Peter Menzel is a photographer known for his coverage of
international feature stories on science and the environment. His
award-winning photographs have been published in Life, National
Geographic, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine, Time, Stern,
GEO, and Le Figaro. Together with Faith D’Aluisio, he is the
co-creator of the books Material World: A Global Family Portrait
and Women in the Material World; and is the co-author of Man Eating
Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects.
Faith D'Aluisio is a former television news producer and is
the editor and lead writer for their Material World books, which
include Material World: A Global Family Portrait, Women in the
Material World, the James Beard Award-winning Man Eating Bugs, and
What the World Eats.
“Material culture, laid bare in this way, is surprisingly
intimate—and whets a persons appetite to see the world.” —The
Atlantic
“Striking.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“This remarkable book vividly presents its own cross section of
families today, with the energy and intimacy of a work of art for
our times . . . This is a record of striking value. No time
traveler could bring back a more valuable resource.” —Scientific
America
YA‘A fascinating look at the material possessions of families throughout the world. These people have been determined ``average'' for their countries and have agreed to have photographers move the contents of their houses outside in order to create visible representations of their relative standards of living. The dirt house and few possessions of Mali residents contrast with the 4 cars, 45-foot long sofa, and 12+ oriental carpets lined up outside the luxury home of a family from Kuwait. Each chapter includes the original spread of possessions, statistics about each family and country, as well as further pictures of daily life and some observations by the photographer. Interspersed among the chapters, which are divided by region, are pictorial representations of such interesting comparisons as televisions, meals, and toilets. Almost all of the pictures are in full color. Menzel hoped this would be ``a unique tool for grasping cross-cultural realities.'' It is that and much more.‘Susan H. Woodcock, King's Park Library, Burke, VA
"Material culture, laid bare in this way, is surprisingly
intimate-and whets a persons appetite to see the world." -The
Atlantic
"Striking." -San Francisco Chronicle
"This remarkable book vividly presents its own cross section of
families today, with the energy and intimacy of a work of art for
our times . . . This is a record of striking value. No time
traveler could bring back a more valuable resource." -Scientific
America
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