The Terra Galleria Blog – QT Luong

I am compiling again a meta-list of best photobooks for the year, using the same methodology as for the Best Photobooks 2012 Meta-List.

The meta-list was seeded with the Aperture/Paris Photo PhotoBook AwardsShortlist – curiously, AOI [COD.19.I.I.43] – AZ7 [S/COD.23](2013) by Rossangela Renno, who won that award (as well as Arles) was the last of all 10 titles to be mentioned on another list. It then includes every “real” list on the phot(o)lia compilation, which I encourage you to visit to follow the links to those lists. I will update it on a weekly basis until the end of the year, when Photo Eye releases their own meta-list. Although overlapping is inevitable, this meta-list will not use the Photo Eye entries. At that point, there will be two large and distinct meta-lists which will be interesting to compare. The Photo Eye contributors are “photo luminaries” while the source for this meta-list is more democratic, including mainstream publications and individual bloggers.

Last year, I had waited for the flow of lists to subside before compiling the meta-list, but by that time, several of the titles were already sold out. Although this year I am releasing the meta-list early, as of beginning December, several top titles – some of them released in the fall – are sold out (I bought the last copy of two of them) notably Dalston Anatomy, Iris Garden, Silvermine, Karma, Grays the Mountain Sends, She Dances on Jackson, Two Rivers. Those who follow closely the world of photobooks and attend festivals certainly do not need the meta-list to hear about interesting titles. I hope that for others, like me, the meta-list can be a useful starting point.

Final update Dec 30, 2013

(22 votes)
Rasen Kaigan. LIEKO SHIGA Akaaka

(21 votes)
Holy Bible. BROOMBERG & CHANARIN Mack
The PIGS. CARLOS SPOTTORNO RM Verlag/Phree

(17 votes)
A Period of Juvenile Prosperity. MIKE BRODIE Twin Palms Publishers

(12 votes)
Iris Garden. WILLIAM GEDNEY & JOHN CAGE Little Brown Mushroom

(11 votes)
Dalston Anatomy. LORENZO VITTURI Jibijana Books/SPBH Editions
She Dances on Jackson. VANESSA WINSHIP Mack

(9 votes)
Excerpts from Silver Meadows. TODD HIDO Nazraeli
Two Rivers. CAROLYN DRAKE self-published

(8 votes)
Ametsuchi. RINKO KAWAUCHI Aperture
Control Order House EDMUND CLARK Here Press
Dark Knees. MARK COHEN Editions Xavier Barral
Emmet Gowin EMMET GOWIN Aperture
Grays the Mountain Sends. BRYAN SCHUTMAAT Silas Finch Foundation
Karma. ÓSCAR MONZÓN RVB/Dalpine
Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from Iraq. MICHAEL KAMBER (editor) University of Texas Press
Sergio Larrain. SERGIO LARRAIN Aperture / Thames & Hudson
Silvermine. THOMAS SAUVIN Archive of Modern Conflict

(7 votes)
New York Arbor. MITCH EPSTEIN Steidl
The Canaries. THILDE JENSEN Lena Publications

(6 votes)
An Atlas of War and Tourism in The Caucasus. ROB HORNSTRA & ARNOLD VAN BRUGGEN. Aperture
Away From Home. KURSAT BAYHAN self-published
Birds of the West Indies. TARYN SIMON Hatje Cantz
Food. HENK WILDSCHUT Post Editions
In and Out Of Fashion. VIVIANE SASSEN Prestel
Scoffing Pig. NOZOMI IIJIMA Reminders Photography Stronghold
The Grey Line. JO METSON SCOTT by Dewi Lewis
The Photography of Nature & The Nature of Photography. JOAN FONTCUBERTA Mack
This is Mars NASA/MRO Xavier Barral

(5 votes)
Far. EMILE HYPERION DUBUISSON Adad books
Paris in My Time MARK STEINMETZ Nazraeli
Scarti. ADAM BROOMBERG & OLIVER CHANARIN Trolley
Sometimes I can not smile. PIERGIORGIO CASOTTI self-published
Tokoyo No Mushi. YOSHIICHI HARA Sokyusha
Vía Pan Am KADIR VAN LOHUIZEN Paradox

