Timothy Egan
Books
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis -- Timothy Egan - Paperback
A New York Times Notable Book
A Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Timothy Egan reveals the life story of the man determined to preserve a people and culture in Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis. "A vivid exploration of one man's lifelong obsession with an idea . . . Egan's spirited biography might just bring [Curtis] the recognition that eluded him in life." -- The Washington Post Edward Curtis was charismatic, handsome, a passionate mountaineer, and a famous portrait photographer, the Annie Leibovitz of his time. He moved in rarefied circles, a friend to presidents, vaudeville stars, leading thinkers. But when he was thirty-two years old, in 1900, he gave it all up to pursue his Great Idea: to capture on film the continent's original inhabitants before the old ways disappeared. Curtis spent the next three decades documenting the stories and rituals of more than eighty North American tribes. It took tremendous perseverance -- ten years alone to persuade the Hopi to allow him to observe their Snake Dance ceremony. And the undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate. Curtis would amass more than 40,000 photographs and 10,000 audio recordings, and he is credited with making the first narrative documentary film. In the process, the charming rogue with the grade school education created the most definitive archive of the American Indian.
Author: Timothy Egan
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 08/06/2013
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780544102767
Award: Washington State Book Award - Winner
Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 09/08/2013 pg. 32
A Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Timothy Egan reveals the life story of the man determined to preserve a people and culture in Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis. "A vivid exploration of one man's lifelong obsession with an idea . . . Egan's spirited biography might just bring [Curtis] the recognition that eluded him in life." -- The Washington Post Edward Curtis was charismatic, handsome, a passionate mountaineer, and a famous portrait photographer, the Annie Leibovitz of his time. He moved in rarefied circles, a friend to presidents, vaudeville stars, leading thinkers. But when he was thirty-two years old, in 1900, he gave it all up to pursue his Great Idea: to capture on film the continent's original inhabitants before the old ways disappeared. Curtis spent the next three decades documenting the stories and rituals of more than eighty North American tribes. It took tremendous perseverance -- ten years alone to persuade the Hopi to allow him to observe their Snake Dance ceremony. And the undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate. Curtis would amass more than 40,000 photographs and 10,000 audio recordings, and he is credited with making the first narrative documentary film. In the process, the charming rogue with the grade school education created the most definitive archive of the American Indian.
Author: Timothy Egan
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 08/06/2013
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780544102767
Award: Washington State Book Award - Winner
Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 09/08/2013 pg. 32
About the Author
TIMOTHY EGAN is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times and the best-selling author of six books. In 2006 he won the National Book Award for The Worst Hard Time.