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Title: Ansel Adams : A Biography by Mary Street Alinder ISBN: 0-8050-5835-4 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: 15 April, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An outstanding biography
Comment: Rarely do I start rereading a book immediately after I finish the last page, and it is even more rare for the book to be a biography. Mary Street Alinder's biography of Ansel Adams is one of these.
I have studied and admired Ansel Adams' photography for many years: his mastery of composition and virtuosity in the darkroom are unrivaled. His books on photographic and darkroom technique are well read and have a prominent place in my technical library. I did not know anything about Ansel Adams the man.
Mary Street Alinder was Adams' assistant during the final years of his life, becoming a close confidant and co-authoring his autobiography and later collecting and publishing his letters. In that unique position she had access to almost 70 years of correspondence, tens of thousands unprinted negatives, and more important of all close access to Ansel and his family.
The image of Adams that develops through the pages of the book is a difficult one to interpret. His friendships with other photographers, naturalists, and numerous female assistants were deep and life long (though in the case of the latter never intimate). His relationship to his family was a different matter, and this is where the difficulty lies: Ansel was first and foremost dedicated to, if not obsessed by, his art, at the expense of his wife and children. In this he comes through as less than likable. But it also becomes clear that inside Ansel was always a child, excited by all around him and exuberant with life and a single self-centered focus towards doing what he could for the places he loved.
Alinder's writing is clear and concise. The organization of the book is not strictly chronological. Instead each chapter documents specific events, people, places, or photographs. This can be disconcerting at first, but it is an effective approach that leads to a more interesting read. Chapter 13, "Moonrise," is especially fascinating. It is Alinder's favorite picture, and she was fortunate enough to be in the darkroom with him as he made a print from the original negative. The description of Ansel's process is musical.
Alinder is not an apologist for Ansel's personality flaws: she presents him honestly, though not critically. The book is rife with citations: there are over 60 pages of notes supporting the story.
If you want insight into Ansel Adams the Photographer, the Naturalist, and most importantly, the Man, then I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 3
Summary: A nice book...I just discovered I don't care much for Adams!
Comment: The book is interesting and quite well written, if you don't mind the non-chronology of it. I just came away thinking even less of Mr. Adams than I did going in and that was a let-down for me. I think some of his photographs are very pretty, but I would never call them art! They don't "move" me and neither did this book.
Rating: 3
Summary: simplicty and thought
Comment: I thought it was very interesting it was of thought and simplicity it had lots of interseting perspectives about one's own life....
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Title: Ansel Adams: An Autobiography by Ansel Adams, Mary Street Alinder ISBN: 0821222414 Publisher: Bulfinch Pub. Date: 01 February, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title:Ansel Adams - A Documentary Film ASIN: B00007G1YJ Publisher: Warner Home Video Pub. Date: 14 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $17.98 |
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Title: Print, The by Ansel Adams ISBN: 0821221876 Publisher: Bulfinch Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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Title: Camera, The by Ansel Adams ISBN: 0821221841 Publisher: Bulfinch Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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Title: Ansel Adams and the American Landscape: A Biography by Jonathan Spaulding ISBN: 0520216636 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: October, 1998 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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