A new book by the acclaimed Atlanta photographer Ron Sherman, titled Witness A Photographic Essay of Humor and Heart is nearing completion, with a target publication date of December 2023. The 144-page coffee table book, 10-by-12 inches, with a cloth-wrapped hard cover, features 98 images from Shermans vast inventory of thousands of photographs, some of which are quite famous. Witness A Photographic Essay of Humor and Heart is a testament to my 60 years as a professional photographer documenting the people of Atlanta, of Georgia and much of the rest of the country, said Sherman, who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but has made Atlanta, Ga., his home for the past five-plus decades. I had the privilege of meeting political figures, sports stars, musicians, school children, college students and corporate executives, who allowed me into their lives. Most of the subjects in the book were available for a very short time, but enough time to allow him to finish his assignments. They included such luminaries as Jimmy Carter, Coretta Scott King, Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, among many others. But, Sherman pointed out, fireman Buzzard Sewell, Atlanta policeman Chester Head, singer Arlo Guthrie or activist Huey Newton are people some may have never heard of, but they will see them in my book. He added, Of the thousands of photos in my archives, two assistants, photo editor Amy Miller and designer and publisher Laurie Shock, did a remarkable job of picking 98 enlightening images. Witness will be Shermans fifth book. Three of the previous four were corporate sponsored, while the fourth, published in 2013, had a Canadian publisher. All were photographic retrospectives, with an emphasis on Atlanta. The book Im about to release is self-published, he said, because I wanted complete control over its production. I consider it my finest work. If Ron Shermans photographic career had been limited to images published in national magazines, it would be a remarkable achievement, but Witness: A Photographic Essay of Humor and Hope is nothing short of a pictorial love affair with his adopted hometown of Atlanta, said David Snell, a longtime friend of Shermans and a former correspondent for ABC News. Snell said, In the books pages you will experience the evolution of Atlanta, meet some of the citys most notable public figures from Jimmy Carter to Coretta Scott King to Ted Turner, and witness the celebration as Henry Aaron rounded the bases after breaking Babe Ruths home run record at Atlantas Fulton County Stadium in 1974. The 4-by-5-foot enlargement of that iconic Hank Aaron photograph is perhaps the books most recognizable image, showing the legendary slugger being congratulated by two exuberant fans as he jogs from second to third base on his way to baseball immortality in 1974. Its now on display at Major League Baseballs Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. When a photojournalist as talented and resourceful as Ron Sherman plies his trade in a vibrant and diverse metropolitan center like Atlanta, Ga., the resulting images reveal powerful narratives of a great city, said Paul Crater, vice president of collections and research services at the Atlanta History Center. Crater added, In his new book, Mr. Sherman takes you on a reflective journey of his illustrious career. Rons spectacular photo essay guides you through his teenage years documenting his hometown of Cleveland to his five decades as a professional photographer in Atlanta, and places in between. It represents the culmination of Shermans brilliant career and is a gift to us all. But his photography encompasses much more than Atlanta. As the book reveals, the Vietnam War played a pivotal role in his life. In 1968, at the height of the war, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Aerial Reconnaissance Battalion in the Signal Corps. His deep understanding of photography played a key role in assisting Army Intelligence. After his service, Ron came back to the states to resume his photography career, which took him to Washington, D.C., where he captured hundreds of compelling images of the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam on Nov. 15, 1969. A member of the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, Sherman has amassed thousands of photographs of their events, honoring the service veterans gave to their country. The Atlanta History Center is a partner of the AVVBA in telling the stories of veterans through oral history and exhibitions. We are proud to serve as the archival repository of these wonderful photographs, added Crater. Sherman fell in love with Atlanta even before he moved there for good in 1971. A brief stint working for United Press International gave him a sense of the place as a booming city on the move in the mid-1960s and provided valuable business contacts for the future. His fascination with Atlanta and its people, coupled with his great skill in capturing its dazzling skylines and cityscapes, as well as the natural beauty of its rural surroundings, form the essence of his lifes work. His photography has been published in the pages of Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, Life, and Business Week, as well as in newspapers throughout the country. In addition, his work as a corporate photographer produced spectacular portraitures and event photography in the annual reports and multi-media presentations of IBM and Eastman Kodak, as well as Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Power, and other Atlanta-based Fortune 500 companies. Multiple public exhibitions, as well as the four previously published books, have featured his photography over the past few decades. His amazing and colossal portfolio of nearly a half million photographs are archived at Emory Universitys Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.witness.ronsherman.com or email ronsphoto@live.com.