Entry 2: Before photography there were books...
When I was a child we had a library. It was a relatively small room off the living room. I remember the shelves of old books, really old books. Most of the real treasures were probably tucked away in corners I would not find. There were always new discoveries to make. Some discoveries were not the ones my parents intended. Like the book that had been hollowed out to allow storage of a handgun. My curiosity of what the book was about was quickly replaced by my find of this secret stash. Hey, it was a different era. I was old enough to read so, obviously, I was old enough to know putting a gun in a book was probably not something a 10 year old was supposed to know anything about. I kept my mouth shut and my parents never knew that I knew their secret.
Now back to the books... Many of the books had pages that had never been read. I knew they had never been opened because the pages were folded after printing, then bound together, and then the folds were cut. Jefferson's Complete Works was one my family had when I was a kid and I still have today.
I loved the idea that there were books over a hundred years old with pages that had never been read. As if the words were the author's and mine and no one else's. Pages 6 and 7 in the picture below are hidden until the day I decide to cut the fold.
I did not actually read any of the old books cover to cover. I'd read some, look for references to topics I knew about or people I was learning about in history.
I think I loved our books because they were old. They represented a connection to a world before my grandfather was born, before cars and airplanes.
It might be months or years between the time I picked up one of these books. While it did not make be overly well read, I did learn to savor books. And now, this savoring is applied to photography books. That is one of the threads of this blog. Not sure if what I write about the books will actually be reviews in the formal sense. It will definitely include my reaction to the books and the photographs or methods presented. The starting point for my reactions to photography books will be some the following from my current shelves of books. It is not a grand collection but it enough to begin.
Now back to the books... Many of the books had pages that had never been read. I knew they had never been opened because the pages were folded after printing, then bound together, and then the folds were cut. Jefferson's Complete Works was one my family had when I was a kid and I still have today.I loved the idea that there were books over a hundred years old with pages that had never been read. As if the words were the author's and mine and no one else's. Pages 6 and 7 in the picture below are hidden until the day I decide to cut the fold.
I think I loved our books because they were old. They represented a connection to a world before my grandfather was born, before cars and airplanes.
It might be months or years between the time I picked up one of these books. While it did not make be overly well read, I did learn to savor books. And now, this savoring is applied to photography books. That is one of the threads of this blog. Not sure if what I write about the books will actually be reviews in the formal sense. It will definitely include my reaction to the books and the photographs or methods presented. The starting point for my reactions to photography books will be some the following from my current shelves of books. It is not a grand collection but it enough to begin.
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