Edward Weston: One Hundred Twenty-Five Photographs

I can't recommend this per se, because it looks like I'm not going to actually see it—so I can't evaluate it as an example of bookmaking nor appraise its reproduction quality. I've been in discussions with Ammo Books about it, and it looks like they're short of review copies because the book is a limited edition. I could buy it, but I already have several deluxe, slipcased collections of Edward Weston's work, including California Landscapes and the large-format edition of the Maddow biography.

A picture of Ansel by Edward that I've never seen before?! Hard to
believe. But there it was.

However, that front-and-center caveat aside, Edward Weston: One Hundred Twenty-Five Photographs (here's the U.K. link , and here's the link from The Book Depository) looks like a superb prospect for anyone whose library is lacking in the work of this most seminal and influential of American art photographers. It covers his entire career from the early pictorialist work through the last, almost abstract pictures from Point Lobos. It has many of the greatest hits—the Westons nobody should be without—but also seems to give special consideration to us photographers, seeing as it includes some of his portraits of photographer friends as well as personal pictures of his great love Charis and his sons as young men, at his elemental California home (it was almost a shack), Wildcat Hill.

I'd be eager to hear from anyone who owns this, or has seen it, as to what you think of its quality as a book. I'd hate to be in a position of seeming to recommend something that people are going to be disappointed with in any way.

The book comes in a slipcase and a cardboard outer box and is limited worldwide to only 2,000 copies.

Mike

ADDENDUM: The title of Edward's picture is Ansel Adams (After He Got a Contax Camera), 1936. Below is perhaps Andreas Feininger's most famous photograph, taken for LIFE magazine.

Andreas Feininger, The Photojournalist [Dennis Stock], 1951

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Jason in Hawaii: "The book is amazing! I hate to say it, but it's almost too nice, to the point where you don't even want to remove it from the box for fear of damaging it. Note that I said almost. This book is meant to be studied for hours. It's big, the reproductions are the best I've seen of his work (although I must admit I've never had the privilege of seeing his prints in person), and each photo is accompanied by an appropriate quote from the man himself. I haven't read the introductory essay yet, but I intend to spend several hours consuming this one! It succeeds as a piece of art, and as an investment, although it would be a shame to stash this one away. It was meant to be enjoyed for its content, and on this level, it's a resounding success!"

Featured [partial] Comment by tom frost: "I received a copy and the photos are excellent. However, from my quick scan, it looks like they were all reproduced with the same ink set, despite reproducing early platinum work to late glossy silver prints. I've seen a bunch of the originals at CCP, and his print color varied more than the book exhibits."

Comments

[Darin Boville]

Believe it or not, Amazon just had this as one of their "Lightning Deals" the other day. Around $150 in the end. While it seems it won't exactly fit in my stocking it *will* make a nice anniversary gift. Or so I told my wife...

Keep an eye out--I've notice some these Lightning Deals are repeating every few days.

--Darin

[Rob Atkins]

I wonder if the portrait of Ansel provided the inspiration for Andreas Feininger's portrait of Dennis Stock. Man, I love that shot. A reproduction hangs in my studio.

[hugh crawford]

So that picture of Ansel by Edward was taken in 1936 , and Andreas Feininger's photograph of Dennis Stock was taken in 1955?

[Jeff]

Can't help there, but I do own the 1947 book "Fifty Photographs" by Weston, designed by Armitage and printed by Lynton Kistler. This was a nicely done edition of 1500 copies initialed by Weston.

[Lynn]

I saw this book advertised and asked the same question, after doing a double-take at the local prices in Sydney.

In Australia, this book is advertised at $350 in a speciality bookstore, $439 at a large bookseller chain, and $689 at another large bookseller chain. Amazon price is $200. The AUD and USD are at approximate parity.

And people wonder why Australians, in particular, are ditching bricks and mortar stores for the internet.

[Mike Johnston]

Jeff,
As I'm sure you're aware, that's quite a treasure!

