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On Reading
André Kertész (1894-1985) was one of the most inventive, influential, and prolific photographers in the medium's history. This small volume, first published in 1971, became one of his signature works. Taken between 1920 and 1970, these photographs capture people reading in many parts of the world. Readers in every conceivable place—on rooftops, in public parks, on crowded...more
Hardcover, 80 pages
Published
September 17th 2008
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 1971)
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A treasure! No words - just dozens of wonderful André Kertész photographs of people of all ages and from all walks of life reading - in public and in the privacy of their homes, photographs of paintings showing people reading, photographs of books in homes with painted or sculpted figures looking down at the books, even a couple of photographs of animals and insects "reading" books.
Anyone who truly loves to read should have a copy of On Reading to look at and treasure.
Anyone who truly loves to read should have a copy of On Reading to look at and treasure.
Probably more like 3.5. I saw the exhibit of these photos which toured around to various American museums. The impact was much better in that form, but these are still interesting to look at. The introduction has a neat story about how André Kertész would carry a pencil around and tone down the highlights of some of the photos in the first edition of this book when he was asked to sign it.
Heather Hartley (Paris Editor, Tin House Magazine): Hungarian photographer André Kertész said that, “Seeing is not enough, you have to feel what you photograph,” and the stunning book of his black and white photographs, On Reading, attests to his sensitivity to and keen insight into his subjects: people reading in public places and sometimes private rooms. Daily life is captured in its intimacy, humanity and grit–from Paris to parks, from Tokyo to the tops of garbage bins and lots of places in b...more
Very cool! Contains black and white photos of a variety of people reading in every place and situation imaginable.
This lovely volume captures the power of reading, all without a single word. Thank you Bob K!
Beautiful and deeply touching.
Feb 13, 2011
Martyn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
biblios, photoists, historiosos
I blush to add this to my list as the only words in the whole book appear on the jacket, but it is ABOUT reading!
Great collection of Kertesz B+W prints from across the world on the theme of reading. Mostly the shots are of people, but there are also some very clever set pieces to change the mood.
Check it out, it'll make you feel better - and not a Kindle to be seen anywhere, awesome.
Great collection of Kertesz B+W prints from across the world on the theme of reading. Mostly the shots are of people, but there are also some very clever set pieces to change the mood.
Check it out, it'll make you feel better - and not a Kindle to be seen anywhere, awesome.
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A small but brilliant collection of B&W photos originally published in 1971 on people from all walks of life doing nothing but reading. Each one is a stolen moment, capturing the reader lost in some book. Kertesz was little known at the time these photos were taken but received the attention due a truly great photographer following his death.
This is a short book but the content more than makes up for it. André Kertész is one of my all-time favourite photographers and this books showcases some of his best work. If you're into photography and into reading (aren't we all) I'm confident you'll find this book both inspiring and entertaining.
I really enjoyed looking through the black and white photographs in the book! I especially liked the photos that included bookshelves full of books, and my favorites were of people reading in some special, tucked-away place. Charming book!
Great photo book for a laid back thoughtful evening browsing through classic images that bring about the power of intimate pictures that share your love of books and reading.
May 26, 2008
Phyllis Burstein, DePaul Art Education
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
photography,
artist-book
Beautiful photography. A good starting point to show beginning art students how to explore a theme.
May 09, 2013
Kate Griffin
added it
Apr 15, 2013
Emma
added it
Apr 03, 2013
Élodie Gendreau
marked it as to-read
Mar 14, 2013
Gloria
marked it as to-read
Mar 13, 2013
Drspk
added it
Feb 28, 2013
Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph. D
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
art-photo,
favourite-art-books
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Andre Kertesz was born in 1894; his father was a bookseller. Kertesz died in 1985.
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