Book Report (Reader Faves)

These were the most popular titles that TOP readers ordered through our Amazon links (see "Amazon Portal" at right) in Q1 2009. Note that this isn't an opinion or a qualitative judgment in any way (although naturally the list reflects books we featured): I just toted up the numbers and ranked them according to how many copies you purchased.

1. Eye Mind Spirit: The Enduring Legacy of Minor White by Peter Bunnell (Howard Greenberg Gallery). Far and away our #1 bestseller in Q1, which surprised me (although good on y'all for choosing a monograph and not a technical book for the #1 spot). Readers bought almost twice as many copies of this book as the #2 titles! (U.K. link.)

2. (tie) Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, and Paul Fuqua (Focal Press). Geoff recommended this as the best introductory text to the theory of lighting. (U.K. link.)

2. (tie) The Printed Picture by Richard Benson (Museum of Modern Art). Our "Book of the Year" of 2008. (U. K. link.)

4. Larry Burrows: Vietnam introduction by David Halberstam (Knopf). (U.K. link.) If you liked this, you'll want to know about the new and long-awaited Eddie Adams: Vietnam. (Not available yet in the U.K.)

 

Kirk Tuck

5. Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography by Kirk Tuck (Amherst Media). (U.K. link.) And if you liked this one, you'll be happy to learn that the companion volume, Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography, has just been published. (The difference is in those two little words in the titles, "location" and "studio.") The two together make a matched set. (The new book is not yet available in the U.K.)

6. The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes by Joe McNally (New Riders). Based on the popularity of this one, I hope David Hobby is busy writing his own book.... (U.K. link)

7. (tie) (I know, two ties? But like I said, I just toted up the numbers.) Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith (Business Plus). The only non-photography title on this list. Recommended in a guest posting about business books for photographers by Todd Sattersten.

7. (tie) In the Vernacular: Photography of the Everyday by Stacey McCarroll Cutshaw and Ross Barrett (University of Washington Press). The catalogue from a show of the Rodger Kingston Collection; Rodger wrote about the collection on TOP just a few days ago. (U.K. link.)

9. The 50 Greatest Photo Opportunities in New York City by Amadou Diallo (Course Technology PTR). (U.K. link.)

10. TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845 -1945 by Alison Nordstrom (Douglas & McIntyre). (Not available new in the U.K.)

11. Stieglitz: Camera Work (25th Anniversay Special Edition) (Taschen). (U.K. link.)

 

Sam Abell

12. The Life of a Photograph by Sam Abell (Focal Point). (U.K. link.)

13. The Creative Digital Darkroom by Katrin Eismann and Sean Duggan (O'Reilly Media). (U.K. link.)

14. The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson (Palgrave Macmillan). I just got this one. (U.K. link.)

15. The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters by Joe McNally (New Riders Press). The companion volume to no. 6. (U.K. link.)

 

Scott Kelby

16. The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby (New Riders Press). (U.K. link.)

17. Annie Leibovitz at Work by Annie Leibovitz (Random House). (U.K. link.)

Mike

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Comments

[Martin Doonan]

Do any of these sell enough that it might encourage publishers to print more (no need to reveal the actual numbers)? I'm constantly frustrated by the speed your recommendations get sold out and regular bookshops never seem to carry the good stuff.

[Bill Rogers]

I was surprised and pleased to see The $12 Million Stuffed Shark on the list. I had borrowed this from our local public library several months ago. I've always considered myself to be a photographer, not an artist. Photographers are from Mars, artists are from Venus.

Bill Rogers

[david]

I guess pushing a few copies of Annie Leibovitz's book makes up for the occasional bashing of her "work."

[Michael Steinbach]

Mike were you the one that ordered Annie's new book?

[cog]

not to imply anything, but Kirk Tuck looks like Fred Gwynne.

Anyway, I'd have thought the Sam Abell book would have been closer to the top of the list. It's a jewel.

[EZ]

Very interesting, Mike...

BTW, after being done with the taxes, decided to stop procrastinating and just jumped the gun with the "subscription". I am more than glad to support your site.

EZ

[Mike Johnston]

Thank you EZ! I need to issue a general proclamation of thanks to everyone who has subscribed, but I'm going to wait a bit on that....

I appreciate it though. Tough times right now.

Mike

[John Sartin]

I am pleased to see Kirk Tuck's book doing so well in this list. I am also not surprised, he is one of the good guys in the photographic community. He writes well, takes great photographs and generously shares his many years of experience and love of photography through his books, articles and online participation. He also has a new blog that is worth a check out: http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/

[Jeremy]

Of these, the only one I got was the creative digital darkroom and I'm just starting to crack the surface of everything in it. It's a fantastic book.

Perhaps an idea for a future post, but how about a list of your favorite/ most important photography books both in technique and people's works, that can be bought fairly cheaply, for those of us on a budget?

[mike]

Although I wasn't able to buy it through your link, the best book I've picked up as a result of this site since The Americans is the Karsh book from the Chicago show. What a gem! Bruce Davidson's book is also worth every penny.

[ricx1]

Mike,

Do books that sell-out immediately after being featured, but are low on availability, not get tallied in your totals?

For example, Fred Hersog's "Vancouver Photographs" was in short supply and immediately became unavailable. But one could also consider it to be very popular.

Rick