Mydans, Carl. China. A Visual Adventure by Carl Mydans and Michael Demarest.

Simon & Schuster, 1979. [Simon and Schuster, 1979. 1st edition, 1st printing. The land and Chinese people in numerous fine photographs by Mydans. Carl Mydans (1907–2004) was one of America's most respected photographers. He worked under Roy Stryker at the Resettlement Administration (later Farm Security Administration or FSA), which also employed Ben Shahn, Arthur Rothstein, Walker Evans, Dorothea Lane, Russell Lee, Marion Post Wolcott, Edwin Rosskam and other famous photographers. Then he joined Life magazine for a stellar career. During World War II, he was captured by the Japanese and spent time in an internment camp in the Philippines. This book includes 200 of his photographs taken in China for this publication, 46 of which are in color. Summary:

hina: A Visual Adventure (1979), published by Simon & Schuster, is a 160-page travel and photographic volume created by world-renowned Life magazine photojournalist Carl Mydans and veteran Time editor and journalist Michael Demarest.

The book stems from a historic 1978 journey when the duo became some of the very first Western journalists permitted to travel through the country as tourists following the cultural thaw of the late 1970s.

Core Themes & Content

• A Nation Emerging from Isolation: The volume captures a critical, transitional moment in modern Chinese history. It documents a vast society emerging from the restrictive years of the Cultural Revolution and stepping onto the precipice of global modernization and economic reopening.

• The Contrast of Landscapes: Mydans’ photo-essay balances geographic and architectural diversity. The book showcases the imposing history of ancient palaces, temples, and the Forbidden City alongside the crowded, bustling energy of urban back alleyways, factories, and communal farms. The journey covers iconic hubs including:

  • Beijing (Peking), Shanghai, and Guangzhou (Canton).

  • The historic scenic regions of Hangzhou (Hangchow) and Guilin (Kweilin).

• An Everyday Social Portrait: Rather than focusing purely on political iconography or state apparatus, the text and images maintain an egalitarian focus on the daily rhythms of regular citizens. Demarest's text and Mydans' lens document street markets, regional cuisine, schools, acrobatic troupes, and the ubiquitous presence of bicycles defining city transit.

• A Visual Archive: The publication functions primarily as a high-quality visual archive, featuring 200 documentary photographs compiled by Mydans, including 154 classic black-and-white images and 46 full-color plates.

China: A Visual Adventure acts as a rare, empathetic window into a global colossus shedding its cocoon. Through the seasoned collaboration of Mydans and Demarest, the volume preserves the sights, sounds, and shifting textures of ordinary Chinese life at the dawn of its modern transformation.

Copies available:

• Fine hardcover, 1st edition, with very good price-clipped dust jacket that has a crease on the front inner flap. 
• Very good hardcover, 1st edition, with small tape stain on flyleaf, black felt pen mark on bottom of text block, dust jacket edge worn.
• Very good hardcover, 1st edition, with dust jacket that has some modest wear at extremities. Cloth tanned at top and bottom under dust jacket