Staff Picks
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words: Unforgettable Photography
- Tammy L.
- Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Collection
Check out these books to step into worlds you've never seen before!
African American Vernacular Photography
Selections from the Daniel Cowin Collection
Published in 2005
"These selections from the Daniel Cowin Collection make up an extraordinary group of images of African Americans in a variety of genres and poses, including formal studio portraits, casual snapshots, images of children, images of uniformed soldiers, wedding portraits and so-called "Southern-views" made for tourist consumption, all dating from 1860 to 1960. While some of the sitters are celebrities of their day, the majority are unnamed Americans posing for their portrait. They attest to photography's ability to both record personal history for private uses and to become a document--to document history in a wider context. The Daniel Cowin Collection, given to ICP in 1990 by its namesake, is made up of about 1600 photographs spanning from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth, and spanning that era's range of commercial processes and formats--from postcards to stereographs, cartes-de-visite, tintypes, albumen prints and gelatin silver prints. Together they provide an important window into African American life during the period. African American Vernacular Photography reproduces 70 of Cowin's most exceptional color plates with essays by Brian Wallis, Director of Exhibitions and Chief Curator at the International Center of Photography, and Deborah Willis, MacArthur Fellow and author of Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present and, with Carla Williams, The Black Female Body: A Photographic History"--Amazon.com viewed June 24, 2020.
Beautiful Old Dogs
A Loving Tribute to Our Senior Best Friends
Published in 2013
"A charming, delightfully photographed tribute to the older dog, with essays and poetry. Gandhi once said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way that its animals are treated." How people regard older animals is especially revealing. Beautiful Old Dogs is a heartfelt, emotional, passionate tribute to old dogs. It will inspire many readers to get involved in senior dog rescue and adoption, as it honors our senior best friends and explores their current state of care and custody in an informative appendix. This book features the exquisite photography of the late Garry Gross, a noted fashion photographer during the 60s, 70s and 80s who, after becoming a highly successful dog trainer in New York City, turned his camera lens towards dogs. Gross, along with Victoria Stilwell from Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog, founded Dog Trainers of New York in 2002, and became devoted to highlighting the plight and value of senior dogs. "The older the better," Gross said. "Dogs with soul in their eyes."David Tabatsky has collected Gross's photographs here, and carefully curated an accompanying selection of moving, insightful, funny, and uplifting essays and short pieces by a range of writers, with contributions from Anna Quindlen, Ally Sheedy, Christopher Durang, Doris Day, Dean Koontz, Marlo Thomas, and many more."-- Provided by publisher.
Eye Dreaming
Photographs by Anthony Barboza
Published in 2022
Anthony Barboza (b. 1944) is a celebrated artist and writer who has made thousands of photographs in the studio and on the street since 1963. A member of the Kamoinge collective of photographers in New York, Barboza is largely self-taught and has an inimitable, highly intuitive vision that he refers to as "eye dreaming," or "a state of mind that's almost like meditation." Throughout the years he has made countless commercial images, including celebrity portraits, advertisements, and album covers. His personal photographic projects illuminate his deep investment in the art and concerns of Black communities, not only in the United States but also around the globe. This lavishly illustrated volume follows Barboza's prolific career from his youth in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to his formative years in New York in the 1960s, to the present day. An introduction by renowned author and critic Hilton Als underscores Barboza's importance and impact. An essay by curator Aaron Bryant contextualizes Barboza's life and career as they map against major civil rights events in the United States. In an intimate interview between the artist and curator Mazie M. Harris, Barboza offers astute, humorous, and intimate musings on his long career, foundational influences, and artistic legacy. This monograph, the first on the artist, will appeal to aficionados of photography and Black art and culture.
Greatest Photographs of the American West
Capturing 125 Years of Majesty, Spirit, and Adventure
Published in 2012
"The American West exists in the imagination as a place both mythical and familiar, where adventurous men and women built sturdy lives in a dramatic setting of sprawling, rugged lands. Drawing from an incredible trove of photographs that span more than a century, Greatest Photographs of the American West captures the beauty, majesty, and allure of the Wild West and its stunning terrain, while exploring the emotional and cultural impact of this captivating place"--Back cover.
