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Staff Reviews: Photography

Check out these reviews written by the staff of the Marathon County Public Library! (For reviews in all genres, visit our main Staff Reviews webpage.) Staff book reviews are also published at Goodreads.com; follow us for the latest updates.


Cover: 'Cary Grant: A Life in Pictures'

"Cary Grant: A Life in Pictures" by Yann-Brice Dherbier

Few actors ever equaled Cary Grant’s elegance, sex appeal and versatility on screen. Yann-Brice Dherbier’s book offers up 170 pages of black and white photographs of Grant at work, at home and at play. It’s an entertaining photographic tribute that reminds us that Grant truly was one-of-a-kind.  

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Celebrities, Photography
Cover: 'life.love.beauty'

"life.love.beauty" by Keegan Allen

★★★★ This is a thoughtful collection of photographs, poems, journal entries, and thoughts from Keegan Allen. Most readers will recognize him from the ABC Family TV show "Pretty Little Liars." Fans will enjoy moments and photos taken on and off the set featuring many of the actors from this show, as well as other productions important to Keegan Allen. He also...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Photography
Cover: 'Unseen London'

"Unseen London" by Mark Daly, Peter Dazeley

★★★★★ Have you ever been curious about what different buildings might look like from the inside? What about historic buildings in one of the most famous world cities? This book is a gem with really wonderful pictures of some very iconic and historic buildings of London. It is very interesting to see the different styles and architecture that lay behind closed...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Travel, Photography
Cover: 'Humans of New York'

"Humans of New York" by Brandon Stanton

★★★★★ Chances are if you are on any type of social media, then you've probably been exposed to the fabulous photography of Humans of New York. While working as a bond trader in Chicago in January 2010, Stanton discovered a passion for photography. When his job ended, he decided to do something crazy and take up photography full time. He decided to go from city to...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Travel, Photography
Cover: 'World War II in 500 Photographs!'

"World War II in 500 Photographs!" by Time-Life Books

★★★★ This 2014 Time Life Books release is a nicely-done visual guide to the Second World War. Arranged chronologically, it offers up page after page of black and white or color photographs depicting battlefield and home front events as well as personalities such as FDR, Churchill, Hitler, Himmler, Stalin, Eisenhower, Patton, etc. The images are complimented by...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Photography, History
Cover: 'John Wayne: A Photographic Celebration'

"John Wayne: A Photographic Celebration" by Marc Mompoint

★★★★ John Wayne is, arguably, the most popular movie actor of all time. Marc Mompoint offers up a photo-tribute to 'The Duke' in this appealing 2012 Skyhorse Publishing release. The book features color and b&w candid snaps and production stills from Wayne's life and times. John Wayne fans will undoubtedly enjoy this latest tribute to the iconic movie star...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Celebrities, Photography
Cover: 'Beaches, 100 Ultimate Escapes'

"Beaches, 100 Ultimate Escapes" by Stefano Passaquindici, Sabrina Talarico

★★★★★ Armchair travelers will enjoy Sabrina Talarico's captivating, full-color guide to the most breath-taking beaches in the world. Each beach rates a one-page write-up with one or more color photographs. The beaches are divided into sections: 'Fun Beaches,' ' Protected Beaches,' 'Natural Paradises,' 'Sports Beaches' and so on. The result is a charming, gorgeous...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Photography, Nature, Travel
Cover: 'New York Jackie, Pictures from Her Life in the City'

"New York Jackie, Pictures from Her Life in the City" by Nan Talese, Bridget Watson Payne

★★★★ NEW YORK JACKIE is a photo-history of the years Jackie Kennedy lived and worked in the big Apple. Taken by a number of photographers, the pix capture her strolling down streets, biking, talking with friends, at work, walking with Caroline and John Jr., attending a Broadway musical, etc. The images date from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s. Whatever the...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Photography, Celebrities, History
Cover: 'Going, Going, Gone'

"Going, Going, Gone" by Bloomsbury Natural History

★★★★★ This 2013 release showcases 100 plants and animals around the globe that are threatened with extinction. Compelling full-color images of each species is complimented by a one-page write-up with a general overview of the species, basic data on remaining numbers/lifespans/threats along with efforts underway to save it along and information on what individuals...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Nature, Photography
Cover: 'Wild Planet'

"Wild Planet" by Chris Packham

★★★★★ WILD PLANET is an enormously-entertaining book showcasing the work of various photographers who have won the 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' award. The book features glorious, full-color images of tigers, elephants, crocs, rhinos, birds, bats, sharks, meerkats, toads, geese, cheetahs, whales, bees, gorillas, cranes, jellyfish, eagles, spiders, penguins...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Nature, Photography
Cover: 'Art of the Classic Car'

"Art of the Classic Car" by Peter Bodensteiner, Peter Harholdt

★★★★★ Hardoldt and Bodensteiner's beautiful coffee-table book is a sumptuous, authoritative tribute to classic cars of the 20th Century. Bursting with full-page and close-up detail pix done by Hardoldt, the book also features a comprehensive and informative history of the various cars by Bodensteiner. Among the classics covered  are Duesenbergs, Bentleys,...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Photography
Cover: 'Great Escapes: Enjoy the World at Your Leisure'

"Great Escapes: Enjoy the World at Your Leisure" by Lonely Planet

★★★★★ GREAT ESCAPES transports readers around the globe to over 70 travel destinations and then offers up 'Essential Experiences' lists of things to do once you arrive. Would-be travelers are treated to exotic sites in Spain, Africa, China, Bhutan, the U.K., Canada, Colombia and other locales. Each destination is highlighted in a three-four page essay featuring...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Travel, Photography
Cover: 'Four Seasons of Travel'

"Four Seasons of Travel" by National Geographic Society

★★★★★ This sumptuous travel guide offers up hundreds of gorgeous, full-color photographs and first-person reminiscences of "400 of the world's best destinations in winter, spring, summer and fall." Among the destinations covered are Edinburgh, London, Victoria Falls, Queenstown, New York City, Lake Como, Oaxaca, the Atlas Mountains, Newport, St. Petersburg,...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Travel, Photography
Cover: 'The Masters of Nature Photography'

"The Masters of Nature Photography" by

★★★★★ Cox's book claims to "represent the very best of nature photography," a claim supported by the gorgeous photographs found in this 2013 release. Made up of portfolios from ten renowned nature photographers, the book is overflowing with touchingly beautiful images and perceptive text. All of the photographers whose work are featured in Cox's book have won...

Audience: Adults | Genre: Nonfiction, Photography, Nature