About the Author

In getting ready to read the book “Ansel Adam’s – America’s Photographer”, I started by looking for some information about the author. I could not find a personal website or much biographical information about her. I find that ironic because her career as an author has been primarily writing Biographies of others for a young reader audience.

In addition to Ansel Adams, she has written about people with varied backgrounds: Norman Rockwell (artist), Robert Louis Stevension (author), Jimmy Carter (US President), E.B.White (author), Sandra Day O’Connor (Supreme Court Justice), Agnes DeMille (dancer), and Georgia O’Keefe (artist).

What did they share? “They all had in common a gift for making a difference in the world around them.”
(http://www.arnenixoncenter.org/finding_aids/anc0004.htm)

About her work, and Ansel Adams specifically, she said,

I'm curious about people's lives. Some call me a terrible snoop because I love reading diaries and letters to discover the secrets within. I think that's why I write biographies.

In his eighty-two years, Ansel Adams wrote thousands of letters to his friends-- about his travels and what he was trying to accomplish in his photographs. His letters convinced me that he was a warm human being and a critical artist, always attempting to improve his work.

He worked hard, traveling the United States to record the natural world. He climbed the highest peaks in Yosemite and other national parks, photographing breathtaking sights. He returned to his darkroom, to carefully develop his negatives and artistically shape the scenes. His work has preserved these scenes and convinced presidents and environmentalists to protect our precious wilderness.

I am grateful that he also preserved his long, detailed letters so that I could learn from his words how he made his art.”
(http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/Beverly_Gherman_(1010598)_Article(1).htm)