Photographer: Lindsay Oliver Donald
Words: Nesta Robert Marley
Foreword: June Walters Aust
Introduction: Carl Gayle / Jahug
Publisher: PoaLaoF
Place: London, UK
Year: 2013
Pages: 300
Binding: Hardcover w/ dust jacket
ISBN: 9780957651807
I’ve stated many times that Marley photography books are some of my favorites. As long as they are filled with unpublished photos, they can keep publishing them until eternity as far as I’m concerned. So, with that being said this incredible tome is a wonderful new Marley photo book and so much more. Along with many unpublished insider photos of Bob, we get the added bonus of Lindsay Donald’s various other photos. And by various, I mean various. It seems that Lindsay was everywhere capturing perfect photos eight days a week. Not only all the reggae greats but subjects such as Lords, Dukes, bartenders, Muhammad Ali, Roger Steffens, a young Mike Tyson, a 1984 George Bush and many everyday common man. His photos are so varied that I can’t list them all. But, don’t fret my fellow reggae lovers because we are the targeted audience for this book. Lindsay has jam packed this, extremely heavy-in both ways, book with tons of classic reggae photos. We are treated to a heavy dose of all things Marley including several of Bob, Mother B, Rita and many of his children and other relatives. There are several shots of the inside of Mother B’s Miami home, which I find very interesting. We also have some beautiful shots of Peter Tosh for all the Wolde Semayat fans. To be honest, I can’t even begin to relate all of the photos that fill this book.
The Marley pics are ones that even the most ardent fan will appreciate. From a photo of Bob cutting his 35th Earthday cake surrounded by children to Bob sitting with Ziggy and his young soccer teammates. The intimate shots of Bob that Lindsay was able to capture are priceless. It’s an incredible body of work and one that Mr. Donald should feel extremely proud of. He’s a true talent behind the lens. It’s been a long road for him in getting this book published but now hopefully he can ride this chariot of a book on more exciting journeys. Lindsay has travelled many miles around this planet of ours and thankfully has had a camera most of time. He was born in Jamaica but moved to the UK when he was 10. When he turned 19 he went to Sweden where his love of photography was born. He’s travelled to many countries and even spent 5 months in a Nigerian jail after being arrested for being a CIA spy. Of course the charges were eventually dropped and Lindsay was forward on. While back in Jamaica Lindsay befriended Bob in the early 70′s and quickly was granted access to Bob’s inner world. Lindsay spent many an hour at Hope Rd. and also became very close with Mother B.
In addition to the photos we get nice a nice foreword by June Walters Aust and a very interesting introduction by Carl Gayle. Lindsay also included some nice quotes by Bob that fill in the pages.The quotes were culled by Marley lover Tammy Beveridge who translated them from hours of Marley interviews.
The book comes with a hefty price tag but what you get for your money is a quality piece of art that will be enjoyed for years and will become a collector’s book. Each copy is being hand made by Bookbinders of London and it’s all printed on quality paper. Included with my copy were white gloves to keep the finger oils off of the photos and a POALAOF t-shirt. Once the order was placed the book arrived within a week. If you are looking to invest in a fantastic piece of art book that contains years of enjoyable photos, then this is your book.
