1973

By Celestial Arts; Millbrae, CA 94030
Cover design by Ruth Ross

Photographs by Leonard Nimoy, one by Adam Nimoy

unpaged 1973

The inscription at a fountain in Boston "Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days." made a great impression on Leonard when he was 8 years old.

Leonard took it literally and cast bread on the waters which was pecked up by pigeons. Believing this was natural for the process he watched and came back later to see what he might find. "How many is 'many'", he wondered after several visits to the place. Realizing now how fortunate he is, he continues to share. In this book Leonard Nimoy shares very personal experiences.

And he hopes that some of what he experienced is there, in these pages, for the reader, too.

A special "Thanks!" to Bonnie Moss for sharing this photo.

You and I contents:

      - In the Beginning
      - In Search
      - In Discovery
      - Credo
      - All Men Are Mortal
      - To Be  

One of the poems in "You & I ":

For All Mankind

I wish for all mankind
The sweet simple joy
That we have found together.

I know that it will be.

And that we shall celebrate
We shall taste the wine
And the fruit.

Celebrate the sunset and the sunrise
              the cold and the warmth
              the sounds and the silences
              the voices of the children.

Celebrate the dreams and hopes
Which have filled the souls of
All decent men and women.

    We shall lift our glasses and toast
    With tears of joy.


Leonard Nimoy:

In 1970, I renewed an old love. I turned with a new intensity toward the art of photography. I had been interested in photography as a hobby for many years, had always owned a camera, and sometimes when a darkroom was available, processed my own prints. But I had never approached the work at a more serious level than simply recording events such as birthday parties and other celebrations of various kinds. Now I was intrigued with photography as an art form, particularly in black and white.

I took some UCLA courses and began to understand the science of photography as an art form. I worked intensely until I was satisfied that my prints were suitable for publication. Now I realized that the form of publication was a major choice and decided that perhaps the format that would serve me best would be a book of photographs and words.

For the first time in my life, I sat down seriously to think and write poetically. It was surprisingly easy. Or I should say it came in an unexpectedly gratifying flow. My search for an understanding of the art of photography had led me to a new surprise. That I was capable of writing and being published successfully as a poet. Since that first book which was called, "YOU & I," I have had four other books published, all quite successful.

Source: Nimoy, Leonard. "All My Life I've Been a Searcher" in Datsun Dicovery, Fall 1978.