INSCRIBED BY BERENICE ABBOTT, PORTRAIT OF MAINE

ABBOTT, Berenice. A Portrait of Maine. New York: Macmillan, (1968). Quarto, original half green cloth, original photographic dust jacket. $1250.

First edition of Abbott’s striking photobook of Maine, inscribed by her on the title page, “Berenice Abbott for Debra,” with 121 halftone photographs.

"A pioneer of modern American photography… Berenice Abbott was an eloquent and contentious advocate of the documentary approach… [and] established the photography program at the New School for Social Research" (New York Times). "Abbott was one of the most important American advocates of modernist-documentary photography" (Parr & Badger, 141). In her words, "America to be interpreted honestly must be approached with love void of sentimentality, and not solely with criticism and irony" (Roth, 100). In 1966 Abbott moved to Maine where she lived until her death in 1992, here documenting the land and its people with the same care she earlier used in memorably photographing the streets of Manhattan. Text by Chenoweth Hall.

Book near-fine with a bit of toning along cloth top edge. Bright dust jacket with a few chips, front panel quite nice. Scarce.