The Four-Photobook Book Offer

As promised, in cooperation with the Nelson-Atkins Museum, TOP is today offering a package of four wonderful older photobooks by eminent curator and author Keith F. Davis for a single low price. Here's the link—to get the sale price exclusive to TOP, enter the code 175212.

The books
For $48 plus shipping, you'll receive four of Keith's books:

Clarence John Laughlin: Visionary Photographer (1990)

Todd Webb: Photographs of New York and Paris 1945–1960 (1986)

George N. Barnard: Photographer of the Sherman Campaign (1990)

The Photographs of Dorothea Lange (1995)

In addition, the first several hundred orders will receive, as a free bonus:

The Passionate Observer: Photographs by Carl Van Vechten (1993)

Three strong wins
All these books enjoyed successful runs in print, and at this point what Keith and the Museum are trying to do is put the remaining books in the hands of people who will enjoy and appreciate them. And TOP gets a few dollars from each sale. So this whole project is a win/win/win for them, me, and you.

Details

Supply: We have fewer books than last time, but still a good supply, so you won't miss out if you can't order immediately. However only the first several hundred orders will receive the fifth title, and there's a caveat regarding hardcover and softcover that I've explained several times and will explain again below.

Shipping: Domestic shipping is $15.95. Overseas shipping is available but expensive at $100. There's no help for this; books are heavy, and four (or five) books are heavier than one. Do note that the cost even with international shipping is still lower than the price the Museum has been selling these books for regularly, and lower than the cover prices of the books when they were new back in the 1990s. (They'd cost more if published now.) So, still not a bad deal.

Packaging: Last time we got some complaints about the packaging (although we had few actual problems), so this time the books will be wrapped in bubble wrap and encased in a stout lidded box for shipping. Big thanks to Brian and the corps of Museum volunteers who will be working hard on the shipping fulfillment!

The books themselves: I'll be posting more about each book in the days/weeks to come. The Barnard is the definitive title on him and a must-have for anyone interested in the Civil War; the Lange is (in my opinion) the best single-volume overview of her career, "the one to have if you have only one"; and my surprise favorite is the Laughlin, which I knew from when it was new but have really only appreciated for the first time since my sample copy arrived here this Spring. He's not a straight photographer, so it's possible his moment is here right now.

Note that Keith Davis is very, very good (gifted, I think, and I'm pretty good at it too) at the basic bedrock task of curation: picking which pictures to show, and in what sequence. There's a "rightness" to these presentations that accentuates the pleasure of looking at these books.

Duration: The sale lasts for one month or while supplies last.

Value and varying interest: My feeling, having seen and happily perused all the books is that this is a nice buy if you're interested in at least two of the titles. And you might find, like I did, that you'll be surprised by one or more of the others, too, and like it more than you thought, so there's that possibility too.

Hardcover/paperback: One book exists only in hardcover, two others (including the bonus book) only in soft, but for two of the books there's a mixed supply of hardcover and softcover copies. We'll fulfill orders with hardcovers until they run out and then start sending softcovers. There's nothing wrong with a paperback book but hardcovers are kinda nice too. The one you really want in hardcover is the Lange, and that's all the Museum has, so that's what you'll get, for sure.

Not a secret: The sale isn't a secret, so feel free to post the link and order code to other photographic communities you frequent.

Here it is again: order at this link and use the code 175212 at checkout.

A lot of people at the Museum have worked hard on this, so big thanks to them! And thanks to all of you who ordered the book from our last cooperative book sale, too. The success of that sale inspired this one.

Mike
(Thanks most of all to Keith, who, although a down-to-earth sort of guy, is firmly ensconced in the pantheon of the medium's greatest curators.)

[UPDATE 3:37 p.m. Thursday: 241 sets sold so far, and 325 is the cutoff for the free fifth book.]

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Massoud biniaz: "Hi Mike, How do you know if you're going to receive the bonus book?"

Mike replies: You'll only know when your box comes.

The reason it's provided for free is so they wouldn't have to work out a mechanism to track it. If they were set up to tell you in advance whether you were going to get it it, they'd also be set up to charge extra for it.

rick barry: "All these books for $63.95 to my doorstep. Yippee! Can't wait. Thanks Mike and TOP. Mine are ordered."

