Francesca Woodman /

Two of the finest recent monographs on contemporary photographers, these publications use completely different presentations to highlight each artist's work to its best advantage. Jacobson's blurry black-and-white images, which he has described as an "ongoing meditation around desire, loss, and the role of photography as a vehicle for remembrance," offer hazy apparitions, stand-ins for our own lost acquaintances, friends, and lovers. Presented chronologically, the 49 pictures here progress from mostly light, nearly recognizable images of people in familiar settings through fading portraits to almost black, abstract seascapes. The design is minimal, with one exquisitely printed sheet-fed gravure per spread; there is no text, but a short story about a lost love by curator Kertess and a list of plates close the volume. Though she committed suicide in 1981 when she was just 22 years old, Woodman remains influential and her work looks as fresh and startling as that of anyone working today. The daughter of artists, she immersed herself in photography from the time she received her first camera and was recognized early as an exceptional talent. She most frequently used herself or, more precisely, her body as subject, and she produced a wide range of work, from surreal tableaux to story boards to fleeting portraits. These works that above all else seem to convey the imprecision of life are well analyzed in four introductory essays. Next come more than 110 pages of plates drawn from the full decade that she was active, followed by a biography, exhibition history, and bibliography. This is the only work on Woodman in print and by far the most comprehensive ever published; it deserves a place in any serious photography collection. Though perhaps not a definitive study, Jacobson's book presents his work in the best possible light and belongs in collections with an interest in contemporary photography.ÄEric Bryant, "Library Journal" (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.