Travel Books

Quiet Corners of Paris

Jean-Christophe Napias

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Little Bookroom Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $8.43

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Nature & Wildlife
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> Europe
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not your usual Paris sights 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

A friend gave us this book before we left for a month's visit to Paris. We had been there, done that three times before, so we welcomed a guide to the kinds of places we had overlooked on previous visits. This book accomplished that. We visited more than half of the places and enjoyed almost all of them immensely.

Great little Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have been to Paris many times so I have seen the major sights and want to some lesser sights for my next trip. This book recommends many of these type of sights with good descriptions. I will take and use the guide on my next trip

Editorial Review:

More than eighty of the loveliest, most tranquil, and sometimes hidden places in Paris are celebrated in this charming guidebook

Quiet Corners of Paris is a beautifully illustrated peek into eighty-one often overlooked, always beautiful, locales: hidden villas, winding lanes, little-known 19th-century passages, serene gardens, and cobblestone courtyards. Some of the places have breathtaking views, others are filled with historic and architectural details, from stone archways, garden follies, boxwood mazes, ornamental statuary, stained glass, and Renaissance fountains. Follow a stone path under a trellis of blossoms or wander through a gate to discoverÉ

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Peter Menzel

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ten Speed Press Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $15.49

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photo Essays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It's an inspired idea--to better understand the human diet, explore what culturally diverse families eat for a week. That's what photographer Peter Menzel and author-journalist Faith D'Alusio, authors of the equally ambitious Material World, do in Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, a comparative photo-chronicle of their visits to 30 families in 24 countries for 600 meals in all. Their personal-is-political portraits feature pictures of each family with a week's worth of food purchases; weekly food-intake lists with costs noted; typical family recipes; and illuminating essays, such as "Diabesity," on the growing threat of obesity and diabetes. Among the families, we meet the Mellanders, a German household of five who enjoy cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants, and beef roulades, and whose weekly food expenses amount to $500. We also encounter the Natomos of Mali, a family of one husband, his two wives, and their nine children, whose corn and millet-based diet costs $26.39 weekly.

We soon learn that diet is determined by largely uncontrollable forces like poverty, conflict and globalization, which can bring change with startling speed. Thus cultures can move--sometimes in a single jump--from traditional diets to the vexed plenty of global-food production. People have more to eat and, too often, eat more of nutritionally questionable food. Their health suffers.

Because the book makes many of its points through the eye, we see--and feel--more than we might otherwise. Issues that influence how the families are nourished (or not) are made more immediate. Quietly, the book reveals the intersection of nutrition and politics, of the particular and universal. It's a wonderful and worthy feat. --Arthur Boehm

One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (Annivers

Sam Keith, Richard Proenneke

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Alaska Northwest Books Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $3.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> United States -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 101 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Inspirational Journey 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Sometimes you have to do what you need to do solo to get what you want from life. An inspirational journey into ones limits and dreams.

Alaskan Dream! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is great! As close to the wilderness as you can get. If you find you can never make it to Alaska, read this and you can say how close you were.

One Man's Wilderness 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is written "by Sam Keith from the journals and photographs of Richard Proenneke" - so although I read it and visualized the events within as if it had all been written by Richard Proenneke, it wasn't. Sam Keith tells us in the preface: "Using Dick Proenneke's rough journals as a guide, and knowing him as well as I did, I have tried to get into his mind and reveal the "flavor" of the man. This is my tribute to him, a celebration of his being in tune with his surroundings and what he did alone with simple tools and ingenuity in carving his masterpiece out of the beyond."

I've seen the PBS presentation of "Alone in the Wilderness", which uses selections from the text of this book along with movie footage of Proenneke building his cabin and living there. Those selections are read by someone other than Proenneke, but the voice is a perfect fit to the text and image. Because the text is not exactly Proenneke's and the voice of the video isn't his either, our experience of the man is filtered though these interpreations. Sam Keith hasn't shown us any unedited examples from the "rough journals" he used to compose the book, so it's difficult to know how far this beautifully crafted language matches the character and psychology of Richard Proenneke.

It is an extraordinary book and was a great pleasure to read. I recommend it without reservation.

Editorial Review:

To live in a pristine land . . . roam the wilderness . . . build a home. . . . Thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. Here is a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.

It's Complicated: The American Teenager

Amazon Price: $26.40 List Price: $40.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Umbrage Editions Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $25.85

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Portraits
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> United States -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Robin Bowman’s five-year journey into the heart of teenage America created a series of 414 “collaborative portraits,” wherein she shares her discoveries of a generation now coming of age. In searing and intimate photographs, presented alongside the young people’s voices of passion, pride, embarrassment, lust, pain, bewilderment, anxiety, joy, uncertainty, and rage, the book charts the coming of age of the largest generation in America—77 million strong—in every region of the country and every socioeconomic group: from a Texas debutante to teenage gang members in New York City, from a drag queen in Georgia to a coal miner in West Virginia.

