American Photography 18

A five-person jury of photo-industry heavyweights chose the photos in this book that supplies more than amazing images and Stefan Bucher's brilliant design. You want to hire a great photographer or just find out more about a shot? No prob... you get contact info for all of the featured fotogs. You want celebrities? They're well-represented among the photo subjects in way-out-of-the-way depictions. You want to play the "Is that Madonna?" game? You'll find a brief description of each photo in the back of the book.

The viewing/inspiring experience is enriched and enhanced by the intelligent sequencing, sizing and grouping of the photos. The images are shown big, as big as you want them. The pacing, including carefully controlled white space, transcends a book... you may feel as if you're watching a film. "Hard Truths, Lush Illusions"? They're also "unvarnished" truths, designed so the headline subtly drops out of the gloss varnish otherwise blanketing the two pages. You've got to view that as a close-up (the movie camera -- your eye -- moves closer, panning back and forth until the light hits it... there it is). On a subsequent spread, a barely perceptible "3->2->1" starts the "show." Sit back and savor it.