Ansel Adams: An Autobiography »

In a career that spanned over six decades, Ansel Adams was at once America's foremost landscape photographer and one of its most ardent environmentalists. A master photographer, teacher and naturalist, the profound impact of his work continues to expand as each generation discovers the magnificent, luminous beauty of his art.

Mary Street Alinder was Executive Assistant to Ansel Adams from 1979 to 1989 and worked with Ansel Adams on many of his books during that time. She is co-editor of Ansel Adams: Letters and Images (NYGS, 1988

In this bestselling autobiography, completed shortly before his death in 1984, Ansel Adams looks back at his legendary six-decade career as a conservationist, teacher, musician, and, above all, photographer. Written with characteristic warmth, vigor, and wit, this fascinating account brings to life the infectious enthusiasms, fervent battles, and bountiful friendships of a truly American original.

Publishers Weekly

An accomplished musician, ardent conservationist, master photographer and teacher, Ansel Adams (19021984) made a major cultural contribution to the American nation, which awarded him the Medal of Freedom. This life story describes his boyhood discovery of California's Yosemite and High Sierra, a land he loved and photographed the remainder of his life. He traces the development of his esthetic beliefs and technical style, including the widely emulated Adams ``zone system'' of scenic composition and exposure. A chapter on his early efforts offers one of the best definitions yet articulated about photography as art. There are lively accounts of his acquaintance in conservation work with several U.S. presidents, and of relationships he had with photographer colleaguesStieglitz, Steichen, Weston, Georgia O'Keeffe, Nancy and Beaumont Newhall, Paul Strand, Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham, Edwin Land and others. The 270 illustrations here include personal shots of family, friends and wilderness high jinks, as well as many Adams masterworks like ``Yosemite Half-Dome'' and ``Moonrise, Hernandez.'' BOMC featured alternate. October