This large format hard-backed book is a magnificent tribute to one of the world's most renowned women photographers. Published by Pavilion, this landmark retrospective (with a UK street price of 40 pounds) contains 160 pages of some of her most remarkable monochrome images, together with some rarely seen work from her personal archives.
Reproduction is quite literally superb, with the pictures jumping from the page; most images are placed one to a page while some spread the gutter. Those who aspire to create the very best black and white prints should study Bourke-White's work carefully. As fine art photographs they would hang well in any gallery. As documentary images they are as good as any I have seen.
From the 1920s to the 1950s Bourke-White fearlessly recorded objects, people and events that shaped history. First famed as an industrial photographer, she then became on the first staff photographers at Life magazine.
This book is the most complete collection of her work to date and includes photographs from her early days. Images of industrialised America, through to war-torn Korea and the Nazi bombing of Moscow, all show life as it really was, and photographed in such an accomplished way, that the reader can't help but be drawn into them as though it was yesterday.
Few photo books impress me as much as this one. A worthy addition to anyone's collection.
