Dogdogs

Not only is this a great book for someone who loves dogs, but it just has some great street photography in general. Personally, I love the mass quanities of photographs. Whenever I look through a book by Cartier-Bresson (or anyone else, for that matter) I always want to see what else he shot besides what ultimately made it into the book. Someday, I hope someone will publish a book of contact sheets, and this is close to doing that.

Without a doubt this is a collection of great photos of dogs (820 dogs, in 512 pages - also horses, pigs, cows, cats, and many people) taken over many years and in many countries.It appears to be wordless; the photographs begin on page one, and there is no text or even a frontispiece before them. If you dig a little, you will find that in fact, buried deep in the middle of this book are two choice bones: an essay, "My Dog Days," by Erwitt, and P. G. Wodehouse's "About My Friends," an appreciation of Elliott Erwitt and of dogs, in Erwitt's words, " easy, uncomplaining targets." Wodehouse traces his own colorful history of dog-owning with warmth and dry humor. Whereas Erwitt writes that "with dogs, as with love affairs, the first and the last are most vivid," Wodehouse seems to vividly remember many more than a couple of dogs.Wodehouse is convincing, for example, in his assertion that Aberdeen terriers are so "full of the Calvinistic spirit that it is impossible for an ordinary erring human being not to feel ill at ease in their presence." He loves dogs, (some more than others), he doesn't apologize for it, and asks, finally, for "a standing ovation to all dogs," which is precisely what this terrific little book delivers.

It goes without saying that dogs are human's best companies. Though the pictures are all in black-and-white, they still present how much joy and happiness the pets bring to us. Shouldn't we cherish what we get from them?

I adore this book, and carry it around with me. It cheers me up, when people get me down, just to look at the beauty of these animals in different situations. Dogs are wonderful, and Erwitt has an amazing ability to capture them in photographs. A picture book for the dog lover - you will love it! Great for browsing through when standing in line somewhere, riding, or just relaxing. It's my favorite "pick-me-up" and a perfect gift for any dog lover.