Face of Maryland, by A. Aubrey Bodine

MID-ATLANTIC. 
Travel / Touring, Photographic Documentary. 
Signed First Edition *** 

The state boundaries of Maryland contain perhaps the most unique topographical reach of any east coast state. Its east x southeastern lands are almost entirely defined by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, its long western arm reaching into the heart of the Appalachian chain. That blending topography of ocean shoreline to fertile lowlands to rolling piedmont to ancient mountains is plentiful up and down the east coast, and especially so with Maryland’s state neighbors to the south. But among them only Maryland, with its long land fingers formed by the Potomac to the west, the wide storied Chesapeake Bay setting off the “Eastern Shore” and its shared border with Delaware and the Atlantic, can boast of so much ocean fronting territory. In many ways, Maryland is often considered a seaside state, its world famous—and delicious—shellfish harvest, a centuries long tradition of sailing and ship-building centered on the port of Baltimore, the U.S. Naval Academy being located in the state capital of Annapolis, all make the case. There is all of that; but then, there is so much more. And this remarkable 1961 volume, filled cover-to-cover with well-considered artistic black & white photography makes that case: the amazing diversity of topography and character contained within this small state … A. Aubrey Bodine was an accomplished mid-century photographer, who gained renown in documenting the people, the history, and lay of the land across his home state of Maryland. His drive to perform the task is evident in his own simple straightforward Intro to this volume. Bodine wrote: “My job as photographic director of The Sunday Sun Magazine (a rich photo heavy insert included in Sunday editions of The Baltimore Sun back in the day) is to take pictures of Maryland and its people. I think it is one of the most rewarding jobs there are.” There are well over 200 frames in this beautiful volume. Sectioned out into Bodine’s own Baltimore, plus the Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland, and Western Maryland, these four sections cover the physiographic regions of the state running likewise east to west—the Atlantic Continental Shelf, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Appalachian Plateaus—with authority. We see its history and character in Bodine’s fine eye for framing architecture, from slave-era plantations and “urban” colonial mansions, to the modern structures then rising out of the country’s post-war boom, their walls of glass and steel. We see work being done on boats, on docks, in fields and barns, with a particular focus on the sturdy Amish lifestyle mid-state. Bodine reserved a portion for Civil War history, one of the war’s most impactful and destructive battles, Antietam, having been fought in the state’s middle-west. From islands and lighthouses and oyster reefs, to busy city parkways, to the amazing canyon-like setting of Harper’s Ferry and thick forests out west, Bodine tracked it all. All these years later, this volume still seems an artistic gift in “ode” form. [Condition: Used Very Good. As usual for a volume over half a century old, the dust-jacket shows wear at the spine and corner edges, along with a number of small rips. Someone (likely another book seller along the way) smartly wrapped the dust-jacket in a protective sleeve. The interior pages and all their wonderful photography are pristine. This is a signed first edition.] 

Condition: Used Very Good. 
Travel / Touring. 
A. Aubrey Bodine. 
Bodine & Associates / Viking Press, 1961. 
Oversized Hardcover, 144 pgs, 9 x 12" / 2.75 lb