Let Us Now Praise Famous Men -
James Agee, Walker Evans
1941 - Houghton, Boston - First Edition
First edition of what is considered one of the most influential works on the great depression and collaborations between author and photographer, of all time. In a superior and thus scarce dust jacket without restoration or price clipping. Illustrated with 31 photographs by Walker Evans.
Eclipsed by Steinbeck’s ‘Grapes of Wrath’ and only selling 1,000 copies on publication, Agee’s ferocious portrait of life among American sharecroppers remains the true classic of the Great Depression. [The Guardian Newspaper, 2008]
‘In the summer of 1936, Agee and Evans set out on assignment for Fortune magazine to explore the daily lives of sharecroppers in the South. Their journey would prove an extraordinary collaboration and a watershed literary event. This unsparing record of place, of the people who shaped the land, and of the rhythm of their lives today stands as one of the most influential books of the twentieth century.’ ‘One of the great photography books of the 20th century – but one that languished on the trash heap for almost a quarter of a century before being recognized by the public. The book juxtaposes Walker Evans's straightforward black-and-white documents, most of them portraits, with Agee's heated, often stream-of-consciousness text. Together these two viewpoints provide a glimpse into the 'cruel radiance' of life in the Deep South during the Depression, a complex vision of the poverty, the dignity, the love, and pain of the sharecroppers' existence.’
Provenance: James Treat Parker, with his bookplate to the front pastedown.
References: Roth, The Book of 101 Books, [2001] 17, 108. Penguin Classics, web. Parr & Badger, The Photobook: A History, Vol I, 144. Blind Magazine (2025), The 50 Most Influential Photobooks of All Time, 38.
Large octavo (book size 21.2x15cm), pp. [32 (31 black and white photographs)] [2] xvi 471 [3]. In publisher’s black cloth, spine lettered in silver, foredge untrimmed, others trimmed. Dust jacket priced ‘$3.50’ to upper corner of front flap. Condition: Fine, a little offsetting to pastedowns, in very good dust jacket, toning to spine and outer edges of rear panel and flaps, minor wear to edges, corners, and spine tips. Ref: 112692 Price: HK$ 32,000
Eclipsed by Steinbeck’s ‘Grapes of Wrath’ and only selling 1,000 copies on publication, Agee’s ferocious portrait of life among American sharecroppers remains the true classic of the Great Depression. [The Guardian Newspaper, 2008]
‘In the summer of 1936, Agee and Evans set out on assignment for Fortune magazine to explore the daily lives of sharecroppers in the South. Their journey would prove an extraordinary collaboration and a watershed literary event. This unsparing record of place, of the people who shaped the land, and of the rhythm of their lives today stands as one of the most influential books of the twentieth century.’ ‘One of the great photography books of the 20th century – but one that languished on the trash heap for almost a quarter of a century before being recognized by the public. The book juxtaposes Walker Evans's straightforward black-and-white documents, most of them portraits, with Agee's heated, often stream-of-consciousness text. Together these two viewpoints provide a glimpse into the 'cruel radiance' of life in the Deep South during the Depression, a complex vision of the poverty, the dignity, the love, and pain of the sharecroppers' existence.’
Provenance: James Treat Parker, with his bookplate to the front pastedown.
References: Roth, The Book of 101 Books, [2001] 17, 108. Penguin Classics, web. Parr & Badger, The Photobook: A History, Vol I, 144. Blind Magazine (2025), The 50 Most Influential Photobooks of All Time, 38.
Large octavo (book size 21.2x15cm), pp. [32 (31 black and white photographs)] [2] xvi 471 [3]. In publisher’s black cloth, spine lettered in silver, foredge untrimmed, others trimmed. Dust jacket priced ‘$3.50’ to upper corner of front flap. Condition: Fine, a little offsetting to pastedowns, in very good dust jacket, toning to spine and outer edges of rear panel and flaps, minor wear to edges, corners, and spine tips. Ref: 112692 Price: HK$ 32,000