Books published by powerHouse Books,U.S.

A collection of discovered street photography from post-war America.

Vintage Tattoo Flash is a one-of-a-kind visual exploration of the history and evolution of tattooing in America. A luscious, offset-printed, hardcover tome-a beautiful and serious addition to the understanding of one of the world's oldest and most popular art forms. Electric tattooing as we know it today was invented in New York City at the turn of the 19th century. In the first days of American tattooing, tattoos were primarily worn by sailors and soldiers, outlaws and outsiders. The visual language of what came to be known as "traditional tattooing" was developed in those early days on the Bowery and catered to the interests of the clientele. Common imagery that soon became canon included sailing ships, women, hearts, roses, daggers, eagles, dragons, wolves, panthers, skulls, crosses, and popular cartoon characters of the era. The first tattooists also figured out that using bold outlines, complimented by solid color and smooth shading, was the proper technique for creating art on a body that would stand the test of time. In the over 100 years since then, techniques and styles have evolved, and the customer base has expanded, but the core subject matter and philosophy developed at the dawn of electric tattooing has persisted as perennial favorites through the modern era. While most tattoos are inherently ephemeral, transported on skin until the death of the collector, a visual record exists in the form of tattoo flash: the hand-painted sheets of designs posted in tattoo shops for customers to select from. Painted and repainted, stolen, traded, bought and sold, these sheets are passed between artists through one channel or another, often having multiple useful lives in a variety of shops scattered across time and geography. The utility of these original pieces of painted art has made it so that original examples can still be found in use or up for grabs if you know where to look. Vintage Tattoo Flash draws from the personal collection of Jonathan Shaw-renowned outlaw tattooist and author-and represents a selection of over 300 pieces of flash from one of the largest private collections in existence. Vintage Tattoo Flash spans the first roughly 75 years of American tattooing from the 1900s Bowery, to 50s Texas, through the Pike in the 60s and the development of the first black and grey, single-needle tattooing in LA in the 70s. The book lovingly reproduces entirely unpublished sheets of original flash from the likes of Bob Shaw, Zeke Owen, Tex Rowe, Ted Inman, Ace Harlyn, Ed Smith, Paul Rogers, the Moskowitz brothers, and many, many others relatively known and unknown.

This follow-up to the bestselling Advanced Style features more senior street style and inspiration from all over the globe. In this new edition Ari Seth Cohen shares his work from the past few years including some of the world's best-dressed older gentlemen. Similar in format to the original, with dozens of images from cities all over the world including: Los Angeles, London, Cape Town, Rome, Florence, Tokyo, San Diego, Palm Springs, Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Stockholm, and Geneva, the book will also feature 22 short essays (by the subjects of the book) distilling the wisdom and lifestyle secrets of some of Cohen's favorite Advanced Style ladies. Plus an introduction from the always fabulous and witty Simon Doonan makes for a celebration of smashing senior style! "...I must tell you that I am not really an old lady; just cleverly disguised as one. Art and color keep me young, keep me sane. Working as I do as an untutored 'outsider' artist is my therapy, my medicine, my joy, and my purpose in life.Color surrounds me: I revel in it, splash it everywhere, gulp it with a spoon. I am immersed in art. I make it, collect it, it fills and defines my existence. