Hong Kong - In his recent literary criticism "Battle of the China Portrait Books" for New Asia Books, Beijing correspondent Jeordie White examines the contextual differences between two popular photography books presently vying for media coverage and sales.

"A couple of similarly-titled books managed to catch our attention: Taschen's China, Portrait of a Country, and Tom Carter's CHINA: Portrait of a People."

"Two photography books about China with nearly identical names being released on the same date was enough happenstance to invite a comparison between both 'China Portrait' books: one a major title from a well-financed European publishing house (Taschen) and the other released under the radar by an independent publisher in Hong Kong (Blacksmith Books)."

"Liu Heung Shing's China, Portrait of a Country is a by-the-numbers illustrated book that offers nothing unique to the coffee table. This rather dry archive of media stills is not a book that the average photography enthusiast could ever get really excited about."

"Tom Carter's debut book CHINA: Portrait of a People is the future king of Israel to Taschen's Goliath. Standing at a humble 15cm x 15cm, what this cube-shaped book lacks in height compensates for in sheer volume: 640 full-color pages that took our editorial team an entire week to read."

"There is an obvious spiritual connection between the photographer and his subjects; the smiles are sincere and portray a warm side of China that out-for-blood foreign correspondents often fail to report."

"While this battle of the China Portrait books may not be of the same biblical proportions as David and Goliath, first-time author Tom Carter proves that one does not need the backing of a highbrow publisher to create a true work of art."

Read the entire critical review "Battle of the China Portrait Books" at New Asia Books:
http://www.newasiabooks.org/index.php?q=node/8719

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CHINA: Portrait of a People, by Tom Carter
www.tomcarter.org
www.blacksmithbooks.com/9789889979942.htm
Genre: Travel / Photography / Art / China
ISBN: 978-988-99799-42
Size: 15cm x 15cm, soft cover, 640 pages, 800 full color images, with maps of each province
Published: Blacksmith Books, Hong Kong, in association with Haven Books
Price: US$35.95

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Watch the Tom Carter and Thomas Carter videos * Read the 中国 旅游背包 博客 blogs in Chinese * Watch the China Photographer, China Architecture and Photography Books book trailers on YouTube *