Louise  Abbott's latest book review appeared in  The (Montreal) Gazette on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

Robert Capa: The Paris Years, 1933-1954

Here's a sample:

One of the most memorable photographs of World War II portrays an American soldier in the surf during the Allied invasion of Omaha Beach on the Normandy coast in June of 1944. Five years ago, the soldier was finally identified—Private First Class Huston Riley. When asked about the picture, the elderly veteran replied that he still wondered what that "crazy photographer" was doing in that hellish place.

(Photo: Robert Capa)

That crazy photographer was Robert Capa, an intrepid 30-year-old who had earned a reputation as the greatest war photographer in the world for his photo reportage of the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. Capa and his remarkable career constitute the subject of a bountifully illustrated new book titled Robert Capa: The Paris Years, 1933-1954, a translation of Robert Capa: Traces d'une légende.

As the French co-authors—Bernard Lebrun and Michel Lefebvre—acknowledge, American scholar Richard Whelan published "a thorough, formidable biography [of Capa] ... that will be difficult for anyone to improve upon." Thus they have focussed on "the all but forgotten 'French Capa,' nearly edged out of the picture by his American career. From 1933 to 1954, Capa used Paris as a global platform for his photography. It was here that artistically he was born."

(Photo: Louise Abbott)

For an upcoming book about Lake Memphremagog, the Rural Route Communications partners have been out on the ice with their cameras. Louise Abbott produced these images on the weekend of February 18-19, 2012, when fishermen were out to catch perch, and small plane enthusiasts were out to enjoy an international fly-in.

 (Photo: Louise Abbott) 

(Photo: Louise Abbott)

Louise Abbott continues to videotape the work-in-progress on the beautiful nineteenth-century high-drive barn that Neil Manson dismantled near Knowlton's Landing and is resurrecting on his property in Austin. Here Neil and his helpers are planing the floorboards for the barn on November 27, 2011. Neil laid the floorboards over the winter. Louise will eventually produce a video documentary that will be available in DVD format.

The short-lived Gibraltar Hotel can be seen across from Georgeville in this nineteenth-century view of Lake Memphremagog by W.S. Hunter.

Louise Abbott and Niels Jensen are now at work on an illustrated history of Lake Memphremagog. It will feature a text based on archival research and oral history interviews by Louise,  along with historical images and contemporary photos by both Niels and Louise.

Do you live or have you lived in the vicinity of Lake M emphremagog? Do you have stories to tell about the lake? Do you have old pictures taken on or around the lake? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," we'd love to hear from you! Our email address is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Gibraltar Point today.