Richard Whelan (1946–2007)

Interesting biography of an interesting man. Fun-loving, internationalist photographer Capa had a great influence on all who met him. He was lucky to have lived as long as he did, with all the risks he took.

While a good introduction to Emerson, I found myself suspicious of Whelan´s invasive editing, especially given his propensity for rewording phrases or offering parenthetical explanations that sometimes seemed quite self-evident. In the end, however, I found myself bored enough with Emerson´s style to be thankful for the abridgement. His ideas are certainly worthwhile, especially in "Spiritual Laws," "Politics," and the titular essay. Also invaluable is the addition by Whelan of Emerson´s show more lecture "The Transcendalist," where RWE explains the relation between transcendentalism and idealism, and how both are the opposite of materialism. show less

This is the first book to reproduce the definitive set of 937 rarely seen and classic images by Robert Capa (1913-54), one of the most influential documentary photographers of the twentieth century. Capa, a founding member of Magnum photographic agency, had the mind of a passionate and committed journalist and the eye of an artist. His lifework, consisting of more than 70,000 negatives, constitutes an unparalleled documentation of a crucial 22-year period (1932-54), encompassing some of the show more most catastrophic and dramatic events of the last century. This book represents the most definitive selection of Capa's work ever published - 937 photographs meticulously selected by his brother Cornell Capa (himself a noted Life photographer), and his biographer, Richard Whelan. The photographs, arranged in chronological order as stories and accompanied by brief commentaries, reveal the dramatic shifts in location and subject matter that Capa experienced from day to day - from war-torn Israel to Pablo Picasso on a sunny beach in France, and from Ernest Hemingway carousing in London to Capa's historic images of the Allied landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944. show less

Richard Whalen writes with clarity and insight about photography as a medium in his "Introduction." This is one
of the most useful books for introducing serious criticism of
photography.