The eleven photography books every man should own

A personal project by Nicholas Andrews on the eleven photography books that every rakish gent should have as part of his collection.

I think the first book I ever bought is a copy of Bruce Weber’s BRUCE WEBER (1989) which I found tattered and torn in a book shop in South Kensington, but oh the excitement... the weight of it, the way the print soaked into the page, the stories and those handsome men (and Madonna, when I was still OBSESSED)

It started a 25 year + collection, seeking out bargains in thrift shops, or taking a punt and paying more money for a book than I had ever paid for anything in my life. Each one brought home, treasured and pawed over like a new toy you can’t put down. When asked, “How I was coping during this time of ‘STAYING HOME’ “ I replied: “I could be here for about 6 months, I have all my books”.

Books are an amazing source of comfort and escapism.

You can dream about places you always wanted to visit and be taken there in an instant. You can peer through the looking glass into worlds you can only dream of. Fall in love and have your heart broken, the possibilities are endless.

So here are a couple of suggestions from my collection, I hope you like them.

Francois Nars: X-RAY (Thames and Hudson 1999)

I remember lugging this giant home with me, and being mesmerised by the simplicity but oh so wonderful large format portraits of supermodels, actors and carnival folk. Everything about it was perfect. It still is.

Herb Ritts: KAZU (Parco 1995)

I found this copy in Los Angeles at The Last Bookstore (before they asked me to leave),
My heart was racing as it always does when I’m close to a good find. This is a beautiful study of Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura.

Jack Shear: Four Marines and other portraits (Twelve Trees Press 1985)

I recently bought a 6x6 Bronica Camera on the strength of how great the portraits in this book are.
Shooting friends, familiars and the famous, Shear’s portraits of William Burroughs and Roy Lichtenstein, along with dancers and models make you come back to these images time and time again.

Bruce Weber: Gentle Giants (Bulfinch 1994)

If there isn’t a Golden Retriever in shot, then it’s probably not a Bruce Weber picture. This book, dedicated to Newfies, The Newfoundland breed, is so magical, it’s hard to put down. My Favourite shot is TBone and his owner standing head to head. The Gentle Giants indeed.

Aldo Fallai: Almost One Year (Takarjima Books 1993)

I first knew about Aldo Fallai through his advertising photographs for Armani and Valentino in the late 80’s /early 90’s. A collection of fashion photographs and nudes, male and female shot in different locations around Europe but unified by a masters evocative eye.

Peter Lindberg: Ten Women (Schirmer/Mosel 1996)

Lindberg was a Photographer who loved women and he loved telling stories about women. Supermodels in the raw and at the height of their game, he collaborates with them to produce a visual poetry that is immediately identifiable through his filmic portrayal of woman and fashion.

Diane Arbus: Family Albums – Lea and Pultz (Yale University Press 2003)

I think the Jayne Mansfield portrait in this book sold it to me. This is another side to Arbus, shooting the people, both ordinary and extraordinary. She brings her unique perspective to how they are documented. The contact sheets of the Matthaei Family provide a fascinating insight into how she works too.

Fabian Baron: Liquid Light 1983-2003 (Steidl 2008)

Akin to having a spiritual experience on Paper, these landscapes shot by Baron over a twenty-year period are otherworldly and familiar at the same time.

John Pawson: A Visual Inventory (Phaidon 2012)

The minds eye of one today’s most recognised architects, this publication is an insight into the way Pawson sees everything, documenting light, shade, construct and emotion, an inspiring insight into a world of wonder.

Paul Jasmin: California Dreaming (Steidl 2010)

A world that is both staged and natural, Jasmin documents his youth of Los Angeles. Mixing B&W with colour shots, he uses daylight and film to convey a sense of time passing, moments of connection and solitude between his beautiful and complicit sitters. Are they fashion photographs, snapshots or something in- between?

Philip Lorca diCorcia: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (Thames and Hudson 1995)

I have always loved Lorca diCorcia’s worlds, in particular the Hollywood series 1990-1992.

The fine art of staged reality, balancing between truth and make-believe. The allusion of desire and desperation on the street, hotel room, parking lot.

Eleven from Heaven