Endure: An Intimate Journey with the Chinese Gymnasts Hardcover – Illustrated, 3 Jun 2012

This large and incredibly lavish book is an absolute highlight amongst photo books.It is wonderfully presented and a great coffee table book. Importantly it is also some of the best work by contemporary photography.Anderson and Low was allowed un limited access to the gym, where reigning and future Olympic Champions train.The work illustrates the commitment, effort and grit needed to succeed at the highest level of sport and captures the essence of it all. Endure is the perfect title to this amazing work.

So powerful and impressive! An exceptional achievement. This is the most beautiful, the most spectacular book I have ever had. Period.

It goes withouth saying that this book is very much a considered purchase. However it is a genuine work of art in itself, and certainly is worth very serious consideration.Everything about this book oozes quality. I have been a fan of Anderson and Low for years now, and athough their choice of subject varies widely, it is ther images of athletes that most people will associate them with.This, however is a major departure in style from ther magnificent "Athletes & Gymasts" project. Endure saw the duo gain unprecedented access to the training sesions of the Olympic Chinese gymnastic team. The result is a combination of reportage/documentary and fine art portaiture. Posed images sit along side pictures of the athletes being pushed to limits of physical...well endurance. Gone are the sculptural black and white portraits remeniscent of the likes of Mapplethorpe Horst and Platt-Lynes, to be replaced by a gritty colour palate that more forcefully conveys the effort and pain being suffered by these amazing young people.This is a massive book beautifully printed and bound in a hard cover which wraps around the book itself like a folder. The other thing to note is that the edition is an impressively small run of only 750 copies. Information about the book itself is scarce to say the least, so it was something of a leap of faith ordering it. It is presented in a printed card carry case with handle.This is obviously not a book for the casual purchaser. However for collectors of photobooks, I cannot reccommend it highly enough, and believe it or not at the price currently offered by several sellers, it is an absolute bargain.Get one whilst you can !

In the foreword to the book, Paul Greenhalgh opines that art and sport share a common goal of ‘the search for perfection’. And for those of us still seeking perfection, we need look no further. “Endure” achieves it on every level. This intimate insight into young Chinese gymnasts training, movingly portrayed by photography duo Anderson and Low, is a must-have for any photography bookshelf. It goes without saying that the images are exceptional, but the perfection doesn’t stop with the photography. Beautifully bound on luscious paper, delivered in its own box with carry-handle and a limited edition of 750 – could a bookworm want for anything else?