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Ansel Adams: An Autobiography

Ansel Adams: An Autobiography

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  • Update Date：2025-09-14
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  • Author：Ansel Adams
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Summary

Discover this "evocative celebration of the life， career， friendships， concerns， and vision" of Ansel Adams， America's greatest photographer （New York Times）
"No lover of Ansel Adams' photographs can afford to miss this book。" - Wallace Stegner
In this bestselling autobiography， completed shortly before his death in 1984， Ansel Adams looks back at his legendary six-decade career as a conservationist， teacher， musician， and， above all， photographer。Illustrated with eight pages of Adams' gorgeous black-and-white photographs， this book brings readers behind the images into the stories and circumstances of their creation。 Written with characteristic warmth， vigor， and wit， this fascinating account brings to life the infectious enthusiasms， fervent battles， and bountiful friendships of a truly American original。
"A warm， discursive， and salty document。" - New Yorker

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Reviews

Baal Of ，

There is a lot to like about Ansel Adams。 He was a true master of his craft， and he had well-reasoned， balanced， progressive attitudes towards conservation and protection of wild spaces， which should be part of our national heritage。 I loved his take down of Reagan， someone whom I have long considered a major factor in the path towards the political divisiveness in this country， and the rapid escalation of wealth disparity。 He pushed hard for photography to be taken seriously as an artistic ende There is a lot to like about Ansel Adams。 He was a true master of his craft， and he had well-reasoned， balanced， progressive attitudes towards conservation and protection of wild spaces， which should be part of our national heritage。 I loved his take down of Reagan， someone whom I have long considered a major factor in the path towards the political divisiveness in this country， and the rapid escalation of wealth disparity。 He pushed hard for photography to be taken seriously as an artistic endeavor。 He was adventurous and driven。Even if his style isn't the kind of thing I would have in my home， there are some beautiful images in this book for example "White Rock" at the very beginning， and "Clearing Winter Storm" on page 243。 The amount of adulation he receives from his admirers is well deserved。He could also， like any human， be a bit of an asshole sometimes。 In particular with his hatred of William Mortensen， as shown by this quote from page 244 My only regret is that the identity of said corpse is not our Laguna Beach colleague [William Mortensen]。 I am convinced there are several stages of decay。 Adams went out of his way to destroy Mortensen's career as much as he could。 He was incensed that a museum displayed both his own， and Mortensen's work at the same time， and that just made me laugh。 I like Mortensen's work more， but that is because I'm a philistine with poor taste in art。Still， it was worth reading this book， despite some of the more boring personal letters， for the insights into how Adams became the force he was， and to gain some understanding of why he made the art that he did。 。。。more

Dakota ，

Insight into a true artist's mind！ And what a life he lived - adventure， creativity， role model， giving back。 Insight into a true artist's mind！ And what a life he lived - adventure， creativity， role model， giving back。 。。。more

David Koerner ，

A delight for anyone devoted to the interplay between the arts and nature。 I found many surprising points of overlap - especially Adams' beginnings as a concert pianist and his devotion to astronomy （I am a pianist and astronomer）。 What I take away most from the story， though， is a deeper validation of the importance of the arts to interpretation and appreciation of the natural world。 Most people need the arts in order to fully perceive the beauty of natural world to which they may never be expo A delight for anyone devoted to the interplay between the arts and nature。 I found many surprising points of overlap - especially Adams' beginnings as a concert pianist and his devotion to astronomy （I am a pianist and astronomer）。 What I take away most from the story， though， is a deeper validation of the importance of the arts to interpretation and appreciation of the natural world。 Most people need the arts in order to fully perceive the beauty of natural world to which they may never be exposed otherwise。 Without artistic interpretation， human hordes of small-minded consumers will persist in thinking of Earth as a passive repository of resources that exist solely for their benefit。 The resulting continuous plunder results in ruination， for the resources are finite。 Adams may be gone， but his line of work - the artist-conservationist - is more needed than ever in human history。 。。。more

