Ansel Adams: A Biography / Mary Street Alinder

Henry Holt, 1996. Hardcover. First Edition. Flat-signed by Mary Street Alinder on title page. Also contains a gift inscription by Alinder on half-title: "For Amy - Whose example of scholarship is my benchmark- with great appreciation for your generous counsel and superb assistance. You are the best - Truly, Truly! -Mary"

In his 1985 autobiography, Ansel Adams presented a life almost as neatly cropped and printed as his magnificent pictures. Here, Mary Street Alinder--who collaborated with Adams on his memoir and was his assistant in later life--is not reticent about the major emotional episodes in Adams's life, including his marriage and extramarital affairs, and his not-altogether-successful fatherhood. She explores the major artistic influences on his work and gives in-depth profiles of the significant figures in his circle. She also explains the technique and style Adams developed to obtain his unique vision, as well as his uneasiness at becoming a commodity. Ansel Adams: A Biography is an intimate and provocative portrait of the world's most famous photographer.