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I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection
 
 
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I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection (Hardcover)

~ Kevin Kwan (Author), Ramiro Fernandez (Compiler), Reinaldo Arenas (Narrator), Peter Castro (Introduction)
Key Phrases: silver print postcard, gelatin silver print, albumen print, Oriente Province, Camaguey Province, Pinar del Rio (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

List Price: $24.95
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I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection + Havana Before Castro: When Cuba was a Tropical Playground + Havana Then and Now (Then & Now)
Price For All Three: $49.16

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  • This item: I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection by Kevin Kwan

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

While most think of Cuba as a mythical island of rum, rumba, and revolution, period photographs reveal a more complex place. I Was Cuba is an original look at Cuban history as seen through the Ramiro Fernandez Collection arguably the world's leading archive of Cuban photos and ephemera. I Was Cuba showcases rare, vernacular images from the nineteenth century through the revolutionary period, exploring the everyday and the eccentric. With texts from famed Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas (Before Night Falls), this captivating volume is an intimate view into a bygone era of glamour, political upheaval, and astounding visual culture.


About the Author

Kevin Kwan is a book packager and creative consultant who has created projects with some of the world's leading artists, designers, publishers, and institutions. He has been involved in the creation of numerous acclaimed visual books, including (un)Fashion by Tibor + Maira Kalman, Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry, and Spectacle by David Rockwell with Bruce Mau. In 2004, he produced Presenting Celia Cruz, the celebrated photography tribute to Cuba's "Queen of Salsa."

Peter Castro was named managing editor of People en Español in 2006. Prior to joining People en Español, Castro worked at sister publication People magazine, most recently serving as executive editor overseeing entertainment coverage.

Ramiro Fernandez was born in Havana to a family involved in the pharmaceutical industry. He left Cuba in 1960, settling first in Palm Beach County and then in New York, where he was a photography editor at Time Inc. for 25 years, working for such titles as Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, People, and People En Español. Fernandez first began to collect at the suggestion of his grandmother, who foresaw the coming turmoil and urged him to collect images of a Cuba that was fast disappearing. As a witness to the revolution in his youth, Fernandez's consuming passion has been to build a collection that can serve as a testament to the Cuba he remembers.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 11, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0811860531
  • ISBN-13: 978-0811860536
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #239,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #3 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Arenas, Reinaldo
    #11 in  Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Travel > South America
    #29 in  Books > Travel > Caribbean > Cuba

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest Cuban photo book ever, October 18, 2007
By John Radanovich (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
Wow, now THIS is a masterpiece. Well chosen material juxtaposed in creative and sometimes very funny ways, and a singular look at a well-known subject. The collection that these photos came from must be truly magnificent. I already bought ten copies for my Cuba-obsessed friends, and I'm just getting started. Both the collector and book designer get the highest marks possible!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernández Collection, November 2, 2008
By Jose A. Gonzalez (Baton Rouge, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
An excellent and exquisite gathering of outstanding pictures of my native country with no politcal emphasis, just plain art at its best. The collection as placed on the book gives the viewers a fantastic "review" of the various epochs in Cuba. Outstanding!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I WAS CUBA, December 31, 2007
By Jose Mencia (Bronx, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I had originally bought the book for me, but when I opened the book and saw all the beautiful pictures of what Cuba once was, I knew I had to give this book to my parents. When my mother unwrapped the book on Christmas Day and started to look at the pictures with my dad, tears came from both their eyes. My mother hugged me and could not stop thanking me for the gift. Those of Cuban Heritage, please buy his book, for "YOU ARE CUBA" and you won't regret it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Photo Book
As a Photographer and a Cuban I will recommend this book to anyone interested in the pre Castro visual history of Cuba. The collection of photos is magnificent.
Published 7 months ago by Javier F. alonso

5.0 out of 5 stars Pictures from Cubas past
I purchased this book for a neighbor who escaped Castro's Cuba.
It is a wonderful collection of pictures taken pre-Castro and for
my neighbor a remembrance of an... Read more
Published 8 months ago by M. Loupe

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Fantastic collectionn of photos that take you to another place in another time. Beautifully sequenced and with great essays. I hope Mr. Fernandez has more books in him. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Ira

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL AND AUTHENTIC
This book has the most amazing collection of authetic pictures from cuba I have EVER seen! I met Ramiro (the man who collected the photos) at Florida State University and he... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Desiree Santana

5.0 out of 5 stars "I Was Cuba...." REAL TREASURES
I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection

This book contains an amazing collection of old photographs that essentially cover the entire island. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Design Fan

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb insightful collection and commentary
Great collection of photos pre and post Revolution; not simply tourist photos, but many of ordinary people,
and great figures of Cuban history. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Jack Combs

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous And Moving Photos
Wow,I love it and I'm not even Cuban. I do however have a Cuban son-in-law and this seemed the perfect gift for him. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Georgette Bannan

4.0 out of 5 stars Cienfuegos Native Son
I liked the book very much and enjoyed the photos and the comments but was greatly surprised to find Cienfuegos, my hometown, in the province of Camaguey!!! Read more
Published 23 months ago by G. E. Fernandez

5.0 out of 5 stars I Was Cuba is Extraordinary
I Was Cuba: Treasures from the Ramiro Fernandez Collection As a photographer I have long collected antique portraits. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Brian Gorman

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Cuban images prior to Castro's disastrous revolution
A wonderful pictorial book on a Cuba that has now passed.

Having not been able to remember the country I was born in, this beautiful
book has been able to... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Juanita Borderud

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