The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis

Having been a professional photographer, my interest in Edward Curtis has always been keen, but this book is more than just another biography of yet another historic artist. You will be transported through a most ugly American era and it's treatment of the native americans. Edward Curtis endeavoured to bring light into this dark corner of history and was scarcely recognized for his incredible life's work.

Excellent non-fiction/biography on Edward Curtis who over 30 years photographer, recorded, and documented 80 North American tribes--an amazing accomplishment for a man unheralded in his time. His full set of 20 volumes recently sold at Sotheby's for $1.5 million. Backed by J.P. Morgan, Curtis lost his family and control of the rights to his work and died penniless, yet his work now stands as an astounding accomplishment.

Absolutely fantastic. Egan's sympathetic and thoroughly researched overview of the many accomplishments of Edward S. Curtis, against great odds, is a veritable gem. As one who has benefited from utilization of the Curtis field team's recordings on Thomas Edison's wax cylinder machine, transferred to tape, I am particularly blessed by the efforts of early amateur ethnographers. At the turn of the century they took it upon themselves to preserve precious images, songs and stories that were close to extinction.

This an interesting and compelling account of one man's dedication to a goal throughout his life. The vision that Curtis had of capturing the images of all Native American peoples and the best accounts and of their heritage and languages into a collection of publications would seem to be unattainable though he came as close as possible it would seem. I have never seen the collection itself though reading this book certainly compels me to do so.
Dennis

Long overdue and quite revealing. I disagree with those critics who accuse Egan of romanticizing Curtis' journey, or of being overly enamored of his subject and the West. It's an often rollicking read, no doubt, but these were rollicking times. Those who have wondered what drove Curtis to leave
a comfortable life, profession, and family to chronicle the lifeway of his subjects, will find their answers in this epic read. Egan seems as passionate about his subject as Curtis was about his.

Timothy Egan completes detailed primary document research before presenting his exceptional historical titles, whether writing about the history of the U.S. Forest Service or the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. His writing style is interesting and insightful, building to a complex and well rounded summation. As a collector of Curtis works, this title added greatly to my knowledge about him and his incredible project.

Other reviews go into some depth on the story. The only comment I'd like to add is that the author is quite breathlessly taken with the genius of the subject -- and wants to make sure the reader agrees -- to such an extent that I found it a little wearing. I'd prefer to simply hear the facts of this amazing life with truly extraordinary accomplishments so that I can feel the excitement and admiration based on my own impressions. A worthy read.

Fascinating and inspiring man. Tim Egan has written this amazing history that reads like fiction. I am challenged to follow my passion. And to live a simple life. And to appreciate all that our native Americans have survived at the hands of civilization. The wounds have still not healed. But also celebrate the lost culture so misunderstood by white America. Shouldn't our kids and grandkids read this in their schools?

Fascinating story of a driven man with a noble mission to immortalize the American Indian culture in our history. Curtice was about 30 years ahead of his time and suffered for it. Egan does a masterful job in bringing Curtis' struggles to life as well as portraying a time in history that is now lost to us. Well worth reading.

Mr. Eagan has done it again. His books take fascinatinating characters and bring them alive. He does this with the photographer Edward Curtis and his magnificent obsession. Curtis is one of those little known, mythological characters that has shaped how we have come envision the "Old West". His photos are iconic. THIS IS A GREAT READ!!!

This a fascinating study of Edward Curtis' photography of the North American Indian tribes. He even recorded their language, music, and dances. Also interesting were Curtis' fund-raising abilities - his donors included Teddy Roosevelt and JP Morgan. This book could have been a more objective analysis of Curtis, since Egan shows the reader very little negative information about his marriage and family problems. Overall, the biography is a unique look at an outstanding photographer trying to capture American tribal life before it passed into history.

Edward Curtis has always been around in my consciousness. I mean who hasn't seen pictures of Indians taken by Curtis? I have not yet finished this book, but I savor the descriptions and delight in the history current to Curtis' life that is woven in. I will look at his pictures with new insight now, and that is what I look for in a five-star book: new eyes.

