Synopsis
Gathers nineteenth-century photographs of children, families, workers, dancers, princes, landscapes, and street scenes in Siam, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Cyprus, and London
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From Publishers Weekly
The mid-19th century heralded the age of knowledge, and photography was developed as an effective tool for documenting a vast array of global factsfamous and common people, spectacular scenes and mundane activities, monuments, mills, crafts, war, recreation, ceremony. Among the more venturesome and skillful photographers of that time was Britain's John Thomson who camera-explored Siam, Cambodia, Vietnam and South China in the 1860s. That sojourn is the principal subject of this handsome book, which includes vivid and well-crafted photographs of the now-famous ruins at Angkor Wat, Buddhist monasteries, "floating cities," and the court and king of Siam that bring to life a world of mystery and exotic custom. White's critical biography is thoroughly engaging.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In this first monograph on Thomson, the photographer emerges as a much fuller figure than was appreciated. Born in Edinburgh in 1837, he left for the Far East in 1862. For ten years he photographed the Orient, equally intrigued by beggars in Foochow, the kings of Siam and Cambodia, tradesmen in Peking, and the exotic look of Formosa. The importance of these images has been overshadowed by Thomson's collaboration, Street Life in London (1877). Now, a traveling exhibition and this fine text with 160 exquisitely reproduced duotone images reveal Thomson's genius as a landscapist and chronicler, an explorer of unphotographed regions, and one who set out to record a people. Highly recommended. Ann Copeland, Drew Univ. Lib., Madison, N.J.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
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Paperback. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0826311369I3N00
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good++. 1985 Pages are unmarked very clean tight and bright. Cover is clean and spine is smooth. Seller Inventory # SKU1018205
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press July 1989, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
Used
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Seller: Hennessey + Ingalls, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
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Trade Paperback. Condition: Used - Very Good. Very nice clean, tight copy free of any marks. Seller Inventory # 215387
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, 1985
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
Used
Soft cover
Seller: Prairie Creek Books LLC., Torrington, WY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Photographs (illustrator). Reprint Edition. VG/none, used pb, 200pp. Illustrated stiff paper wraps with black and brown colored text on upper and spine; slight edge wear; spine lightly creased; no tears or chips. Interior pages clean, unmarked; sepia toned photographs throughout. Binding is tight. Seller Inventory # 018276
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
Used
Trade Paperback
Seller: Don's Book Store, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Trade Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 1989 Reprint. 200 Pages Indexed. A reprint originally published in 1986 by Thames and Hudson Inc. Covers show very light, barely noticeable wear to edges and corners. Small, light, remainder mark on bottom page edges. No other defects noted to this otherwise bright book with flawless interior text and illustration pages. There are 161 duotone plates, including Thomson's famous series on London street life. One of the great figures of nineteenth-century photography, John Thomson stands out for the unusual and exotic nature of his subject matter. Born in Edinburgh in 1837, Thomson took up photography as a profession in his early twenties. For ten years, from 1862, he traveled and explored the Far East, visiting Penang and the Malay peninsula, Siam, Cambodia, Vietnam, Formosa, and China-recording with his camera the kings and flower-sellers, the great court ceremonies and scenes of daily life, the palaces, temples, and remote monasteries of an era now vanished. These photographs are a unique record of this lost society and its monuments and entitle Thomson to be regarded as the first great photo-journalist. Thomson's photographs are equally valued for their intrinsic qualities-the beauty of their imagery; their vivid sense of immediacy, and their unconventional approach to composition. This is the first monograph to be published on John Thomson, and the entire series of plates included is magnificently reproduced in duotone. Each of the important periods of Thomson's working life is fully represented, from his earliest portraits in Siam to his moving, and more famous, records of nineteenth-century London street life. John Thomson, a great figure of early photography and the auspicious beginnings of documentary photography. Contents in Seven Chapters: Prelude 1862-1864, Siam Cambodia Vietnam 1865-1868, South China 1869-1870, Foochow and the River Min and Formosa 1870-1871, Peking and the North 1871-1872, Street Life in London 1876-1877, and Cyprus 1878. Seller Inventory # 17345
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
U.S.A.: University of New Mexico Press, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
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Seller: rareviewbooks, Kensington, MD, U.S.A.
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Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Soft cover book titled JOHN THOMASON:A Window on the Orient by Stephen White. Published by University of New Mexico Press in 1985.Amazing photographs by 19th century British photographer. Light rubbing to cover otherwise in very good conditon. Bookseller since 1995 (LL-Base2-D-2) rareviewbooks Language: eng. Seller Inventory # RVB09111504
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
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Pictorial Softcover. Condition: Near New Ex-Library Copy. One small stamp only, else clean, crisp, unmarked and tightly bound. 200 pp. Size: 4to. Book. Seller Inventory # 015912
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM. USA, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
Used
Soft cover
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Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Small stain on half-title page, otherwise Very Good condition. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Seller Inventory # 10613
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press July 1989, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
Used
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Seller: Hennessey + Ingalls, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
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Trade Paperback. Condition: Used - Very Good. Book is like new except for some small creases to spine. Book is clean and unscratched. Seller Inventory # 152089
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John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
Published by
University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, 1989
ISBN 10: 0826311369
ISBN 13: 9780826311368
Used
Softcover
Seller: Archer's Used and Rare Books, Kent, OH, U.S.A.
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Softcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition thus. Wraps a bit sunned. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Asia; Photography. ISBN: 0826311369. ISBN/EAN: 9780826311368. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 21279. Seller Inventory # 21279