Peter Costello
Kerry: The Beautiful Kingdom
written and photographed by John Wesson (O’Brien Press, €24.99)
John Wesson is an English professional photographer who divides his time between Derbyshire and Valentia Island in Kerry. Though this is his first book I suspect we can expect many more.
He has a fine eye for both the beauties of the landscape, hard to avoid in the Kingdom, but also (and this is less usual) for the fashions, foibles and fancies of the local people.
Unlike many of those who produce these kinds of book, his outsider’s eye sees aspects of land that the locals might take for granted and not really notice, but he also sees what really appeals as well to the stranger’s taste.
If you have friends or relatives abroad who know Kerry at all, this is the book to send them, to remind them of all they are missing by not actually living down there.