Saul Leiter (Photofile) Paperback – April 27, 2009

It's a very nice little book that puts Leiter's work into your hands. The book is entitled "Photofile" for a reason. You will be very disappointed if you are look for a nice book of Leiter's work. The color images are unsaturated and lack the color luster that we've all come to love and the black & white images lack the contrast that were a signature in his work. I would say the book is a little bit overpriced for what you're getting and would suggest that you look at the reviews closely and purchase the more expensive collection books.Update: September 20, 2018 -I took some extra time after writing the first review to look at the book again and reflect on what I had said. I've upgraded to four stars. Saul Leiter never really cared whether he was famous or not. He wanted to share his work with the world just as he saw it. Leiter wanted to do nothing more than earn a living by doing what he enjoyed doing most. This "little book" is not only a photo file of his work but its little size is also a reflection of Saul Leiter, the humble human being himself.Updated - July 5, 2019 After watching Saul Leiter's one and only documentary I've upgraded this book to five stars. The photo is little but I've since learned that his other color book is out of print. I've learned that Leiter wanted his books to be small so he could set them on his night stand and this little photo file would have just fit his billing. I've now come to love the book and will now leave it to potential buyers to review my comments and decide for themselves.

Saul Leiter's photography reveals an urban world of rich, yet understated colours and abstract shapes. In some photos, he focuses on a reflective surface or the layer of condensation on a window, causing the objects or people behind them to appear fluid, disjointed or overlaid with a mosaic or other pattern. His black and white work explores juxtapositions, shapes and overlaid surfaces.I was apprehensive about buying this slim volume of Leiter's work, having recently purchased a copy of another collection of his photos: 'Early Color'. My concern was that there would be too much overlap. I need not have worried. Although about a third of the works in this collection of 64 photos also appear in 'Early Color', the entire book is superb. Moreover, about 25 of the images are of his black and white photos, with which I was entirely unacquainted.So, what should you do if you are mainly interested in Leiter's colour photography and are hesitating between this and 'Early Color'? If money is no object (and if 'Early Color' is still available, for I do not expect it to remain in print forever), I would recommend choosing 'Early Color'. Although the reproductions in this Photofile book are good, the slightly less bright paper of 'Early Color' better suits Leiter's muted colours. However, if you are budget-conscious or are looking for a selection that includes his monochrome work, this book would be the obvious choice. And if you already own 'Early Color' and are considering another volume of Leiter's wonderful photography, do not hesitate -- this book is a gem.

A bit disappointing. I thought this would be a collection of his best works. Many pictures that I absolutely love are not in here. Way too much of his black & white work is represented. Not enough color street photos or abstract street photos.

This book was a birthday gift for my husband (also a professional photographer) who has loved Leiter's work for years. He is very pleased with the book - with the coverage of Leiter's wonderful photographs. It covers ground on Leiter's work my husband has never seen before . There is no "least liked." It's a very good book about a very talented photographer.

It's a wonderful taste of saul's work good quality prints

The book advertised was a different printing that the one I received. The cover was different and of lower quality than other books in the series and didn't match the printing date or the cover as shown on the website.

ORDER IT !

Great intro to Saul Leiter. Not a great number of pages or fully comprehensive but worth it in my opinion.

This is an excellent introduction to the amazing art of Saul Leiter, truly the most shy master in the history of photography. He really invented in the Fifties a way in using the color when the photography as an art was completely devoted to black & white: he opened the track to Shore, Eggleston, Ghirri, and so on. His New York pictures are truly magic. The introduction by Max Kozloff describes precisely Leiter's work. There's only one small flaw: talking about the "Self Portrait" (1952) Kozloff cites a coffee mug, but the picture in the book has been cut out and the mug disappeared...

I recently saw a few of Saul Leiters photos and immediately decided I needed a proper introduction to his work. Having previously bought a couple of others from the Photofile series I had no hesitation in making this purchase which in turn has led me to buy Early Colour by Leiter himself.These are great books for whetting the appetite when you discover a new artist but aren't sure you want to spend bigger bucks.

Not expansive but affordable dabble into the world of Saul Lieter. A master long before he was found, this guy will teach you all about street photography, things you never even knew

If you are looking for great text you will be disapointed as the only essay is limited. However, there is lots of stuff out on the internet so this isn't a problem. Colour reproduction is a little soft and doesn't do justice to the original colour slides. This is only meant as an introduction to the artist and as such is worth a place on your bookshelf.

Trying to collect all in this series