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Rating: 
Summary: Robert Frank in Hollywood
Review: ...These are glorious duotone reproductions of vintage printsfrom the Hollywood era. And after locating a copy of the original1939 edition of Camera Over Hollywood, the achievement of this new edition became clearer to me. The 1939 edition suffers from poor picture editing and a heavy gravure printing that blocks up the beautiful black and white tones of the pictures in this important, behind and in front of the scenes, Hollywood documentary. There is also a coy running commentary in the 1939 edition one could easily dispense with which is just what they did in new edition. The 2000 edition of Camera Over Hollywood reinterprets the work to reveal the true achievement of Swope that was unfocussed in the original edition. Think of Robert Frank with a sense of humor working Hollywood in 1936 and you get the idea. This is an important book showing us that Swope is truly one of the pioneers of photo-modernist documentary. Consider the fact that Swope happened to be close friends with both Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda (they all shared a house in the Los Angeles area of Brentwood), a fortuitous connection that, among other things, provided him an amazing insider's view Hollywood. These are amazing pictures of Hollywood made with an artist's vision. No library of photography is complete without this important book.
Rating:
Summary: Great for the coffee table!
Review: A tremendous collection of never-before seen candid photographs of Hollywood's golden age. Swope's B&W images are so crisp, they look like they were taken yesterday. Amazing stuff! Can't wait for volume 2!
Rating:
Summary: Great for the coffee table!
Review: A tremendous collection of never-before seen candid photographs of Hollywood's golden age. Swope's B&W images are so crisp, they look like they were taken yesterday. Amazing stuff! Can't wait for volume 2!
Rating:
Summary: Robert Frank in Hollywood?
Review: I was intrigued by the comments of the reader from Laguna Beach who claimed that the reproduction quality of the photographs in John Swope's: Camera Over Hollywood was inferior, until I saw the book. I can't imagine what this person is thinking. These are glorious duotone reproductions of vintage prints from the Hollywood era. And after locating a copy of the 1939 edition of Camera Over Hollywood, the achievement of this new edition became clearer to me. The 1939 edition is poorly edited and suffers from a heavy gravure printing that blocks up the beautiful black and white tones of this important, behind and in front of the scenes, Hollywood documentary. There is also a coy running commentary with the images one could easily lose. The new edition of Camera Over Hollywood reedits the work to reveal the true achievement of Swope that was masked in the original edition. Think of Robert Frank with a sense of humor working Hollywood in 1936 and you get the idea. This is an important book showing us that Swope is truly one of the pioneers of photo-modernist documentary. Consider the fact that Swope happened to be close friends with both Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda (they all shared a house in the Los Angeles area of Brentwood), a fortuitous connection that, among other things, provided him an amazing insider's view Hollywood. These are amazing pictures of Hollywood made with an artist's vision. No library of photography is complete without this important book.
Rating:
Summary: This book is great!
Review: John Swope's photographs are both brilliant and interesting. Swope not only captures the glamour but also puts a human face on Hollywood. This is a book of photographs that can be enjoyed again and again without becoming dull.
Rating: 
Summary: An artistic slice of history
Review: These photographs provide a unique view of Hollywood in the late 1930's. Swope was able to capture both the glamorous and seedier sides of Hollywood, giving us a look at the world of film in a new and artistic light.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Poor Quality Reproduction
Review: This was very disappointing. I was hoping for a fine volume for this reprinting of Swope's well-done l939 book. Instead, it seems very poor quality and not worth the purchase price. The photos could have been given such a richer and higher quality look. Too bad the publisher didn't invest enough to get a decent quality look. John Swope was a fairly decent photographer and when he had his interesting Hollywood friends pose for his camera, the result was usually worthy of a second look. Not great art - but worthy of some interest.
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