Ten (Or Twenty) of The Best Photobooks of 2012

As Photo-eye’s Best Books of 2012 is published online today, I thought I’d share my selections along with some others that nearly made it. Many of the books on my list were generously mailed to me by artists or publishers and, in turn, featured on this blog in the past, and some of the others are in the queue to be featured soon (keep an eye out). This process reminds me of what an exciting time it is for photobooks, with each year bringing forth new, powerful, and innovative projects. Lets be real… there are many, many more titles worth listing here.

image2013 Justin James Reed Horses Think Press, 2012 The last remaining stock of ink made from fireflies was acquired for the making of this unique artist book, which without the use of a UV flashlight appears to be blank white pages. A witty concept, and a selection of images that’ll keep you wondering about the future. imageDive Dark Dream Slow Melissa Catanese The Ice Plant, 2012 Anonymous photographs culled from a personal archive and given new context—a magical, memorable sequence. imageLooking for Love, 1996 Alec Soth Kominek, 2012 Just when you least expect it, love comes along. imageLarry Sultan & Mike Mandel Larry Sultan & Mike Mandel DAP An important collection of work by one of the greatest collaborations in the history of photography. imageIn the Car With R. Rafal Milach Czytelnia Sztuki, 2012 Beautiful both as an object and a photographic exploration of place. imageElementary Calculus J Carrier MACK, 2012 A quiet reflection on the human desire to connect through the world of migrant workers living in Israel who rely on pay phones to talk to their loved ones back home. An understated book that is not to be overlooked. imageAnother Language Marten Lange MACK, 2012 In the words of Einstein, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” imageExecutive Model Ron Jude Libraryman, 2012 Gettin’ down to business—a typology. imageDie Son Sien Alles Viviane Sassen Libraryman, 2012 A playful, penetrating portrait of contemporary South Africa through the embellished interiors of Cape Town. imageImaginary Landscape No. 1 Hannah Whittaker Blonde Art Books, 2012 Applying the structure of a seminal 1939 electroacoustic John Cage composition to a series of photographs. A clever first artist book.
Honorable Mentions I found it difficult to select just ten, so in no particular order here are some others that caught my attention.
imageHester Asger Carlsen Mörel Books, 2012 Brilliantly weird. Weirdly brilliant. imageCoexistence Stephen Gill Nobody, 2012 Gill continues to push his photographic practice, and turns out a gorgeous series of artist books under his imprint delightfully named Nobody. imageRetinal Shift Mikhael Subotzky Steidl, 2012 Perhaps one of the best retrospectives of the year. imageA Natural Order Lucas Foglia Nazraeli, 2012 One of the best projects exploring this territory, and a luscious monograph to boot. Nice to see the zine included too. imageAmerican Portraits 1979-1989 Leon Borensztein Nazraeli, 2012 An odd and touching portrait of America, with a nice edit by Todd Hido. imageLife Size Sam Falls Karma, 2012 “Speed is stunted intuition.” imageThe Afronauts Cristina De Middel Self-published, 2012 An elegant object that successfully combines photography, drawing, letters, and archival imagery. Bound to make many top ten lists. imageMetsästä Anne Golaz Kehrer Verlag, 2012 Dark beauty. A nice introduction to her work for me. imageThe Actor John Gossage Loosestrife Editions, 2012 With six or seven books (I lost count) to come out in the last year, it’s tough to choose but this one keeps me looking and gains depth with the dedication. imageCathedral Cars Thomas Mailaender RVB Books, 2012 Photographic studies of human persistence. Unintentional sculpture.
Bonus
imageWar Primer 2 [eBook] Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin MAPP Editions, 2012 A nice use of the eBook format to provide access to a great book from last year that otherwise may be difficult for many to experience. Download for FREE.