PK CAMERAMAN No. 1 Panzerjäger in the West 1944

[Remy Spezzano]

I assumed that this was going to be a collection of photographs, with a much broader scope, covering a particular cameraman's visions of each theatre of operations in which he was involved.

Allan

Allan,

Thank you for purchasing the book and for taking the time to post your review.
In regards to your comment quoted above I have to reply by stating that nowhere online did I ever write or give the impression that this series was going to be "...covering a particular cameraman's visions of each theatre of operations in which he was involved."

There are roughly 1.2 million PK photos archived at the German Federal Archive in Koblenz, Germany which were taken from 1939-45 and I would guess after having been in the military book business for 20 yrs. now that only about 2% of those photos have ever been published. Also in the ECPAD photo archive in Paris they have about 340,000 PK photos of which only a hand full have been used in books over the years. And as each year passes I clearly see how less and less of this material is being used in any capacity. And it's a shame because there are some really amazing photos archived away that offer a real window into the past which people sadly will never get to see. I'm trying to change this with the introduction of this new photo book series.

My objective with this new series is to showcase some interesting rolls of film which offer the enthusiast a snap shot or a day in the life of a particular subject which was photographed for propaganda purposes. This offers the reader a glimpse into the past and it helps to present the photos in the sequence which they were taken. Together with accurate text and captions you get to see some unique and never before published images while also learning something new at the same time.

Future volumes will feature more interesting and familiar topics. Ex. Tiger and Panther tanks, Fallschirmjagers, Waffen-SS, and Army troops fighting on both the Eastern and Western fronts. I have some really amazing stuff lined up which will look great presented in the large format.

Like many of the customers who I;ve spoken with over the years we all are sick and tired of military book publishers jamming 3 to 4 photos on a letter size page. The photos end up being so small that you cannot see any detail at all. When the same photos are blown up full page nice and clear it takes on a whole new look. The large format allows you to see the subject of the photo BIG and CLEAR. I realize that not every image is not worthy of being shown full page, but sometimes there is information in the image or the image shows you another view or angle of the moment as it is happening. If I were to only publish the perfect shots from each roll of film it would be impossible to have a proper narrative in telling the story.

As for the double page spreads I agree with you that it is annoying when some information from the image is lost in the gutter or center of the book where the two pages meet. The printer was supposed to bind the book for us with the "lay flat" binding where there would be no bowing in the middle, instead it literally would lay flat as a board. Hopefully with the next volume we will be able to get this right allowing us to continue to showcase an awesome photo 12 inches tall and 20 inches wide. No other books I am aware of offer you this option.

Overall I will go on the record and state that the first volume of PK Cameraman exceeded my expectations in regards to photo reproduction and layout. It's one of the best books I have put together. I'm hoping after you have had a chance to read through the essay and captions you will come to really like what we have done with this first volume. Again thank you for your comments. I am always trying to make the best book possible, so the feedback whether positive or negative helps me to improve the product. Thank you.

Remy Spezzano
Author and Publisher
RZM Publishing

[Remy Spezzano]

There is now a Facebook page for the book which will act as a platform for us to share more information about the subject and for others to share information on the page.
There are some great "Then and Now" comparisons and all sorts of original documents and videos to be seen. Check it out sometime by going to this link.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/PK-Ca...82435691981362

[Jonathan C]

Hey Remy,

Yesterday i read about your book in the local newspaper. I live near Eeklo so it was a big surprise for me to suddenly see those famous pictures of the german tanks in Eeklo. I think you did a great work and i'm looking forward to read your book. I hope it will also come out in Belgium.




capture screen

[pasoleati]

Remy, have you considered eliminating the "gutter effect" of large photos by using fold-outs?

[Remy Spezzano]

Hey Remy,

Yesterday i read about your book in the local newspaper. I live near Eeklo so it was a big surprise for me to suddenly see those famous pictures of the german tanks in Eeklo. I think you did a great work and i'm looking forward to read your book. I hope it will also come out in Belgium.

Thanks for posting this!
I spoke with the newspaper reporter on the phone this past week and he said the article was going to be full page with some photos in the Saturday edition. He interviewed the two men who helped me with my research when I visited the Eeklo town archive. I can understand a bit of the Flemish text and it looks like the article is pretty favorable towards the subject.

[Remy Spezzano]

Remy, have you considered eliminating the "gutter effect" of large photos by using fold-outs?

That's an excellent suggestion!
I have seen this done with children's books and also photo books on
architecture. There's no reason not to try this for a military book as well.
I'm going to explore this possibility further. The only problem I for see is that the binding process for a book with fold out pages may be a little tricky and will cost extra.
I'll ask the printer to quote me next time to see if it's worth it.
Thanks again for the creative idea.

