JOHN THOMSON: A Window to the Orient
New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. First Edition. Hardcover. Preface by Robert A. Sobieszek. With 173 illustrations, 161 duotone plates. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. First edition. In this first monograph on Thomson, the photographer emerges as a much fuller figure than was appreciated. Born in Edinburgh in 1837, he left for the Far East in 1862. For ten years he photographed the Orient, equally intrigued by beggars in Foochow, the kings of Siam and Cambodia, tradesmen in Peking, and the exotic look of Formosa. The importance of these images has been overshadowed by Thomson's collaboration, Street Life in London (1877). Now, this fine study reveals Thomson's genius as a landscapist and chronicler, an explorer of unphotographed regions, and one who set out to record a people. Inscribed by White on the half-title. Quarto. Original brown cloth binding, with gilt stamping. A fine copy in a nearly fine dust jacket with some light sun fading along the spine. Fine / Near fine. Item #65430
ISBN: 0500541124
Price: $75.00