ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512110013
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: G-5 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY MIKE MAYO
As always, the 1996 calendars range across the full spectrum of monthly wall decoration from meticulous nature photography to sexy Hollywood foolishness.
This year's roundup begins with a local favorite.
The work of photographer George C. Davis, who recorded this area on film, is the subject of "Roanoke 1996" ($13.95. Roanoke Valley Historical Society & Museum). These black and white pictures - taken mostly in the 1920s, '30s and '40s - were never meant to be calendar art, and that's what makes them so effective. Davis was trying to show what Roanoke was like. He was interested in accuracy, not scenic vistas, pretty mountainscapes or flattering portraits. His subjects were amusement parks, streetcar tracks, roads, airplanes, the Academy of Music, and, of course, people.
It's obvious that these folks knew they were having their picture taken, and so even the big crowd scenes have a posed formality you don't find in contemporary photographs. My own favorite is the cover, Davis himself standing beside his Buick, ready to drive off for the next job.
(By the way, Davis' work is also available in sets of postcards and trading cards from Ewald-Clark.)
Nature calendars are always popular. Two of this year's best come from The Nature Conservancy. "The 1996 Calendar" (Scribner. $8.95) and the smaller "Engagement Calendar" ($12.95) aim for airbrushed perfection, and they capture it. From azalea blossoms floating in a cypress swamp to a bobcat kitten and a reclining Florida panther, the photographs are chosen for their soothing colors and shapes. The Engagement Calendar is a little more abstract and adventurous, but it too is designed to look good with rich colors, exotic creatures and careful compositions.
The American Museum of Natural History's "The Natural Moment" (Scribner. $10.95), on the other hand, freezes unusual action - a dangling orangutan, zebras galloping in water, male kangaroos duking it out, a coyote chasing dinner (a field mouse) through the snow, a goofy owl, a flurry of butterflies. The photographs have a quirky, sometimes humorous quality that sets this calendar apart.
"Kenan Ward Wildlife 1996" (Landmark. $10.99) is more straightforward, with simple photographs, apparently unstaged, of wild animals in their environment. "National Parks 1996" (Landmark. $10.99) is a collection of gorgeous landscapes that reach, literally, from sea to shining sea - Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, to LaPush Beach, Olympia National Park, Washington - with one fine shot of the Shenandoah National Park in autumn.
Roger Tory Peterson's "World of Birds 1996" (Scribner. $12.95) is less realistic than readers of his famous "Field Guides" might expect. Though the physiological details of birds are scrupulously accurate, the paintings themselves are reminiscent of Audubon. The subjects range from exotic tropical birds to commonplace cardinals and jays; each is rendered with the same painstaking care.
Moving from the natural world to crass commerce, always a favorite subject of calendar art, we find "1996 X Calendar" (Landmark. $10.99) for fans of TV's cult hit, "The X Files." The emphasis here is not on special effects creations or extraterrestrials, but on the quirky humor that's the key to the show's success. Most of the photographs are taken from quiet scenes, backed up with lines of dialogue:
"Scully: Oh my God, Mulder ... it smells like ... I think it's bile.
"Mulder: Is there any way I can quickly get it off my finger without betraying my cool exterior?"
"Goldeneye 1996" (Landmark. $11.99) is a collection of color publicity shots from the hit movie. "Anna Nicole Smith 1996" (Landmark. $11.99) is unapologetic cheesecake that recalls the brassy, vulgar sexuality of '50s bombshell Jayne Mansfield. Any editorial comment would be unnecessary. The buxom model and millionaire's widow knows what her fans want, and she delivers.
Mike Mayo is the former book page editor for this newspaper.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GEORGE DAVIS. A 1927 photo of Jefferson Street andby CNBCampbell Avenue from the history museum 's "Roanoke 1996" calendar.