Casanave, Martha. Past Lives: Photographs by Martha Casanave. David R. Godine, 1991.

Essays by Ted Orland and Lyn Hejinian. First edition, fine hardcover in red cloth with very good protected dust jacket that has minor edge wear. 56 pages.  Casanave's photographs are presented in the following series: Portraits; Nudes; Narratives; Out in the Cold: An American in the Soviet Union; and Leningrad in Winter. Afterword by Eelco Wolf. Very attractively printed on Agfa paper. Summary:

Past Lives: Photographs by Martha Casanave (1991) is a haunting and technically unique monograph that explores the blurred lines between memory, theater, and the passage of time. Published by the esteemed David R. Godine, the book is known for its exquisite production quality, mirroring the tactile, nature of the photographs themselves.

Core Themes and Technique

Narrative Tableau: Most of the other photographs are posed figures, including nude males and females, in ambiguous, timeless settings. Rather than documenting real events, Casanave creates "past lives"—imagined memories that feel as though they were pulled from a Victorian attic or a forgotten silent film.

The Pin-Hole Aesthetic: Casanave utilized a pinhole camera to create some  of these images, specifically the last chapter on Leningrad in Winter. This technique—characterized by a lack of a glass lens—results in a soft, "infinite" depth of field and a dreamlike blurring of motion. The long exposures required for pinhole photography give the subjects a ghostly, translucent quality.

Martha Casanave is an acclaimed American photographer and educator known primarily for her striking environmental portraiture, pinhole photography, and explorations of historic photographic processes. Born in Los Angeles, she initially studied Russian Language and Literature at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and worked as a translator before fully devoting herself to photography, a passion since childhood. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Casanave has received notable accolades including the Imogen Cunningham Photography Award and the Koret Israel Prize, and she has shared her expertise by teaching at institutions such as Monterey Peninsula College and Cabrillo College. Her work has been published in several monographs—such as Past Lives, Beware of Dog, Explorations Along an Imaginary Coastline, and Trajectories: A Half Century of Portraits—and is featured in permanent collections of major institutions like the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.