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The Readers Digest Condensed Version of Robert Adams?
Robert Adams has been photographing and publishing books since 1970, and so far has produced about 40 titles.This volume is a compact but nicely printed summary of his career. It is arranged as a movement forward in time and westward in the landscape, beginning on the prairie (the first section is taken from his book "Prairie", a small volume, long out of print, but one of his best, and "Perfect Times, Perfect Places"), then on to Denver and the suburbs and some of his more difficult and recognizable work, (including "Denver", "The New West", "Our lives and our Children" and "What we Bought"), then westward more to California ("Los Angles Spring" and "California Landscapes"), then on to the more recent "Turning Back" and ending with images from "West from the Columbia" and "Time Passes".

For someone who has been following Robert Adams' work for a long time (since I first saw his "New West" show at the Philadelphia Art Museum in 1982), this new book is a little unsettling--it seems to move very quickly, unlike his other books that all seem to reward contemplation.However, it does seem to clarify Adams use of the human figure in the landscape--there are lots of pictures with people in them (about 30 images)--and it seems always that the people in the pictures are interacting with the landscape in typical ways.One of my favorite pictures in this book is of a group of people gathered in a suburban driveway--another is of a woman walking with her arm stretched into the wind.

This book is both accessible and affordable, and is a very good value for those just beginning to appreciate Robert Adams' work.But it seems more a starting point than a summation of his career--it points back to the huge volume of work he has completed over the decades. It is far too modest a book to summarize the great body of work this man has created.It reminds me of Linus's comment about reading a condensed book: "it's not unlike drinking diluted root beer".


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Product Description
In this exquisitely produced book, the influential American photographer Robert Adams revisits the classic collection of nocturnal landscapes that he began making in the mid-1970s near his former home in Longmont, Colorado. Originally published by Aperture in 1985 as Summer Nights, this new edition has been carefully reedited and resequenced by the photographer, who has added 39 previously unpublished images. Illuminated by moonlight and streetlamp, the houses, roads, sidewalks and fields in Summer Nights, Walking retain the wonder and stillness of the original edition, while adopting the artist's intention of a dreamy fluidity, befitting his nighttime perambulations. The extraordinary care taken with the new reproductions also registers Adams' attention to the subtleties of the night, and conveys his appeal to look again at places we might have dismissed as uninteresting. Adams observes, "What attracted me to the subjects at a new hour was the discovery then of a neglected peace." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Summer Nights, Walking
I agree and disagree with the first review of this book. I agree the photographs are great (of course Robert Adams doesn't know how to make a bad photograph) but I disagree about the comments concerning poor printing. Quite on the contrary I feel the printing is far superior to "Summer Nights". The photographs in this new edition have blacks with tremendous depth and the highlights seem to radiate. Simply the difference between the two books maybe that the images in "Summer Nights, Walking" are quieter.I like this book so much I plan to buy a bunch of copies to give over the Holidays.

Good book, disappointing printing
I am a Robert Adams fan (I've reviewed quite a few of his other books), but this particular book is a bit of a disappointment, not because of the photographs, but because of the printing.The original book, published in 1985 (and remaindered until recently) was printed on glossy paper, and the images seem to shine with the glow of lights in the night.The new printing (done by Meridian Printing, so you know they paid a pretty penny for this version) is on matte paper, and at least on first viewing, the prints seem muddy.Picking it up again to write this review, and viewed in dimmer light rather than diffuse sunlight, some of the images do seem to possess a bit of a glow...But on the whole, I think I prefer the earlier printing...

Unlike the recently republished "Denver", which remained largely intact with the addition of a few new images (and better printing), this effort is a much more dramatic re-editing of an idea, and the new paper surface seems to push the whole project into murkier territory.Sitting down with both versions of the book--it appears that only about half the images are included in both projects (and some of the common images are baffling in both places...)

This project reminds me a bit of something I once read about Walt Whitman, who published only one book in his life--"Leaves of Grass"--but he repeatedly revised the book, sometimes changing the words in some of his poems, often adding and removing entire poems.Later critics would often note that his changes would often result in leaving out some very strong early poems--but something needs to be done to make way for new work.

It often takes me about five years to figure out what Bob is up to (sometimes longer)--so I'm sure that my judgment is premature--but here's my suggestion--if you have a choice, buy the 1985 printing (for sure)--it's been one of those hidden gems--and maybe the new version will age nicely on the shelf...In the long run, I've never been disappointed by Bob, and I think there is a lot of hope for this newest addition.



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The eight essays in Beauty in Photography provide a critical appreciation of photography by one of its foremost proponents. The result is a rare book of criticism, alive to the pleasure and mysteries of true exploration.Essays by Robert Adams.Paperback, 5.5 x 8.25 in./112 pgs ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

I've learned a lot from reading Robert Adams' essays
I found that various topics Adams discussed in his book, for instance, "What is beauty?", "How do you make art new?", "Can you photograph evil?", insightful and highly relevant even though it was written in the age of film.I read his essays again and again when I want to reflect on my photography.