Moira McPartlin ，

Ansel Adams is a name that conjures up for me big black and white vistas， Christmas calendars and Yosemite。 This autobiography has been in my bookshelf for years but it is only now， when I unearthed my first camera， that I have been tempted to read it。 I am so glad I did。 Not only was Ansel Adams a great photographer but he was also a musician， nature writer and conservationist。 The memoir covers the places he visited and work， with interesting stories of the many artists and celebrities he asso Ansel Adams is a name that conjures up for me big black and white vistas， Christmas calendars and Yosemite。 This autobiography has been in my bookshelf for years but it is only now， when I unearthed my first camera， that I have been tempted to read it。 I am so glad I did。 Not only was Ansel Adams a great photographer but he was also a musician， nature writer and conservationist。 The memoir covers the places he visited and work， with interesting stories of the many artists and celebrities he associated with。 Published shorty before his death， the candid writing shows a man of great humour， honesty and kindness。 。。。more

Dave Butler ，

This is a truly inspiring look at the man who had “a greater impact on creative photography than any other person in the twentieth century。” While I have always been a student of Ansel’s black-and-white images， this book confirmed that his reputation rightly rests on his photography and his actions。

Harry L ，

Faszinierendes Buch， über einen faszinierenden Mann。

George ，

An assisted autobiography written near the end of his life， he describes his art and his relationships with the people who took him on the journey。 He's such a sensitive and creative individual。 A western man who was also a pianist， got his inspiration from Steiglitz， Steichen and others of the time。 Also， a "conservationist" who advocated preservation of western lands。 Influenced presidents and others to the same。 An assisted autobiography written near the end of his life， he describes his art and his relationships with the people who took him on the journey。 He's such a sensitive and creative individual。 A western man who was also a pianist， got his inspiration from Steiglitz， Steichen and others of the time。 Also， a "conservationist" who advocated preservation of western lands。 Influenced presidents and others to the same。 。。。more

Laura Alice Watt ，

I began re-reading this after taking it out to look up a name， & am one again struck by what a fascinating person Adams must have been to know。 This book， written just before his death in 1984， covers not only about his photography but also his passions for music （he was an accomplished piano player before taking up the camera professionally） and environmental issues， as well as the many artistic luminaries in his life: Steiglitz， O'Keefe， Weston， Strand， etc。 As the places most central to his e I began re-reading this after taking it out to look up a name， & am one again struck by what a fascinating person Adams must have been to know。 This book， written just before his death in 1984， covers not only about his photography but also his passions for music （he was an accomplished piano player before taking up the camera professionally） and environmental issues， as well as the many artistic luminaries in his life: Steiglitz， O'Keefe， Weston， Strand， etc。 As the places most central to his early life （San Francisco， Yosemite， visits to New York City） are similarly the most familiar in mine， his tales take on an added depth， as I can visualize them so clearly。 Written with candor and humor， as well as great philosophical and artistic seriousness， this is a touching self-portrait。 Recommended even if you're not a fan。 （11/00） 。。。more

Amanda ，

Ansel Adams is without a doubt one of the greatest photographers in history。 His work goes beyond the single frame in which he captures， and rather extends into emotion， thought， and immense creativity。I previously did a photography assignment where I drew inspiration from my favorite artist， and oh how I wished I had read this sooner！ Adams' life and journey into his career are so inspiring and I would greatly recommend this book to anyone the is semi-involved in the art world！ Ansel Adams is without a doubt one of the greatest photographers in history。 His work goes beyond the single frame in which he captures， and rather extends into emotion， thought， and immense creativity。I previously did a photography assignment where I drew inspiration from my favorite artist， and oh how I wished I had read this sooner！ Adams' life and journey into his career are so inspiring and I would greatly recommend this book to anyone the is semi-involved in the art world！ 。。。more

Dewayne Stark ，

Just read another biography that includes a more earthy version。 One needs to purchase or go to the library and look at his pictures。

Mike Briley ，

An interesting man who led an interesting life。 He had many qualities but writing was not one of them。 The book is stodgy and at times downright boring。 His social life in particular is very tiresome since many of the people he refers to are unknown to me and are insufficiently presented。Having said this the book is worth the effort of reading because he was a truly great artist。

