Koudelka: Gypsies Hardcover – September 30, 2011

A remarkable book of first rate photographs by a man deeply immersed in the symbolism of its observations, caught with the eye of a master painter on people he has a deep sympathy with.

Josef Koudelka's "Gypsies", first published in the United States by Aperture in 1975, has long been a scarce and desirable example of this artist's work. The new edition, published by Aperture and printed by Gerhard Steidl, demonstrates just how far the craft of making books has advanced in the past 35 years.The book differs in several ways from its predecessor, though it represents the same body of work. First, it utilizes a vertical rather than a horizontal format. Horizontally formatted images are presented as two-page spreads almost 20 inches wide, meaning that Koudelka's marvelous use of wide-angle lenses can be viewed in the correct perspective. Two-page spreads usually fail because of the space lost to the gutter, but the new "Gypsies" is beautifully bound and opens almost flat.There are also no distracting reflections, because the book is printed on matte stock. It is tempting to describe Steidl's quadratone printing as "sumptuous", which it certainly is, but more to the point, the printing serves the photographs: Steidl's craft, in that sense, is totally transparent. The images have a vitality that suggests that they were made in the darkroom, somehow using ink instead of silver.The work itself remains timeless. It is based on Koudelka's original maquette, adding more than 30 photographs that were not in the 1975 edition, and every one of them is worthy of its place in the new book. If you have never seen Josef Koudelka's work before, there is no better pace to start than with "Gypsies". If you are familiar with the 1975 edition, this one will amaze you. Rarely has an artist been so well-served by his printer and publisher.

Josef Koudelka's 'Gypsies is a masterpiece. The revised edition which has just been released is well worth the price. There is no other photographic book like it and I do not believe there will ever be one. Its raw approach with its grainy effects is unique and it has a bite to it that no other photographic book has. This was Josef's first book and he went on to produce many other books after this one. His committment to his subjects and the trust that they gave him is apparent in many of the intimate rectangles of stillness in this revised edition. And it is a sad history of a past era which has not changed to this day.Highly recommended.

There are only two great photographers that I follow that have seriously made great images of gypsies, Koudelka and Tamas Revesz a Hungarian who has made wonderful images also. In Koudelka's case this new reprint of the earlier book is spectacular. The printing, on high grade matte paper is luscious. I would have preferred that they had not bled an image over two pages but for the content and the printing it's OK. In the case of Revesz who has many books in and out of print, I cannot find his Gypsy prints in book form. Alas, when I want to see them I must Google his website. If you love those wonderfulp people and their expressive faces in photographic images you must see both.....

The first edition of this book is deservedly considered one of the most outstanding photographic achievements of the 20th century and this reprint is well worth having even if you have the original. It has additional photos and the quality of the reproductions is better. The new essay that accompanies it provides insights into the history and current status of the Gypsies (now called Roma). I only wish that the new edition was longer, as Koudelka made some wonderful other photos in this series that are not included in either edition but which were exhibited at his first show of this work at the Carleton Gallery in New York in the 1970s and which were published in Popular Photography at that time.

Josef Koudelka is an absolute master of black and white photography. The print style in this book is different than in his Exiles book which I also own. The blacks are crushed and the paper is matte. Not a bad different, just different. This book highlights the many years he spent with the Roma people and was shot with an SLR and wide angle lens. So much different in terms of FOV than his normal work but I love it and.....who am I to give a book review. All I'll say is that if you are a fan of Koudelka, film photography, documentary or travel photography then this is a must have book for your collection.

This is an important study of a well defined group of people. Koudelka at a time when most photographers were just starting to document various social groups from around the world. Other people doing similar work were Cartier Brison, Dorthia Lang, Walker Evans.It's a must have for any photographic library.

The quality is good but the papers are a little thinner than that I expected.