If I had to quote, this would be one that I love most:

"Most of the pictures (in mass circulation photography magazines) suggest embarrassing strain: odd angles, extreme lenses, and eccentric darkroom techniques reveal a struggle to substitute shock and technology for sight." -Robert Adams

That is so relevant in the age of digital photography.

Classic
The beauty of the essays reinstates that each and every frame/image has its own value. It gives the warmth and feeling while reading the essays. Robert Adams, like his photography writes as well eloquently.

Well written, very honest a bit conservative.
This is really a book-let, something of a size common in old European Schools. The views expressed are honest but conservative, and overall its clear that the author lives in a somewhat "safe" academic environment and likes to resort to the standard referral method of using other photographers as setters of standards or at least, a base of reference. But, he does it knowingly and cracks at least one joke about it. It makes a very good read, and I worked my way through it in less than an hour. I would place it in a category perhaps of a "Zen of Photography" reading. For those photographers who are full of themselves this booklet will do no good. For those who perhaps, like to go on photographic quests, and thusly often question what they are doing, this book is a good read. The images shown are small and just act to prop up the essays, so they don't need to be supreme works of the printing art.

A good buy for the student and the expert alike.

A must read
A great read for anyone who is more than interested in photography. For those who have given this low reviews, I recommend reading this book, and then read it again and again and again. One day you will be out making photographs and it will click.

A True Gem
This slender volume is my favorite among the many books I have read on photography - a subject about which I have found it frustratingly hard to find good, clear writing.This is a book to be read, marked up, reread, savored.Adams cuts to the heart of not only photography, but art in general.He is an outstanding writer - clear, unambiguous, and refreshingly free of jargon.Some may understandably fault the low-end quality of the photographic reproductions, but I found them sufficient to get the points across.The interested reader can seek out better quality versions of those photographers' works; this is not a book of photographs but one about photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Advaita from the Heart
I have rarely read anything that affected me so deeply as "The Silence Of The Heart".
Robert Adams is the real deal. Light years beyond the currently fashionable Advaita teachers.
Robert belongs in the class of Ramana or Nisargadatta. His way of getting the point across
opens my heart to love in a way the other current teachers don't even come close to.
I think it's the integrity with which he lived his life that comes shining through.

What more could be said
Being that this book has received unanimously five star reviews it obviously says something overwhelmingly positive and helpful to the reader who resonates with it.

Robert was one of those extremely rare souls who were "in the world but not of it."He fully understood the human condition by having been blessed at an early enough age with a profound Awakening and then cultivated it by travelling to India to meet the renowned sage, Sri Ramana Maharshi.
But he recognized that his true calling or mission was to impart the wisdom he'd gleaned to whomever might be receptive to the teachings and did so in the Satsang setting.In this he succeeded as well as any Sage or spiritual guide.

Though not particularly keen on making an enthusiastic endorsement of "methods" he nonetheless recognized the practical value of self inquiry for those who might benefit from it(myself included); Hence, at various times in the book his recommendation for the practice of the "Who am I" technique or the "I Am" breathing technique as well.

One of the Best
If you like a simple and clear approach to truth, cutting right to the core then this book is for you. This is one of my favorites because of its clarity and simplicity without the BS.

The Best of Contemporary Nonduality and Advaita
"A disciple of Ramana Maharshi, Robert had an early childhood spontaneous awakening, later was turned away by Yogananda after pestering him regarding all of the rituals he asked followers to partake in, and finally moved to Tiruvannamalai where he shed the last vestiges of ego (and his clothes!) upon his first visual contact with Ramana. A very special contemporary." Best of the Best; loved by all including this author. [...]

A breath of fresh air from an insightful author.
This book is reminiscent of Eckhart Tolle's style of writing.Very direct without lots of dross.He hits the same message home in a variety of ways.I cant say that I am finished with it yet.The book needs to be read slowly, and contemplated over.Just like any spiritual book should be.All in all its a great addition to anyones library.Don't expect to pick this up, read a few pages and throw it in a dark corner to forget about.It will be on your mind for a good while =D ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1974, Robert Adams' The New West signaled a paradigm shift in the photographic representation of American landscapes. Foregoing photography's traditional role of romanticizing the Western landscape, Adams focused instead on the construction of tract and mobile homes, subdivisions, shopping centers and urban sprawl in the suburbs of Colorado Springs and the Denver area. Adams transmuted these zones with his minimalist vision of their austerity; as he has noted, "no place is boring, if you've had a good night's sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film." Objective and direct, Adams' photographs, rendered in his signature middle-gray scale, unsentimentally depict a despoiled landscape washed in the intense Colorado sunlight. Today The New West stands alongside Walker Evans' American Photographs, Robert Frank's The Americans and Stephen Shore's Uncommon Places in the pantheon of landmark projects on American culture and society. This second reissue of the classic publication has been recreated from Adams' original prints, and will be released ahead of a major traveling exhibition that will launch in 2010. Foreword by John Szarkowski. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The (old) new west
The New West is one of the most significant works of photography in the 20th century, presenting the reality of the western landscape in harsh contrast to the mythology of the other Adams...The pictures cut straight to the bone, showing the damage done to a landscape by our progress, but always the light is perfect, the skies brilliant, and the distant horizon intact.This work is a challenge to photographers, to see the world clearly, and to others, who struggle to live with the earth, rather than on it.

