PhotoBooks Greece

From the terra cotta and ocher of the Ionian Islands to the brilliant blue and white of the Aegean, the beautiful villages of Greece and its islands are incomparable. The variety of village life and building springs from a multitude of histories and influences, yet these towns are all, in their separate ways, quintessentially Greek. Here, then, are the loveliest villages created by the indomitable Greek spirit, all set in a landscape of overwhelming magnificence. We begin with the mountains of the mainland and areas such as the Pelion peninsula, where stone walls and wood-framed balconies betray a Turkish influence. In the southern Peloponnese are the Maniot villages and their characteristic tower houses, built by warring families the better to pursue their vendettas. From north to south through the mainland and the Peloponnese, from west to east through the islands, the mixture of intimacy and grandeur continues. The Ionian Islands are home to belfried churches, pitched tile roofs, porticoes, and colonnades, reflecting years of Venetian rule. The flat-roofed white houses of the Cyclades, startling against the blue Aegean sea, seem to express the very essence of Greece. Other villages mirror an international trading and shipping tradition, such as Chios whose substantial country mansions were left by the Genoese. And there are many other gems as well, with ancient temples, sandy bays, and cobbled paths. Complete with appendices of useful information for the traveler, this book is a celebration of the inimitable beauty and spirit that have entranced visitors to Greece through the ages.

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Photographs and text reveal the vivid sense of color characteristic of traditional houses, shops, shrines, and other sites in the Mediterranean area.

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The Mediterranean light hits the Greek islands in a special way. For thousands of years authors have been trying to describe it, and Yann Arthus-Bertrand's sumptuous photography brings it alive. The 102 color aerial photographs in Greece from the Air depict a craggy, flower-specked coast against an aqua sea, cultivated fields, houses built into cliffs, the Theater of Dionysus, the harbor of Piraeus, the village of Thera built on a colossal rocky mount 120 meters high, the green-swathed hills of Thessaloníki, and Ia with its narrow streets, whitewashed staircases, and blue-domed churches. Janine Trotereau's text provides context and history, but it is the pictures, lyrical and evocative, that will hypnotize you into booking your next vacation in Greece.

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The authors take readers deep into Gypsy country in search of the sounds and dance that profoundly shape their lives, and the lives of their neighbors in Greek Macedonia. (Performing Arts).

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From the Introduction:
"So much is common experience and there is mystery enough in it. But imagine coming upon a collection of ancient photographs and negatives, hundreds and hundreds of them, lying forgotten in a half-ruinous monastary on Mount Athos in Greece, unique memorial of a community of Russian monks who lived here once, a community long ago dispersed, with none of its members surviving. And then imagine discovering that these images have deteriorated terribly, that they are on the edge of extinction, literally composed of dust-- a too-eager touch, even a breath, would scatter them forever. This is the experience that befell Xavier Zimbardo, and this book is the marvelous thing he made out of it."

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A stunning collection by William Abranowicz, The Greek File captures the essence of Greece-an alluring country where life itself itself is stripped down to its most essential components and the ordinary becomes extraordinary. From a single white cloud floating in a clear sky to a wrinkled linen shirt drying in the sun to shores dotted with throngs of buildings like pebbles washed in from the sea, Abranowicz's work elevates simple everyday objects to objects of austere beauty. These photographs capture the many facets of the Greek islands: their serenity, exceptional light, and arresting art and architecture.

Just as Abranowicz reveals the beauty of Greece through imagery, so too does world-renowned author and scholar Edmund Keeley unveil the subtle poetry of this Hellenic paradise. With an introduction by Keeley as well as an excerpt from The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller, this elegantly designed volume is both a visual and literary treasure that is as rich and enchanting as the country it portrays.

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A photographer since 1945, Howard Bond was drawn to the whitewashed buildings and strong Mediterranean light of the Cyclades Islands and began photographing them in earnest in 1980. This beautifully printed book contains forty-two magnificent images that capture the texture and feeling of a beloved place. Photo historian Helmut Gernsheim writes, "I can hardly describe the surprise and delight I felt on seeing Howard Bond's wonderful abstractions of old Greek churches on various Cycladic Islands. With sunlight and shade, he created out of a few lines powerful geometric forms, straight and curved, and very black and white forms that seem simple and yet are highly sophisticated."

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With its poignant and indelible images of Greece and its people, this is one of the all-time classic photo collections, and among the most memorable portraits of the country ever presented. In the early 1960s, Constantine Manos spent three years living in Greece and working as a photographer under the auspices of the prestigious agency Magnum Photos. A Greek Portfolio represents an impromptu pictorial account of Manos's travels through rural Greece and the Greek islands. The strength of these black-and-white duotone images, taken in small country villages and on secluded farms, lies in their portrayal of a way of life that had remained virtually unchanged for centuries before finally being overtaken by the modern world--a way of life that may strike viewers as at once humble and exalted in its quiet dignity and beauty. A Greek Portfolio was first published in 1972; the limited first edition has since become a much sought-after collector's item. Upon publication, the work received awards at Arles and at the Leipzig Book Fair. This new edition has been enhanced through the addition of eight previously unpublished images and a new foreword. A traveling exhibition of prints in this country will coincide with the publication of the new edition. There will also be a major exhibition at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece. Images from this work are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.

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