Beach Stones by Iselin & Carruthers

Beach Stones with photographs by Josie Iselin, text by Margaret W. Carruthers. New York: Henry N. Abrams, 2006. ISBN: 978-0-8109-5533-2

This is a book you've GOT to see to believe. As someone who tumble polishes beach pebbles as a hobby, and has more rocks lying around in my living room than you can imagine, this book naturally caught my fancy in a BIG way. The pictures are just SO STUNNINGLY beautiful that I was totally enchanted, captivated.

You can view a few sample images online, by visiting the artist's web site. If what you see there doesn't make you rush out and buy the book, then I'm a better man than you, Gunga Din (to reverse paraphrase a famous Rudyard Kipling poem). By that, I merely mean that what strikes my fancy, may not catch yours, but I fail to see how ANYONE could not enjoy these pictures.

Although I suppose that I should confess that I don't actually own my own copy. The one I've been raving over comes from my local public library. But this IS a book I may actually have to buy for myself, sooner or later.

What's more, as the artist explains, these wonderful images were all made on her flat-bed scanner. Well, I too, own a flatbed scanner, and I have all these rocks, pebbles, stones, lying around, many of them beautiful in their own unique and individual ways. So naturally, I want to try my hand at this. Only, she doesn't really explain exactly how she goes about it. But I can't wait to try it myself, and see what happens.

The text is good too. But it's the pictures that grabbed me, and it's the pictures that make the book for me. I love this book! I hope you will too.