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Schapiro's Heroes(powerhouse)
Former LIFE photographer Steve Schapiro compiles a visual ode to some of
the most monumental figures of the 1960s. Photos of Barbra Streisand and
a young Muhammad Ali are gorgeous, as you might expect, but what really
gets the heart pumping are stirring pics of Martin Luther King Jr., as
well as one of the civil rights leader's motel room taken just hours
after his death.
Vanishing World(Abrams)
The media may have eaten up Sebastian Copeland's Antarctica: The Global
Warning (thanks, no doubt, to Leonardo DiCaprio's preface and pics that
feature Copeland's famous cousin, Orlando Bloom). But Mireille de la
Lez's pictures better reveal the harrowing dangers of our changing
climate with her dauntingly beautiful shots of thawing ice caps in the
Arctic region.
American Fashion(Assouline)
This must-have for nostalgic fashionistas takes a decade-by-decade look
at the last 80 years of American clothing. It highlights the designers
who created iconic looks (Howard Greer, Betsey Johnson), the stars who
wore them (Marlene Dietrich, Sarah Jessica Parker) — and the many
photographers who captured the scene in eye-popping magazine images.
Knockout(Palace)
Inspired by Muhammad Ali's 1964 victory against Sonny Liston, Ken Regan
spent much of his career capturing pugilistic moments both intimate
(George Foreman reading from his Bible) and impelling (Mike Tyson and
Evander Holyfield's earsplitting 1997 bout). Regan, father of
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY picture editor Suzanne Regan, even snagged a
foreword from Ali himself.
Broken Line(Hatje Cantz)
German photographer and Greenland enthusiast Olaf Otto Becker wields his
camera to capture stark, dichotomous images of icebergs planted just
feet away from dry land and human habitation. By depicting such
aberrations in the region's terrain, Becker illustrates some of the many
changes that have taken place in recent years in Greenland's steadily
warming ecosystem. With his well-trained eye, Becker manages to expose
nature as a true work of art.
Planet Ocean(National Geographic)
Did you know that red coral was
an integral part of Greek mythology? That's one nugget from this book,
which combines essays on topics like sea turtles with a decade's worth
of compelling underwater scenes.
Aquatique(Insight Editions)
At first glance, the density of Brian Oglesbee's undersea portraits may
be easy to overlook. But study them more closely. Bubble patterns mirror
human images. Plant life mimics cascading snowflakes. Currents reflect
stunning visages of his nymphlike models. Once you give his photos that
second glimpse, it's hard to turn away.
Vanishing Point(Norton)
In the mid- to late 20th century, photographer David Plowden traveled
North America, documenting rural and industrial change in his trademark
black-and-white style. This volume compiles some of his best work over
half a century, with images of trains, steamboats, and steel mills, as
well as his infrequent portraits.
Magnum Magnum(Thames & Hudson)
Magnum Photos, the famed photographers' cooperative, offers a weighty
tribute to many of its most famous artists. Some of the 413 images tug
at the heartstrings (see Philip Jones Griffiths' anguished shots from
the Vietnam War or W. Eugene Smith's photo of a U.S. Marine clutching a
dying baby on the island of Saipan during World War II). But check out
former Magnum president Cornell Capa's photo of an unguarded Marilyn
Monroe with Clark Gable on the set of 1961's The Misfits, and you'll
understand why Magnum became a haven for photography's most talented.
Creature(Chronicle)
Andrew Zuckerman's family-friendly images depict creatures that elicit
both awwws (baby leopards!) and ewwws (millipedes!). They are so
strikingly detailed — the color and texture of the animals' fur and skin
pop against the white backdrops — that expeditions to the local zoo may
now seem unnecessary.
