I am starting a new type of book Friday posting based on how I display my books in the office. As many of you know, I have arranged my books by color and will start to pick favorites from each section for you to peruse. Today, I have decided on two very different books from the first red section.
1 During the Durbar celebrations of 1911, King George V rode into the Red Fort on a horse, not on an elephant. This breach of protocol led the crowd not to recognize him as Emperor of India, thus giving him a cool reception.
2 The verandah in the guest wing of Viceroy's house maintains a pleasant temperature even on the hottest day because of its shade and cross ventilation.
3 View from the roof of Viceroy's house into the Mughal garden. I love the hexagonal structure of the fountains at all of the intersections.
4 View from the roof of Viceroy's house East, past the Jaipur Column, to the All India gate at the end of King's Way.
5 How stunning is this grand wrought-iron gate to the Viceroy's house.
6 I love how these columns and the overall architecture of the ministers' offices look like temples.
7 These gigantic urns and acorns, on the side openings of the All India War Memorial, have symbolized death and birth since Roman antiquity.
8 Splendidly decorated elephants adorn temples and homes.
9 These historic stairs and entrances are just splendid to look at.
The first is Imperial Delhi by Andreas Volwahsen (prestel.com), an in-depth look at how New Delhi was constructed by architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker between 1912 and 1929. While the architectural drawings, photographs and artwork are exquisite, the real fun is reading about all of the stories behind the making of a city, including some gossipy stories about King George V. It’s gorgeous to look at and a lot of fun to read.
1 Naples, Italy, 1960. I love the composition and lighting in this photo.
2 On the Rhine, Germany, 1956. He captures the sea's movement.
3 Truman Capote, New Orleans, 1947. So young!
4 Sifnos, Greece, 1961. The bleached white buildings and contrasting shadows along with the simple movement of a girl makes this image. It reminds me of some of my favorite John Singer Sargent paintings.
5 Fort Hari Prabat, Sringar, Kashmir, 1948. A look inside a foreign world.
6 Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, 1947.
7 Srinagar, Kashmir, 1948. At first I thought that this was a collection of marble sculptures.
8 Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India, 1966. I love that they are laying out fabric.
9 Shanghai, China, 1948. Such beauty.
Henri Cartier-Bresson: Man, Image, World, (thamesandhudsonusa.com) on the other hand, is a serious retrospective of the photographers’ work. It is a definitive collection of images from his travels abroad and personal moments as well as portraits and landscapes. I never tire of his work and always find inspiration.
Kevin Sharkey 
From: denham | 3/26/10 at 4:57 pm
Thanks for the great book tips. Just ordered Imperial Delhi. Looks fascinating. And many thanks for the great pictorial reporting on your amazing trip. Really enjoying your site.
From: Cathy Harris | 3/27/10 at 10:46 am
Sharkey, I love Book Friday's! Sharing the photos and info in these volumes
is a double treat. I'll probably never have the opportunity to travel to such exotic places in the present day, and the skillful re-telling of historic facts and happenings is anything but dull; it's fascinating! Thank you. CJH
From: celia | 3/29/10 at 9:03 am
thank you for sharing such beautiful photographs. You have such a great eye!
From: Stephanie | 3/30/10 at 9:50 pm
I'm a huge fan of Cartier-Bresson myself...ever since I saw the most lovely display of images at the Medici Gallery in Florence 11 years ago.
I need this book for my coffee table
From: Zachariah Granville | 6/12/10 at 5:25 am
They are just fabulous. I am pretty smitten by these pics. Great work