Cons: Tightly focused audience . . .ya gotta be a fan to get the full value.
The Bottom Line: Classic collection by a true All-Star photographer that will be treasured by any baseball fan with an appreciation of the history of the game and the beauty of its play.
sleeper54's Full Review: Walter Iooss - Classic Baseball: The Photographs o...
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In this day of 24-hr specialized sports channels, highlight shows with 'top ten plays of the day', endless blathering 'sports-talk radio', and seemingly instantaneous analysis and images of everything 'sports' it is difficult to remember a day when sports moved at slower pace.
There really was a day when 'sports coverage' was a five minute block by a 'talking-head' on the local news, agate type in the morning sports page (which never had last night's boxscores from the coast), and the day each week when your Sports Illustrated magazine hit the mailbox.
Walter Iooss Jr. was there, almost at the beginning of the explosion of sports coverage in modern society. Classic Baseball: The Photographs of Walter Iooss, Jr. captures many of his favorite baseball images. From Ted Williams and Roger Maris in the early 60's to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in the late 90's. Lest that mislead my reader, do know this book is so much more than hitters and sluggers. So much more.
Growing up in New Jersey, Iooss (pronounced 'yose', rhyme it with 'dose') was a frequent fan, with his amateur-photographer father Walter Sr., at Brooklyn Dodger games at the old Ebbetts Field. Iooss Jr. soon began to show a natural ability to capture the essence of the players and the game. So much so that he boldly sought out Sports Illustrated freelance assignments.
When a photograph of a college football goal-line TD plunge was used in the magazine, Iooss received a payment of $150, a credit line in the magazine, and most importantly...his foot in the door. And he pushed right through.
Classic Baseball: The Photographs of Walter Iooss, Jr. is a visual history of the man, of the sport, of the photographer's vision. This coffee-table book captures in black-and-white, sepia, and color photography the on-field gamut of baseball. There are eight:
Introduction
Faces,
Ballparks,
Pitchers,
Hitters,
Base Runners,
Managers, and
Celebrations
...arbitrary divisions or chapters in the book. But just as you can not divide a single game of baseball into such cold, sterile boxes, (well, other than perhaps your scorecard..!) neither can you divide this book. It is all about the people, the places, and the moments coming together to capture the spirit of the game.
In short introductory texts to each section, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dave Anderson, Iooss shares his love of the game and many of the stories behind his career and behind many of these pictures. All of which illustrate his visual and deep-seated love of the game.
Iooss grew up playing 'stickball' from dawn to dusk and later played high school baseball. That personal immersion in the game is reflected in his photographs. "I learned to stay away from the photographer's box," Iooss is quoted, "If you stay with all the other photographers, you get the same pictures they do."
Believe me . . .these are not ' the same pictures.'
Spring-training days filled with stretching and on-field banter; on field plays: dust flying, muscles stretching, knock-down pitches, home-run swings; dugout shots; old-timers pictures on Old-Timers Days; play-off games; historic moments, by both unknowns and legends; faces, nervous, excited, contemplative, happy, joyful..!!
The Bottom Line
Dipping into 'up close and personal' archives that span forty years-plus of capturing the joy, and sorrow, that is baseball; Classic Baseball: The Photographs of Walter Iooss, Jr. is a classic collection by a true All-Star photographer that will be treasured by any baseball fan with an appreciation of the history of the game and the beauty of its play.
Title:Classic Baseball: The Photographs of Walter Iooss, Jr. Author: Walter Iooss, Jr. | text bt Dave Anderson
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Publishers
Copyright: March, 2003
Pages: 210, "160 photographs, including 70 in full color"
ISBN #: 0810942585
Ages recommended: fans of any age
Reference websites
Photographer's personal website
http://www.walteriooss.com/
( pssttt... those of you that chose to read this far: you can find some of his SI swimsuit pictures at this website . . .you are welcome. )
Walter Iooss, Jr. at wikipedia dot com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Iooss
imagingifo.com by cygnus Business Media
http://www.imaginginfo.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=3&id=1299
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