2016 AAUP Public and Secondary School Library Selection

Born in the Ukraine, photographer Jack Delano moved to the United States in 1923. After graduating from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1937, Delano worked for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the Office of War Information (OWI) as a photographer. Best known for his work for the Office of War Information during 1940–1943, Jack Delano captured the face of American railroading in a series of stunning photographs. His images, especially his portraits of railroad workers, are a vibrant and telling portrait of industrial life during one of the most important periods in American history. This remarkable collection features Delano's photographs of railroad operations and workers taken for the OWI in the winter of 1942/43 and during a cross-country journey on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, plus an extensive selection of his groundbreaking color images. The introduction provides the most complete summary of Delano's life published to date. Both railroad and photography enthusiasts will treasure this worthy tribute to one of the great photographers of the thirties and forties.

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Both scholarly and beautiful, author Reevy's work presents information on Delano the man, background on the agencies that employed him, and more than 170 photos. . . A marvelous study of a craftsman and his important work.

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By bringing together in a single, informative volume an excellent selection of Delano's black-and-white and color photographs, Reevy has performed an unquestionably valuable service.

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Tony Reevy and Pablo Delano have assembled a wonderful tribute to one of America's great photographers of the 1930s and 40s, highlighting not only his images, but also his life.

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The word 'respect' comes up often in the discussion of Delano and his work and it shows in the photographs he was able to produce of railroaders who as a group tended to be camera-shy.

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Jack Delano captured the face of American railroading in a series of stunning photographs. His images, especially his photographs of railroad workers, are a vibrant and telling portrait of industrial life during one of the most important periods in American history.