I never knew how much work and thought Edward Curtis put into his famous Native American photo-art...now I do! This is an amazing story of his life's work...and more importantly it's an incredible insight into the history of the Native America people. It is so exquisitely written by Egan and illustrated with Curtis' photographs that everyone can enjoy it. Do not miss reading this true story! I guarantee you'll learn something new and love doing it.

Timothy Eagan really gets down to the nitty gritty of the thought processes by Edward Sheriff Curtis and his team that were able to climb creative mountains to record a thirty year body of work that today still stands out for its sheer class and quality. A must read!

A very well researched and well written account of the amazing and complex life of Edward Curtis. The gift of his art and documentation of the lives of the remaining Native Americans of his time and the sacrifice of his marriage and family life were painful to try to balance but his was a remarkable contribution to us all!

Those who are students of history, interested in our nations organic inhabitants, or those simply looking for a good read would do well to spend a few quiet hours with this book. It is not only a memorial to the unique mission and amazing life of a great and visionary artist, ethinographer and naturalist; it is also a tribute to our first people who had a culture and faith that had sustained them over the centuries preceding the coming of the Europeans arrival to America. Again , Timothy Egan has captured history and made it alive for the reader.

As a lover of Native Americans, I am eternally grateful to Edward Curtis for his foresight and dedication to this project and to Timothy Egan for bringing Mr Curtis to life for all of us. The pictures (which we've seen all of our lives) now have their own story and have come to life in a very special way. The vision that both made and destroyed parts of Edward Curtis' life, is rarely seen anymore, except for people like Timothy Eagan. Thank you for this journey.

Enjoyed reading this biography on Kindle and iPad Kindle reader. The author's riveting story does justice for an incredible man who never received the recognition he deserved for his magnum opus. The few photos included in the book were good quality (on my iPad Kindle reader). However, we actually purchased the separate hardback "coffee table" book of Curtis's photographs, Gulbrandsen's "Edward S. Curtis: Visions of the First Americans."
Do yourself a favor and buy BOTH the Egan biography (in whatever format suits you) PLUS the Gulbrandsen hardcover book of photographs. Three of our family members were reading the biography and referring to the "big book" over the holidays.

"Short Nights" starts out to read like fiction; I had to double check that this is a true story of a self made maverick. It develops into the story of a man with an obsession, and obsessions, almost by definition, can become tedious. Nevertheless, the story of a man whose life became dedicated to making a photographic (and more) record of the tribes of native Americans was new territory and worth exploring.

This is a really interesting book and well worth reading for anyone interested in US history or early photography of the US. Extremely well written and does a great job of being informative while still staying interesting and captivating. I loved it!

A delightful accounting of the incredible passion with which Curtis documented Native American peoples. You will be amazed at his single-minded commitment to this monumental project without which a major portion of America's cultural history would have been lost.

Timothy Egan brings remarkable historical characters to life. He immediately draws the reader in and keeps your interest to the end. I'm glad he has made Edward Curtis and his fantastic life known to me.

I purchased Shadow Catcher for my Kindle, before watching and listening to Timothy Egan's presentation about the book at the 2013 Tucson Festival of Books. The book is outstanding. I highly recommend it. Extremely well written. A prize winner. Books and photography are my drugs of choice, making Mr. Egan's work mainlining stuff for me.

Egan's prose and research are remarkable. I resisted the boring history taught in school in Seattle. Why could I have not had a text like this instead of waiting 50 years? Curtis has always been a big name in Seattle, but his mission and later life were eye opening. My heart is heavier than ever for the treatment of the natives. Thank you, Timothy Egan. Give me more.

A fascinating history of a fascinating man who set out to chronicle, through photographs and text,the lives and lifestyles of American Indian tribes before their ways disappeared. Appalling what our government and the Canadian government did to them. The commitment of Edward Curtis to his self assigned task never waivered no matter the cost.

