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Stunning edition. Great photography work and very interesting introduction by Kerouac.A must have for a photographer.
Many of the photos look like rejects from the envelope of prints eagerly picked up from the 1950's or 1960's photo lab where you have spinster Aunt Millie asking why did you waste film on this--they're not even looking at the camera, or it's a bunch of people at a funeral, or it's a road at night. The book: The Americans is a terrific arty, documentary commentary on mid-20th-century America.I would have said the book is worth having for the Kerouac introduction alone--because it is so good.so.so Kerouac--until I reverently turned the pages, which is what one should do when viewing a collection of photos, drawings, or art and was delighted to remain in the desperate, yearnful, plain-is-the-new-god mood that Kerouac had expertly created in his introduction.
Peanutbutter and jelly. Somethings just go together.
And Jack Kerouac's introduction to 83 stark b/w photos ("lugubrious" Jack might say) shot by Robert Frank in 1955 / 1956 as he traveled the lower 48, funded by a Guggenheim Foundation grant. Knotty pine paneling in a fishing-lake bar.
Bouffants on R&B singers. Frank's photos capture the everyday in all of its beauty.
Get this book.
What can I say that hasn't already been said about "The Americans". The coffin / jukebox quote and the page with the nanny are just the beginning. I recently reviewed Sawdust Mountain by Eirik Johnson Eirik Johnson: Sawdust Mountain and as I reviewed that I realized that many of today's best photographers owe a debt to Robert Frank. Buy this book and you'll see Franks' artistic descendants all over the place.
I saw his anniversary exhibit in New York and felt the book really captured his photographs. Robert Frank's book "The Americans" presents a stunningly visual portrayal of the 1950's culture and the times we lived in. Frank's photographs brought back strong memories of people and places I remember. These are strong pictures, ones you'll remember. I recommend this book to all--not just photography lovers, but to anyone who wants to see a slice of American life gone by.
This collection of photos didn't attract much attention when first published. There is a newspaper stand in one of the photos. The collection captures the time nicely.
Don't think so. Several others have explanations different from my assessment. Some believed race issues were a problem.
One of the photos is misidentified as to place. I graduated from college during this period. The photos then would have been ordinary scenes in black and white during a period when most photos were color.
It isn't about the narrative and black and white makes the subjects stand out. Who is on the cover of Look.
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