Why I make books
New York City, USA. 1989. Aerial view of Manhattan with the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. © Hiroji Kubota/Magnum Photos
Some people ask me why I make books, in my case illustrated volumes of photography and the photographic image. To some, I say "We're stupid and don't know any better," and to others I lament it's the only thing we know how to do, and such is our lot. But then, truth be told, thinking about it, it's our native human desire to tell stories, or more precisely help others tell them, and our medium is the photographic image, and few have become literate in appreciating it (hence the minute audience), and even fewer in constructing it well, even among the highly regarded publishers.
So how do those of us with such limited practical aptitude or even intelligence about smarter things to do with our lives and scarce monies continue to persevere, both in surviving and in looking for ways to tell yet more illustrated stories, despite apparent lack of even token consumer appeal?
We get lucky.
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