Bowman’s intimate photographs ask us to reconcile preconceived ideas and stereotypes of teenagers with the diversity of individuals in the portraits. This book and the traveling exhibition it accompanies are about the inside lives of these kids and how they see their reality in their own voices.

Robin Bowman, a 2005 W. Eugene Smith Memorial fellow, is a photojournalist based in Portland, Maine.

Dr. Robert Coles is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of the Children of Crisis series and a Harvard emeritus professor of psychiatry.

The Nature of Photographs

Stephen Shore

Amazon Price: $23.97 List Price: $39.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Phaidon Press Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $23.97

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photographers, A-Z -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

An Essential Primer on Understanding Photography by One of theWorld's Most Influential Photographers "In my roughly twenty years of writing about photography, I don't thinkI've come across a book that has implied so much with so few words, a bookthat raises so many important questions with so little fanfare and withsuch precision."-James Kaufmann, Photographer's ForumBy the age of 14, Stephen Shore (b.1947) took his first photograph.By 17,he was a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory photographing both the artist andhis entourage.At 23, he became the first living photographer to have aone-person show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.At 35, he was appointedDirector of the Photography Program at Bard College.An unrivalled pioneerin the field of color photography, his work has been exhibited in numerousmuseums worldwide, including an exhibition opening this May at theInternational Center of Photography that focuses on the work from hiscritically acclaimed books American Surfaces and Uncommon Places.Withsuch an impressive career, no one is a better suited guide to the nature ofphotographs. THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHS by Stephen Shore, is an essential primer on howto understand photography by one of the world's most influentialphotographers.Growing out of a college course that Shore taught for manyyears, this book explores ways of looking at photographs from all periodsand all types--from iconic images to found photographs, from negatives todigital files.Its aim is to describe the physical and formal attributesof a photographic print--the very elements that form the tools aphotographer uses to define and interpret the content.In the end, Shoreteaches us, on the most basic level, how a photograph "works." As well as a selection of Shore's own work, THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHScontains images from all eras of photography, from classic works by WalkerEvans, Robert Frank, and Eug+ne Atget to more contemporary work by Berndand Hilla Becher, Cindy Sherman, Joel Sternfeld, Thomas Struth, and RichardPrince. It includes all genres, such as street photography, fine artphotography, and documentary photography, as well as images by unknownphotographers.Together with his clear, intelligent, and accessible text,Shore uses these works to demonstrate how the world in front of the camerais transformed into a photograph. Divided into four main chapters--The Physical Level, The Depictive Level,The Mental Level, and Mental Modeling--THE NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHS exploreshow photographs function visually.By teaching us how to see through theeyes of a photographer, Shore teaches us a new way to look at the worldaround us.This affordable book serves as indispensable tool for students,teachers, and everyone who wants to take better pictures.

The Great Wall: From Beginning to End

William Lindesay

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sterling Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $14.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Nature & Wildlife
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> Asia

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It is arguably the greatest feat of civil engineering in history, and indisputably earth’s largest single cultural relic: begun during the Qin Dynasty (around 208 BC) and completed nearly 1,800 years later during the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall of China spans more than 4,000 miles. At the dawn of the Beijing Olympics, the eyes of all the world are upon it.
Two men who navigated every inch of the Wall have collaborated on a lavishly-illustrated tribute to this amazing structure. Michael Yamashita, an award-winning National Geographic photographer, spent a year shooting the Wall, its environs, and the people who live in its shadow, for the magazine. One hundred and sixty of his magnificent photos grace this volume, which features text by William Lindesay, who not only conducts tours of the Wall and spearheads the movement to preserve it, but has actually run its entire length. Broken into three sections, The Great Wall provides an overview that debunks myths and dishes up rare facts and figures, a comprehensive history that proceeds dynasty by dynasty through its construction, and an account of Lindesay’s personal experiences of the Wall.

China: People Place Culture History

DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $24.00 List Price: $40.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $20.85

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> Asia
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> Far East
Subjects -> History -> World -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Gorgeous journey through a vast country 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I visited China earlier this year on business, so I was intrigued when I came across this book. When I opened it, I was not disappointed. This book celebrates China and its variety of culture, art, landscapes and rich history with beautiful photography and educational text.

The beginning section of the book draws you in with page after page of beautiful photographs of different landscapes in China, sprinkled with verses from Chinese poetry (translated to English, of course). It makes the reader aware of the varied landscapes (snow to desert, mountains to plans, forest to fields) that make up the vast country of China. Truly a treasury of photos!

