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Forseveralyears,PaulKooikerandErikKesselshaveorganizedeveningsforfriendsinwhichtheysharethestrangestphotobooksintheircollections.Thebooksshownarerarelyavailableinregularshops,butarepickedupinthriftstoresandfromantiquaries.Thegroupsfascinationforthesepictorialnonfictionbookscomesfromtheneedtofindimagesthatexistonthefringeofregularcommercialphotobooks.Itsonlyinthisareathatitspossibletofindimageswithanuncontrivedquality.Whatsnoticeablefromthesepublicationsisthattheresathinlinebetweenbeingterribleandbeingawesome.Thisconstanttensionmakesthebooksinteresting.Itsalsoworthnotingthatthesetomesallfallwithincertaincategories:themedical,instructional,scientific,sex,humourorpropaganda.PaulKooikerandErikKesselshavemadeaselectionoftheirfinestbooksfromwithinthisquestionablenewgenre.
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MarianneWex:"Weibliche"und"mnnliche"KrpersprachealsFolgepatriarchalischerMachtverhltnisse.
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WielebtmanimRuhrgebiet.Bewohnerfotografierten.
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InternationalCloudAtlasVolumeIIWorldMeteorologicalOrganization1956
TheWonderofInnocenceGinaLollobrigida1994
LeConcoursCompletLaPractiqueLesChampionsVirginieBruneauLaurentGudinLavauzelle/Equitation1984
DeNederlandseHuisvrouwPhilipsNederland1966
FotografieDelBorgheseLuglioDecembre1968
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Gibtessexnachdemtode?RosavonPraunheim1981
MedicalPhotographyClinicalUltravioletInfraredH.LouGibson1973
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NicohetjongetjedatineenhondveranderdeAndreMauroisGeraldMaurois
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Moederwatisermis...metdezeplaneet?EendozijnpopulairwetenschappelijkeprojektenvanTheoKleyzoalsverteldaanInekeJungschleger
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OpZoekHansPlompJeanPaulVroom
NoiAmiamoSilvioAlbertoPeruzzoEditore2010
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WomanAjarMarcelMarien1985
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ImmerzuZweitPeter&TonyMackertich1976
RockStarsintheirunderpantsPaulaYates1980
Grandpa&MeWelearnaboutdeathMarlee&BenAlex
ChimneyBookTimbattle1977
WhyPaintCatsTheethicsoffelineaestheticsBurtonSilver&HeatherBusch2002
MarineCorpsRecruitDepotParrisOslandSouthcarolinaPlatoon137
ImmerZuZweitWolfgangLummerHeraldMante1982
AwkwardFamilyPhotosMikeBenderDougChernack2010
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TheChildrenWeRememberChanaByersAbells1987
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In'tVerledenligthetHeden
StripteaseDesAnnees5060AndreBelorgey1986
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BlikkenofBlozenAdrie&GeertvanOorschot
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ABachelorsGuidetoAmsterdamuncencoredandunashamedGeraldPaine1973
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Review:TerriblyAwesomePhotobooksbyErikKesselsandPaulKooikerbyJoergColbergFeb14,2013
Thereisnoshortageofbooksaboutphotobooks,withnewnewadditionsappearingregularly.Inasense,thesebookshavebecomerealworldversionsofTumblrpages,whereyoucanfindcollectionsofthingsundersomeasometimesbroad,sometimesspecificheadline.Thecollectorsideofmeenjoysseeingallthesebooks(Iownafairnumberofthem),butinrealityIdontreallylookatmostofthosebooksallthatmuch.Imightpulloneouttolooksomethingupforteaching.Justtomakethisclear,IdontmeantomakeitsoundasifImindedhavingthosebooks.Quiteonthecontrary.
Thatsaid,Iwishtherewereabitmoreplayfulnessintheapproachtothesekindsofbooks.OrmaybeabetterwaytoexpresswhatImeanwouldbe:Iwishthereweremorebooksthatwerentsoconcernedwiththesurveyside,to,instead,collectphotobooksbasedon,yes,theeditorswhims.Inanartcontext,peopletendtopreferthetermcuratingforselectingbasedoncriteriathatareentirelysubjective(while,possibly,pretendingtobeobjective).
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Butyougetmypoint,eventhoughyoumightheartilydisagreewithme.
WithPaulKooikerandErikKesselsTerriblyAwesomePhotobooksthingshavenowgotabitmoreinteresting(btw,doyourselfafavourandclickonErikKesselswebsitelinkrepeatedly).IdontknowwhetherthetitleisinpartinspiredbywhatcouldbeTumblr(Givenitssomewhatjuvenile,itmightwellbe).Thepublicationitselfisbasedonactualmeetups:Forseveralyears,PaulKooikerandErikKesselshaveorganizedeveningsforfriendsinwhichtheysharethestrangestphotobooksintheircollections.Thebooksshownarerarelyavailableinregularshops,butarepickedupinthriftstoresandfromantiquaries.Thegroupsfascinationforthesepictorialnonfictionbookscomesfromtheneedtofindimagesthatexistonthefringeofregularcommercialphotobooks.(quotedfromthepublishersblurb)
Thepublicationitselfcomesinnewsprintform.Thecentralspreadcontainsavisualoverviewofthefeaturedbooks,withbasicinformation(authors,titles,etc.)provided.Thereisnoadditionalinformationgivenbeyondthat.Eachbookisthenfeaturedintheformofoneexamplespreadacross(andcenteredon)twopages.Toseethefullbookspread,theviewerhastodisassembleTerriblyAwesomePhotobooks.Alternativelyleafingthroughthepublicationshowstwopartialspreadspairedupinitselfaninterestingwaytolookatthesebooks,sincethecombinationsareoftenquiteinteresting(itsquiteobviousthelayoutofthepublicationwascarefullyplanned).
Whetherthebooksinquestionareterriblyawesomeorjustterribleorawesome,ofcourse,dependsononestaste.PeoplewillprobablyfinditeasytoagreeonthefactthatKooikerandKesselsmanagedtounearthquiteafewveryunusualphotobooks(Imexpectingarunonthesebooksnow),someofwhichareterribleandawesomeatthesametime.Heresthething,though.Regardlesswhatyouthinkofthesebookshere,TerriblyAwesomePhotobooksmakesitobviousthatphotobooksneedntbeonlythoughtoftheonespublishedbytheusualpublishers(Steidl,Aperture,Mack,HatjeCantz,etc.)orbyphotographersthemselves.Photographyhasbeenusedinbooksforalongtime,andthereisahugeworldofinterestingbooksoutthereoftensurprisinglysimpleandeasytofind,aslongasyourenotjustlookingforwhatyoualreadyknow.
TerriblyAwesomePhotobookseditedbyErikKesselsandPaulKooiker64pagesArtPaperEditions2013
