[Leica] IMGS: Syrian Kids

[Mark Rabiner]

For someone who does not care for Leibovitz’s work but loves McCurry I’m sure there are better produced books of his that might compare better as a book to the latest from Leibovitz. 
You can’t get decent book of crossword puzzles for 20 bucks any more. I’d hate to see one filled with poorly printed photos on newsprint paper in a cheap binding put on a nice coffee table next to the beautiful “The decisive moment” with the Matisse cover. It belongs in the back pocket of your jeans.
Yet hard core photojournalists have had plenty of high end photo books made of their work you can pile them as high as the ceiling. This one from McCurry just will not be.
And Art world oriented photographers have had plenty of modest not quite for coffee table tomes made of their work more about the copy that the images. It can go either way.
I do think though this printed for the common people McCurry does not indicate what a quiet unassuming modest nice guy he is compared to the inflated New York art world infused high concept Annie Leibovitz. It just means this very latest book of McCurry’s is not a premium produced book while the very latest Annie Leibovitz is.
A darned shame this had been made to be about personalities not publishing and adds yet another to the litany of Annie Leibovitz swipes on the Lug going on two decades now.
A $89.95 photo book is your average or better quality coffee table photo book tastefully and perhaps slickly printed with quality papers, inks and design.
20 vs 90 dollars is about book making in the real publishing and book selling world. Different markets. Coffee table vs jeans back pocket.
As we’d say on the old LUG: apples and oranges.
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Mark William Rabiner

    I just ordered the Steve McCurry book.  It's funny that his Portraits is
    $19.95 and Annie Liebowitz Portraits is $89.95!
    
    Tina


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