History's Greatest Images
The World's 100 Most Influential Photographs
Published in 2012
Time has gathered the most significant and influential photos in history in this magnificent volume that celebrates the art and craft of photojournalism.
Palmetto Portraits Project
A Collaboration Among the Medical University of South Carolina, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, and South Carolina State Museum
Published in 2010
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), in partnership with the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston have developed a multi-year collaboration called the Palmetto Portraits Project. Noted and emerging photographers from throughout the state of South Carolina have been commissioned to focus on portraying South Carolinians in the Lowcountry, the Piedmont, and the Upstate -- reflecting the full range and diversity of the state's citizens, occupations, and recreational activities. In creating a collection of art to display within MUSC's educational and clinical buildings, the University hopes to remind students, faculty, staff, and visitors of those they serve at MUSC and throughout South Carolina. MUSC and the selected photographers have broadened the impact of the project by donating an identical set of photographs to the permanent collection of the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. The project partners include MUSC, the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston, and the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. The partners are producing this four-year project that commissions approximately 60 prints annually for a permanent collection at MUSC and the State Museum. MUSC did not provide any guidelines or restrictions as to whom the photographers chose as their subjects. In this, the conclusion of the third year, the photographers from Palmetto Portraits II selected these photographers for this year's project. This year's photographers have now selected their successors for next year. In this way, the photographers themselves help perpetuate the project, thereby broadening the scope of participation and reaching photographers throughout the state. Though the goal of 240 photographs by 24 photographers over four years is ambitious, we feel this unique collaboration will provide an important cross-sectional representation of the people of South Carolina for future generations to enjoy. - Project website.
Ansel Adams
400 Photographs
Published in 2007
"In a career that spanned six decades, Ansel Adams produced a remarkable body of work that is at once an artistic tour de force and a powerful tribute to his beloved American wilderness. Adams was given his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, in 1916, and made his first photographs during a family vacation in Yosemite National Park. Thus began a career and a lifetime devoted to making indelible images of America's wild places, its national parks, and its great mountain ranges." "This book is the largest compilation of Adams' photographic oeuvre ever published. Organized chronologically, it presents the full range of his finest work, from early efforts in the 1920s, to his projects in the national parks in the 1940s, up through his last important photographs of the 1960s. Included are Adams' most popular images - many of them icons of twentieth-century art - as well as a number of masterly but little-known photographs."
Freedom's March
Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement in Savannah
Published in 2008
Marking the forty-fifth anniversary of the desegregation of Savannah, this book celebrates the civil rights photographs of Frederick C. Baldwin. First exhibited at the Telfair in 1983 under the title, " ... We Ain't What We Used to Be": Photographs by Frederick C. Baldwin, these historically and aesthetically important images have recently been exhibited again, accompanied by an enhanced and expanded catalogue. Baldwin's images chronicle crucial events in the civil rights movement from voter registration drives to meetings in the longshoreman's hall to public marches and demonstrations, culminating in a visit to Savannah by Martin Luther King Jr. Baldwin depicted the local Ballot Bus; the exhaustive efforts to convince potential voters to register and the resulting long lines of African Americans at the courthouse; protest marches and prayer meetings; and finally, the transcendent moment of King's visit to Savannah. Today, Baldwin's photographs serve as potent reminders of the struggle for equality in Savannah and as evidence of the powerful role of photography in documenting and validating that struggle. The book also contains numerous interviews with and comments of Savannahians who were active in the events of the period. -- [3]Publisher description[u]http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy1002/2008907146-d.html.
