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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Hubert's Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbusby Gregory Gibson
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Bob Langmuir is an obsessive dealer with a remarkable eye for treasure who makes the discovery of a lifetime when he chances upon a trove of never-before-seen prints by the legendary Diane Arbus. From the moment he purchases a trunk containing the archive of Huberts Dime Museum and Flea Circusa midcentury Times Square freak show frequented by Arbusand discovers some intriguing photographs, he knows hes on to something. Furthermore, he begins to suspect that what hes found may add a pivotal chapter to what is now known about Arbus and the “old weird America,” in Greil Marcuss phrase, that Huberts inhabited. Langmuirs ensuing adventure, filled with bizarre coincidences, turns into a roller-coaster ride that takes him from memorabilia shows to the curators office at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Will the photos be authenticated? How will the Arbus estate react? most important, can Bob, who has seen more than a few promising deals head south, finally make his one big score? Review:"From the late 1950s until her death in 1971, renowned photographer Diane Arbus took pictures of oddball performers at the now-forgotten Hubert's Museum, a typical freak show in New York City's seedy Times Square. One frequent subject was Charlie Lucas, first a 'freak' himself, later an 'inside talker.' In 2003, Bob Langmuir, an anxiety-ridden, pill-popping, obsessive antiquarian book dealer from Philadelphia, unearthed a collection of photographs and memorabilia, including Lucas's journals and what he thought were Arbus's photos. This trove of genuine American kookiness came to dominate his life. Following Langmuir's quest — from the slums of Philadelphia to the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art — as he gathered, priced and ultimately came to understand this collection, author Gibson (Gone Boy: A Walkabout), himself an antiquarian book dealer, effortlessly twists these strands together with an emotional wallop. 'His toil in Hubert's vineyard,' Gibson writes of Langmuir, 'amounted to no more or less than the continuing archaeology of the old, weird America.' Gibson's laser focus on Langmuir's shifting state of mind as he struggles to master his personal demons and navigate the pitfalls of his own obsession gives this story its heart and opens a window onto a lost part of the American soul. 21 b&w photos." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) About the AuthorGREGORY GIBSON is the author of the critically acclaimed Gone Boy: A Walkabout and Demon of the Waters: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Whaleship Globe. An antiquarian-book dealer, he lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Table of ContentsContents Preface The Man in Blue x Part one An American Palindrome Sunday, Monday, and Charlie 7 The Old Roman Gardens 12 Deeyan and Allan 17 What More Can You Ask For? 22 Early Bob 32 Life in the Colonies 40 Bob: The Middle Years 43 Simoom in the Sahara 47 Diane and John 53 Jan, Meg, Ernie, and Mom 59 Miss McRae 64 The Final Act 67 Black History 71 The Collectors 75 Out of Africa 81 Feeding the Rat 87 The Buy 92 The Finer Sort 98 Flying Fur 104 Down the Rabbit Hole 110 The Grind 118 A Crack in the Mystical Vessel 129 Bob and Woogie 134 Deconstructing the Palindrome 138 Part two New Bob The Kiss and the Curse 145 Paper Pajamas 151 Off the Couch and into the Frying Pan 156 Yes!!! Fantastic!!! And Fascinating !!! 162 Robert Miller 168 A Sharks Lunch 174 Consummatum est 185 The Magic Cloud 191 Bob and Steve 196 Other Faces 202 Woogies Boxes 207 The Old, Weird Bob 222 The Bostocks of West Philadelphia 231 Deep Leo 233 In Which Bob Proves to Have Been More Stubborn than Jan Was Angry 236 Heisenberg Jr. 241 Untitled 246 Healing Waters 254 the sunset kid 257 And Thats Not All 262
Acknowledgments 265 Selected Bibliography 267 What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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