Animals

by Arthur Shay

For thousands of years, humans have pondered the difference between themselves and other animals. "Reason," say some. "Souls," say others. More philosophical folk say, "Taxes." But few can dispute that animals - like humans, their cousins and neighbors - are among the most sublime wonders of the world we inhabit.
These photographs bridge some of the differences by surveying - usually with telephoto lenses - the landscapes that humans and animals African jungles, Ohio waterways, the wild streets of New York City and Chicago, circuses, carnivals, zoos from California to Florida, and the sky that arches over all life. Culled from five decades' worth of the acclaimed photographer Art Shay's illustrious body of work, these pictures lovingly and often acerbically capture miraculous moments of creatures great and small, wild and domestic. Artful and moving, they run the gamut of emotions from pity and compassion to laughter and joy.

156 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2002

Reviews

[Evanston Public Library]

One of the very best things about our library is its vast collection of art and photography books--you know, the ones we call "coffee table books." It's lovely if you own a few or are given one as a gift, but there are so many choices and they are typically very pricey. So I am grateful for the library for having them. Here are two photography books that caught my eye.

The first treats the sometimes mysterious, sometimes humorous, always interesting relationships between animals and humans. Black and white photographs capture the full range of experiences from working plow horses to a happenstance meeting of a woman in a leopard skin print coat and a leopard.

The second deals with one of the most fascinating thing about humans: their faces. National Geographic's collection offers stunning color and b/w photographs pre-1930s to 2004.

Here's a perfect pair to share your coffee table for a while at no cost to you!

(Barbara L., Reader's Services)