Glory

Library Journal

Athletes at work are very photogenic, but at rest they are less so, perhaps because their energy appears spent or in hiding, ready to burst fourth again in competition. This large and impressive-looking volume is full of photographs of mostly well-known competitors, sometimes in dramatic moments but too often at rest. Corman, a professional New York-based photographer, achieves his mission of reverence with well-composed images and the bold use of close-ups. But the collection does little more than fuel hero worship. His work benefits from an introduction by Ken Burns, a sports fan with a noble record of making what is old new again and turning kinetic energy into intellectual results. But even with Burns on its side, this book gathers its images as if to tell sports fans that their icons are larger than we'd thought. It might propel conversations from your coffee table, but in the end, it is a luxury for most libraries. Dare one think that this effort could have worked better as a video, where the sweat could fly and the motion of sport could be captured? Not recommended.--David Bryant, New Canaan P.L., CT Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Talk Magazine

100 portrait of athletes that capture the stunning grace, beauty, and intensity of the true athlete in motion and at rest. In the tightened bicept of boxing champ Roy Jones Jr., the taught frame of sprinter Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the speeding blur of Lance Armstrong's legs, and the soaring leap of ballerina Julie Kent, Corman celebrates the dynamic form. But it's when Corman points his lens at unsung athletes–from Special Olympics competitors to high-flying BMX Bikers, high school Lacrosse Players, and playground skateboarders”that we see in just how many ways Corman's definition of "athlete" is both generous and absolutely dead-on&8221;it means anyone who cares to compete.