Martin Parr: Boring Postcards

Parr, Martin

ISBN 10: 0714840009 / ISBN 13: 9780714840000

Published by Phaidon, London, 2000

About this Item

SIGNED. A collection of images depicting the banal, the indistinct, the incomprehensible and the middle-of-nowhere--all scenes on postcards from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s from the United States, collected by Martin Parr, the Magnum photographer. SIGNED BY PARR and inscribed on the title page (the last page of this volume.) First edition. 176 pages; 160 full-page color plates; 6 x 8.5 inches. Condition: Very Good+ hardcover with a bump to two tips, slightly affecting the text block, and the ghost of a removed bar code to the back cover. Books ship the next business day, wrapped in padding, in a box.

Seller Inventory # 11368

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Martin Parr: Boring Postcards
• Publisher: Phaidon, London
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0714840009
• ISBN 13: 9780714840000
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Photography

About this title

Synopsis

In Boring Postcards Magnum photographer and postcard enthusiast Martin Parr brought together 160 of the dullest postcards of 1950s, 60s and 70s Britain to make a book that was, contrary to the conceit of its title, both fascinating and extremely funny. It was one of those ideas that seemed so obvious that no one could believe it hadn't been done before, and it caught the public imagination in a big way. In Britain Boring Postcards was discussed everywhere from daytime TV shows to art and design magazines, from local newspapers and radio stations (outraged that their town should be labelled 'boring') to Time magazine.

Now Parr has turned his attention to the USA for a new book of Boring Postcards. Just as before, for a postcard to qualify as sufficiently 'boring', either its composition, its content, or the characters featured must be arguably boring or the photograph must be absent of anything that might conventionally be described as interesting. As the study of postcards becomes a field of academic interest, this book offers more than amusement: as a folk art recording of the non-places and non-events of post-war America, it reveals poignant insights into its social, cultural and architectural values.

About the Author

The work of Martin Parr bridges the divide between art and documentary photography. His studies of the idiosyncrasies of mass culture and consumerism around the world, his innovative imagery and his prolific output have placed him firmly at the forefront of contemporary art. A member of the international photo agency Magnum, Parr is an avid collector of books and a world authority on the photobook.