Torch April 71 - March 72. State University of New York
- Hardcover
- Albany: State University of New York, 1972
Albany: State University of New York, 1972. Hardcover. Near Fine. First edition. Folio. Beige suede printed in brown. A trifle soiled, very near fine. In the annals of college year books this represents the apex of the art. According to Martin Parr, in an article for *Time* entitled: "The Best Photobooks About America": “One of the unsung achievements of American publishing are the college annuals, especially the ones produced in the 60/70’s. Just recently I found the best one I’ve ever seen, from the State University of New York [the *Torch 1972*, SUNY Albany]. At over 350 pages, it has hundreds of photos, from images of Phillip Jones Griffiths on the Vietnam war through to sports and student protest.”
The standard yearbook tropes (i.e., the homecoming game, the stiffly posed, poorly lit group portrait of the debate team, and so on) are there, but surrounded by a visual context that belies the obvious and reflects the time, the place and the era in a particularly jarring manner, with hippies and rock music, gay and lesbian activism, radical feminism, black power images, etc. As an example: the Senior portraits are alphabetized by first name followed only by the last name initial (there is a directory in the rear), interspersed with the smiling faces of the students is a repeated image of a decapitated head from a Vietnam atrocity. Very uncommon.
The standard yearbook tropes (i.e., the homecoming game, the stiffly posed, poorly lit group portrait of the debate team, and so on) are there, but surrounded by a visual context that belies the obvious and reflects the time, the place and the era in a particularly jarring manner, with hippies and rock music, gay and lesbian activism, radical feminism, black power images, etc. As an example: the Senior portraits are alphabetized by first name followed only by the last name initial (there is a directory in the rear), interspersed with the smiling faces of the students is a repeated image of a decapitated head from a Vietnam atrocity. Very uncommon.
Details
Title
Torch April 71 - March 72. State University of New York
Binding
Hardcover
Condition
Near Fine
Publisher
State University of New York: Albany
Date
1972