Glory
Magical Visions of Black Beauty
Published in 2020
"From Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, the dynamite husband and wife duo behind CreativeSoul Photography, comes GLORY, a photography book that shatters the conventional standards of beauty for Black children. Featuring a foreword by Amanda Seales With stunning images of natural hair and gorgeous, inventive visual storytelling, GLORY puts Black beauty front and center with more than 100 breathtaking photographs and a collection of powerful essays about the children. At its heart, it is a recognition and celebration of the versatility and innate beauty of black hair, and black beauty. The glorious coffee-table book pays homage to the story of our royal past, celebrates the glory of the here and now, and even dares to forecast the future. It brings to life past, present, and future visions of black culture and showcases the power and beauty of recognizing and celebrating oneself. Beauty as an expression of who you are is power. When we define our own standards of beauty, we take back that power. GLORY encourages children around the world to feel that power and harness it"-- Provided by publisher
Crowned
Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora
Published in 2023
A collection of reimagined classic fairy tales, African, and African American folktales that bring to life past, present, and future visions of Black culture.
The Art of Movement
Published in 2016
"A collection of photographs by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory that capture the movement, flow, energy, and grace of many of the most accomplished dancers in the world. Featured are more than 70 dancers from companies including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and many more. Accompanying the photographs are intimate and inspiring words from the dancers, as well as from choreographers and artistic directors, on what dance means to them"--Publisher description.
Banksy Locations & Tours. Vol 1
A Collection of Graffiti Locations and Photographs in London, England
Published in 2011
"In the form of three guided tours, Martin Bull documents sixty-five London sites where one can see some of the most important works by the radical street artist today"--From cover.
Kyoto Gardens
Masterworks of the Japanese Gardener's Art
Published in 2014
Kyoto Gardens is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. Simmons' photographs present a fresh and contemporary look at Kyoto's most important gardens. Their beauty is enhanced and humanized by gardeners tending the grounds using the tools of their art. Clancy's graceful text provides historic, aesthetic and cultural context to the gardens. Combining wonder and rigor, she describes how Kyoto's most beloved gardens remain faithful to their founders' creative spirit and conception. Journey to Kyoto's thirty gardens with just a turn of a page, or use the handy maps to plan your trip. -- Source other than Library of Congress.
African American Faces of the Civil War
An Album
Published in 2012
Uses archival photographs to introduce African American men who fought in the Civil War, whose roles ranged from servants and laborers to junior officers, and includes details on each man's life through military records and personal files.
Nelson Mandela
A Life in Photographs
Published in 2009
Historic moments from Mandela's inspiring life are captured in more than one hundred iconic photos from the mid-1940s through August 2009. Six key Mandela speeches are included, as well as an informative text.
Road to Freedom
Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968
Published in 2008
"Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968 is the most significant exhibition of civil rights photographs presented in an art museum in more than twenty years. These images were taken by many photographers - photojournalists, artists, movement photographers, and amateurs alike - all of whom seem to have had a keen understanding of the significance of their subject. This publication presents a narrative of some of the key moments of the civil rights movement, including the Freedom Rides of 1961, the Birmingham hosings of 1963, and the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. These are the unforgettable images that helped to change the nation, increasing the momentum of the nonviolent movement by dramatically raising awareness of injustice and the struggle for equality."--Jacket.
Bill Cunningham
On the Street
Published in 2019
"This official book of photographs houses the 50-year collection of the most iconic and beloved photographs taken by prolific fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, the King of Street Style. The iconic Bill Cunningham was known for wearing a blue work jacket and riding a bicycle around New York City as he captured cutting-edge street style (before street style was even a thing). He took pictures for The New York Times from 1978 until his death in 2016 and wrote the beloved columns "On the Street" and "Evening Hours," which began in 1989. This book will be an oversized collection of Bill's hallowed photography--a mixture of published and unpublished--organized by decade with essays by and about Bill's muses and subjects like Anna Wintour, Cathy Horyn, Vanessa Friedman, and Ruth La Ferla. Every fashion lover and fashionista--from NYC and beyond--will have to add this book to their collection"-- Provided by publisher.
Black Farmers in America
Published in 2006
A photojournalistic essay documenting the struggle of black farmers in the U.S. at the end of the 20th century. Accompanying text provides a historical context for the photographs.
