Hubert's Freaks
The Rare-book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus
Book - 2008
From the moment Bob Langmuir, a down-and-out rare book dealer, spies some intriguing photographs in the archive of a midcentury Times Square freak show, he knows he's on to something.It turns out he's made the find of a lifetime--never-before-seen prints by the legendary Diane Arbus.Furthermore, he begins to suspect that what he's found may add a pivotal chapter to what is now known about Arbus as well as about the "old weird America," in Greil Marcus's phrase, that Hubert's inhabited.Bob's ensuing adventure--a roller-coaster ride filled with bizarre characters and coincidences--takes him from the fringes of the rare book business to Sotheby's, and from the exhibits of a run-down Times Square freak show to the curator's office of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Will the photos be authenticated? How will Arbus's notoriously protective daughter react? Most importantly, can Bob, who always manages to screw up his most promising deals, finally make just one big score?
Publisher:
Orlando : Harcourt, c2008.
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
9780151012336
0151012334
0151012334
Characteristics:
274 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
Additional Contributors:



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Add a CommentA fun and fascinating story with insights into many aspects of our culture, but especially the freakshow and art worlds. Reads like a whodunnit.