The next section explains Chinese history, complete with a timeline. The information is provided in titled short paragraphs and articles so it is easy for the reader to get a glimpse of the history and read quick pieces for more detail. Small articles include items such as "The Grand Canal" and "The Boxer Uprising". All are sprinkled with old photographs and pictures of paintings and artifacts.

The most delightful section of the book is "A Day in the Life" which is a collection of stories about daily life of particular people in different areas of China. There's the life of a student in Shaanxi, a Chinese herbalist, a Buddist Monk, a Cricket Seller, and a farmer, just to name a few. The photos and text provide a window into the lives of the people of China to let the reader see life from their eyes.

There is also a section on Chinese Culture, which includes articles on philosphy and religion, painting, literature and Chinese opera.

The last segment of the book is entitled "Architecture" and contains pieces on various types of building styles, both old and new. From modern buildings such as the 88-story Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai to an old Buddist Monastery in Hebei, this chapter contains a wealth of information and beautiful photography. The Jin Mao Tower is truly stunning inside (I wish I had gone to see it while I was there!). The Couple's Garden is typical of the gardens in Suzhou that I visited while there. One of the most beautiful places shown in called the "Temple of Heaven" with colorful painted decor and detailed stonework.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about China and its culture. It is not only informative, but makes a beautiful "coffee table book"!

Editorial Review:

As the world's oldest continuous civilization and most populous country, with the fastest-growing economy, China is experiencing profound social, economic, and political change. A detailed exploration of the country's long, rich history paired with its complex present makes China a one-of-a-kind reference that offers an eye-opening, thought-provoking and authoritative visual guide to one of the world's great nations. AUTHOR BIO: Written by an international team of China specialists.

Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa

Hans Silvester

List Price: $45.00 By: Thames & Hudson Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $54.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Textile & Costume
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photo Essays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

An unprecedented series of images showing the Omo people's imaginative body decoration and embellishments.

The scene of tribal conflicts and guerrilla incursions, Ethiopia's Omo Valley is also home to fascinating rites and traditions that have survived for thousands of years. The nomadic peoples who inhabit this valley share a gift for body painting and elaborate adornments borrowed from nature, and Hans Silvester has captured the results in a series of photographs made over the course of numerous trips.

In this region of East Africa, the rivers that run through the dry savannas are home to abundant flowers, papyrus, and wild fruit trees, and this luxuriance becomes an invitation to creativity and spectacle. Within hand's reach, a multitude of plants inspire fanciful and ephemeral self-decoration, and the Omo react spontaneously: a leaf, root, seed pod, or flower is quickly transformed into an accessory. As in the West one might don a hat, people create caps from tufts of grass. As one would knot a tie or scarf, they ornament themselves with banana leaves or a stem laden with flowers. These decorations are embellished with butterfly wings, buffalo horns, boar's teeth, colorful feathers, and the like, and are further enhanced by body painting with pigments made from powdered stone, plants, berries, and river mud.

Here is a priceless record of a unique and increasingly fragile way of life, one threatened by conflict, climate change, and tourism. 160 color illustrations.

On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa

Nick Brandt

Amazon Price: $26.40 List Price: $40.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $21.85

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Photographers, A-Z -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

beautiful photographs 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a collection of beautiful photographs. The prints are warm, with good blacks. This made a great gift for our friends that had travelled in Africa.

Amazing BW pictures. Very nice 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing BW pictures. Very nice and a good edition. Very interesting for all photo-africa lovers....

Editorial Review:

Nick Brandt depicts the animals of East Africa with an intimacy and artistry unmatched by other photographers who choose wildlife as their subject. He creates these majestic sepia and blue-tone photos contrasting moments of quintessential stillness with bursts of dramatic action by engaging with these creatures on an exceptionally intimate level, without the customary use of a telephoto lens. Evocative of classical art, from dignified portraits to sweeping natural tableaux, Brandt's images artfully and simply capture animals in their natural states of being. With a foreword by Alice Sebold and an introduction by Jane Goodall, On This Earth is a gorgeous portfolio of some of the last wild animals and a heartfelt elegy to a vanishing world.

French Country Diary 2009 (Desk Diaries)

Linda Dannenberg

Amazon Price: $12.23 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Workman Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $10.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> Europe
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Travel -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> France -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

French Country Diary - Calendar 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely love this beautiful, well-designed calendar. Also, Amazon does a great job!

Editorial Review:

The elegant and ever-alluring French Country Diary, now in its twentieth year, is the gift of France—a sumptuous escape to its romance and timeless beauty. Market stalls piled high with fresh produce. Stone farmhouses with brightly painted shutters. Undulating landscapes of brilliant yellow colza and purple lavender, rustic country kitchens and sun-dappled courtyards, vines dripping from trellises, and dreamy blue Mediterranean views. Distinctive Provençal fabrics embellish the cover, gift box, and pages of the calendar.