Self Portrait

Originally published in 1970, this understated gem of a book by one of America's most important post-war photographers has long been out of print. Among collectors, the original edition has been known to fetch considerable sums. Now, the book is finally available again, and it has lost none of its importance. Featuring a sequenced assortment of images, and shot over a period of six years, the book depicts not self-portraits in the usual sense, but rather intimations of self-portraits: shadows, window reflections, and obstructed views of the photographer each present Friedlander as fading -- sometimes ghost-like -- into the over-all composition. A sublime and important book.