"Reiner Leist's most ambitious photographic project to date, New World provides a unique look at America through portraits of its people. What makes this collection so unusual is its highly original biographical dimension-for each of Leist's portraits is juxtaposed with a childhood portrait of the same person. The sense of poignancy created by the correspondences between childhood photograph and Leist's portrait is further enhanced by autobiographical essays which shed light on the individual's often colorful lives."-the publisher.