Looking For Atlantis, by Colin Thompson

Why?

“This is the most deeply thumbed, crumbled, and torn book I own. I've had it since I was a child, and never really parted from it, always resting at a the bottom of a pile of books beside my bed. Thompson's illustrations have such a myriad of elements and tiny scenes playing across the page, that I'd spend hours studying & imagining myself forging a route across the complex drawings. It's a little creepy and odd but always paired with a sense of wonder and silliness which has always been something I would hope would register in my own work.”
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- Jack Davison, Photographer

First Born, by Arita Taiji

Why?

“This is one of newest additions. There's something about Arita's portrayal of his wife and his first child that really compels me. It's the untethered emotion and humor that I love, and the way it spills into the surreal and mundane.”
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- Jack Davison, Photographer

Picasso At Work: A Photographic Study, by Edward Quinn

Why?

“I adore the cover and the view into Picasso's household and the sense of exuberant creation and spirit within. It's such a beautiful collection of snapshots of his studios, house and details moments of creative development and really champions Picasso's inventive wit. Setting aside the darker sides of his character, the idea that an artist can be so free and humorous when working is really important to me, it's really vital to me that I don't take myself too seriously. That my work can hopefully be made instantaneous and not overly constructed, described or pondered over.”
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- Jack Davison, Photographer

Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots, by Mark Michaelson

Why?

“I met Mark through my mentor Brett Walker, it was one of the earliest books I remember being handed in Brett's flat. It's an incredible document of human faces, expressions and emotions - and I'd never seen anything like it. It instilled me with Marks own curatorial spirit and I've always been picking up and searching for found photographs. Images that were created with a myriad of purposes (none of them really artistic), but with the passage of time can be seen in a different & beautiful manner years later. Least Wanted has always been the book I return to most frequently and the one I'd be the saddest to lose.”
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- Jack Davison, Photographer