Horn Please: The Decorated Trucks of India Hardcover – 2 December 2014

Beautiful book

I backpacked through India earlier this year and marveled at the many decorated cabs, trucks, and auto rickshaws throughout the country. So naturally, I was delighted to discover a photo book on this subject existed.Unfortunately, this book's a bit of a dud. Despite the rich artwork and the seemingly interesting people it showcases, this book makes no attempt to give context to its imagery or the drivers (apart from a brief one page foreword). There's also stunning lack of creativity in the staging of the photos—photographer Eckstein rarely strays from two compositions: straight-on shots of the front of a truck, and a passenger view of the driver looking towards the camera. It's really missing the unpredictable chaos that makes India so unique.Technically, the images are lovely and the book is well constructed. But it's a bit disheartening that the author passed on the opportunity to really tell a story about these machines, their artists, and their drivers.

Well photographed, presented, and printed. These images are difficult to capture due to the complexity of the subject. Careful viewing, particularly of the truck interiors, reveals a wealth of detail regarding Indian culture and contemporary life. Even after my 8 weeks in India, it was always a thrill to see one of the trucks barrelling down the highway or around a mountain curve. This book shows well the Indian talent of making the plain extraordinary!

Pictures are not sharp. Little detail of the trucks/locations/drivers.

Excellent images, a lovely book