BOOK REVIEW--ANSEL ADAMS IN THE NATIONAL PARKS

Edited by Andrea G. Stillman

Reviewed by Bill Breakstone, October 11, 2010

I became aware of this new collection of Ansel Adams’ photographs through the newsletter published by the U. S. Forest Service’s National Parks Magazine. The famous photographer needs no introduction to anyone interested in nature or fine photography. This volume contains many images heretofore unpublished, and accompanying narratives that are pertinent to his art and his life.

Being a lover of both nature, especially the National Parks and his beloved Sierra Nevada, and photography, I could not resist pre-ordering this book a month ago. It arrived this afternoon, and I spent a good two hours perusing the first 183 pages of this 344-page volume. All the photographs are black and white, and under the supervision of the Ansel Adams Publishing Trust, are superb reproductions.

On these pages are exhibited the grandeur of the natural environment, captured by one of the greatest photographers and naturalists who ever lived. Being a California native, Adams was drawn to the Sierra Nevada from a very early age, and that high country became a love of his life that lasted until his death in 1984. He had an innate sense of photographic composition, which, combined with his love of natural elements, resulted in images that were and remain unique.

Although the Sierra was closest to his heart, he travelled throughout North America and captured images of almost all our national parks and monuments. The text reveals that the skills he possessed were not only behind the lens of a camera, but equally important, in his photographic studio, where he would spend hours insuring that darkroom exposures of his negatives were just right. How I wish that I possessed original prints of those negatives. I will have to settle for several fine reproductions that I purchased from his gallery in Yosemite this past August, and now hang in one of my galleries at home.

The book is published by Little, Brown and Company, Adams’ official and only authorized publisher. I ordered it through Barnes & Noble on-line, at an amazingly affordable price of $27.00, a 33% discount from its advertised cost of $40.00. Even at that price, the volume is an astounding value, and belongs on the bookshelf of any nature lover.