The New Black West
Photographs from America's Only Touring Black Rodeo
Published in 2022
"A powerful symbol of self-reliance, strength, and determination, the Black cowboy is a figure commonly overlooked in the histories of the American West. Held annually in cities across the United States, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR) honors the historic accomplishments of Black cowboys and fosters a vibrant community dedicated to continuing that legacy. Bay Area photographer Gabriela Hasbun has spent more than a decade photographing this beloved event in the Oakland hills. Her images capture the joy and excitement of performers and audience members, showcasing the daring feats, spectacular outfits, and welcoming atmosphere that make the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo an unmissable experience. In addition to Hasbun's photographs, The New Black West features quotes and stories from the cowboys themselves, and a foreword from the Oakland rodeo's regional manager, Jeff Douvel"-- Provided by publisher.
Rarely Seen
Photographs of the Extraordinary
Published in 2015
In this dazzling book of visual wonders, National Geographic reveals a world very few will have the chance to see for themselves. Shot by some of the world's finest photographers, Rarely Seen features striking images of places, events, natural phenomena, and manmade heirlooms seldom seen by human eyes. It's all here: 30,000-year-old cave art sealed from the public; animals that are among the last of their species on Earth; volcanic lightning; giant crystals that have grown to more than 50 tons; the engraving inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch. With an introduction by National Geographic photographer Stephen Alvarez, whose work has taken him from the Peruvian Andes to the deepest caves of Papua New Guinea, Rarely Seen captures once-in-a-lifetime moments, natural wonders, and little-seen objects from the far reaches of the globe.
The Splendor of Birds
Art and Photographs from National Geographic
Published in 2018
Bird, nature, and art lovers alike will treasure this sumptuous visual celebration of the colours, forms, and behaviours of the winged wonders who share our world as they have been explored, displayed, and revealed throughout the years by National Geographic. The book moves chronologically so readers witness the tremendous growth in our knowledge of birds over the last 130 years, as well as the new frontiers in technology and observation from luminous vintage paintings and classic black and white photographs to state-of-the art high-speed and telephoto camera shots that reveal moments rarely seen and sights invisible to the human eye. The wide diversity of pictures captures beloved songbirds outside the kitchen window, theatrical courtship dance of birds of paradise, tender moments inside a tern's nest, or the vivid flash of a hummingbird's flight. Readers will delight in seeing iconic species from around the world through the eyes of acclaimed National Geographic wildlife photographers such as Chris Johns, Frans Lanting, Joel Sartore, and Tim Laman and reading excerpted passages from Arthur A. Allen, Roger Tory Peterson, Douglas Chadwick, Jane Goodall, and other great explorers. Exquisitely produced and expertly curated, this visual treasury displays as never before the irresistible beauty, grace, and intelligence of our feathered friends.
Queer Love in Color
Published in 2021
"Queer Love In Color is a singular, moving collection of photographs and stories of queer couples and families of color from across the United States and around the world. Inclusive of all gender identities, races, and ages, this beautifully packaged book offers an intimate look at what it means to live at the intersections of queer and POC identities today, and broadens how we see affection, love, and family"-- Provided by publisher.
Controversy and Hope
The Civil Rights Photographs of James Karales
Published in 2013
"Commemorates the civil rights legacy of James Karales (1930-2002), a professional photojournalist who documented the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March for Voting Rights ... From 1960 to 1971, Karales worked as a staff photographer for Look magazine, traveling the world during a time of dynamic social change and recording the harsh realities he witnessed at home and abroad"--Jacket.
Celebrating President Barack Obama in Pictures
Published in 2010
"Photographs illustrate the life of President Barack Obama from childhood with a focus on his role as President of the United States"--Provided by publisher.
Infinite Wonder
An Astronaut's Photographs from a Year in Space
Published in 2018
A collection of photographs taken by Commander Scott Kelly documenting his journey on the International Space Station, 250 miles above the earth.