[Herr Lyppe]

Remy,

Thanks for your response. I posted what I did above purely because I had hoped that you would see them as simple, objective, observations. It wasn't to suggest that you had misrepresented the book in any way. My point was that the title suggests contents with a broader scope. And I did read the book in it's entirety, hence the statement in my previous post ".... this is a fine example of how much research is required to produce even a relatively small volume such as this."
I fully appreciate the size of these KB photo archives and the problems associated with trying to present them in a relative context, and applaud those publishers who are helping to bring so much of these unused resources to light whilst creating a far more objective standard on what has always been a contentious period in history..
As I also mentioned, I love this format of book when it is used to it's fullest potential, as I am certainly one of those who hate a page crammed with photos so small that you can't discern details. That being said, there's nothing wrong with including a photo in a smaller format when it doesn't utilize the benefits of the page size to their fullest. That 'narrative' that you have sought to include by showing many of the successive photos definitely adds a great deal of perspective to photos presented like this, but then again, the book's purpose appears to be to serve as a narrative anyway.
I'd imagine that putting a gate fold page in future volumes would prove excessively expensive, and given the format size of the book I can't foresee that as a reader it would add much above simply reducing an image slightly. I have another book which has tried to use a style of binding that is supposed to offer a full view of each image by eliminating the gutter. Unfortunately this has compromised the quality of the binding considerably. It would certainly be a shame to compromise the consistently high production value of the RZM publications unnecessarily.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-View...ew+berlin+wall
Panzerwrecks consistently use a gate fold (if this is the right term) in the covers of their series, but from memory can't recall seeing it used within the text.
You have certainly attained your objective with the volume and my criticisms of this first volume will certainly not deter me from purchasing future volumes that contain subjects of interest. What is of 'more' interest is a fairly subjective topic but as we all know, there's plenty of punters out there happy to see more images of Tigers and Panthers.
Noone expects RZM to be infallible in their publications, and I hope that my comments can be inferred for their constructive rather than critical value.
Congratulations on the success and exposure for the book.

Allan

[BPA-Paul]

Remy,

I recently purchased your book and what a great book it is, I love the layout of the book with large photo's and with little text, being a
collector of photos this book was right up my alley, also the title text (colour/font) and book cover look great as well. Well done..

Im hoping for a volume 2, I will keep my fingers crossed.

Best regards,
Paul.

[Remy Spezzano]

Thanks Paul! Glad to hear you liked the book. And yes we are going to continue publishing more titles in this series.
Here is the cover and a brief description of the next book.

Coming in September 2014!

PK Cameraman No. 2 will feature exclusive never before seen photos of the 12. SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” training in Belgium.

One roll of film features photos shot by the division's SS Kriegsberichter Wilfreid Woscidlo in Nov. 1943 when the HJ grenadiers were training in Beverloo, Belgium.
And then two rolls of film shot by Army Kriegsberichter Bernhard Kurth in March 1944, showing Generalfeldmarshall von Rundstedt
together with the 12. HJ Division commanders observing a field exercise with SS-Panzer Regiment 12 and SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 26.

[WEISNER]

Look forward to it Remy! please if possible add some combat film?

Kevin

[Remy Spezzano]

Look forward to it Remy! please if possible add some combat film?

Kevin

Thanks Kevin!
Over the years I've seen a ton of PK photos and to be honest there are really very few shots which show actual combat taking place. As for the HJ division photos appearing in the next book. they will all be pre-Normandy. There may be another volume later on which will only feature photos taken after June 6th but it all depends on what I can gather up and the quality has to be excellent.

[Bob Lyons]

I too have 'Arnheim' and 'PK #1', love the large format, and clear photos, done in their proper order, along with the great captions, so will definitely be adding number 2 when it comes out.

Cheers

Bob

[Remy Spezzano]

Gentlemen just in case you haven't seen it yet, check out the facebook page I have created for PK Cameraman No. 1 PanzerJäger in the West 1944.
Lots of "then and now" photos and plenty of neat little extras. You don't have to be a member of facebook to enjoy the page and view the photos.

Check it out here!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/PK-Ca...1981362?ref=hl

[starikurac]

I live relatively close to Beverlo and sspend some time overthere as a kid...really looking out for PK Cameraman No. 2

[BPA-Paul]

Thanks Paul! Glad to hear you liked the book. And yes we are going to continue publishing more titles in this series.
Here is the cover and a brief description of the next book.

Coming in September 2014!

PK Cameraman No. 2 will feature exclusive never before seen photos of the 12. SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” training in Belgium.

Really good to hear Remy..cant wait.

For sure another addition my Library.

Best Regards
Paul.