Ansel Adams: Classic Images (Hardcover)

by Ansel Adams (Author), James Alinder (Author), John Szarkowski (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
These classic photographs were selected by the late Ansel Adams himself to be permanently representative of his work. Included are familiar scenic compositions like Moonrise, Hernandez and Half Dome, Yosemite, but there are also portraiture and closeups of patterns in nature. Alinder, director of Friends of Photography, chronicles Adams's life and describes his particular development in which perception of subtle tonalities came to define the photographer's vision. He tells also of great technical achievements (such as the "zone system" for exposure and printing) and this master photographer's related sensibilities as a classical musician and ardent nature conservationist. Museum of Modern Art curator Szarkowski appraises the impact Adams had on America's appreciation of itself. BOMC and Photography Book Club selections.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Introduction by John Szarkowski Essay by James Alinder

In the last years of his life Ansel Adams selected the seventy-five images that he believed represented the finest examples of the quality and breadth of his artistic legacy. Those images he designated for exhibition throughout the country as "The Museum Set" and published in this essential volume:Classic Images.

Classic Images includes many of Adams' most famous and best-loved photographs and encompasses the full scope of his work: elegant details of nature, architectural studies, portraits, and the breathtaking landscapes for which he is revered. The latter range from his beloved Yosemite to the Pacific Coast, the Southwest, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Northwest. The portfolio is preceded by an eloquent introduction by John Szarkowski, former Director of the Department of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art. An authoritative biographical essay - and a detailed chronology - by James Alinder further establish Classic Images as required reading for a full understanding of Adams' development as a pre-eminent American artist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 111 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; 1st hardcover ed edition (October 30, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821216295
• ISBN-13: 978-0821216293
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,561 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Images Reproduced in Tiny Sizes Spoil The Effects, November 12, 2000

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

Ansel Adams was very concerned that his work always be reproduced in a high quality way. I fear that he gave too much attention to fidelity of reproduction, and not enough to size of image in the reproduction. This otherwise valuable book is seriously marred by the designer having chosen page and print sizes much too small for Adams' work. I suggest you avoid this book.

I would like to compliment James Alinder on an outstanding biographical essay concerning Adams' life and photographic techniques. This essay will add useful knowledge to anyone who wants to better understand Adams' work and life, and their effects on us all. I would also like to compliment the selection of the images. These are clearly among Adams' best work.

Adams' technique used the very stark light of dawn and dusk to create vivid detail that echoed across the image from figure to figure. The result was to help the eye capture the connectedness of nature, the oneness of creation. So when the details become too small, it is like rubbing out whole chapters in a book. I was very disappointed in the publishing decision for this book's page size. In fact, only one of my favorite images still held most of its power for me in these large postcard sizes, Moon with Half Dome, Yosemite, 1960.

Without Mr. Alinder's essay, I would have graded this book as a two star effort.

Some of the lesser works which have less fine detail still show well. Here were my favorites of this small-sized collection:

Self-Portrait, Monument Valley, Utah, 1958

Monlith, The Face of Half Dome, Yosemite, 1927

Winnowing Grain, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, 1928

Rock and Grass, Moraine Lake, Sequoia National Park, 1982

Georgia O'Keefe and Orville Cox, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 1937

Mormon Temple, Manti, Utah, 1948

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico 1941

White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 1942

Monument Valley, 1958

Cypress and Fog, Pebble Beach, California, 1967

Sand Dunes, Oceano, California, 1950

If you are like me and love Ansel Adams' work, I suggest you look into Ansel Adams, The American Wilderness, which does feature large enough reproductions.

Sometimes we learn more from mistakes than from successes. Where are your efforts being undertaken on too small a scale to be fully effective? What can you do to change that?

Enjoy the beauty of nature in its full scale brilliance (outdoors and in larger-sized photographic books)!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite collection!, March 17, 2001

By A Customer

This is a wonderful book filled with breathtaking photographs taken by the late and well-respected Ansel Adams. Each of the photographs contained is a unique masterpiece with a life of its own. Looking at these splendid photographs, one feels drawn right in to the specific location and year. Some of my favorites include, "The Golden Gate Before the Bridge" (1932), "Barn, Cape Cod, Massachusetts" (ca. 1937), "Clearing Storm, Sonoma County Hills, California" (1951) and "Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona" (1942). This book will definitely hold your attention and keep you captivated if not mesmerized. With so many minute and beautiful details in these photographs, it's easy to see why Ansel Adams was one of the most respected and popular photographers of our time. He didn't just take a picture; he ceased moments in time and captured the beauty of the subjects being photographed. This is an excellent book that will make a fine addition to any library. This book would make a great gift for photographers and art connoisseurs alike!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ansel Adams: Classic Images, April 18, 2000

By	Jeri M. Butler (Redding, Ca.) - See all my reviews

You could not ask for more. His most wonderful collection. A must see for any Ansel Adams fan. You will wish for all to hang in your own home. Only you can share with all your friends and family too.