Animals in Photographs
Published in 2015
"Spanning the history of photography through 80 images drawn from the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Animals in Photographs traces the relationship between animal representation and changes in camera and film technology from the mid-nineteenth century to the present"--Provided by publisher.
Dancers Among Us
A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday
Published in 2012
Collects pictures of dancers striking poses in everyday places and while doing everyday things, including in libraries, on subway platforms, at restaurants, and on beaches.
Steve McCurry
Animals
Published in 2019
In Animals, we discover a different side to the famed photographer who skillfully explores animals' complex relationship with humans and the environment. Tenderness abounds, particularly in scenes of unkempt street dogs sleeping contentedly next to a human. But there's also a kind of essential solitude, with animals belonging to no one and simply wandering through life with only their survival instincts to guide them. We witness camels caught in the crossfire during the first Gulf War; a shepherd from Northern Pakistan tenderly feeding his goats; Beverly Hills designer dogs; race horses on a Hong Kong rooftop; elephants in Thailand, and more images selected by McCurry from his vast archives. Through McCurry's lens, we discover an appreciation for each creature's beauty and silent dignity. This kaleidoscopic collection is at once a beautiful travelogue and a touching tribute to the creatures who share our planet. Also available in two signed and limited Art Editions, each with a signed print.
Portraits
Published in 2017
"Duane Michals' Portraits presents for the first time a comprehensive overview of more than a half-century of portrait photographs--many of iconic cultural figures--by one of our era's most influential and entertaining artists. Duane Michals, the subject of a major retrospective exhibition organized by the Carnegie Museums in 2014 and scheduled to travel in 2018, has long been recognized for his inventive photo sequences, which shaped the work of several generations of artists. But even as he enjoys wide acclaim, a central body of work by the eighty-five-year-old artist remains little known. For decades, Michals was a sought-after editorial photographer for leading magazines, portraying outstanding creative personalities of our era. This comprehensive selection of his inventive portraits--many not previously published in book form--accompanied by Michals' inimitable, sometimes hilarious observations and reminiscences, will delight his fans and engage new admirers. The book features intimate and illuminating images of musical performers such as Barbra Streisand and Johnny Cash; actors from Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams to Tilda Swinton; contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and Jasper Johns; authors such as Norman Mailer and John Cheever; and old masters of modern art including Rene Magritte and Balthus."-- Provided by publisher
Photography at MoMA. 1960-now
Published in 2015
"The Museum of Modern Art has one of the greatest collections of twentieth-century photography in the world. As one of three volumes dedicated to a new history of photography published by the Museum, this publication comprises a comprehensive catalogue of the collection post-1960s and brings a much-needed new critical perspective on the most prominent artists who have worked with the photographic medium over the last half-century. At a moment when photography is undergoing fast-paced changes and artists are seeking to redefine its boundaries in new and exciting ways, Photography at MoMA serves as an excellent resource for understanding this expanded field. The book begins with an in-depth introduction followed by eight chapters of full-color plates, each introduced by a short essay. Nearly 250 artists are featured, including Diane Arbus, John Baldessari, Jan Dibbets, Rineke Dijkstra, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Louise Lawler, Zoe Leonard, Helen Levitt, Sigmar Polke, Cindy Sherman, Wolfgang Tillmans, Jeff Wall, Carrie Mae Weems, Hannah Wilke, and Garry Winogrand."--Publisher's website.
Burning Man
Art in the Desert
Published in 2007
For one week in August, the Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert brings people together in a spirit of self-reliance and creativity. Art has become the defining feature of Burning Man, as the festival continues to be a testing ground for a growing circle of artists seeking engaged audiences. A. Leo Nash has been creating a photographic document of this work, and in his photographs we see the wellspring of a new art movement.
