Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera

What a wonderful book this is--and what a rare behind-the-scenes look at the artistic process it provides. So many of the moments we see as impossibly idealized versions of us are in fact us. Rockwell's genius improves with this 'backstage' glance. (Ken Burns, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker )A wonderful new book by Ron Schick . . . that lifts the curtain on Rockwell's working methods, revealing how profoundly labor-intensive and thoughtfully imagined they were. (David Kamp, Vanity Fair )Chronicler of midcentury Americana Norman Rockwell often recruited friends and neighbors to pose for the photos that he then used to create the iconic images we know and love. Until now, that part of the painter's process remained mostly hidden, but historian Ron Schick's new book Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera reveals the primary texts next to the colorful classics they became, and the result is truly impossible to put down. (NBC NewYork.com Elizabeth Bougerol )Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera, written and compiled by Ron Schick, has given me immense newfound respect for the man, for the meticulous photography, the real people and the unintentionally hilarious DIY props and sets that he required to make his painted fantasies of Americana come true (Gizmodo.com Wilson Rothman )This is a book about one of our great homespun artists that will make you laugh, and also make you think. It's a real treasure. (NPR Alan Cheuse )