Alec Soth

Photographer / Bookmaker

While reviewing my favorite photobooks of the year, I noticed that numerous selections could be classified as crime stories. So in creating this year's list, I thought it would be an entertaining exercise to categorize all of the books by genre. Given the quantity and quality of books being published, it is now feasible to think of photobooks in much the same way as we think of literature and cinema. These genre pigeonholes are reductive, of course, but like year-end lists, they are mostly a lighthearted excuse to analyze and discuss quality work.

A Criminal Investigation.
WATABE YUKICHI

Crime: Following a police detective investigating a 1958 murder in Tokyo, Yukichi's photos almost look like stills from a Chandleresqe noir. Elegantly mixing text and image with perfect printing and design, this is a masterpiece of photographic storytelling. My favorite book of the year.

In the Shadow of Things.
LEONIE HAMPTON

Family Drama: A mother and daughter try to come to terms with shipping boxes, mental illness and memories. Along with the excellent photographs, be sure to check out Hampton's fascinating interview with her mother.

The Wedding.
BORIS MIKHAILOV

Horror: Another hard-to-swallow masterpiece from the great provocateur.

A.
GREGORY HALPERN

Regional/Travel: A is for Abandoned, Acrid, Animalistic, American and Ambiguous.

Photographic Memory.
VERNA POSEVER CURTIS

Historical/Archive: A beautifully produced book on a fascinating subject.

Illuminance.
RINKO KAWAUCHI

Female Artist Monograph: An exquisitely produced monograph with wide international distribution. This book should make Rinko a household name.

Dirk Braeckman.
DIRK BRAECKMAN

Male Artist Monograph: Described by Braeckman as "a cross between an artist's book and a survey publication," this is a terrific summation of his mysterious and distinctive world.

Happy Birthday to You.
ANOUK KRUITHOF

Independent/Self-Published: Ten joyous birthday celebrations in a psychiatric institution.

Eden Is a Magic World.
MIGUEL CALDERÓN

Romance: A heartbreaking look into a Korean man's obsession with a Mexican soap opera actress. The second brilliant narrative photobook by Calderón.

Paloma al Aire.
RICARDO CASES

Comedy: A documentary on pigeon racing that manages to be funny, mysterious and strangely touching.

Alec Soth Alec Soth is a photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis, and is a member of Magnum Photos. In 2008, Soth started his own publishing company, Little Brown Mushroom.

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