Leonardo and the Last Supper

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Booklist (07/01/2012):
*Starred Review* With pink tights, a notebook hanging from his belt, long hair, and beard, handsome, fit 42-year-old Leonardo cut quite a figure on the streets of Milan, where he had high hopes for major commissions from the duchy's cunning ruler, Lodovico Sforza. For all his brilliance, as King explains with commiseration, respectful amusement, and meticulous documentation, Leonardo had little to show for himself beyond his notoriety for infuriating patrons. Consequently, he was ecstatic when Sforza agreed to fund the making of a truly monumental bronze horse. But war waits for no man, not even a relentlessly inquisitive, left-handed, vegetarian genius. After the 75 tons of metal meant for his equine colossus were turned into cannons, Leonardo was asked to paint a mural 15 feet high and nearly 30 feet long in the Dominican refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie depicting the Last Supper. This is quintessential King territory, and his uniquely detailed, far-ranging, and engrossing chronicle of the creation of this revolutionary masterpiece, a quantum shift in art, perfectly complements his best-selling Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling (2003). Himself an exceptional portraitist and craftsman, King brings to precise life a fully dimensional, irresistibly audacious, and wizardly Leonardo and his powerfully affecting, miraculously surviving mural, a glorious culmination of the artist's astounding powers of observation and exhilarating vision of the world. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

Edward Weston: 125 Photographs

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"Edward Weston is one of the essential photographers of the 20th century. He helped define our prewar notions of the American West when it still beckoned as a frontier, as a refuge from civilization--if you could bear the unsparing light. His eye often sought out the lush, the sensual: nudes like landscapes, landscapes like nudes, and shells and peppers like both." --The New York Times

100 Ideas That Changed Photography

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This compelling book chronicles the most influential ideas that have shaped photography from the invention of the daguerreotype in the early 19th century up to the digital revolution and beyond. Entertaining and intelligent, it provides a fascinating resource to dip into. Arranged in a broadly chronological order to show the development of photography, the ideas that comprise the book include innovative concepts, cultural and social incidents, technologies, and movements. Each idea is presented through lively text and arresting visuals, and explores when the idea first evolved and its subsequent impact on photography.

Abstract City

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In July 2008, illustrator and designer Christoph Niemann began "Abstract City," a visual blog for the "New York Times." His posts were inspired by the desire to re-create simple and everyday observations and stories from his own life that everyone could relate to. In Niemann's hands, mundane experiences such as riding the subway or trying to get a good night's sleep were transformed into delightful flights of visual fancy. The struggle to keep up with housework became a battle against adorable but crafty goblins, and nostalgia about New York manifested in simple but strikingly spot-on LEGO creations. This brilliantly illustrated collection of reflections on modern life includes all 16 of the original blog posts as well as a new chapter created exclusively for the book. 

Digital Photography Through the Year

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For anyone who's ever wondered what it takes to capture the nuances of a snowy landscape, to do justice to fall leaves, to catch reflections in a dewdrop, or to convey the exuberant joy of a summer picnic, Tom Ang's "Digital Photography Through the Year" is the essential companion to photography throughout the changing seasons.
Divided into seasons, each chapter features beautiful, evocative images, and provides details of how to recreate the look. With advice on which settings to use, overcoming potential challenges, dealing with tricky lighting situations, capturing and freezing movement, composing with color, and more, Tom's informal style makes stunning photographic results achievable for both the casual cameraphone user and the SLR expert.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis

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Library Journal (08/01/2012):
"Edward Curtis's photographs have been controversial since their rediscovery in the 1970s. Although his work documented Native American cultures, he was also guilty of framing his subjects in ways that emphasized his belief that they were a dying people. Egan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a National Book Award recipient for "The Worst Hard Time", examines Curtis's life (1868-1952) from 1896 until his death, the years he worked on his 20-volume "The North American Indian". Although his supporters included such luminaries as Theodore Roosevelt and J. Pierpont Morgan, Curtis struggled throughout his life to maintain the project. His cause was hindered by his efforts to help the Native Americans he encountered as he alienated Indian agents and other government officials by demanding that they respect the basic human rights of the local populace. Most damaging to his reputation and his financing efforts was his claim, based on eyewitness accounts, that Gen. George Armstrong Custer's actions at the Battle of the Little Big Horn were not heroic, but in fact cowardly. Egan seeks to restore Curtis to a deserved high reputation. VERDICT This fascinating biography is recommended to readers interested in the American West from the late 19th through early 20th century.--John Burch, Campbellsville Univ. Lib., KY Copyright 2012 Reed Business Information."

Photographing Trees

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In "Photographing Trees" renowned wildlife photographer Edward Parker shares his expertise so that both amateurs and experts can get the best shots possible. As the author writes, "The wonderful thing about photography is that anyone can take a great picture almost regardless of the equipment. . . . The trick is seeing how the camera 'sees' and learning to turn whatever conditions you are faced with to your advantage."