Mike

[Dennis Ng]

Knew that he use Contax (and Hasselblad) but never saw a real Contax I in action. I search and look at some video of the Contax I in you tube like this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoXXbB7d6oQ&feature=related

It is really a camera made by a committee, isn't it? Lecia 3 (like Apple) is a camera made by one person for one person (the photographer).

Both posing is too artificial as they are not looking at anything they need their hand to adjust. Ansel even worst. Is it 8x10 contact print ... may be that is excusable.

[Jeffrey Goggin]

"As I'm sure you're aware, that's quite a treasure!"

If the "Buy it Now" price for the below eBay auction is even remotely close to reflecting the current market price for this limited-edition Weston book-and-print combo, then my friend Jim (who has copy No. 281) is sitting on quite a treasure as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Edward-Weston-California-and-West-No-175-/120586086598?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item1c137da8c6

Unfortunately, he showed his wife the auction and she is now following him around the house pestering him to sell his copy...

Switching gears, I confess to having broke down and ordered a copy of the featured book from your link. I tried to resist, but you know how that goes, I'm sure...

[hugh crawford]

"Both posing is too artificial as they are not looking at anything they need their hand to adjust. Ansel even worst. Is it 8x10 contact print ... may be that is excusable."

Well Ansel doesn't have the part of the viewfinder that you would look through in front of his eye, but the whole point of those cameras is that you don't have to look at them to adjust them.

I could swear that there is a Rodchenko or Dziga Vertov photo that predates both of these , but I can't find it.

[Carl L]

Thanks Mike, Just ordered it. My biggest disappointment was not being able to buy a 10 print collection of his back in 1960,when he had a show at the George Eastman House.
Just didn't have the $100.00. Imagine $10/print.

[David Goldenberg]

I can't speak to the question of this book, but I can highly recommend another, even though it only has 110 pictures:

http://www.lodimapress.com/html/edward_weston.html

The reproductions are extremely good, and Lodima Press did just what Tom Frost suggests: The reproductions of early platinum and later silver prints are printed on different papers with different inks.

And, it looks to me like Ansel is looking through the right part of the camera. It looks to me like the Contax has an external viewfinder that can be adjusted for different focal lengths. It just doesn't look as cool as the one on Stock's Leica.

David

[Rob Atkins]

Hugh, the Dziga Vertov photo is here (scroll down a bit):

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/vertov/

[Arne Cröll]

David is right, Ansel is looking through the auxiliary turret finder. The Contax I had a regular finder for the 50mm lens, a separate rangefinder (these two would be combined in the Contax II that came out in 1936, the year this photo was taken), and for the other focal length you needed the auxiliary finder for 5 focal lengths. I am not sure, but the lens he is using could be the f/2.8 35mm Biogon (very different construction than later Biogons), it does not look like one of the 50mm ones.
According to a letter to his wife (from his book of letters), Ansel got the Contax plus a 5x7 Zeiss Juwel view camera as a gift from Dr. Karl Bauer, the president of Zeiss North America at the time.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Thanks for the heads-up, Mike. Yup, I grabbed one from the link. (And it appears that by waiting a day or so I saved $20!)

Here at the Art Institute of Chicago we have an excellent collection of over 240 Edward Weston prints, some of which I see quite frequently as they're popular requests for viewing in the study room. So I've become a bit jaded and spoiled on his work.

But your piece made me realize that I've nearly no representation of Edward Weston in my own book collection. So this was a perfect way to fill that hole.

[QT Luong]

The reproductions in the Lodima book ("Edward Weston Life Work") are indeed outstanding, and I thought I had the ultimate Weston book. However I am still tempted by this new book because all of the photographs from the Lodima book are from a single private collection, so maybe the new title could have a better choice of photographs.

[QT Luong]

For a rather negative review of the Ammo book, see message #7 on this large format photography forum thread:
www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?p=817410