This past weekend was the ICP Photobook Festival here in NYC. For real photographers, this was a special treat. It was literally a tradeshow of photo book publishers showing off some of their beautiful new works and talking about the things they love. That’s right: no talks about social media presence, no one being vetted by followers, etc. Instead, it was all just about the work on paper and what people genuinely thought about it. This year’s show took up two floors of the museum. We dipped into the VIP night on Friday and got to beat the crowds. Here are the best photobooks we think everyone should get their hands on.
For more photo book reviews, check out our Photo Book page.
Table of Contents
Fugue by Lydia Goldblatt (Gost)
“Fugue by Lydia Goldblatt is a body of work about love and grief, mothering and losing a mother, intimacy and distance, told through photographs and writing,” states Gost’s website. “Centring on the domestic space and made over the course of four years, it tells a story that is neither apologetic nor idealized.” More importantly, the book is a beautiful shade of Fuschia on the outside and houses very real-feeling portraits that moments that will have folks staring deeply into the work. Of any of the books I saw, this is one I think really needed to be taken in alone while having it propped and bathed with south-facing light from a large window. Like every other book on this list, the texture of the actual pages is also pretty wonderful.
This gorgeous book can be had for less than $60.
Poems by Christopher Robin Duncan (Deadbeat Press Club)
As a man currently in the middle of writing his own book of poetry, Poems by Christopher Robin Duncan really appealed to me. Done by Deadbeat Press Club, this book is a unique work of art in that it’s not bound together. Mr. Duncan shot everything on a half-frame camera in a way that shows duality. Then the publishers printed everything and put them together in layers on top of one another. The book isn’t stapled together or bound together at all. So that means you can rearrange the entire thing. And because the images are half-frame, they’re all vertical and use the format really well.
I haven’t seen anything like it, and to me, it’s incredibly innovative.
Sealskin by Jeff Dworsky (Charcoal Press)
“In his debut monograph, Sealskin, photographs of his life are paced to an old Celtic folktale about a fisherman who discovers a selkie—a mythical creature that can transform from a seal into a human—falls in love, has a family, but must let her go,” says an email to the press about the new book from Charcoal Press. “This tale mirrors Dworsky’s own life, it is a story of desire, the erosion of time, and the inevitability of change. Using Kodachrome film, Dworsky documented his family, daily life, and the fishing community in a small Maine village during the 70-80s, capturing a world that no longer exists.” The book is incredibly raw and at the same time quite fascinating. Both of Jeff’s parents were professors, and he dropped out of school at 14 years old. To me, this is a fascinating take on life from the eyes that many of us don’t get the experience.
Beyond Drifting: Imperfectly Known Animals by Mandy Barker (Overlapse Books)
This book is truly incredible, as it comes in two different editions. There’s a smaller version that looks and feels like a true vintage book, and the larger one is designed to look like an old book that you might find being given away for free. Overlapse Books presents this project by Mandy Barker, who photographed plastic to look like animals of the sea. We love to feature this type of stuff here because it goes beyond just capturing a moment and instead makes something with a specific statement.
It’s currently a bit hard to get your hands on one, but if you do, then cherish it.
Halloween Underground: New York Subway Portraits by Seymour Licht
One of our favorites is Halloween Underground: New York Subway Portraits. This book combines street photography, portraiture, and a little bit of the style and life that you find at conventions. But it also adds in the randomness of both New York and the subway. I mean, look at that cover. How do you beat it? You can purchase it for $45. Of anyone on this list, I’d have to say that this could take the cake among the best photobooks. I bought it!