Translated by Jamie Richards
Every year twelve million Americans are arrested and photographed by the police. In many ways, mug shots are our history. Using a dazzling selection of mug shots that are arrestingly raw in their starkness and strangely eloquent in their simplicity, this absorbing, humorous, often bewildering collection sheds a whole new light on our rebellious century.
From political icons Martin Luther King, Jr. and Angela Davis, to A-list celebrities Hugh Grant and 50 Cent, from killer Ted Kaczynski to the actor who aided in Abraham Lincoln's assassination, from prisoners of Auschwitz to a bearded Saddam Hussein, all of them declare a simple truth: the last 150 years told through police photography is truly an alternative history. Author Giacomo Papi's brisk and insightful commentary enlightens us with intriguing backstories and little-known facts.
A feast for the eyes and the mind, Booked presents an ingenious and utterly unique snapshot of our times.
Giacomo Papi is the author of Era una notte buia e tempestosa (It Was a Dark and Stormy Night), an anthology of the best opening lines in world literature; Papa, a best-selling humorous guide for expecting fathers; and several other books. Since 2000 he has worked as a journalist for Diario, an Italian weekly news magazine. Together with Massimo Coppola, he runs ISBN Edizioni, an imprint of the Italian book publisher Saggiatore.