Maddie ，

If you're interested in photography， art， nature and conservation， or biographies at all I can't recommend this book enough。 If you're interested in photography， art， nature and conservation， or biographies at all I can't recommend this book enough。 。。。more

Josh Katz ，

A phenomenal autobiography。 Adams eloquently waxes on great 20th century artists （many his close friends）， conservationism， lobbying presidents， the slow acceptance of photography as an art， his career， adventures， and what it means to be an artist。 A must read for all photographers。

Dr。 ，

Occasionally insightful。

Ron ，

Did you know Ansel Adams was trained and performed as a classical pianist before he was 18？ This is the story of truly an amazing life。 You'll be inspired by his concern for the environment – credited with helping preserve much of the land that is now under national protection – and the care he took with his images （back in the day when you had to haul hundreds of pounds of equipment across unpaved roads to get a spectacular wilderness shot）。 Did you know Ansel Adams was trained and performed as a classical pianist before he was 18？ This is the story of truly an amazing life。 You'll be inspired by his concern for the environment – credited with helping preserve much of the land that is now under national protection – and the care he took with his images （back in the day when you had to haul hundreds of pounds of equipment across unpaved roads to get a spectacular wilderness shot）。 。。。more

Emilio ，

I really enjoyed it。 A great perspective on what craft and art can mean for our society

Peter Tillman ，

I expected to like this （love his photographs）， but his account of his childhood。。。。。 interesting events， boring writing。I should skip ahead， but the book is too heavy for reading in bed。 I'll try putting it next to the kicthen table， in place of another book that isn't good。OK， that works， and he does have some cool anecdotes。 But he's not much of a writer。 I'll skim some more and come back。。。。。Due back。 Hell with it。 I expected to like this （love his photographs）， but his account of his childhood。。。。。 interesting events， boring writing。I should skip ahead， but the book is too heavy for reading in bed。 I'll try putting it next to the kicthen table， in place of another book that isn't good。OK， that works， and he does have some cool anecdotes。 But he's not much of a writer。 I'll skim some more and come back。。。。。Due back。 Hell with it。 。。。more

Jennie ，

Wow。 The photos， the artist， the man。 Written so many years ago （copyright: 1985） and yet so many sections still applicable today。 His comments on conservation and respecting nature are incredibly apt in the current fight against climate change （and those resistant to scientific truth）。 His experiences and his writing about the art of photography are simply beautiful， not to mention the actual images he created。

Ray Whitaker ，

Inspirational to photographers

Owlseyes ，

An Inside Look at Ansel Adams' Photography In Yosemitehttps://www。youtube。com/watch？v=-E0zR。。。（really good！！） Ansel Adams A Documentary Film HDTV 720p Legendado PT BRhttps://www。youtube。com/watch？v=hNvMB。。。 An Inside Look at Ansel Adams' Photography In Yosemitehttps://www。youtube。com/watch？v=-E0zR。。。（really good！！） Ansel Adams A Documentary Film HDTV 720p Legendado PT BRhttps://www。youtube。com/watch？v=hNvMB。。。 。。。more

F。J。 Commelin ，

An inspiring read about an inspiring man。

Beverly ，

This is a thoroughly captivating book。 Adams' narrative is engaging also memorable discussing his own path in photography as art， teing stories of the vast number of people who became friends。 His giving of himself to the efforts of maintaining and expanding the lands held by the National Parks and protecting them from commercial interests that would damage them so that the likes of them would never be seen agajn。 The photos that are in the book could be a book by itself。 They support his text w This is a thoroughly captivating book。 Adams' narrative is engaging also memorable discussing his own path in photography as art， teing stories of the vast number of people who became friends。 His giving of himself to the efforts of maintaining and expanding the lands held by the National Parks and protecting them from commercial interests that would damage them so that the likes of them would never be seen agajn。 The photos that are in the book could be a book by itself。 They support his text well ut in their beauty could stand alone。 。。。more

Kerry Lynch ，

This is a most enjoyable book。 He makes connections between himself and other artists that we tend to study individually in Art History that brings them all into perspective as a cohesive artistic and philosophical community， each influencing and contrasting with each other。 Great insight into the personalities of those whose creations are so well known by themselves。

