Uncommon or hard to find photobooks

bucs

bucs

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I’m shopping around for photobooks this holiday season and just remembered I have a list of photobooks I’ve been hunting for, for years.

On top of my list is Citizens by Jun Abe (Vacuum Press). It’s not exactly unavailable. One or two copies pop up every now and then but at prices which I’m not willing to pay lol.

Curious to know what’s on the list of other members here 🙂
 
W.Eugene and Aileen Smith’s book about the Minamata tragedy. Most copies are expensive and in poor condition.

It was re-released in Japan not too long ago and I was hoping for an English release but the most beautifully striking and haunting image “Tomoko and Mother in the Bath” will not be included because Aileen generously gave the copyright to Tomoko’s family who felt the whole tragedy focused on them because of that image.
I respect that decision, but it is possibly the most humanistic and emphatic photograph of the last century. I literally cry every time I see it, and even as I think about it now.

It is still possible to see the image online but I feel like a criminal as it is not published with consent of the copyright owner.
en.wikipedia.org

Tomoko and Mother in the Bath - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
It is legal to own the original book though.
 
Last edited:
bucs said:
I’m shopping around for photobooks this holiday season and just remembered I have a list of photobooks I’ve been hunting for, for years.

On top of my list is Citizens by Jun Abe (Vacuum Press). It’s not exactly unavailable. One or two copies pop up every now and then but at prices which I’m not willing to pay lol.

Curious to know what’s on the list of other members here 🙂
Click to expand...
Is this it?: Citizens in society 1989 - 1994 - Jun ABE | shashasha - Photography & art in books
 
For awhile Yang Yan Kang's The Reflection Of Soul was the book I could not find at a "reasonable" price, then after a few years found while digging with web searches found it at Meteor in Hong Kong who actually knew the photographer and had new signed copies! I took the plunge at $167 with shipping, but really enjoy the book in my little collection.
 
Nitroplait said:
W.Eugene and Aileen Smith’s book about the Minamata tragedy. Most copies are expensive and in poor condition.

It was re-released in Japan not too long ago and I was hoping for an English release but the most beautifully striking and haunting image “Tomoko and Mother in the Bath” will not be included because Aileen generously gave the copyright to Tomoko’s family who felt the whole tragedy focused on them because of that image.
I respect that decision, but it is possibly the most humanistic and emphatic photograph of the last century. I literally cry every time I see it, and even as I think about it now.

It is still possible to see the image online but I feel like a criminal as it is not published with consent of the copyright owner.
en.wikipedia.org

Tomoko and Mother in the Bath - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
It is legal to own the original book though.
Click to expand...
I agree, but I bought a slightly beat up paperback version and glad I have it to look through.
 
Rollin said:
For awhile Yang Yan Kang's The Reflection Of Soul was the book I could not find at a "reasonable" price, then after a few years found while digging with web searches found it at Meteor in Hong Kong who actually knew the photographer and had new signed copies! I took the plunge at $167 with shipping, but really enjoy the book in my little collection.
Click to expand...
Great find! And a signed one at that!
 
Not so uncommon, but I happened to be looking through my copy of "Wild Flowers (1983)" by Joel Meyerowitz, and out of curiosity, looked up its availability. I was shocked to see the asking prices ($75, $100 and up).
 
Torvik said:
Well, I hope to find “A Hong Kong Memoir” by Fan Ho some day.
Click to expand...
Is this sought after? I have Hong Kong Yesterday, The Living Theatre and A Hong Kong Memoir, all in clothbound hardback editions.

Heck, I just looked at Amazon. Why are they selling for so much? $800+ for Memoir?? I had the opportunity to get signed copies before his death, they would have been worth a mint had I bought them.
 
Last edited:
Archiver said:
Is this sought after? I have Hong Kong Yesterday, The Living Theatre and A Hong Kong Memoir, all in clothbound hardback editions.

Heck, I just looked at Amazon. Why are they selling for so much? $800+ for Memoir?? I had the opportunity to get signed copies before his death, they would have been worth a mint had I bought them.
Click to expand...
Simple; Fan Ho is dead and the books are now out of print.
 
dourbalistar said:
If I'm not mistaken, there was also a lawsuit between the family estate and the former publisher:
fanho-forgetmenot.com

FAQ — Fan Ho Photography

fanho-forgetmenot.com fanho-forgetmenot.com
Click to expand...
Yes, but the book runs were finished and sold irrespective of this suit. The value of the books is related to rarity and lack of new editions.

I met Fan Ho in the early 2000s and he really was an amazing advocate for photography, history and the preservation of records of change of all built landscapes.
 
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