(4 votes)
Almost There. ALEIX PLADEMUNT Mack
Ezekiel 36:36. NICK BALLON LAB Project
Hotel Oracle. JASON FULFORD The Before long Institute
Mass. MARK POWER GOST books
Surrendered Myself to the Chair of Life. JIN OHASHI Akaaka
Swell. MATEUSZ SARELLO Instytut Kultury Wizualnej
The Secret History of Khava Gaisanova. ROB HORNSTRA & ARNOLD VAN BRUGGEN Sochi Project
Top Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives. SIMON MENNER Hatje Cantz
Tractor boys. MARTIN BOGREN Aman Iman / Dewi lewis.
Wall. JOSEF KOUDELKA Aperture
We Make the Path by Walking. PAUL GAFFNEY self-published

(3 votes)
10X10 American Photobooks. RUSSET LEDERMAN, OLGA YASKEVITCH & MATTHEW CARSON (ed) bookdummypress
82 DAVID THOMSON Archive of Modern Conflict
A01 [COD.19.1.1.43] — A27 [S | COD.23] ROSÂNGELA RENNÓ RR Edições
Across the Ravaged Land. NICK BRANDT Abrams
Amateurs & Lovers. NIKOLAY BAKHAREV Dashwood Books
Ariphoto selection vol. 4. ARIMOTO SHINYA Totem Pole Photo Gallery
Bright Nights.TOD SEELIE Prestel
Casa de Campo ANTONIO XOUBANOVA Mack
Dual 1 and Dual 2. TOSHITHUGU YAMAWAKI
Garry Winogrand. GARRY WINOGRAND Yale University Press
Genesis SEBASTIÃO SALGADO Taschen
Gregory Crewdson. GREGORY CREWDSON Rizzoli
Hesitating Beauty. JOSHUA LUTZ Schilt Publishing,
History of the Visit. DANIEL REUTER Self-published
Hustlers. PHILIP-LORCA DICORCIA SteidlDangin
Imitation of Christ. WILLIAM E. JONES Mack
L’amoureuse. ANNE DE GELAS Le caillou Bleu
Orchard Beach: The Bronx Riviera. WAYNE LAWRENCE Prestel
Self publish be happy book club vol. III. CRISTINA DE MIDDEL, Self Publish Be Happy
Self-Portraits. VIVIAN MAIER Powerhouse
Skeletons in the Closet. KLAUS PICHLER self-published
Stakeout Diary. YUKICHI WATABE roshin books
The Arrangement. RUTH VAN BEEK RVB Books
Water EDWARD BURTYNSKY Steidl
Zimbabwe: Your Wounds Will Be Named Silence. ROBIN HAMMOND Actes Sud/Foundation Carmignac Gestion
_08:08 Operating Theatre. PINO MUSI

