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Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis Audiobook
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(4.01) - 691 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Famed photographer Edward Curtis's remarkable untold story from the Pulitzer winner, Timothy Egan.--An incredible narrative and a biographical portrait, Egan's book tells the remarkable story behind Edward Curtis's iconic photographs, following him throughout India from desert to rainforest as he struggled to document the stories and rituals of more than eighty tribes. His great adventure succeeded in creating one of America's most stunning cultural achievements. Bonus disc with Curtis's photos.
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"Curtis rose from a grade-school drop-out to one of the most well-known names of his time. Then he dropped to being essentially an unknown by the time he died. One of the most fascinating factoids for me was that two of his assistants went on to be two of the greatest and best known women photographers of their time: Imogen Cunningham and Ella McBride."
— Mary-lynne (5 out of 5 stars)
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher Listener Reviews
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" An excellent read, chronicling the impassioned life and extraordinary work of Edward Curtis, who captured vanishing Native American cultures through 44,000 photographs, 10,000 recordings, 75 language dictionaries over a 33 year period at the turn of the last Century. "
— Steven, 2/20/2014 -
" I really enjoyed Egan's other books--the historical facts laced with personal narratives of the characters whose lives were affected. And while I'm interested in Edward S. Curtis and his work, this book failed to capture me in the same way. It's due at the library, so I'm taking it back unfinished. I may, however, look online for more of Curtis's photography. I wished there had been more of those included in Egan's book. "
— Paula, 2/11/2014 -
" I thought Curtis was an amazing person. His dedication was inspiring but his treatment so sad. He was ahead of his time for sure "
— Margie, 1/13/2014 -
" Loved this adventure biography of Edward Curtis. Each night I curled up with this book I felt like I was transported to another place in time. Not astonishing was the fact that he was a very bad business man and a very bad husband, not unlike other geniuses of the time such as Frank Lloyd Wright. "
— Polly, 1/12/2014 -
" If you are interested in Curtis or the Native American experience in the early 1900s, you will love this book. Curtis was a man with a mission, and what a difficult mission. "
— Susan, 1/7/2014 -
" Not quite finished. As long as the job done telling Curtis' story is good, what on earth could be wrong with this book? And the story Curtis captured in his photographs...unfathomably heartbreaking. "
— Debbie, 10/27/2013 -
" This excellent biography and social commentary is a worthy addition to Timothy Egan's "The Worst Hard Times" and "The Big Burn." History classes could well focus on these three books to emphasize social structures that have shaped our national psyche in the twentieth century. "
— Colin, 9/25/2013 -
" This is 2 1/2. I really enjoyed Egan's other book, but this one fell flat for me. It easily could have been a shorter book. "
— Lewis, 9/10/2013 -
" I don't read a lot of non-fiction these days, but I couldn't put down this book. Well-written. The author made me feel like I was right there seeing the history of Edward Curtis unfold before my eyes. "
— Chris, 8/6/2013 -
" Extra-specially fascinating because he was from Seattle and the stories of how different things were - for Aborigines and Whites - even 100 years ago was amazing. "
— Kyla, 5/13/2013 -
" The subject of this book and the acomplishments of Edward Curtis are astounding! The author, Timothy Egan has written an incredible book. "
— Evonne, 5/13/2013 -
" Loved this book and it made me go out and order Nanook of the North and War Canoes videos. For future readers, all of his photos have been digitized by the Libary of Congress. I think some of the original hard copies are in Harvard libraries. "
— Cstanton, 3/21/2013 -
" Timothy Egan is a must-read author for me, but this book chronicled and did not make alive a fascinating man and anthropological project. Both of deep interest to me. Maybe because much of the text was reacting to photos that were not reproduced in the book. "
— Debra, 2/28/2013 -
" Love this book........been to most of the places described in the narrative and makes me want to go back and take another look. "
— Lori, 1/21/2013 -
" Brilliant. I cannot say whether I am more stunned by Curtis' photographs, his life story, or Egan's telling of the story. I deeply appreciate all three. "
— Patti, 10/24/2012
About Timothy Egan
Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and the author of nine other books, including three New York Times bestsellers. His account of photographer Edward Curtis, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher, won the Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction. His book on the Dust Bowl, The Worst Hard Time, won a National Book Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a Washington State Book Award winner, and a Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book.
About David Drummond
David Drummond has made his living as an actor for over twenty-five years, appearing on stages large and small throughout the country and in Seattle, Washington, his hometown. He has narrated over thirty audiobooks, in genres ranging from current political commentary to historical nonfiction, fantasy, military, thrillers, and humor. He received an AudioFile Earphones Award for his first audiobook, Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay. When not narrating, he keeps busy writing plays and stories for children.