Anne Wilkes Tucker Books

Sleeping by the Mississippi by Alec Soth is a pivotal work in the photobook era, first published by Steidl in 2004. This debut book, which has seen three editions, established Soth as a prominent figure in contemporary photography. The new MACK edition coincides with the inaugural exhibition in London at Beetles+Huxley gallery and features two previously unseen photographs. Originating from road trips along the Mississippi River, the book captures the essence of America’s often-overlooked ‘third coast.’ Soth’s large-format color images present a diverse array of individuals, landscapes, and interiors, evoking a mood of loneliness, longing, and reverie. Anne Wilkes Tucker notes in her original essay that the 46 meticulously edited pictures touch on themes such as illness, race, crime, and redemption. Similar to Robert Frank’s The Americans, this work combines documentary style with a poetic sensibility, using the Mississippi as an organizing motif rather than the central subject. The series embodies a distinctly American spirit of wanderlust, and thirteen years after its initial release, Soth’s lyrical perspective resonates with deeper significance, intertwining hope, fear, desire, and regret along this mythic river.

This striking collection of photographs features nearly every important figure in the world of rock & roll, from Elvis to Eric Clapton, the Beatles to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix to John Coltrane. Many of the nearly one hundred images have rarely been published, and all reveal fascinating glimpses of celebrities off stage, away from the glare of the spotlights. Shot from the mid-fifties to the mid-nineties, the portraits often have a spontaneous, informal, and everyday feel, and most record their subjects before they had become immensely famous—and well practiced in posing for photographs. The more than fifty photographers who contribute to the volume are among the most talented in their field, including Lee Friedlander, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, Mick Rock, and many more. Three original essays address topics suggested by the photographs. The authors discuss the coded nature of celebrity portraiture, the 1970s music scene in New York City, the frank sexuality of rock musicians, and how the Beatles’ look evolved over time. This book will be treasured not only by fans of rock & roll music and admirers of photographic portraits, but also by those who remember the vanished time when photographers had genuine access to performers, and were a crucial element in the worlds they were documenting.

Rude Beauté s'interroge sur les caractéristiques et le fardeau d'une communauté rurale stigmatisée pour son passé et ses liens avec le Ku Klux Klan. Dave Anderson dépasse les stéréotypes et nous montre le quotidien de Texans qui, grâce à leur ingéniosité, font face à une pauvreté extrême.