Gordon Parks: Collected Works Hardcover – November 30, 2012

Oh my goodness, I am listening to Miles Davis as I am reading each page of Volume Two of Gordon Parks Collective Works. It just arrived today, and I am inspired as an African American Baby Boomer of the accomplishments of individuals that paved the way for me to be able to read such revelation knowledge. Particularly the accomplishments of Mr. Parks during an era that he had to not only prove himself but, had to be the best at his craft. I love the diversity of his works and the courage he had as a " black man" to venture into areas where he was not welcomed but also criticized for some of his works. This collective body of works stimulates me to make every effort to be my best knowing the struggles it took for Mr. Parks to achieve recognition and to define his artistry on his terms. Gordon Parks Collective Works was an investment of history via photography. It is a visual investment of our history for years to come for my adult child and me. I encourage anyone that can to purchase this body of works and share this illustrated documentation with people that come to your home. What a conversational piece of work.

This is a fantastic collection, well composed /curated. Have owned it for a couple of months now. This collection is like going hungry and arriving at your favorite buffet. You are tempted to run to this or run to that favorite item. Maybe you dash to the desert end? Or you just sit down and eat from left to right, but with this set, it's your mind that expands, not your waistline. I still can't believe I was able to get this set so inexpensively. Get yours before someone wakes up to the price of the set and doubles or triples it. Stiedl is one of the top photo book printers in the world and they have done a great job in producing the work of this incredible photographer. By the way, on youtube.com there is a terrific documentary on Gordon Parks that's well worth your time and will enhance your appreciation of this set

I feel lucky to know who Leonard Bernstein was, and recognize him. But, as is true of most personages in this book, famous or not, he is not identified. And who is the woman in the photo? Where are they? Bernstein appears euphoric. Where was this photo taken? What year? It would take so little to inform us. Who. Where. When. Having context adds so much depth to my enjoyment of works of photographic art. Especially photo journalism. The ball was dropped as far as making this set significant when the decision was made to take the lazy, sloppy way out.

I received my Collected Works today on Gordon Parks, this is a wonderful recollection of his works.I could not put these volumes down. I have every book that has been published on Gordon Parks and by far this is the best. I totally agree with the other review. I was captivated by all the images, some I had seen before and others I am seeing for the first time. I highly recommend Collected Works, if you are a collector like I am, this is a must have.........

A beautiful collection of books from a great photographer. Personally, I don't think Volume III was necessary. It entirely consists of scanned magazine spreads and pages with many pictures already in other volumes.

When it comes to fine printing, this collection of five photography books is as good as it gets. The overall production quality is superb. Too bad publishers such as Taschen don't take lessons from these people. An amazingly well-done job.

This set is fantastic not only for the wonderful photos, but the paper stock and binding on the set is wonderful

Before purchasing this set, I did not know the range of Mr. Parks work. Excellent collection. Perhaps some of the images could have been a bit larger.

Magnifique travail à la fois dans l'impression et dans l'acte photographique. Juste parfait et complet. A posséder dans une collection cohérente.

Don't but many books but blessed to have this set.

This set was published in 2012 to celebrate Gordon Park's hundredth anniversary of birth. The quality of the set couldn't be better. This set is a combined work of the German publisher Steidl and the Gordon Parks Foundation.The standard of the production is simply excellent. Books are made in Germany.Most of the prints are of very good quality, especially the black and white ones ( most of the plates are in black and white). The books and box are very elegant, very strong. The first four volumes show a selection of five decades of Gordon Parks' work as a photographer and same of the photos were printed in a book for the first time. The last volume shows scans of Park's work at Life Magazine, where he was the first black photographer ever. No small task considering that the year was 1948. The quality of the scans is very good.The American culture produced many Renaissance men such as Sam Shepard, Woody Allen and others. Gordon Park's was one of those Renaissance men. He was a photographer, pianist, composer, film maker, writer, poet...He directed 1971's "Shaft", now a classic. He worked as a pianist in bars, he worked as a porter in trains ( where he met Robert Capa ). He was a real, original artist and was no graduate of the likes of Central Martins in London.The diversity of Park's experiences show in his photos and this collection is a treasure worth ordering because of its physical quality and the quality, diversity and originality of its many hundreds of photos. This is a box of a photographer who was clearlyoutside the box.His photographs were about poverty, crime, segregation, politics and other social issues but also about fashion, arts and so on. Later in life his photographs became more abstract and he played more with colours.I am very, very happy with this set. I ordered mine from Book Depository. Yes, I know, this information shouldn't be in a review but sometimes it is worth mentioning the shopping experience. The price was excellent, the package arrived in a few days ( no expedited delivery, no extra costs) and the set of books come very well protected in two boxes, one inside of the other. Considering the size and weight of the set it is better to make sure that the seller is a good one just to avoid the need to return the box, hence my commentary here about the seller.

So my girlfriend says there's a parcel for me at home... I say 'Oh, it must be that book I ordered.' She says 'A book? It weighs 12kg!'Yeah, this is one impressive volume of work. Superbly packaged (I think it was in three boxes within boxes) to ensure it stayed in collectors condition.I've only got through book one (of five) so far, but it's an enormously comprehensive overview.

Très bel ouvrage en 5 volumes beau papier,superbe impression réalisée en Allemagne qui met bien en valeur le travail de Gordon Park l'ouvrage sur ce photographe est complet. Expédition soignée