FAR TO THE NORTH: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BROOKS RANGE by Witmer, Dennis (Photographer); Adams, Robert & Stafford, William (Contributors) - 2005

Fairbanks, Alaska: Far To The North Publishing, 2005. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/No Dust Jacket, As Issued.. Fairbanks, Alaska: Far To The North Publishing, 2005. Hardcover. Fine/None, As Issued. First Edition/First Printing. 48 pages. Retrospective collection of photographs on subject. One of the most beautiful art photography books on a pristine natural landscape ever published in our time. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. A brilliant production by Dennis Witmer: Oversize-volume format. Khaki cloth boards with photographic reproduction pasted on the cover and black titles embossed on the cover and spine, as issued. Photographs by Dennis Witmer. Poem, "Allegiances", by William Stafford. Text Excerpt from "Why We Photograph" by Robert Adams. Printed in duotone on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is outstanding in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents Dennis Witmer's "Far To The North: Photographs From The Brook Range". Majestic photographs of a remote Natural Wonder that was spared the destruction and environmental calamity wrought by Man everywhere else. A student of Robert Adams (who is acknowledged in both the Epigraph and Credits), the latter's influence on his austerely beautiful imagery is unmistakable. The Athabaskan Gwazhal, as it is known to Alaskan natives, is a mountain range in North America stretching 700 miles. "One of the most remote and least-disturbed wildernesses of North America, it is immense and inaccessible enough to earn a nearly mythic reputation. Explores the limits of the tree line that juts through the southern edge of the range, revealing northern peaks and valleys bare of vegetation and glossed over by a softening snow that can arrive at any time of the year. A magnificent glimpse at Nature in its most pristine and raw form, this epic photography will be a welcome addition to the collection of any explorer or lover of the Northern landscape" (Publisher's blurb). Witmer's (and his imagery's) musical counterpart is the Alaskan composer John Luther Adams ("Become Ocean", 2014). An absolute "must-have" title for Dennis Witmer collectors. <b><i> This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed and dated (in the year of publication) in blue ink-pen on the half-title page by the photographer: "Dennis Witmer 10/31/05". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary art photography classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed and publication-year dated copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing available online and despite its imperfection (slight rubbing and wear on the exposed cloth boards, but it's there) is still in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. It is priced accordingly. Please note: Dennis Witmer did NOT sign most copies. Copies available online have serious flaws. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. </b></i> 33 duotone plates. One of the most brilliant American photographers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER DENNIS WITMER TITLE IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0977102807.