American Character

*LOWELL THOMAS AWARD GOLD MEDAL BEST TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR* Award-winning photographer Peter Guttman showcases the vibrant and wildly diverse American people in an unprecedented, multi-decade collection of sharply etched portraits  Like few nations, the United States flourished through the hard work and enterprising creativity of individuals from myriad identities. These cultural strands––along with sprinklings of imagination, eccentricity, even skullduggery––weave together an entertaining narrative of a fascinating country. American Character offers readers a peek into the seldom viewed worlds of Buddhist monks, "freak show" performers, and nuclear physicists, and an opportunity to tag along on the quests of gold miners and Bigfoot hunters. Diving into the ethnic enclaves of Yupik hunters, Amish farmers, Pueblo elders, native Hawaiian storytellers, and Hasidic bakery owners, the book also trains a lens on distant or underseen communities to cobble together an unforgettable American landscape. Driven by an explorer’s fearless instinct for investigating obscure cultures and hidden corners in all fifty states, photographer and journalist Peter Guttman presents this richly visual parade in stunning color photography, accompanied with evocative, deeply researched prose. Almost encyclopedic in scope, a dizzying array of arresting occupational niches and lifestyles are presented and enhanced with intriguing personal backstories, winding connections, and amusing historical tales. When each half of a polarized country seems to view the other half with deep suspicions, American Character may provide a healing balm and offer much deeper understanding of the vast spectrum of Americans and our mutual aspirations.  

Peter Guttman is a photographer, writer, author, lecturer, television personality, and adventurer, who has traveled on assignment to all seven continents and over 250 countries. Guttman was named by the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film as one of “20 of the World’s Most Influential Photographers.” The author of eight previous books, he has received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Exploration and Storytelling, has three times won the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year Award, and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the New York Travel Writers Society. Guttman created Beautiful Planet HD, the first number-one bestselling travel app, and has had solo exhibitions in museums and at Sotheby’s and the United Nations. His work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Geo, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, the New York Times, and Outside. Joining the ranks of Jacques Cousteau and Buzz Aldrin, Guttman was named a Fellow of The Explorer’s Club, requiring substantial contributions to mankind’s geographical knowledge, in 2023.