Adams, Ansel. Photographs of the Southwest, with an Essay on the Land by Lawrence Clark Powell.

New York Graphic Society/Little, Brown, Second Printing, 1984. Selected photographs made from 1928 to 1958 in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Utah with a statement by the photographer. Dedicated to Paul Strand. [Essay illustrated with photographs by Ansel Adams of Tony Lujan, Frank Applegate, Maria Martinez, Mary Austin, Witter Brynner, et al]. 109 plates plus photographs on covers.

Photographs of the Southwest (1976) is a celebrated monograph published by the New York Graphic Society, collecting four decades of Ansel Adams's work across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Texas, and California between 1928 and 1968.

Overview & Highlights

• Visual Scope: Features over 100 duotone black-and-white plates capturing desert landscapes, ancient Native American ruins, historic Spanish missions, and dramatic rock formations.

• Personal & Regional Vision: Opens with a statement by Adams reflecting on his deep aesthetic connection to the region's vast terrain, unique light, and cultural heritage.

• Literary Context: Includes a companion essay by author and librarian Lawrence Clark Powell, contextualizing the physical geography, history, and spiritual character of the American Southwest alongside Adams's imagery.

Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was a monumental American photographer, visionary environmentalist, and technical pioneer best known for his breathtaking black-and-white landscapes of the American West. Born in San Francisco, California, Adams initially trained to be a pianist before discovering his lifelong passion for photography during a 1916 trip to Yosemite National Park. In 1932, he co-founded Group f/64 alongside Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham, advocating for sharp focus, precise tone, and unmanipulated "straight" photography over the prevailing pictorialist style. Renowned for co-creating the Zone System—a scientific method for determining optimal exposure and development to achieve precise tonal range—Adams produced iconic masterpieces such as Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico and Monolith, the Face of Half Dome. Beyond his artistic and technical achievements, he was a lifelong advocate for wilderness preservation, serving on the board of the Sierra Club and using his evocative imagery to champion the creation and expansion of national parks across North America.

Copies available:

• Stiff illustrated wraps with custom made polyester jacket. Fine condition. Together with "David in Adamsland," by David Vestal, article removed from Popular Photography, December 1967, pp. 90ff, 9 leaves, re Ansel Adams Yosemite Workshop.
  
• Hardcover, 1st edition, 1st printing, 1976. Creases along bottom front of dust jacket, else fine.
• Hardcover, 1st edition, 1st printing. Fine with very good protected dust jacket that has a short tear on back neatly closed on verso with clear tape. An attractive copy.