Once again. See John McPhee, buy John McPhee, read John McPhee. Not sure what else I need to say. This guy can write, turning subjects and timeframe into easily digestible, funny, concise prose. I don’t even like short stories, and yet here I am again, reading the damn things because of McPhee.
I especially loved the chapter on family practioner doctors in rural Maine. And the short story on Senator Bill Bradley. McPhee shadows him for a short time, and the range of questions that people on the street approach Bradley with is so interesting, and to think our sitting president now would have ZERO ability to answer any of these same questions speaks volume to how far down our culture has sunk. Dumb things down long enough and what you end up with is The Freak. The final chapter had me at the front door panting like a dog waiting to be let out.
Table of Contents is basically a written series of photo-essays. McPhee’s text provides all the mental ingredients you need to create your own visuals. It all seems so damn easy, which is why he’s so good. Get it, read it.
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damn you. i can’t keep up. i just added ‘draft no. 4’ and a few of his other books to my stack.
currently working my way through ‘avedon’ by norma stevens. yes, the same norma who was his business manager. fascinating read from someone who had been very close to him for a very long time. the personal stories of his rivalry with penn are worth the book alone. golden age of photography? quite possibly.
once i finish it, i’ll start on the mcphee books then i’ve got isaacon’s biography on da vinci.
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Sean,
One more on the way, Basin and Range, which I’m reading now. It’s also good. Don’t damn me…dman HIM!
ha! that’s already in my stack.