Love - Hardcover

Protzman, Ferdinand

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 142620115X ISBN 13: 9781426201158

Publisher: National Geographic, 2008

Synopsis

Universally desired and uniquely experienced, love finds expression in every land and culture. This enchanting new book celebrates the depth and diversity of love—at many moments in history, and at every human age—in an exquisite collection of photographs from National Geographic’s famous archives and beyond. Each picture tells a tantalizing story and captures an intimate, unforgettable glimpse of love’s many facets, from courtship to friendship to charity and more.

As life-affirming and surprising as its namesake, the book is a beautiful keepsake for lovers and a must-have for all who admire classic photography. Masters of the art, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliott Erwitt, August Sander, Mary Ellen Mark, Eugene Richards, and William Allard, are among those who have traveled the globe to capture love’s nuances. Showcasing evocative black-and-white portraits and gorgeous color images, Love follows in the tradition of bestselling photography titles including Work, Through the Lens, In Focus, and Wide Angle.

More satisfying than candy and more affordable than a bouquet of flowers, Love is perfect for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, weddings, birthdays—and every occasion for gifts between those who love.

About this title

About the Author

Ferdinand Protzman is an award-winning writer, culture critic, and contributing editor to Art news magazine. He is the author of Landscape: Photographs of Time and Place (2003), Wide Angle: National Geographic Greatest Places (2005) and Work: The World in Photographs (2006). His essays, reviews, and features have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, and The Harvard Review.

Reviews

Much of love's established, contemporary iconography comes from photography—Brassaï's couple embracing in a Paris cafe (included here) or Alfred Eisenstadt's post-WWII Times Square embrace, but in this beautiful volume, love is conveyed in both predictable and surprising ways. Images by famous photographers—inside and outside of National Geographic's stable—capture the emotion from across the decades and around the globe. Here love's iconography is expanded to include a heart-shaped balloon floating over the city of Jaipur and three babies crawling in a row across colorful, plaid blankets. The emotion's darker side is touched upon, as well as love between parents and children—a child kisses its mother's nose in Milan—and siblings. In some of the book's most surprising images, lovers pull the viewer's attention into the background of a picture that otherwise calls one's attention to discord or isolation. An essay by ARTnews contributing editor Protzman adds context to and commentary on some of the images, but the pictures speak for themselves. Though the point may be that love is expressed the same way in every culture, time and place, it's the differences among this broad range of settings and eras that keep one interested. A strong choice for any coffee-table. 150 color and b&w plates. (Jan.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 142620115X
• ISBN 13: 9781426201158
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240