was "Only within the past year or so have I been able to get a nearly satisfactory print..." This implies to me that the loss of shadow detail in the John Muir Trail reproduction of this image is due to the way Ansel printed this image in that era and not due to the quality of printing in the book as another reviewer suggested.

This is one of the few books currently available which focuses on Ansel's early photography career, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a serious interest in his work. Having seen and read the 1938 edition, I believe this new printing does justice to the original as well as makes this body of work accessible to the current generation Ansel Adams enthusiasts.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mass Produced Version of the Ansel Adams Classic with Uninspired Printing, December 29, 2008

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

I am very glad that this book is available. It's history has near legendary status for its role in helping the conservation movement in the high Sierras. I was pleased to read the extensive essays about the book's origin and how it was originally produced in an expensive version of 500 copies. I felt like I was holding the fate of wilderness preserves in my hand.

I also know from talking to many climbers that the John Muir Trail is a special treat. I wanted to see it from Ansel Adams' perspective. And that was quite rewarding and revealing.

Due to the limitations of printing when the original came out, it was impractical to include more than 50 images. Adams' choices of what to include are as interesting as the John Muir Trail.

I have to add a big caveat before you consider buying the book: The photographic reproductions aren't nearly as good as you've seen elsewhere. I don't know why (it may even have been intentional), but it's hard to imagine that Ansel Adams who liked to use detail to bring out an emotional reaction suddenly created one book where the potential emotional impact seems downplayed.

My suggestion is that you look at this in a book store or a library . . . but don't buy a copy. You'll be unhappy with the images. It would be better to remember Ansel Adams through printed versions that he approved of personally.