Aldo Bonasia - L'io in divisa. - 1978

Aldo Bonasia, The I in Uniform. Images for a social analysis. Milan, Imago '78, 1978. 27 x 20 cm, softcover edition, 96 pages, black-and-white photographs. Rare original edition present in Martin Parr's photobook. In excellent condition - slight and normal signs of aging. No-reserve auction!

"The I in Uniform. Images for a Social Analysis" is a seminal photographic book by Aldo Bonasia (1949-1995), published in 1978 by the publishing house Imago.
The work is a raw visual testimony of the "Years of Lead" in Milan and it is distinguished by the following aspects:
Content: It collects about 70 black-and-white photographs depicting police officers both in riot gear and in plain clothes during street clashes.
Structure: The images are accompanied by texts drawn from Luigi Salerno's Police Encyclopedia, creating a contrast between the rigidity of bureaucratic definitions and the violence of the documented situations.
Social Analysis: It is not just a reportage, but an investigation into the role of the "hidden" individual behind the uniform and into the function of public order in a period of intense political tension.
Rarity: Today regarded as a highly sought-after collectible, the volume is included in the third volume of The Photobook: A History by Parr & Badger, the prestigious guide to the most influential photographic books in the world.