DOGS by Catherine Johnson

I adore Phaidon Press’s new book DOGS, a collection vintage photographs collected by photography expert Catherine Johnson. With 450 photos presented in a family album style, paging through the book offers dog lovers a window to the past that’s a true joy to look through. The pleasure comes not from nostalgia, but continuity, for there’s nothing new in our bond with dogs. We, or at least I, just thought there was.

For example, I was recently interviewed by Pet Style News and asked why I thought dog art is so popular these days? My response included assumptions about people marrying later in life, empty nesters, advertising – like the Target dog, and the fascination with celebrity dogs. Now, after enjoying DOGS, I see dogs are like beer, music, or sexy women, people simply love them and always have. Today if I was asked about the popularity of dogs in our culture, I would simply reply, “Well, have you ever met a dog?” Dog love is self-evident and DOGS is a truly awesome celebration of dogs, of course, but humans too!

Picking out which photos to include here was almost impossible so I decided to focus on some core man/dog behaviors. Where dogs are concerned, people love to…

inhale them…

dress them up and celebrate their birthdays…

talk to them…

make them do tricks…

let them jump on the table…

include them as part of the family…

get them professionally photographed…

and kiss them on the lips…

Suffice it to say, I highly recommend this book for any dog lover in your life. And the price of $14.95 sweetens the deal, because it looks like it could go for double that. There’s also an afterword by William Wegman and wonderful quotes from others throughout, my favorite of which is, “They’re not dogs. They’re art.” –- Rachel Leigh.