Best regards
Damian

the problem is manifold…and doesn’t simply rest with the Times Book Review (which looks like a sheave of onion skin compared with the Book Review I grew up glued to as a kid) but speaks of issues not only directly to the nature of reviewing books/artists books as to the nature of the intention of the Times Book Review (they’re review of poetry and books-in-translation is pretty paltry too) itself. Is it really important at this point in time whether or not the Times Book Review dedicates itself to reviewing photo/artists’ books? In truth Alec, I’m not sure. In fact, I’m not even sure the Book Review is relevant any more, and I say that as a writer and as person who was weaned on that damn section of the paper. I look at the Books section every day and read the Sunday Review section each Sunday, but in truth, this is more an act of sentimentality I think that an interest in what the reviewers have to say. I do look for ‘discoveries’ there but rarely rarely find them and cannot really remember that last book or author I discovered through the Book Review. I do, however, remember discovered books/writers through the Quarterly Conversation blog or University of Rochester’s great page Three Percent, or Book Forum, or from friends. In fact, I don’t even think the Times Book Review is nearly as good as the Post’s Book world of some of the papers in London. The books the Time’s tend to review seem, at this point, pretty predictable and it seems for many in the world, the Times is still the standard to which things are gauged and measured.

I left that solipsistic belief a long time ago LBM, in truth, is much better bench mark for me to follow and engage than the Times, truth be told.

The problem Alec with worrying about the Times Book Review covering artists book is it is, in a sense, a question of comparing apples and oranges. The Review tends to be defined and dominated by writers: novelists, poets, essayists, editors, professors. Their understanding (as with most of the world) of what constitutes a ‘book’ let alone a ‘narrative’ is pretty narrow at best, grotesque, conservative and outdated at worst. For the Review, it seems as if they’re understanding of The Book is this: something written and clapped together with a binding. Photos/pictures are simply illustrational but serve as a tick (see they’re early experience with Sebald: the pictures were seen as ‘illustrations’ of the prose/narrative, not as narrative points themselves) only. I understand that and I don’;t expect writers to ‘get’ artistic narrative: different creatures. berger is one of the few writers who is not only able to write beautiful, thoughtful, insightful prose but also is able to produce and understand the nature of visual expression. Gunter Grass as well. But most book critics are stymied by the photobook/artists book as an object outside the gallery walls. In fact, don’t most critics, and MOST people (including, unfortunately, many many photographers) ‘understand’ the photobook as nothing more than the gathering of photographs, like a book of postcards? Most read photobooks that way. Shit, look at the way most people respond and write about the essays at Burn and Visura: same. As if an assembly of individual pics with a pretty linear and literal narrative. this is still the truth in photo-book reviews. Often the impression is of a series of photographs that make up a story about someone/someplace, something to put on the coffee table or show the kiddies, etc. Something rarely to be wrestled with with time.

How does the time begin to deal with the artists book? Who do they get to review the ocean of books that are produced? Does it’s audience really care about the photobook beyond the idea of it as a ‘christmas’ book gift/birthday gift. Honestly, it is unlikely. I imagine most of the folk who read the times rarely buy photobooks (as compared with the number of novels/non-fiction books they buy) and for those that do, I’d wager that most of the books they buy are, as stated above, for the same reason NG is still a thriving magazine: the ‘pretty’ pictures. but you and i know that the photobook/artist book is richer, more complex, more fun, more exciting, more rewarding that just the pleasure of looking at a pretty face….it can be remarkably maddening as well: like life

You know alec, I’ve rarely read a good (critical or otherwise) review of artist’s book, let alone an exhibition. There have been/are some great writers out there writing critically and inspiredly about photography, but a quick lick through most of the outlets out there leaves one both feeling bereft and thankful for the small outlets (mostly on-line) that bring both critical tools and passion-for-the-form. 5B4 is an obvious example of someone bringing passion and erudition (and beautiful drunkeness) to the fore of photo-book discussion (LBM too, but you don’t count ) ). But even with 5B4, there tends to be a predictability to the understanding of what a ‘photo-book’ is. Wasn’t the reading of Chris “Capitolio” pretty literal? Who writes well about photography these days, let alone the photobook? There are some photographers who do this and do it well and there are critics and other writers who do this well, but in truth, it is a rarity. Even Martin and Gerry’s books overlooked some important aspects of the ‘photo’book. I love (and have) both volumes and it’s so beautiful and thoughtful (and i can’t think of any other serious taxonomy of the photobook out there) that it automatically earned the oscar/palm d’or/etc, but photobooks are so slippery as to eluded even the most erudite and keen eyed. Why Richter’s book over Kiefer’s magnificent book? A major major oversight, as Kiefer’s books have had a much more profound effect on the book-as-object over the last 25 years and Richter’s seems much too literal an interpretation. Also, what about the Hiromix phenomenon? Her book(s) and the entire ‘blue’ series of books that she spawned in young, female japanese photographers not only anticipate the outpouring of Flicr and facebook but, in many ways, define much of the narrative stuff i see now. Was this their fault? No, it’s just that the extraordinary thing about the photobook/artist book is it is too large, too beautiful, too expansive to be pitted between those thin pages of newsprint….

the did, long ago, review ‘wisconsin death trip’, which is how i first heard of the book, but I don’t expect the times to go anyway anymore. now, the question for me is: what to find and where to find good, thoughtful books about photogrpahy…

i’ve tried Alec to write as much as possible in different places about photogrpahy (here, Burn, Lightstalker, Magnum Blog, etc) because I felt frustrated with both the way the photoworld/art world spoke/wrote about photogrpahy and the way that most blogs/photographers spoke of other’s photography. In fact, i think i;ve written more on photography in the last 3 years that I have on my own damn book, and that is a frustration, but one born of being frustrated with what was being written about photogrpahy, including what was written by other photographers….

At this point, i think the antidote lay in making work…in making books and writing them as a means to deal with problems like the Times book Review….in storming the walls by work….

i love that you’ve become Herzog and i hope that the Book Review listens….but, in truth, i[‘m not sure they’ll get it…partly their fault (i mean, do they even not the imprint LBM?) and they’re reliance and relationship with big publishing houses and partly not (are they really the ones we want reviewing artists books??, not me)….but as an outlet that still has a lot of cache, it would be nice to see a review of Lost Boy Mountain or a review of Versts or a review of, well, anything other than the new photos of the latest actor/supermodel to pic up a camera….

And there is LBM, which i cherish as a place of both great and gorgeous humor and also great and wonderful information….and the cat in charge of this place ain’t half bad either )….

the key I think Alec is not whether or not the times reviews photobooks anymore (you know, i only ever remember 1 review of a manga, ever, though they have reviewed some graphic novels), ’cause I actually don’;t care any more about them. I get depressed every christmas when i read they’re year end review of books and see what they posit as ‘must buy’ photobooks/table books, so who needs that. What will make me depressed if all the outlets for the books get’s thumb-dyked. It would be great if the Times, say quarterly hired (i’m willing to do it Times) someone with passion and knowledge and acumen to write about photobooks being pulished, artists books being made, but i’m not holding my breath….and i’m not losing sleep….

the day, however, that LBM closes shop, however, will be a day I storm that small outfit in MN and kick some major ass ‘ cause we need all of you to keep it coming….

and i have another idea….since you’re already an Opinionator, can you leverage that weight to get Lester to review….:))))

until them, i’ll keep writing at burn and hopefully, finish my own books before the year runs out….

big hugs from us here in balmy T-dot )

bob