Great Photography Books that Document the Human Condition

Every day we are bombarded with trite commentaries that cynically reduce the important issues of our day to cliché. I find this frustrating and discouraging, because at the same time we know that the world is experiencing enormously complex conflicts and change.

Two new projects that I’ve been involved with remind me that there are people out there – and there have always been – who put heart and soul into examining in a meaningful way the complicated issues and realities of their day. And even more, they try to communicate to us the nuances of the human condition.


The Likes of Us, published by David R. Godine, is a collection of photographs from the archives of the Farm Security Administration that was meant to document life in America in the late 1920’s through the onset of World War II. These photos were meant to document real life as it was lived by a cross-section of Americans – and to counter the “cheese-cake photos” favored by many politically correct editors of the day. It is a project that was years in the making, and for publisher David Godine, a labor of love. Included are the works of photographic giants like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange as well as images from lesser-known photographers. Explaining the mission of the FSA project, photographer Russell Lee said in 1941, “ I am a photographer hired by a democratic government to take pictures of its land and its people…. Pictures which may endure to help the people of tomorrow understand the people of today, so they can carry on more intelligently.” Beautiful duotone images are reproduced from the original photos in the Farm Security Administration archives.


Reza War + Peace is a stunning book of photographs by Iranian-born photojournalist Reza. Published by Focal Point (an imprint of The National Geographic Society), the book is a collection of 30 years of photographs spotlighting some of the most turbulent places and events of our time. The text is written by Reza himself, and is a blend of straightforward reportage and emotional storytelling – with a thoughtful dose of poetry from Reza’s favorite poet the Persian Rami. Reza focuses our attention on the cost of war – but also on love, friendship and loyalty. “ Though the world I have seen and photographed is a story filled with war and tragedy, injustice and heartbreak, I have come to see that it is also a tale of the power of hope and the incredible resilience of the human spirit.” Oversized, with beautifully reproduced color images. With an intro by Sebastian Junger.

More about Reza and his work can be found on Webistan.com.



This week Reza was in Verona signing a special limited edition series of his book, at Mondadori Printing. He's pictured here with my Mondadori friends Paola Bogoni and Lorenzo Bogoncelli. I wish I had been there too!