Back around Christmas time I considered buying my dad the "Photographing America: Henri Cartier-Bresson / Walker Evans" book at Borders. However, it was still wrapped in plastic. It's nice to give someone a book still wrapped in plastic so they can have the fun of being the first person to open the book. However, I couldn't open the book in the store and make a proper decision as to whether or not I should buy the book. I'm familiar with Bresson and Evans' work, as any photographer should be, but I would have really liked to see what sort of information was in the book (essays, photo selection, overall design).
Instead I wound up buying him "Magnum Magnum". It provides great profiles and sample photos of tons of different photographers that worked under the Magnum umbrella which ironically enough had Henri Cartier-Bresson as one of its founder members.
(I was going through my cell phone pics recently which explains the late entry of this story.)
I typically dubious about buying books (especially expensive books) that are wrapped in plastic, especially if there is no "dummy" book that isn't wrapped so that people can thumb through it to ensure it is a book they would want to buy.
