This selection of essays, articles, lectures, and other writings by Erik
Barnouw, dean of American media scholars, chronicles "the phenomenon of
old media giving way to new, and then being replaced by them, as the
ghosts of old media rise in new forms." In Media Lost and Found, the
sixteenth century will introduce us to early stirrings of photography,
as well as the rise of "black lists," which have a too-familiar ring
within our own lifetime.
The collection begins with an article on documentary film pioneer Robert
Flaherty. Barnouw then moves to a discussion of his Dutch heritage and
its role in Western civilization. This is followed by fascinating
accounts of ingenious pioneers of camera obscura and magic lantern
phantasmagoria, precursors of the magic of motion pictures. There are
lively accounts of Barnouw's own experiences, an informative brief
history of communications breakthroughs, and an examination of the
foibles of media censorship. The final articles discuss the importance
of Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray and cinematographer Boris Kaufman,
brother of Soviet filmmakers Djiga Vertov and Mikhail Kaufman.
In his writing and in his life, Erik Barnouw has been consistently
elegant, self-deprecating, affectionate, and redolent of great depths,
encouraging us to look for and foster them in our own lives.