About

This blog is dedicated to photobooks connected to New York City. My interest began several years ago when I stumbled upon a copy of Diane Arbus’s monograph on a sidewalk in the East Village. Although I was familiar with Arbus’s work, I had no idea that the book had become highly sought after by collectors. That unexpected discovery led me into the world of photobook collecting.

As I explored the field, I came to appreciate the photobook as one of photography’s most compelling forms. Unlike individual photographs viewed in isolation, photobooks present images in sequence, creating narratives and relationships that reveal a photographer’s broader vision. The design, editing, text, and structure of a book often become as important as the photographs themselves.

Because the field of photobooks is vast, I chose to focus on New York. The city has played a central role in the history of photography, serving as a subject, a cultural center, and a source of artistic influence for generations of photographers. By concentrating on books connected to New York, I hope to build a collection and research resource that explores not only the city’s visual history but also the evolution of the photobook as a medium.

This project considers two broad categories of work. The first includes books that use New York itself as their subject, documenting its architecture, streets, neighborhoods, and communities. The second includes what might be called the “New York photobook”—works that emerged from the city’s artistic and cultural environment, even when New York is not explicitly depicted. Together, these categories offer a way to examine the city’s influence on photography and photobook culture across different periods and artistic movements.

The goal is not simply to assemble a list of books, but to create a framework for understanding how New York has shaped photographic practice, publishing, and visual culture.