Greece's fabled Mediterranean blue and brilliant whites are but some of the visual signatures of the land treasured by scholars, travelers and lovers alike. Its islands still retain ancient mysteries; it remains as elemental and pure as it has for thousands of years, and it continues to lure and seduce travelers with its history and unparalleled beauty.

The Greek File: Images from a Mythic Land by William Abranowicz (Rizzoli Publications; 176 pages; 100 duotone photos, 4 vellum inserts; Hardcover, $50.00; May 2001) captures the natural serenity and artistry that makes Greece so unforgettable. Here are the clean lines that define Greek architecture- and images that reveal the elegance and poetry in Greek daily life. Photographer Abranowicz sees through time. Images in The Greek File could be snapshots from centuries ago, or a decade ago, or yesterday - from hanging bunches of garlic to spanking-white laundry drying in the Aegean sun - from a dazzling seaside landscape to the fluttering pages of a book on a whitewashed table.

Traveling around the islands of Santorini, Tinos, Naxos, Patmos, Sifnos, Halki, Aegina, Andros, Karpathos, Symi, Mykonos, Thirrassia and Delos (the birthplace of Apollo) to chronicle the extraordinary simplicity and implicit beauty he found, he also linked together Greece's memorable motifs and its drama. He shows us the curve of a white plate holding a few shelled pistachios - then see that identical curve echoed in the entrance of a simple island dwelling. Here is a country portrayed with elegance and reverance, with Abranowicz making unseen connections threading Greek culture together.

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