Mike replies: I can't take much credit. Thank Keith...  :-)

Lenya: "Mike, why don't you revive the Photography book of the month club, so that members get a photography book chosen by you and a publisher at a discounted price every month or every two months? That would open some of our horizons, without breaking the bank. The Weston volume, and other books you had on sale may have built just enough trust in the TOP editor's taste to make this endeavor possible."

Mike replies: Hmmm....[seldom used neurons begin firing, rusty cogs begin turning....]

Comments

[Thomas Burleson]

My order is in.
An eclectic collection, for sure.
Some real gems though.
Thanks for facilitating this again!

[Tim]

I passed on the last sale, but I jumped on this one. I'm very interested in the Lange and the Barnard so I took your advice that it is a nice buy in that case. Thanks for helping to bring the sale to life with the museum!

[Joseph Brunjes]

Got mine ordered. Thank you for the great offer. Now...tell me how to explain to the wife why I need five more photo books!

[CharlieH]

Mike, you are the best!

[Michael]

Mike,

Thanks for coordinating another great sale, I look forward to some more amazing books!

Michael

[Peter]

Just ordered. To be honest, I really only know Lange's work - either not familiar with or don't know of the others. Any that I decide I don't want to keep will go to my photographer daughter. Nice opportunity and glad that you get a chance to "wet your beak". Thanks for setting it up.

[Dennis]

I was going to say that TOP is getting to be bad for my wallet - first, the Clyde Butcher book, now this set. (I passed on the first book from the museum, but between the D. Lange book and the Civil War book, this set looks promising). But then it occurred to me that I would have paid this for a few rolls of film and processing a dozen years ago. I really need to get back to spending money on this hobby (maybe start printing some photo books) before my wife gets used to the status quo !

[mike plews]

I'm in and thank you

[Ben]

I ordered as well... Certainly hope the Van Vechten book is still in stock, though I imagine it won't sell out in the first day.

Thanks for putting this together Mike... Looks like a great collection!

[Bruce Schultz]

Got mine ordered. Thanks

[Nigel]

Thanks for arranging this. I decided to treat myself to a set as a birthday present, despite the shipping charge to the UK. I hope I ordered in time to get the fifth book. I didn't get the earlier books from the Museum but have bought several of your print offers and your earlier Lodima Press book offers.

[chas]

When I was talking to the store just after noon they told me that they had already received over 150 orders. They also suggested that shipping would start in about a week.
C

[Benjamin Marks]

I'm in too. . .for all of its potential for Grinchiness, the internet (NYTimes advises they are going small "i" from now on) makes this sort of win-win-win possible. Great job Mike connecting the various pieces. FWIW, I think the Photo Book of the Month (or bi-month) is a great idea. Think of it as a different kind of curating.

[Warren Jones]

Wow another great TOP sale, I might not make the bonus book, but who cares. As far as I am concerned the whole thing is a Bonus. Thanks not only to Mike but to the Nelson-Atkins Museum for bringing us such good stuff.

[Manfred Winter]

A little late, maybe too late for book No. 5, but nevertheless, I'm in.
I strongly favor the suggestion of a BOTM Club by TOP. So far no suggestion that I followed has let me down, and I bought a lot based on reviews and recommendations here. Please take my money!

[Gato]

Just a few months back I swore to not buy photography books. Yesterday I ordered this set, lured in by the Loughlin and the hope of getting the Van Vechten. And curious about the Webb.

Already have the Lange, though I have no idea where in the house it may be.

[Richard]

RE BOTM - Jorg Colberg used to do a kind of 'unwrapping' for photo books which I think worked quite well. Haven't followed his site for a while and a quick check (http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/2013/05/a_new_site/) has left me confused, but maybe you could consider something similar? It certainly allows you to indicate what impresses you about a book more than "mere" prose.

[Peter Wright]

My order is placed! I just received my copy of the last offer: "An American Century of Photography", a few days ago and am enjoying it very much. This delay wasn't due to the shortcomings of the US post but to me, as I had it sent to my daughter who lives in California with her family (who I am visiting – and picking up my book) instead of Canada where I live. I expect to see the new books around Christmas!