New edition makes me want for more
The return of this beautiful book is as inspiring as the book itself. Never having seen the original however makes it hard to compare editions but as I am a BIG Adams fan the work is stunnning, the neat categories help the beginner to understand Mr Adams and where he is coming from. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume commemorates Robert Adams' receipt of the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography for 2009. Described by the Swedish foundation as "one of the most important and influential photographers of the last 40 years," Adams joins a very distinguished line of contemporary photographers who have won the award, such as Graciela Iturbide (2008) and Nan Goldin (2007). The Foundation singled out Adams' ability to consolidate the medium's history: "as photography has altered and fragmented, he has refined and reaffirmed its inherent language, adapting the legacies of nineteenth-century and modernist photography to his own very singular purpose. Precise and undramatic, Adams' accumulative vision of theWest now stands as a formidable document, reflecting broader, global concerns about the environment,while consistently recognizing signs of human aspiration and elements of hope, across a particular changing landscape." ... Read more

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The Joy of light on leaves
"Tree Line"is a simple, beautiful body of work, comprised entirely of photographs of the most ordinary of trees in the most ordinary of spaces. Some of the photographs are of scenes so plain that at first glance it seems that the picture has no subject, save the pure joy of sunlight falling on leaves in summer.But for Robert Adams, that is joy enough.

What amazes me always about Robert Adams work is the memories it seems to evoke.I once (many years ago) rode my bike through this landscape, and still have memories (and a handful of photographs)of trees beside the roads surrounded by space and sky.My father also had a small orchard on his farm with a half dozen golden delicious apple trees, and I'd like to think that the apples from the tree at the end of this book taste like my memory of them.One of my favorite pictures (page 91) shows a wheelbarrow half full of apples, a fence with two cattle on the other side, expectantly waiting for their ration of culls.

The photographs were all made in Eastern Oregon, a near desert landscape, open, spacious, with trees growing mostly in places with water, frequently from irrigation. For a photographer known mostly for his brutally honest pictures of the damage done to the western landscape by human overuse, these pictures document a landscape where the interactions between man and nature are much more positive.
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great books
I also read the horseclans books when I was in High school and I loved the first four.The ones after become a little boring and after 5 or 6 they become mired in lists of millitary items.The second book is great if you like medieval warfare.true, it takes place in a future america but the combat is with swords, bows and axes.They are a lot of fun to read.

the horseclans continue......
Taking place after a nuclear apocalypse, the swords of the horseclans is a continuation of the story of the High Lord Milo and his horseclans.He and his allies have to face an army comming from the south and face the evil Witchmen (20th century scienctists) once again.The story is a little bloodthirty and is not for the timid.If you get a hold of these books I highly recommend that you read them.Be warned there are a lot more books in this series. ... Read more

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" A Spiritual Classic. Incomparable. A rare gentle Master of Pure Truth Who Knows."Five Star Amazon Reviews Ten YearsThe Father of Awareness"Robert Adams is the only Western Teacher who emanates the purity, realization and true practices of the path to ultimate freedom with a generous charm and grace to people from all walks of life." Gayatri Sudan The Way of BeautyNow Release Fourth Edition- Robert Adams Soft Copy Paperback Book"Never forget the most important thing; Love, Compassion, Humility."Robert Adams is a globally renowned Illumined Master Teacher teaching four decades, a rare Teacher revered in both ancient orthodox and contemporary spiritual traditions throughout the world as the sole American Master Teacher of this century. His famed Live Discourses are transmitted in the international spiritual Classic, Silence of the Heart. His warm gentle humor, unique contemporary sensibilities and un compromised purity of Illumination have touched hearts and transformed lives in spontaneous joy, internationally.Robert Adams, The Father of Awareness, introduced The ETERNAL NOW with the art of compassionate gentle self inquiry to the West at large, then largely unknown. "This has been my experience. Try it and see if it works for you. Bliss is your birthright. You are omniscient love, compassion. The Universe lies waiting in sweet repose for you to discover who you really are. Spread sunshine to all. Acquire a sense of brotherhood."Illumination. Transcendence. Peace. Joy. Compassion." This has been my experience.""The Silence is Magic. The Silence is Love. This does not mean not to talk. To be quiet. I am speaking of course, of an Interior Realization. Of Joy. " Robert AdamsThe Gentle Beloved Original Spiritual Classic by Robert Adams ... Read more

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Classic Book
Robert Adams spoke to literally thousands to encourage them to follow the practices and prove to themselves the truth of the deep secrets he conveyed in his teaching. The sheer joy he experienced - he gave freely to all. This timeless Master Teacher spoke of a timeless happiness from his own experience. This teaching does not conflict with any true spiritual practice and can be proven by practicing the simple methods in the book and CD's. ... Read more