Lewis Baltz: Common Objects Paperback – November 30, 2014

OK--I'm a Baltz fan--but I think I need to start to qualify that--I'm a pre-1989 Baltz fan--this new book is quite a departure not just from Baltz's earlier work, but from the very art of bookmaking as we know it...I purchased the book having never seen it, so when it arrived, I was surprised first of all by the packaging--it's not a hardcover book as indicated on the Amazon web site--it's a doubly wrapped "softcover" -actually a staple bound book--which I think is mechanically essential for this object. The outer wrapper is a glassine type wrapper, heavily taped--I destroyed that layer before I realized that it had the ISBN number on it--god knows if it's supposed to be part of "the object"--and beneath that wrapper, another plastic sleeve--but this one has two images printed on it--intended to be viewed using the white background of the book beneath.The inside of the book contains six (if I counted right) transparent plastic sheets bound into the book, giving 12 transparent pages in the book--with movie stills printed on 11 of them (one remains blank). These movie stills are sometimes superimposed over a white background (as if a cinema screen), and sometimes superimposed over Baltz photographs.I'm not quite sure what to make of the damn thing--maybe it would make more sense as a gallery installation where movies were projected onto Baltz photographs.Anyway--I've given the thing 5 stars mostly because the printing of the Baltz images are absolutely lovely--if you can just get those damn transparencies out of the way...

bloody brilliant , darling !!

Il libro è molto bello, la copertina trasparente in plastica è troppo delicata ed è arrivata rotta.Anche procedendo con il reso, il secondo volume in sostituzione era anche peggio del primo, peccato.

Common Objects presents some of Lewis Baltz' most remarkable series: "The Tract Houses" (1969 - 1971) ,"Sites of Technology" (1989 - 1991), Ronde de Nuit (1992) and the epic "Candlestick Point" (1984 - 88). Baltz' subjects may be dull,but through his lens,they look almost opulent.His treatment of surfaces (see The Tract Houses) is meticulous,he seizes details and elements that convey the identity of a no man's land.He restores what had become unusual or monotonous with new visual intensity.In Candlestick Point he shows a landscape of emptyness and destruction to be transformed into something new (today a State Recreation Area).The excellent photographs in this book are presented indialogue with stills from several films of A.Hitchcock (Psycho, Saboteur), M.Antonioni (Zabriskie Point, La Notte, Il Deserto Rosso) and J.LGodard (Les Carabiniers, Made in USA).These 11 colour and b&w still pictures are superimposed over Baltz' photographs or over a white blank page.The two texts (in english and french) of David Campany and Dominique Paini are the cherry on the cake. The quality of printing is top-notch.The book is exquisitely designed by Pierre Hourquet and it comes in an aesthetic colorful plastic sleeve. A great art book of an amazing artist.

ストレートフォト（ストリートでは無い）の第一人者であるLewis Baltz。故人になってから写真集の価格は上がっていますが、そんな中、Common Objectsは購入しやすい価格でLewis Baltzの代表作が収められていてとても素晴らしい一冊だと思う。Lewis Baltz is a leading person in straight photography (not street). The price of the photo book has gone up since I became a deceased person, but I think Common Objects is a great book because it has a masterpiece of Lewis Baltz: at an affordable price.