Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-10-18)

subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 12 October 2019 73

FAV O U R I T E B O O K S

TheBestofEricTreacy

AtlanticTransportPublishers

ISBN978-1858770079

ONEOFmyfavouritephotographybooksI ownis

oneI pickedupfroma charityshopfora pound.It

sitshighona pileof photographybooksbeneath

mycoffeetableat homeandis pickedupevery

sooftenwhenI seekphotographicinspiration

formyloveof railways,in particularblack&

whitephotography.Askanypassionaterailway

enthusiastforthenameof themosthighly

regardedrailwayphotographersof alltimeand

there’sonenamethatalwaysseemstocropup

timeandtimeagain.FormerAnglicanBishopand

loverof steam,EricTreacywentaboutcapturing

theeraof BritishRailwaysin hisownunique

way,seekingpermissiontoshootfromtrackside

locationsotherscouldonlydreamof gaining

accessto.HisstrikingimagesaroundLondon

King’sCrossandLiverpoolLimeStreetcapture

thepowerandbeautyof thunderinglocomotives

in anevocativewaythatnootherrailway

photographermanaged.

Whilesomemightarguehewasluckytobein

therightplaceat therighttime,Ericclearlyputin

a lotof researchpriortoeachandeveryshothe

took.Therelationshipandreputationhebuilt

withmanyof thosein therailwayindustryshines

through.Thisbookis a reflectionof someof Eric’s

finestwork.Whetheryouhaveaninterestin

railwaysornot,youcan’tfailtobeimpressedby

thetonalityof hisimagesandthewayBritain’s

railwaynetworkusedtobe.It’sa must-havefor

allblack& whitephotographersoutthere.

Michael Topham, Reviews Editor

Formostofit I have

nowords

SimonNorfolk
DewiLewis

ISBN978-1899235667

WHILEI wasat universityin thelate1990s
I spenta week’sfoodbudgetonSimon
Norfolk’sbookForMostof it I HaveNoWords

• andit wassoworthit. Thebookwas
  publishedin 1998tomarkthe50th
  anniversaryof theUnitedNationsconvention
  ongenocide,andit featuresimagestaken
  in Rwanda,Cambodia,Vietnam,Auschwitz,
  Dresden,Ukraine,ArmeniaandNamibia.
  EverytimeI openthisbookit makesmecry.
  Someof thephotographsarebeautiful:
  black& whitelandscapesreducedtosimple
  shapesandforms.Othersaremoregraphic:
  bodiespoisonedbyAgentOrange,rows
  of skulls,anda classroomfullof small
  skeletons,forexample.
  ForMostof it I HaveNoWordsis aboutthe
  tracesandsymbolsleftbehindbygenocide.
  It’saboutmemoryanditsgradualerosion.
  MorethanonceI’vethoughtaboutshutting
  it in a cupboardorgivingit away,asthough
  thatwouldsomehowchangethefactthat
  humanbeingsarecapableof doingsome
  prettyhorrificthingstooneanother.But
  therealityis thisbookneedstobeseen,it
  needstobereadanddiscussed, and it
  needstoberemembered.
  Tra cyC a l de r,
  Acting Technique Editor

Over to you...

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Richard Sawyer

‘Therealityisthatthisbookneedstobeseen,it needsto be

read and discussed, and it needs to be remembered’