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Loading... Circles of Delight: Classic Carousels of San Franciscoby Aaron Shepard
None No current Talk conversations about this book.  Carlathelibrarian | Feb 5, 2019 |   San Francisco is home to one carousel from each of the "most important historic American carousel makers." A section of the book is devoted to each carousel with wonderful pictures of the detail work. It is amazing to see both the similarities and the differences between the animals represented on these carousels. The craft work is stunning and the preservation of each has been remarkable. I would highly recommend this to lovers of carousels as well as those who simply enjoy photographs of wonderful craftsmanship. I spent quite a bit of time comparing similar animals, such as standing horse, and marveling at how each maker created such a unique variation on a basic theme. Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. (  ) pomo58 | Mar 3, 2017 | ) JanuaryGray | Sep 6, 2016 | Carousel horses are never the common chestnut, that uniform brown that has always made me perk up anytime I saw a gray horse entered in the Kentucky Derby. No, these horses forever frozen in mid-leap are always glorious, gorgeous splashes of color and dramatic markings – or, if brown does occur, it's a rich red or golden brown that's hard to ignore. The three San Francisco-area carousels, by my favorite companies/artists Looff and Dentzel and Herschell Spillman, each receive just about a third of the book; a single page of text outlines the history, followed by page after beautiful page of photos of the circular menageries – the horses and rabbits and tigers and giraffes and goats and camels and cats and even more fantastical animals, bedecked with ornate saddles and bridles and flags and mascots and – my favorites – occasionally armor. Even those parts of the merry-go-rounds that always interested me least, the scenery panels from the center and top canopy and chariots, are shown to their best advantage. I was expecting much less from this book, and was delighted to find over 100 photographs. I couldn't ask for more. The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. ( ) Stewartry | Aug 11, 2016 | no reviews | add a review
Quite by chance, San Francisco has become one of the carousel capitols of the world. It today hosts carousels from all three of the most important historic American carousel makers -- the only city anywhere with that distinction What's more, each carousel has been restored close to its original condition. "Circles of Delight" celebrates the beauty and diversity of these traditional, hand-carved wood carousels of the Golden Gate City. With its vibrant photos and informative profiles, it is bound to delight carousel lovers of all ages. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Aaron Shepard is an independent writer and photographer. He has been entranced by carousels since childhood -- but his love and interest were rekindled when his wife, Anne L. Watson, wrote a novel about a young carousel restorer. When a business trip brought them to San Francisco in April 2004, Aaron spent three days photographing the city's carousels, giving him the photos for this book. He currently lives in Friday Harbor, Washington. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// "Filled with beautiful photography. . . . You will treasure this book." -- Bette Largent, President, National Carousel Association ///////////////////////////////////////////////// CONTENTS San Francisco Zoo Carousel Yerba Buena Gardens Carousel Golden Gate Park Carousel ///////////////////////////////////////////////// BISAC SUBJECTS: ANT001000 ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES / Americana TRV019000 TRAVEL / Pictorials PHO019000 PHOTOGRAPHY / Subjects & Themes / Regional ART015020 ART / American / General CRA003000 CRAFTS & HOBBIES / Carving TRV025130 TRAVEL / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) No library descriptions found. |
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The brief history of each carousel depicted gave enough information to learn about the creator/carvers as well as the age and the number of times it had been moved and/or renovated, but it is the illustrations that make the book. The detail of the animals is amazing, and the colours are so vibrant. Even the scenery panels and sheilds were included. I could almost hear the music and the laughter of people riding on the carousels. For the horses with hair tails, you could practically hear the swishing. I am planning a trip to San Francisco next year and will definitely be on the lookout for these carousels after checking out this gorgeous book. This would be a welcome addition as a coffee table book especially for those who love carousels.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. (