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BEST OF 2012

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THE BEST BOOKS OF 2012

SELECTED BY

Erin Azouz

John Gossage

Andrew Phelps

Svetlana Bachevanova

Todd Hido

Markus Schaden

Adam Bell

Anne Kelly

Aaron Schuman

Pierre Bessard

Erik Kessels

Rebecca Senf

Jonathan Blaustein

Shane Lavalette

Alec Soth

Tony Cederteg

Melanie McWhorter

Sputnik Photos

Tom Claxton

Colin Pantall

Miwa Susuda

Marco Delogu

Martin Parr

Anne Wilkes Tucker

Natasha Egan

Christian Patterson

WassinkLundgren

Rémi Faucheux

PDN Editors

Sputnik Photos

Photography Collective

Kiev.
ROB HORNSTRA

Rob Hornstra expands the boundaries of contemporary photobook. His work is a complete well-constructed mechanism where photographer, writer and designers are one organism. Each of The Sochi Project publications is a different object. From regular photobook to a low-cost wall newspaper-exhibition. All perfectly designed with profound approach to the topic both in terms photos and texts.

Spbh Book Club Vol I.
ADAM BROOMBERG

Most of AB&OC's work is intellectual, methodical and based on research. It reminds one of the work of a scientist. This collection of Polaroids taken out from various projects lets us have a look at their work with different angle. It's beautifully undone and reveals a slice of the process. It's not the scientist's work it's a scientist's sketchbook.

Another Language.
MÅRTEN LANGE

Intimate and quiet essay about perception of universe. Brilliant editing and sequencing. Simplicity and minimalism of design corresponds with the mood of images.

Working Memory.
JIM REED

A photobooks or rather photo objects by Jim Reed are pure joy of book making and self publishing. Working memory is an intimate story about Dementia compressed to a mix of patient's medical dossier and personal diary. It's a fragile narration as this hand made object itself.

Still.
PATRICK HOGAN

The book with four different covers (with option to chose one of them), a book were images sometimes appear twice — in their original form and elsewhere in a cropped, faded or fragmented form — like memories of the original photograph. The book is about memory, illusion, reality; with pre-dominant atmosphere of stillness and fragility.

City Diary.
ANDERS PETERSEN

This book is like a letter from a well know friend. Tree volumes composed mostly from pictures that we have seen in earlier publications give us a full perspective of Petersen's city experience. Great editors work!

The Quest for the Man on the White Donkey.
YAAKOV ISRAEL

Yaakov Israel is roaming around his country showing the remote areas of Israel. Looking at the quiet landscapes and intimate portraits it may seem we are very far from the complex political situation of the region. In fact that reality influences even these forgotten and unimportant places and Israel's pictures are full of context and history. There is some kind of tension under the strong burning sun. A very compelling, personal work that gives us a different view of that region.

Poland.
TOMASZ WIECH

Polish grayness has a particular tones, and there's more madness in it than elsewhere..." writes Michal Olszewski in the beautiful text in the book. A smart combination of pictures and short texts drive the reader through Poland of dump and peripheries. Modest design corresponds very well with the images and atmosphere of the book.

Memory of the image
Jerzy Lewczy?ski

First large monograph of living legend of Polish photography Jerzy Lewczynski (88). A retrospective photobook edited by Wojciech Nowicki gives a full overview of restless collector, observer, thinker, visual garbageman who is always fresh, surprising and searching. Lewczynski's work is timeless. It's like a separate universe. Smart edit and excellent text by Wojciech Nowicki.

Sputnik Photos is a multinational collective established by photojournalists from Central and Eastern Europe. In our projects we investigate and portray the real life so well-known and familiar to us — in the region of Europe we come from.

Photographers at Sputnik Photos have worked in several dozen countries all over the world. Their photos have been published in the likes of Time, Newsweek, Stern, Sunday Times Magazine, The New York Times, Le Monde. And they have won awards at the most important press photography competitions, such as World Press Photo, Picture of the Year International and the Canon AFJ Female Photojournalist Award. sputnikphotos.com.

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