Edward Curtis photographs are beautiful. It was good to read the struggles he met with and resolved during his 20 year quest to photograph our Native Peoples, before their heritage was erradicated by western beliefs of assimilation. I learned he was a Seattle native, previously unkown to me, that he went broke, lost his marriage and most of his support during this quest and just how much it took to reach the remote villages of our First People. I also learned he was an inspirational Dad. Thank you Timothy Egan for compiling this enormous body of work. Pam

This book was chosen by my book club and something I don't think I would have chosen, but after reading it I have a better understanding of all the tribes in the United States. Edward Curtis was amazing man, historian and photographer .

How lucky we are that Curtis felt called to document the life of Native Americans before they were all killed or assimilated into white culture.
This book should interest adventurers, dreamers, photographers, geographers, and every person living on former Native American soil -- everyone in the U.S.
This biography should be on the required reading list for high school students.
Fourteen women in my book club are reading it this month; I can't wait to hear the discussion.

A superb biography of a self taught genius who did a great deal to preserve the significant heritage of native Americans. Along with The Worst of Hard Times and the Big Burn, Egan has showed himself to be an excellent researcher and writer who crafts a compelling and important work.

SC Smith
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An amazing account of Curtis' life work, brillantly written. Timohy Egan sought to show the humanity of Curtis and what he sacrificed to accomplish his goals. So worth the time it takes to read it. Makes you rethink what we think we know about the American Indian and how the West was "won".

Very well written and researched story of Edward curtis who receives quite a balanced review despite his obsessions that destroyed his life.
The detail is astonding as are the pictures painted inmwords of the people and places that so fascinated Curtis.

Engaging on many levels. The amazing story of Edward Curtis and his commitment and perseverance in photographing and documenting the disappearing American Indian. A sad and revealing history on the mistreatment of the indian people, and a fascinating saga of Curtis' own triumphs and failings in pursuit of his dreams.

Excellent book. Well written. Fascinating account of Curtis' life and struggles. The. Accounts of his photographs are wonderful. A very readable informative book, especially for those of us who live in the northwest and have studied the native Americans.

This story had enough uniqueness that I felt like I took a pleasant and interesting side trip. I've read several good books about Native Americans but to go along with a photographer back in that day included a lot of variety. I appreciated the underlying melancholic tones from all corners.

A Fascinating biography of a legendary photographer and anthropologist that helped preserve the history and heritage of the great original American inhabitants. Clear and concise, detailed only where its needed. Keeps your attention. Once you pick it up its hard to put down.

Not only is it well written and well researched, but it is told with such clarity and detail that I was transported. Curtis was a fascinating figure, motivated by some inner calling and compelled without any external reward. I especially loved the photographs at the end of each chapter. I was unaware of so much that is presented here, the involvement of Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, not to mention the toll taken on Curtis' life and family. Well done!

I've read and studied much about the North American Indians for 50 years, but what I learned from reading this book doubled my knowledge and understanding of the vanished cultures, lifestyles, customs of the various tribes and study of the notable "chiefs". Learning about the "potlatch", alone, for pondering our contrasting materialism, was easily worth the price of the book. I later bought two additional copies to pass on to family and friends.

I found this book incredibly interesting. Amazing that anyone would not only embrace such a massive undertaking, persevere in getting the details, and then follow through to it's completion. Curtis must have been born destined for this task. Incredible. A fascinating tale.
I only wish it had included more of his photographs.

Another story about an fascinating individual who focuses his entire life on one journey, loses everything but stays true to the goal and later history recognizes them for their extraordinary achievement.

Curtis's photographs have given the Native American people and all the rest of us a window to the past. This book is well written, documented and is a true page turner. I've appreciated the artistic nature of Curtis's photos for years, but now I can appreciate the price he paid for his work. I'm grateful, but what a choice!