Constantine Manos was born in South Carolina to Greek immigrant parents in 1934. His photographic career began in the school camera club when he was 13. His chronicling of the Boston Symphony Orchestra resulted in the book "Portrait of a Symphony", which brought him initial recognition. Manos joined Magnum Photos in 1963.

Living in Greece for three years, Constantine Manos traveled the countryside in search of images that capture the character and beauty of a way of life that had been virtually unchanged for centuries. These pictures are the record of random wanderings in places where the only sound might be the distant tinkling of sheep bells, where hospitality for the stranger is a sacred tradition, and where time has stood still against a backdrop of rural simplicity and serenity.

With masterly insight, Manos opened his shutter on those moments that distill the essence of character and occasion to create a series of images that are timeless in their expression of the quality of life in rural Greece. Etched into the faces he found area strength and dignity that reflect survival, honor, and continuity. The book, first published in 1972, has become a sought-after classic. For this new edition of "A Greek Portfolio", Manos has gone back into his files to find previously unpublished images that further enhance the beauty and depth of this body of work.