HUBERT'S FREAKS: The Rare Book Dealer, A Times Square Freakshow and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus
By Gregory Gibson
The stranger than fiction true story of how an odd-ball rare book dealer discovered a lost stash of Diane Arbus photographs - and what he did with the find of a lifetime.
Bob Langmuir is an obsessive dealer with an uncanny eye for treasure who makes the discovery of a lifetime when he chances upon a stash of never before seen photos taken by the legendary photographer Diane Arbus.
From the moment he sees some intriguing photos in a trunk he buys from a guy who claims to be a member of the Nigerian Royal family, he knows he's on to something - the trunk holds the archive of a Times Square mid-century freak show called Hubert's that Diane Arbus often frequented.
He begins to suspect that what he has found may add a pivotal chapter to what is now known about Diane Arbus and the "old weird America" that Hubert's Freak Show was a part of.
Bob's ensuing adventure, full of bizarre coincidences - turns into a roller coaster ride that takes him from the fringes of the memorabilia business to Sotheby's, and from the exhibits of a run-down Times Square freak show to the currator's office of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Will the photos be authenticated? How will the Arbus estate react? Most importantly, can Bob, who has seen more than a few promising deals head south, finally make his one big score?
Harcourt Books - 2008 Edition - 274 Page Hardcover - b&w illustrations - Price: $20.00
*Orders Outside the USA - please e-mail: danger@komabookstore.com for shipping price
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