Here’s some recent books that I picked up. I should have given them their individual posts, but I’ve been busy.

The Faith of Graffiti
It’s a book containing the eponymous essay by Norman Mailer about the early days of graffiti in New York, along with it’s writers. An interesting read, although long-winded by today’s standards, I suppose. Probably worth using it for the art references as Mailer compare the then-new graffiti movement with other contemporary movements and what was on the gallery walls of the Metropolitan at that point in time. I honestly held off reading this while I wrote up a piece about graffiti. I didn’t want another philosophy polluting mine while I had something somewhat personal to finish.

Looking at all of the early names and tags is nostalgia. And and fast and simple. Honestly, graffiti – maybe street art is the better term, has evolved in a really fascinating way.

Graffiti Asia and RackGaki
Recently picked up Graffiti Asia for ten lucre at a small bookstore – The Book Grocer – which basically contains snapshot of noteworthy graffiti across the Pacific Rim. Being a coffee table book about street art, its basically about the pictures rather than the interviews of the artist inside.

Now this book is made by the same people who published RackGaki, a book that I bought some years ago, but somehow misplaced. Now, seeing as I couldn’t find it – anywhere in my small apartment – I resolved that I tossed for one reason or another, or lent it to someone I longer can contact. So the internet helped me out with obtaining another copy. Pretty readily too, because I’m certain its long been out of print.