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Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis
by Egan, Timothy
- Used
- Fine
- Paperback
- Condition
- Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0544102762
- ISBN 13
- 9780544102767
- Seller
-
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Mariner Books, 2013. 370 pages, illustrations; 21 cm. Tight, clean copy. "Edward Curtis was dashing, charismatic, a passionate mountaineer, a famous photographer--the Annie Liebowitz of his time. And he was thirty-two years old in 1900 when he gave it all up to pursue his great idea: He would try to capture on film the Native American nation before it disappeared. At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, Egan's book tells the remarkable untold story behind Curtis's iconic photographs, following him throughout Indian country from desert to rainforest as he struggled to document the stories and rituals of more than eighty tribes. Even with the backing of Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, it took tremendous perseverance--six years alone to convince the Hopi to allow him into their Snake Dance ceremony. The undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate. He would die penniless and unknown in Hollywood just a few years after publishing the last of his twenty volumes. But the charming rogue with the grade-school education had fulfilled his promise--his great adventure succeeded in creating one of America's most stunning cultural achievements." - Publisher.. Paperback. Fine. 8vo.
Synopsis
“A vivid exploration of one man's lifelong obsession with an idea . . . Egan’s spirited biography might just bring [Curtis] the recognition that eluded him in life.” — Washington Post Edward Curtis was charismatic, handsome, a passionate mountaineer, and a famous portrait photographer, the Annie Leibovitz of his time. He moved in rarefied circles, a friend to presidents, vaudeville stars, leading thinkers. But when he was thirty-two years old, in 1900, he gave it all up to pursue his Great Idea: to capture on film the continent’s original inhabitants before the old ways disappeared. Curtis spent the next three decades documenting the stories and rituals of more than eighty North American tribes. It took tremendous perseverance — ten years alone to persuade the Hopi to allow him to observe their Snake Dance ceremony. And the undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate. Curtis would amass more than 40,000 photographs and 10,000 audio recordings, and he is credited with making the first narrative documentary film. In the process, the charming rogue with the grade school education created the most definitive archive of the American Indian. “A darn good yarn. Egan is a muscular storyteller and his book is a rollicking page-turner with a colorfully drawn hero.” — San Francisco Chronicle "A riveting biography of an American original." – Boston Globe
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Details
- Bookseller
- LEFT COAST BOOKS
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 117301
- Title
- Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis
- Author
- Egan, Timothy
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0544102762
- ISBN 13
- 9780544102767
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Mariner Books
- Place of Publication
- Boston and New York
- Date Published
- 2013
- Size
- 8vo
- Bookseller catalogs
- American / 1. Native American; Photography / Individual Photographer; American / 4. Late 19th Century;
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
LEFT COAST BOOKS
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
LEFT COAST BOOKS
Biblio member since 2016
Santa Barbara, California
About LEFT COAST BOOKS
Established in Santa Barbara, California, in 2004, Left Coast Books specializes in ART BOOKS, offering thousands of titles on painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, design, photography, film, video, and performance art. We also sell classics, literature, history, and a broad variety of useful academic books.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
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