Richard Misrach

Telegraph 3 A.M. [Signed]

Berkeley: Cornucopia Press, 1974. In brown cloth boards with gilt. In original unclipped photo-illustrated dust jacket. 9 x 10 ¼ in. First edition. Signed on front free endpaper. Light toning and edgewear to dust jacket, else near fine. Item #5504

The groundbreaking first book by photographer Richard Misrach chronicles the street people of Berkeley, namely on Telegraph Avenue, arranged chronologically through the passing of a day into the night. Shot in 1972, in the aftermath of the hippy era, these photographs document the tension of the 1970s: no longer wielding flowers, street people crashed in parking lots and squats, and the idealism and optimism that was once palpable in Berkeley is nowhere to be found. Published shortly after Larry Clark’s Tulsa, Telegraph 3 AM captures a similar mood - stark beauty in the desolation of post-freak out America.

From the afterward: “A bitter, disheartened mood pervaded the Avenue. Yet, there remained a spark of defiance and endurance that persists as a reminder of a noble struggle. It is that spark which characterizes a significant era in the history of Telegraph Avenue’s street culture. But more important, it is the spark that suggests the sadness and beauty endemic to humankind.”.

Price: $300.00