Joerg Frankenberger ，

dreadful and agonizing and never ending 。。。 and so badly written that I was happy when it was finally over。 I love some of Adam's work in inked-print （I have yet to see a real baryta print of his that lives up to his proselytizing， but maybe the shows I've been to were just showing proofs or rejects [the Westons had always more punch in craftsmanship]。 also within his technical books 'the camera'， 'the print' and worst of all 'the negative' I could never find real answers to my questions - alway dreadful and agonizing and never ending 。。。 and so badly written that I was happy when it was finally over。 I love some of Adam's work in inked-print （I have yet to see a real baryta print of his that lives up to his proselytizing， but maybe the shows I've been to were just showing proofs or rejects [the Westons had always more punch in craftsmanship]。 also within his technical books 'the camera'， 'the print' and worst of all 'the negative' I could never find real answers to my questions - always had the impression that he held a lot of stuff back [like here] - so I had to look （and find） elswhere）。but be that as it may - for me he comes across largely as a self righteous， sanctimonious bigot， that writes for posterity - not truth。 there are a few sections though where I actually had the impression that he was honest （the chapter about 'commercial photography' has some splendid moments and when he writes about his Father， Edward Weston， Manzanar and some of his friends there is some real heartfelt warmth in it - but there is [for me at least] no real relation to his own family and 。。。 the Environment， or better the People - especially when they had a different Point of view。 he comes across here as either robotic or fanatic [also - with the benefit of hindsight - rather wrong in supporting nuclear vs。 fossils or nightmare of nightmares: natural resources。 imagine windmills clattering on happily on top of El Capitan or Bridal Veil Falls replaced by turbine pipes 。。。] - but in no way comes he across as measured or even likable）。 the whole mess is not helped by a very sloppy editing job。 you never really know which time frame you are currently visiting （there are no visible text separations except for the chapters and few other selections - the thing is more or less [at least a spell checked] stream of consciousness - f。e。 you think you are still reading about the Goebbels turkeys but you are in fact already at a California winery 。。。）。the Ansel in the picture appendix and from his published correspondence （the selections in this autobiography mostly make me cringe） seems to be a very different one from the nauseating writer I just encountered。。。。 this all sounds rather bad I'm afraid 。。。 maybe a more positive way to end this review would be to sympathize with John Szarkowski。 he always had a kind of reserved appreciation of Adams。 plus Adams will be considered an American icon of photography for hopefully many years to come。just don't forget Edward and Brett。=） 。。。more

Terry Cornell ，

I knew somewhat about Ansel Adams the photographer and environmentalist， but didn't know about his talent as a musician， wordsmith and humorist。 I worried it might be too technical regarding some of the photography， but it is as advertised--an autobiography。 I knew somewhat about Ansel Adams the photographer and environmentalist， but didn't know about his talent as a musician， wordsmith and humorist。 I worried it might be too technical regarding some of the photography， but it is as advertised--an autobiography。 。。。more

Krusher Basta ，

Ansel Adams led a fascinating life。 As a photography enthusiast I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how he went about creating photographs that were truly works of art。 But it was also fascinating to read about life in the early part of the 20th Century and some of the other artists he spent time with; Alfred Stieglitz， Georgia O’Keeffe， Edward Weston and Dorothea Lange， to name a few。 There was no beaten path for these artists to follow。 They were not just creating incredible images， they were c Ansel Adams led a fascinating life。 As a photography enthusiast I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how he went about creating photographs that were truly works of art。 But it was also fascinating to read about life in the early part of the 20th Century and some of the other artists he spent time with; Alfred Stieglitz， Georgia O’Keeffe， Edward Weston and Dorothea Lange， to name a few。 There was no beaten path for these artists to follow。 They were not just creating incredible images， they were creating the medium in which they worked。 。。。more

