Landmark Books in All Fields
ItemID: #60031
Cost: $550.00

Indian Circus

Mary Ellen Mark

“THE PERFECT VEHICLE FOR THE FULL EXPRESSION OF HER ART”: INDIAN CIRCUS, WITH SCARCE PHOTOGRAVURE POSTCARD, CAPTIONED AND SIGNED BY MARY ELLEN MARK

MARK, Mary Ellen. Indian Circus. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, (1993). Square quarto, original dark red cloth, original photographic dust jacket. $550.

First American edition, with scarce black-and-white photogravure postcard mounted to the front free endpaper, inscribed, “Arizona—1988—Mary Ellen Mark,” featuring 71 full-page tritones in her compassionate view of life in India’s traveling circuses.

For Indian Circus, Mary Ellen Mark assembled images taken over two decades. Here “Mark focused on the traveling circuses of India. In gently startling images, she paints a surreal portrait of the lives of the members of 18 different circuses—the child contortionists (or ‘plastic ladies’) and acrobats; the dwarf clowns; and the trained and clothed bears, dogs, elephants and chimps… In Indian Circus, Mark hit on the perfect vehicle for the full expression of her art: in equal measures, it offers clear-eyed reporting, humor, eloquent portraiture and compassion” (Salon). Foreword by John Irving; preface by Mary Ellen Mark. First American edition, preceded by 1992 Japanese edition. With 3-1/2 by 4 inch black-and-white photogravure postcard, affixed to front free endpaper with corner photo-mounts; captioned “Arizona-1988” and signed by Mary Ellen Mark on the recto. Bookstamp of renowned fashion editor Barbara Turk on the half title.

A fine copy, scarce with inscribed postcard.

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