Reviews
Alfred Stieglitz controlled the world of art photography at the beginning of the century and, not surprisingly, Steichen became its first full-blown star. But, as 56 plates in this exquisitely produced book make clear, there is a redeeming aspect to Steichen¹s ambition: his pictures are incredibly good. . . . Joel Smith, in an essay as remarkable for its readability as for its erudition, manages to breathe life into the pictures., "These soft-focus, moody studies of light, landscape, and form by this 20th-century master have a painterly, almost impressionist feel to them. The nudes are lushly erotic; the portraits daunting examinations of heroes and barons at the turn of the last century."-- Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe, "A beautifully written addition to the literature on Edward Steichen and recommended for readers both unfamiliar with and knowledgeable about his work."-- Lucy Bowditch, Afterimage, "Alfred Stieglitz controlled the world of art photography at the beginning of the century and, not surprisingly, Steichen became its first full-blown star. But, as 56 plates in this exquisitely produced book make clear, there is a redeeming aspect to Steichen's ambition: his pictures are incredibly good. . . . Joel Smith, in an essay as remarkable for its readability as for its erudition, manages to breathe life into the pictures."-- Andy Grundberg, The New York Times Book Review, "The near-facsimile quality reproductions of early photographs by Steichen in duotone and full colour, printed on acid-free paper and enlivened by a fascinating, meticulously researched and readable biographical account of his activities, concerns and achievements from 1899 to 1924, demonstrate a benchmark standard of excellence in academic publishing."-- The Art Newspaper, Alfred Stieglitz controlled the world of art photography at the beginning of the century and, not surprisingly, Steichen became its first full-blown star. But, as 56 plates in this exquisitely produced book make clear, there is a redeeming aspect to Steichen's ambition: his pictures are incredibly good. . . . Joel Smith, in an essay as remarkable for its readability as for its erudition, manages to breathe life into the pictures., "Steichen's misty, moody, subtle, multi-layered photographs made from experimental, painterly printing methods of the period are reproduced here in amazing fidelity. . . . Smith provides a carefully researched and highly readable biographical and interpretive essay that illuminates the diverse influences on Steichen. Highly recommended. . . ."-- Library Journal, "Steichen's famous images of New York's Flatiron buildings are illustrated with four examples to reveal the unique quality of each of his prints. In a lesser book, four images of the same subject might be gratuitous, but in this case each work complements the next. . . . [There is] only one image printed per spread, a luxury that is justified by the quality of the artwork and the fine printing."-- Stephan F. F. Jost, The Art Book, Beautifully illustrated. . . . The author's tightly written text is presented with thorough and pertinent notes and will contribute to readers' enjoyment and appreciation of Steichen's brilliant images and career. A welcome and important addition to the field and highly recommended for all levels of readers. -- "Choice, Steichen's famous images of New York's Flatiron buildings are illustrated with four examples to reveal the unique quality of each of his prints. In a lesser book, four images of the same subject might be gratuitous, but in this case each work complements the next. . . . [There is] only one image printed per spread, a luxury that is justified by the quality of the artwork and the fine printing. -- Stephan F. F. Jost, The Art Book, The catalog's 56 plates, and the images in the accompanying essay, give a seeming tangibility to the contained spaces of the photographs. . . . [The book] features reproductions of the finest quality. In Steichen's case, this is crucial because of the variety of photographic processes he used. . . ., This definitive edition includes all of Steichen's New York photographs. . . -- Laura Cumming, The Evening Standard, A beautifully written addition to the literature on Edward Steichen and recommended for readers both unfamiliar with and knowledgeable about his work. -- Lucy Bowditch, Afterimage, These soft-focus, moody studies of light, landscape, and form by this 20th-century master have a painterly, almost impressionist feel to them. The nudes are lushly erotic; the portraits daunting examinations of heroes and barons at the turn of the last century., "The catalog's 56 plates, and the images in the accompanying essay, give a seeming tangibility to the contained spaces of the photographs. . . . [The book] features reproductions of the finest quality. In Steichen's case, this is crucial because of the variety of photographic processes he used. . . ."-- G.S. Taylor, The Boston Book Review, Steichen's famous images of New York's Flatiron buildings are illustrated with four examples to reveal the unique quality of each of his prints. In a lesser book, four images of the same subject might be gratuitous, but in this case each work complements the next. . . . [There is] only one image printed per spread, a luxury that is justified by the quality of the artwork and the fine printing., The catalog's 56 plates, and the images in the accompanying essay, give a seeming tangibility to the contained spaces of the photographs. . . . [The book] features reproductions of the finest quality. In Steichen's case, this is crucial because of the variety of photographic processes he used. . . . -- G.S. Taylor, The Boston Book Review, Steichen's misty, moody, subtle, multi-layered photographs made from experimental, painterly printing methods of the period are reproduced here in amazing fidelity. . . . Smith provides a carefully researched and highly readable biographical and interpretive essay that illuminates the diverse influences on Steichen. Highly recommended. . . ., The near-facsimile quality reproductions of early photographs by Steichen in duotone and full colour, printed on acid-free paper and enlivened by a fascinating, meticulously researched and readable biographical account of his activities, concerns and achievements from 1899 to 1924, demonstrate a benchmark standard of excellence in academic publishing. -- "The Art Newspaper, The near-facsimile quality reproductions of early photographs by Steichen in duotone and full colour, printed on acid-free paper and enlivened by a fascinating, meticulously researched and readable biographical account of his activities, concerns and achievements from 1899 to 1924, demonstrate a benchmark standard of excellence in academic publishing., "This definitive edition includes all of Steichen's New York photographs. . ."-- Laura Cumming, The Evening Standard, A beautifully written addition to the literature on Edward Steichen and recommended for readers both unfamiliar with and knowledgeable about his work., Second Place in the 1999 Special Trade/Photography category, New York Book Show One of Choice 's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2000, These soft-focus, moody studies of light, landscape, and form by this 20th-century master have a painterly, almost impressionist feel to them. The nudes are lushly erotic; the portraits daunting examinations of heroes and barons at the turn of the last century. -- Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe, Beautifully illustrated. . . . The author's tightly written text is presented with thorough and pertinent notes and will contribute to readers' enjoyment and appreciation of Steichen's brilliant images and career. A welcome and important addition to the field and highly recommended for all levels of readers., "Beautifully illustrated. . . . The author's tightly written text is presented with thorough and pertinent notes and will contribute to readers' enjoyment and appreciation of Steichen's brilliant images and career. A welcome and important addition to the field and highly recommended for all levels of readers."-- Choice, Alfred Stieglitz controlled the world of art photography at the beginning of the century and, not surprisingly, Steichen became its first full-blown star. But, as 56 plates in this exquisitely produced book make clear, there is a redeeming aspect to Steichen's ambition: his pictures are incredibly good. . . . Joel Smith, in an essay as remarkable for its readability as for its erudition, manages to breathe life into the pictures. -- Andy Grundberg, The New York Times Book Review
