I'll have more to say about it in due course, but I just thought you'd want to know that I received Vivian Maier: Street Photographer yesterday. (It's available for pre-order in the U.K.
and it's not in stock at The Book Depository yet.)
As you probably already know, Vivian was a Franco-American nanny who photographed obsessively on the street in complete obscurity for many years. Her work was abandoned in a storage locker as she lay dying, only to be rescued by several adventitious purchasers, one of whom was a young man named John Maloof. John soon realized the significance of his acquisition and has been working to stabilize, publicize and disseminate the archive ever since.
Vivian Maier: Street Photographer is the first full-scale publication of her work apart from a show catalog. A special book, in many ways. More anon.
Mike
P.S. Incidentally, my book came well packed and well protected, attached with shrink-wrap to a piece of cardboard inside the shipping box.
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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.
Featured Comment by Sherwood McLernon: "I received my copy yesterday as well and have to say it exceeded my expectations. I think of it as the book that I had hoped The Americans by Robert Frank would have been, but wasn't. I thought the reproductions were excellent and a lot of the subject matter fascinating. All in all a very satisfying book."
Got my copy yesterday. Great stuff! I want to see more. Hope they publish a second book.
Posted by: James Powers | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 12:54 PM
Tried to resist ordering this, but clicked on your link and saw the sample images, which reminded me how impressed I was when I first heard about Maier. So it's now on the way...
Posted by: Marc Rochkind | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 02:09 PM
Amazon UK list "Street Photographer" available Nov 2011 and "Vivian Maier" to be released 8 Dec 2011. They appear to be different books. Seems strange to publish them so closely ot each other. Do you have any insight into this?
Posted by: Len Salem | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 06:10 PM
Len,
I believe the book they have listed as "Street Photographer" is the German-language version of the show catalog. Shirmer/Mosel looks to be the German publisher of the new book, but according to the S/M website it will have the same cover as the English language version. The book I'm talking about is published by Powerhouse in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 06:42 PM
I received the book in the mail on Tuesday and put it between my copies of a Diane Arbus monograph by Aperture and "Walker Evans: Lyric Documentary." I put it there because of its relative size, but the placement inadvertently symbolized what I think is her position in the photography canon.
(And again, thanks to TOP, I shelled out $25 for the 64-page paperback exhibition catalog you linked to in the article. I soon will spend $20 more for a set of two show posters that I stumbled on at Amazon.com.)
Posted by: Max Pasion | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 07:50 PM
Can't you talk John Maloof into making a print sale? I'd love to own a small print of one of VM 's photos.
Niels
Posted by: Niels | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 08:45 PM
Thanks for the heads up. Clicked the link and ordered mine.
Posted by: MJFerron | Saturday, 26 November 2011 at 10:48 PM
Sigh. I ordered a copy. Just so I can rest my eyes when I'm not poring through my law books for finals. I was at the exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Institute, and her photos are really quite good. Though this book is bad for me, I'll wind up buying a TLR next.
Posted by: James Liu | Sunday, 27 November 2011 at 12:28 AM
First time I saw one introduce a photo book via video. Quite a good idea especially with the hand there to show the size and the natural lighting to show a bit what you saw. You do not lose the IP but the reader can grasp the value of the book.
BTW, the book seems quite good.
Posted by: Dennis Ng | Sunday, 27 November 2011 at 01:37 AM
Sherwood McLernon wrote: "I think of it as the book that I had hoped The Americans by Robert Frank would have been, but wasn't."
Sherwood, I would really love to hear your thoughts on this. Would it be okay to ask you to e-mail me at [email protected]? (Provided this is okay with Mike!)
Thanks,
Dave Jenkins
Posted by: Dave Jenkins | Sunday, 27 November 2011 at 06:01 PM
I saw the London show last July and had been following her story well before that.
I ordered my copy from Amazon as soon as I saw your post. It's on its way. Thanks.
The shipment originates in Las Vegas, which seems odd. But it did get me thinking about what the mysterious Ms. Maier could have done with street photography in that town.
Posted by: D.C. Wells | Monday, 28 November 2011 at 05:53 PM
Oh yes, I just opened my copy, smelled the ink and saw the boy with glasses and a coonskin cap, and on the facing page five kids in the park, shades of Gene Meatyard.
This is vintage Rolleiflex work at it's best.
Posted by: Richard Alan Fox | Monday, 28 November 2011 at 10:37 PM
It is a lovely book, she is a wonderful photographer, but she is not Robert Frank.
Posted by: Lennie Neumann | Tuesday, 29 November 2011 at 06:17 PM
And Amazon Japan just sent notice that for the 3rd time, there has been a delay with this order. At least it is encouraging to hear that some people have received the book, even if she is now known not to be some other photographer.
Posted by: David H. | Wednesday, 30 November 2011 at 06:52 PM
I received the Vivian Maier book today and had a very pleasant first look. I loved her self portraits. They have an honest quality that seems to be quite in keeping with her desire for anonymity. They seem more "Kilroy was here", than an expression of ego or self- aggrandisement.
Although I considered what it might have meant for Maier to have been discovered early in her photographic career, I suspect that she lived her life and practiced her art on her own terms. Yes, I think that it all worked out. Thank you Vivian.
Posted by: John MacKechnie | Saturday, 03 December 2011 at 03:11 AM
Is this book already in a "Limbo" Bookdepository and amazon is showing currently unavailable?
Posted by: Barrie | Monday, 05 December 2011 at 12:43 PM
It's good to hear everyone is happy with their copies of this fine first compilation of her work. Mine has several blank pages throughout, but it sounds from this thread like I got a rare bad printing, so I'm confident I will be able to exchange it...
Posted by: Martyn | Sunday, 11 December 2011 at 11:16 AM