The Americans quandary

[Wiyum]

So a few weeks ago I resolved to grab a copy of the recent reprint of Robert Frank's The Americans. Checked amazon, they had it for $30, and I decided to wait until the next paycheck came in. Now they only have used copies selling in the $130 range.

Is this likely a temporary "out of stock" situation, or is it an "out of print" situation? Would "Looking In" be suitable for someone that doesn't already have The Americans (I am interested in all of the depth it offers, but I primarily want The Americans)? What would you do in my position? Wait to see if it returns? Grab Looking In now? Scavenge/beg/borrow/steal for a cheaper used copy?

Thanks.

 

[Pablito]

I would look on other booksellers websites.

abebooks.com has several copies in the $34-$55 range.

 

[vrgard]

Don't feel too bad, Wiyum. I ordered it from Amazon in the middle of June and am still waiting for it to be delivered.

-Randy

 

[JohnTF]

Amazon is getting a bit weird, I clicked on one of their links, and ended up getting something from a guy in Hong Kong -- I kind of think of them as being more reliable and if I wanted it from Hong Kong I would have looked elsewhere.

Regards, John

 

[Beemermark]

A great place to look for books is www.alibris.com. Any used book store can list books and you can find quite a few bargains. Usually postage (which is the lowest possible) is higher than the books.

On a different subject - where o where is the link to start a new thread?

 

[Bob Michaels]

We tend to forget that not every retailer lists all their stock on the internet. There is a lot available out there in old fashioned brick and mortar stores. I would bet that a current reprint of the "The Americans" can be found this way.

BTW, a quick Google shows it available new at $24- from Buy.com. Used copies are available from Amazon.com for the same price.

 

[Beemermark]

We tend to forget that not every retailer lists all their stock on the internet. There is a lot available out there in old fashioned brick and mortar stores. I would bet that a current reprint of the "The Americans" can be found this way.
.

Alibris.com is mostly brick and mortars stores.

 

[andersju]

Along with Alibris you might also want to check out Abebooks (incidentally, owned by Amazon these days). I have bought many great and obscure photo books from various sellers through that site, often very cheap, without any problems.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Alibris.com is mostly brick and mortars stores.

Very true but I was referring to those brick and mortar stores that have no internet sales, have no database of inventory, and you must go browse the stacks.

But I am one of those who derives much more pleasure from going someplace new and snooping around an old store full of books than I do from looking at the monitor and clicking keys in my home office.

FWIW, I have been able to find almost everything I was searching for via Alibris. But my most of my real treasures are books that I never knew I wanted until I held them in my hand.

 

[Steve M.]

Go to fleabay. It's available new for $75.

 

[Beemermark]

Very true but I was referring to those brick and mortar stores that have no internet sales, have no database of inventory, and you must go browse the stacks.

But I am one of those who derives much more pleasure from going someplace new and snooping around an old store full of books than I do from looking at the monitor and clicking keys in my home office.

FWIW, I have been able to find almost everything I was searching for via Alibris. But my most of my real treasures are books that I never knew I wanted until I held them in my hand.

Oh, I agree completely. The wife and I travel a lot and besides photography our favorites stores to look for are used book stores. It's mind boggling the number of books and the numbers of subjects that have been relegated to the status of goodwill.

 

[Pablito]

Very true but I was referring to those brick and mortar stores that have no internet sales, have no database of inventory, and you must go browse the stacks.

All the ones like that around here closed long ago.

 

[George S.]

Don't overspend for one. You may feel as I do that the book is much over-hyped. I would not spend anything like $75 on it. I'd offer you mine, but I received it around the same time about a year ago as getting a German Shepherd puppy, and he ate a couple of the pages....

 

[bhop73]

It was $39.95 at Borders the last time I was in there. Their site lets you search store inventories. Apparently there are three stores in my area that show it listed as "Likely in store".

 

[bob338]

i think they had a stack of them at the SF MOMA when i was there last weekend. they probably have them on their website.
i bought the softcover of 'Looking In' on sale for $26 and i think it contains the entirety of the americans. they told me it was the same as the expanded edition, just with a soft cover, but it's not. the expanded edition has a bunch of the proof sheets from the americans and the softcover does not. i'm not too happy as i was only buying it only for the contact sheets since i already have the original book.

bob

 

[Florian1234]

I only once saw a copy of the German reprint edition, in February in Berlin that was. But I did not buy it - stupid me. 🙄
Now I'm considering to get myself a copy of the expanded "looking in" book.

 

[lawrence]

i think they had a stack of them at the SF MOMA when i was there last weekend. they probably have them on their website.
i bought the softcover of 'Looking In' on sale for $26 and i think it contains the entirety of the americans. they told me it was the same as the expanded edition, just with a soft cover, but it's not. the expanded edition has a bunch of the proof sheets from the americans and the softcover does not. i'm not too happy as i was only buying it only for the contact sheets since i already have the original book.

bob

But there are some excellent essays, which I'm sure are in both soft and hardcover versions.

 

[lawrence]

Is this likely a temporary "out of stock" situation, or is it an "out of print" situation? Would "Looking In" be suitable for someone that doesn't already have The Americans (I am interested in all of the depth it offers, but I primarily want The Americans)? What would you do in my position? Wait to see if it returns? Grab Looking In now? Scavenge/beg/borrow/steal for a cheaper used copy?
Thanks.

Personally I'd wait and see if it returns as there's obviously a big demand and I'd be surprised if there isn't another run. I don't think that Looking In is any kind of substitute for the book itself, although it's an excellent companion to it. The point about The Americans is not just the individual images but the way they work together in a compact format that gives the book an intimate quality that is lacking in larger reproductions.

The fact that the book is now over-hyped is not the book's fault. I still treasure the copy I bought back in the early '70s, although I did buy the new edition simply because the reproduction quality is quite different.

 

[Wiyum]

Thanks everyone. My initial post was abbreviated, cutting out the fact that I checked all over the Internet and never found a place that reliably claimed to have it in stock (some going so far as the checkout page to let me know). In addition, I had already checked Borders, found a store in New York that claimed to have it, called, and found that they did not.

Well, since posting I called that Borders again and decided I'd roll the staff die a second time. This employee found it, so now I have it. The train home was mesmerizing.

In addition, my Internet scouring revealed that the exhibition is coming to the Met soon. I cannot wait.

 

[lawrence]

Well, since posting I called that Borders again and decided I'd roll the staff die a second time. This employee found it, so now I have it. The train home was mesmerizing.

Glad you found a copy and from your comment I assume that you don't consider it 'over hyped' 🙂