A Way of Seeing. Photographs by Helen Levitt. Text by James Agee. First edition (top), published by the Musuem of Modern Art, 1965. Second edition (bottom left) published by Horizon Press, 1981. Third edition (bottom right), published by Duke University, 1990.

A Brief Chat with Helen Levitt and a Few Other Things

by Sybil Miller

Part Two - A Way of Seeing x 3

Levitt seldom published her early work until A Way of Seeing came out in 1965. That book, originally edited (but not published) in the late 1940s, stood alone for many years, followed in 1980 by two small but exquisite exhibition catalogs of her color work. Recent years give us many books on Levitt, including the newest, and perhaps best volume, simply titled Helen Levitt (Powerhouse, 2008).

This new book is elegantly designed by Marvin Hoshino and richly printed (Thomas Palmer made the tri-tone separations for the black & white images). A brief but eloquent text by Walker Evans, written in 1969, introduces the plates, a mix of black & white and color, early and late, iconic and less familiar. It is a simple, clean book, and a tribute to Levitt's long, important career. Unlike some other, lesser books on Levitt, this one is a must-have. (We must still wait for the definitive book on Levitt, however, as there are some key images that this one leaves out.)

A Brief Chat with Helen Levitt and a Few Other Things — part two

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