The Wittliff Collections offered a look at this new book, and a talk with the photographer, Mary Ellen Mark, for the launch of her 19th book, Man and Beast. That was some moons ago. We missed the launch, but the New York Times review from Sunday is worth a read, and gives the clear indication that the book is worth a long sitting as well: “Mark has been shooting in Mexico and India since the 1960s, and in “Man and Beast,” she brings together her black-and-white photographs into an affectionate, annoying, stubbornly beautiful book.” Thanks to Leica’s blog for this interview with the photographer:

…Q: Finally let’s talk about this boy with a puppy.

A: That was shot with a 35 mm lens on a Leica. This is one of my favorite dog pictures. It was early morning in Rajasthan, India. It was kind of chilly; that’s why he has a shawl around him. He was just standing there with his puppies.

Q: What do you like most about this book?

A: It was a good chance to publish some of my pictures that haven’t been seen and to republish some older pictures like the elephant trainer and fit them all into some sort of theme. It was great to work with Bill and the people at the University of Texas Press who published the book. They make beautiful books. I really admire what they do and it was a really pleasant experience.

Thank you for your time, Mary Ellen!

– Leica Internet Team

View more of Mary Ellen’s work on her website, Facebook and Twitter. Learn more about her workshops in Iceland and New York City.

For the sake of convenience, we’ve presented this in a Q&A format but it was actually a conversation between our blog writer, Jason Schneider and Mary Ellen Mark.

Read the whole interview at the blog source.