(2 votes)
A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World ZHAO RENHUI Institute of Critical Zoologists
A Remote Barely Audible Evening Walz. MAX SHER Treemedia
AKT. MAJA FORSSLUND Steidl
Ad Infinitum. KRIS VERVAEKE self-published
After the Threshold. SANDI HABER FIFIELD Kehrer
Ahlan! NURIA CARRASCO Self-published
Almost. GUY ARCHARD
American Colour 1962-1965. TONY RAY-JONES Mack
Anticorps. ANTOINE D’AGATA Editions Xavier Barral
Beautiful Pig. BEN SCHONBERGER Self-published
Before They Pass Away JIMMY NELSON Teneues
Bill Brandt Shadow and Light. BILL BRANDT | Moma
Black Country Females. MARTIN PARR Multistory
Breathing the Same Air. NELLI PALOMAKI Hatje Cantz
Cinque Paesaggi, 1983-1993. GUIDO GUIDI Postcart/ICCD
Conflict Resolution LOUIS PORTER self-published
Contacts. TOSHIO SHIBATA Poursuite
Costa JOSÉ PEDRO CORTES Pierre Von Kleist
Cut Shaving. JAAP SCHEEREN Fw:
Dorothea Lange. Grab a Hunk of Lightning. DOROTHEA LANGE Chronicle Books
Einmal ist keinmal. MIKA KITAMURA Therme
Empire. JON TONKS Dewi Lewis
Etan & Me. VIVIANE SASSEN Oodee
Eternal Chase. TAMIKO NISHIMURA
Field Trip. MARTIN KOLLAR Mack
Fires. RON JUDE Museum of Contemporary Photography
Flash Up (reprint). SEIJI KURATA Zen Photo Gallery
Foreclosures. BRUCE GILDEN Brown Editions
Fragments of calm. SUDA ISSEI Toseisha
Gasoline. DAVID CAMPANY Mack
Gecko. TAKUMA NAKAHIRA Little Big Man
Here are the Young men. CLAIRE FELICIE self published
Hier. JITKA HANZLOVA Koenig Books
How to be a Photographer in Four Lessons. THOMAS VANDEN DRIESSCHE André Frère Éditions.
Humans of new york. BRANDON STANTON St. Martin’s
I smell like rain. VERENA BLOK Self-published
Imaginary Club. OLIVER SIEBER GwinZegal & BöhmKobayachi
Imogen Cunningham. IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM TF Editores/D.A.P.
Kennedy in Berlin. ULRICH MACK Hirmer
LDN2. ANTHONY CAIRNS Archive of Modern Conflict
Love and War. GUILLAUME SIMONEAU Dewi Lewis
Lucas. ERIC STEPHANIAN Self-published
Mandy and Eva. WILLEKE DUIJVEKAM Eigenverlag
Mitakuye Oyasin. AARON HUEY Radius Books
Nangokusho ATSUSHI FUJIWARA Sokyusha
Offrenda. SEBASTIAN SZYD & NANDITA RAMAN AC Photo
Ostalgia. SIMONA ROTA. Fabulatorio
Paris mortel retouché. JOHAN VAN DER KEUKEN Willem van Zoetendaal
Pierdom. SIMON ROBERTS Dewi Lewis
Ping Pong Conversations. ALEC SOTH with FRANCESCO ZANOT Contrasto
Ping Pong. ALEC SOTH, GEOFF DYER & PICO IYER Little Brown Mushroom
Prince Street Girl. SUSAN MEISELAS. Catherine & André Hug
Shanxi.ZHANG XIAO Little Big Man
Sheets. RINKO KAWAUCHI Kominek
Shinan. MICHAEL KENNA Nazraeli
Shrove Tuesday. KAI KEIJIRŌ Totem Pole Photo Gallery
Speaking of Scars. TERESA ENG If / Then Books
Splinter. EVA VERMANDEL
Still Lifes, Portraits and Parts. DANIEL GORDON Morel Books
Storms. MITCH DOBROWNER Aperture
Strangely Familiar. PETER MITCHELL Nazraeli
Sworn virgins. PEPA HRISTOVA Kehrer Verlag
The Black Photo Album / Look at Me: 1890–1950. SANTU MOFOKENG Steidl
The Christmas Tree Bucket. TRENT PARKE Steidl
The Disappeared. VERONICA FIEIRAS self-published
The End of la Belle Epoque. MISHA PEDAN Kimaira Publishing
The Fourth Wall. MAX PINCKERS Self-published
The Non-Conformists. MARTIN PARR Aperture
The Waiting Game. TXEMA SALVANS RM Editorial
The good earth. ANDREAS WEINAND Peperoni
Twin Boat. KOJI ONAKA Session Press
Vanishing existence. KOSUKE OKAHARA Backyard project
Veins. ANDERS PETERSEN & JACOB AUE SOBOL Dewi Lewis Publishing
Vietnam, the Real War PETE HAMILL Abrams
VisibleInvisible. DOROTHEE DEISS
Você está feliz? MIGUEL RIO BRANCO
War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath. ANNE WILKES TUCKER Yale University Press