I find it unfortunate that this book is out of print; it is a very interesting exploration of the possible ramifications of a society of clones -- particularly poignant now that our own science is almost at that stage. Will a 5% variability in traits ever allow for a traitor? This book raises the question, answers it, then leaves you asking more and more interesting ones.

I picked up "Shadow" after thoroughly enjoying Duncan's "Man of His Word" series. I was hoping for another good-natured, fun book. What I received was much more: Shadow is the tale of a man who becomes a noble's bodyguard - and takes the title of Shadow. His life becomes inextricably tied to that of his master. (thats the basic synopsis, since there isn't one given).

Although there are a few cliched characters in the book, the main cast is a well-rounded bunch that came alive for me. Duncan examines questions of honor and loyalty -- personal loyalty vs. loyalty to the crown -- in the midst of a compelling story.

The setting of the world is one of the most unique I have come across in a long time and for that alone I had to go back and reread the novel.

All-in-all, I would strongly recommend picking up Shadow -- you won't be dissappointed.

A wonderful collection of photographs of sunflowers in France. Images of most of Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are included in the back of the book, including the little known blue sunflowers destroyed in the bombing of Hiroshima.

DDD has a real love for the soldier, and the photography in this book shows it. Printed using the gravure process, which gives rich, deep blacks and subtle tones, the images bring home the reality of the Vietnam war. As is usual with his books, the text is somewhat insipid and disjointed. It does not explain enough and would be better left out or expanded.

I liked this book. The author and three partners tackled the World Tour for Hope (medical charity organization) back in the early '80s. Although it's a fairly brief account of the 380-day bicycle expedition, he does give you a good picture of the poverty and extreme living conditions in Africa and Asia, and some insight into the tribulations of riding a bike for that long. I got a kick out of the problems they dealt with that would probably not be the case today with cel phones & laptop PCs. The whirlwind wrap-up of the San Francisco-to-D.C. leg of the trip was a bit of a letdown, but all in all an enjoyable story.

This book graphically depicts the conditions of life in the third world, written by someone who has experienced the difficulties of everyday life and survival. It exposes our human frailties and the will it takes to keep your humanity in adverse conditions.

David Duncan gives his detailed account of cycling around the earth. He pays special attention to the third-world areas that seemed to have affected him the most.

The World of Allah is a collection of photos taken by Duncan, the former Marine photographer and photojournalist for LIFE, from the Forties to the Seventies. It is a "Family of Man" style panorama of ordinary people's lifeways across the Muslim world. The color quality is adequate for mid-century, and the composition of the images tends towards Millet-style peasant monumentalism, though always with a photojournalistic edge. Especially valuable are the pictures of Saudi Arabia before the kingdom's petrobillions transformed the landscape, and of pre-communist Afghanistan's conclave of warlords. Duncan's affection for these lands and people is evident and persuasive throughout.

This book was very hard to read because it was about 90% incomplete sentences. Punctuation and grammar was...very bad. Except for a few pieces of information that actually sounded like biographical content, and a few biographies (of a sort), I really didn't understand what is his point. Now if I read in between the lines....well, the author seems like a total manic depressant who looks for outside drama as an excuse about why his life is a struggle. But I bet that he spends most of his time on the couch watching sports, instead of preparing for his, or his daughter's, future.

If Duncan would have filled the book with stories of his friendship with HCB and given us some insight we may not have found anywhere else, this book could be good. I like hearing the anecdotes of the quirks that HCB exhibited on a daily basis. I'm sure Duncan could have filled a book with interesting insights... but that is not the case here.

Fact is, he gives a few pages of blurbs and then fills this book with shots from one roll of film. Candids so to speak of HCB and his Leica. That's it. The whole book.

There is far too much [bad] photography out in the world today and some of it I respect because it is art and I even respect Duncan's photography but this book? Gads.

Here we are, us starving photographers trying to get a hold in the industry that calls so many and chooses so few.... and this book is published. Why? I know I sound resentful... well of course I do! I'm a photographer without a published book of my own! At least give me great books to look at until I can share mine with the world! :P

I think I'm going to get iPhoto and make my own books and slug them on the net. Sit down with someone for 20 minutes, snap off 20 to 30 images of them... make a book.

Give me Inferno any day. Now that (to me) is a photo book. It's a coffee table book substantial enough to be a coffee table. I would pay a month of rent for Inferno. Don't have it? Buy it today.

Don't waste your money on this one. There are far better books to waste your money on. :)

Cheers,
Zack ...

Only on very rare occasions has Henri Cartier-Bresson who has spent his adult life capturing the images of others allowed himself to be photographed. Mr. Duncan's decisive five minutes with his former associate now provide a unique opportunity to see HCB in action, but I suspect that "Faceless" would not have sat still for the candids if he realized that his old friend DDD was going to blow his cover and publish the off-guard moments. One reviewer of this book notes that Mr. Duncan lost his friendship with HCB because he published these photos. Even though the proceeds from the book will go to the University of Texas, losing a friendship would not be worth this book of snapshots.

Those of you who would buy this book because you are fans of the subject should know that Mr. Cartier-Bresson has done everything he could to prevent this book from being published. It is against his wishes, and Mr. Duncan's decision to go ahead and publish it has effectively ended their (formerly friendly) relationship.

It's a silly idea to begin with. Out of an entire roll of film, even of a master like Cartier-Bresson, how many images are publishable and how many are forgettable?

This is a sad exercise by Mr. Duncan to cash in on the famed reclusiveness of his subject.