The Sweet Flypaper of Life is a "poem" about ordinary people, about teenagers around a jukebox, about children in front of an open fire hydrant, about taking the subway alone at night, about pickets and artists' workspaces. This renowned and vital collaboration between artist Roy DeCarava and writer Langston Hughes honors in words and images what the authors have seen, known and deeply felt about life in their city. Hughes' heartwarming depiction of Harlem in the late 1940s and early 1950s is seen through the eyes of a grandmother, Sister Mary Bradley. As she guides the reader through the lives of those around her, we imagine babies being born, families struggling, children still blossoming. We experience the sights and sounds of Harlem seen through his scholarly and worldly eyes, expressed here through the poetic prose of Hughes. As she states, "I'm done tripping over life's soft fly paper and I'll be tenacious if I want to pull away." DeCarava's photographs open up a world of meaning and feeling that begins with his perception and vision. Ruminations go beyond mere observation and collide with deeper meanings to reveal these individuals as subjects worthy of art. As Hughes states "We've had so many books about how bad life is, maybe it's time we got one that shows how good it is", the photographs take us back to that lively dialogue and to a complex reality, to a resolution that holds together with the optimism of the photographic medium and the certainty of DeCarava's artistic moment. Listed in: - Martin Parr and Gerry Badger, The Photobook, Vol 1, page 242 - Andrew Roth, The Book Of 101 Books, pages 138/139 In 1952, DeCarava became the first African-American photographer to win a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. The one-year fellowship allowed DeCarava to focus full-time on the photography he had been creating since the mid-1940s and to complete a project that would ultimately result in The Sweet Flypaper of Life, a photo- moving poetry in an urban environment. of Harlem. DeCarava compiled a set of images from which Hughes chose 141 and skillfully provided fictional narration, reflecting life in this city-within-a-city. First published in 1955, the book, widely regarded as a classic of photographic visual literature. An interesting example of graphic design, the text begins on the front cover and continues inside. Condition: First edition, first printing from 1955 (not a later reprint). Very good condition, binding tight. Some slight wear to cover and blue mark to rear. Otherwise excellent. Binding tight. Interior clean and fresh. Please examine photos carefully.