The Jazz Image
Seeing Music Through Herman Leonard's Photography
Published in 2010
Typically a photograph of a jazz musician has several formal prerequisites: black and white film, an urban setting in the mid-twentieth century, and a black man standing, playing, or sitting next to his instrument. That's the jazz archetype that photography created. Author K. Heather Pinson discovers how such a steadfast script developed visually and what this convention meant for the music. Album covers, magazines, books, documentaries, art photographs, posters, and various other visual extensions of popular culture formed the commonly held image of the jazz player. Through assimilation, there emerged a generalized composite of how mainstream jazz looked and sounded. Pinson evaluates representations of jazz musicians from 1945 to 1959, concentrating on the seminal role played by Herman Leonard (b. 1923). Leonard's photographic depictions of African American jazz musicians in New York not only created a visual template of a black musician of the 1950s, but also became the standard configuration of the music's neoclassical sound today. To discover how the image of the musician affected mainstream jazz, Pinson examines readings from critics, musicians, and educators, as well as interviews, musical scores, recordings, transcriptions, liner notes, and oral narratives.
Beautiful Places
The Timeless Beauty of South Carolina State Parks
Published in 2009
Each year, South Carolina's forty-seven state parks draw nearly eight million visitors who come to enjoy the unadulterated beauty of the land and its wildlife. Beautiful Places, released by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, is a vibrant photographic history of these sanctuaries. The product of decades of arduous work on the part of legislators, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and committed citizens, the parks preserve the diverse natural features of South Carolina--from its mountains to its forest canopies to its gentle, sprawling beaches. The striking eye of photographer jon o. holloway lends each image a unique, distinctly American beauty. The book also includes information on the deep history of the parks and the stories of the people who made them what they are today. Beautiful Places is a tribute to those legacies and a joyful celebration of history and nature. - Publisher.
Places for the Spirit
Traditional African American Gardens
Published in 2010
"A collection of over 80 documentary photographs of African American gardens and their creators in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Includes a foreword by Hilton Als. The gardens' design and meanings can be traced to gardens of American slaves and further back to their African heritage"--Provided by publisher.
Captioning the Archives
A Conversation in Photographs and Text
Published in 2021
"Lester Sloan began his photography career as a cameraman for the CBS affiliate in Detroit, then worked as a staff photographer in Los Angeles for Newsweek magazine for twenty-five years. His daughter, noted essayist and National Magazine Award-winning writer Aisha Sabatini Sloan, writes about race and current events, often coupled with analysis of art, film, and pop culture. In this father-daughter collaboration, Lester opened his archive of street photography, portraits, and news photos, and Aisha interviewed him, creating rich, probing, dialogue-based captions for more than one hundred photographs. Lester's images encompass celebrity portraits, key news events like Pope John Paul's visit to Mexico, Black cultural life in Europe, and, with astonishing emotion, the everyday lives of Black folk in Los Angeles and Detroit."-- Provided by publisher.
The Oldest Living Things in the World
Published in 2014
"The Oldest Living Things in the World is an epic journey through time and space. Over the past decade, artist Rachel Sussman has researched, worked with biologists, and traveled the world to photograph continuously living organisms that are 2,000 years old and older. Spanning from Antarctica to Greenland, the Mojave Desert to the Australian Outback, the result is a stunning and unique visual collection of ancient organisms unlike anything that has been created in the arts or sciences before, insightfully and accessibly narrated by Sussman along the way ... Alongside the photographs, Sussman relays fascinating -- and sometimes harrowing -- tales of her global adventures tracking down her subjects and shares insights from the scientists who research them. The oldest living things in the world are a record and celebration of the past, a call to action in the present, and a barometer of our future."--Publisher's description.
Edward Weston
A Legacy
Published in 2003
"This is the first major book to celebrate the Huntington's collection of five hundred Edward Weston photographs, all of them selected and printed for the institution by the artist in the 1940s. The Guggenheim photographs lie at the heart of this legacy, but Weston also included in his gift still-life studies from the early 1920s and 1930s, as well as later landscapes from the 1940s. Weston selected these photographs as representative of his best work, and they are reproduced here, complemented by investigations into the influences that shaped them."--Jacket.