Bourke-White, Margaret. A Report on the American Jesuits by John LaFarge, S.J. Photographs by Margaret Bourke-White.

NY: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1956. 1st printing. Hardcover without dust jacket. Numerous photographs by Bourke-White, for whom this was her last book project other than her autobiography. Inscription on flyleaf with remembrance of Father LaFarge, small previous owner stamp inside cover. Slight corner bumps, otherwise fine. Summary:

A Report on the American Jesuits is a collaborative volume by Catholic intellectual Father John LaFarge, S.J., and photographer Margaret Bourke-White, published by Farrar, Straus and Cudahy. Expanding on a popular photo-essay created for LIFE magazine, the book offers a look into the daily lives, education, and spiritual mission of the Society of Jesus in post-war America.

Overview & Highlights

• Textual Narrative: Written by Fr. John LaFarge, the prose provides an accessible overview of Jesuit history, spiritual formation, academic institutions, and modern pastoral work in the United States.

• Visual Record: Features black-and-white photographs taken by Bourke-White, documenting novices, scholars, and priests in classrooms, laboratories, chapels, and mission fields.

• Photographer's Note: Concludes with an essay by Bourke-White detailing her "photographic mission," reflecting on her experiences traveling across the country to capture the human element of religious devotion.

Margaret Bourke-White (1904–1971) was an American photographer and photojournalist who broke numerous barriers as a woman in 20th-century media. Beginning her career in the late 1920s as an industrial photographer in Cleveland, her dynamic compositions of steel mills and modern architecture quickly earned her acclaim. She became the first staff photographer hired for Fortune magazine in 1929 and, in 1936, shot the cover photo for the inaugural issue of LIFE magazine. Over her trailblazing career, Bourke-White served as the first foreign photographer permitted to photograph Soviet industry, the first female war correspondent accredited by the U.S. armed forces during World War II, and a chronicler of major global events, including the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp and the partition of India. Known for her fearless determination and empathetic eye, her visual reporting helped establish photojournalism as a major cultural force until Parkinson's disease forced her retirement in the late 1950s.