Devon Barone ，

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area and taking relatively frequent trips to the Sierra Nevada， including Yosemite National Park， Ansel Adams was somewhat of a household name for my family and me。 I’ve always admired his uniquely enchanting photographs of some of the natural wonders that I hold so dear， so reading about his amazing life was wonderful。tAnsel Adams had a very interesting childhood， which he remembers remarkably well。 He could remember even his earliest days perfectly， and desc Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area and taking relatively frequent trips to the Sierra Nevada， including Yosemite National Park， Ansel Adams was somewhat of a household name for my family and me。 I’ve always admired his uniquely enchanting photographs of some of the natural wonders that I hold so dear， so reading about his amazing life was wonderful。tAnsel Adams had a very interesting childhood， which he remembers remarkably well。 He could remember even his earliest days perfectly， and describes them with extraordinary detail。 As a child， Adams was restless， hyperactive， and constantly longed to be outside。 This caused problems for his education， so his father decided to home school him。 Ansel credits his father with shaping most of who he is， partially because of his decision to teach Ansel through experiential learning – things like going to museums， and spending a lot of time at the Worlds Fair in San Francisco。tMy favorite thing about this book was the manner in which Adams described things， particularly his memories of nature。 He could capture an image with his words almost as well as he did with his camera。 He appreciated and loved not only colossal beauties like Half Dome and El Capitan， but also the small things – grasses and ferns， and the magical quality of a forest。 It was very interesting to read into the mind of a photographer， especially one like Ansel Adams， because they have such a unique view of the physical world。tAnother thing I loved about this book was the parts about his views on art and photography itself – why it was his life and love。 He believed that artists “illuminate the world rather than exploit it” （137）。 A quotation that stood out to me that sort of sums up his beliefs about art and its incredibly important role in the world is this: “It is both the taking and giving of beauty， the turning out to the light the inner folds of the awareness of the spirit。 It is the recreation on another plane of the realities of the world; the tragic and wonderful realities of earth and men， and of all the interrelations of these” （from a letter on 37）。 Adams described art and particularly photography in such a way that he opened my eyes even further to the wonders of that medium。 He wrote， “the most miraculous ritual of all is the combination of machine， mind， and spirit that brings forth images of great power and beauty” （79）。 In this book Adams offers his intelligent， experienced， thoughtful insights into a multitude of topics， not only those concerning art and photography。Ansel Adams was amazingly passionate about so many things in his life – his musical talents on the piano that took over his ambitions for a long period of his early life， certainly his photography， and all of his close relationships。 A large portion of his book is taken up by stories of the ways in which the various people in his life changed it for the better， especially his father。 He writes beautifully of his love for his wife Virginia， how they met and became close， and the effect she had on him; as well as the way that photographer Alfred Stieglitz gave him the confidence to express himself through photography。A particularly interesting part of his life was his work on the environmental movement。 This is something that is incredibly important to me and my life， so reading about the effect that Adams had was inspiring。 He used photography as a lobbying tool， to help persuade politicians to understand the importance and amazing beauty of an area that needs protection。 He was also very involved in the Sierra Club， holding a position on the Board of Directors for thirty-seven years。Though this book certainly had its slow moments where Adams would go into far too much detail about certain parts of his life， the gorgeous diction and his amazing life kept me turning the pages。 。。。more

Sue ，

Have an Ansel Adams photography exhibition at museum & so was curious to learn about his life/ his art。 Neat to read how he adapted photos to fit the image in his head， manipulating exposures & development。 If you enjoy biographies， especially of artists， I recommend this。

George Martzen ，

This is a great read。 Having grown up in photography in central California， I grew up hearing about Adams and admired his work。 It wasn't until after his dead， when my father and I viewed an exhibit of his prints that I understand why he referred the print as a performance。 I stood entranced watching the details in a large print of "Moonrise over Hernandez"。 In this book he shares his love of performance， both the visual and musical。 This is a great read。 Having grown up in photography in central California， I grew up hearing about Adams and admired his work。 It wasn't until after his dead， when my father and I viewed an exhibit of his prints that I understand why he referred the print as a performance。 I stood entranced watching the details in a large print of "Moonrise over Hernandez"。 In this book he shares his love of performance， both the visual and musical。 。。。more

Jim Parker ，

I read this book about ten years ago and the book gives wonderful insight to this great photographer and his work。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Ansel Adams: An Autobiography

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Ansel Adams: An Autobiography&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Ansel Adams: An Autobiography&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0