American Hydrant

Rating:
Summary: Almost connected to the water main
Review: An intriguing collection of hydrant photos from each state that refreshingly turns the ordinary into something special. Sean Crane had the foresight to photograph each hydrant as representing its location, for example Montana has the unit butting into a wide skyscape, Richmont, Vermont has its hydrant as part of a snow scene of children playing in front of a church, the caption says: Shades of Rockwell.

Fascinating as these photos are I was rather disappointed by the book's design. Each spread or page has the photo presented in a different way and this creates an artificial busyness that is not needed, the photos are strong enough in themselves to work well in a formal photo book format: generous margins, captions and graphics centred below each photo, a very thin black line around each picture to crispen the edges to prevent light areas merging into the book's paper. As it is the layouts gives the impression that perhaps several people contributed photos about the same subject.

I thought the layout of American Hydrant unfortunately letdown an interesting visual idea. BTW, you can see twenty-four of these photos on Sean Crane's website.


Rating:
Summary: More than just a book on fire hydrants
Review: I received this book over the holiday and thought "great another thing to re-gift". However much to my surprise, I found myself captivated by this book and its pictures. Each photo creatively depicted not only the city or local of the fire hydrant but also a bit of the surrounding culture allowing the reader to take an armchair tour of the US from a new perspective. Kudos to Mr. Crane for such an unusual and entertaining concept. A gift I will now keep and share with others. Looking forward to future 'tours' from this promising new author.

Rating:
Summary: A photographic journey across America!
Review: Once in a while a book really speaks to you, and as unlikely as it would seem, "American Hydrant" does just that. More than just a collection of fire hydrant photos, this book paints a most unique portrait of the American landscape. The photos are stunning, each one telling the story of an American town, using the ubiquitous fire hydrant as visual touchstone common to all communities. Both funny and provocative, it is truly a book that you will return to again and again. "American Hydrant" is a book that transcends the genre of "coffee table" book: It takes a truly unique look at what makes America special.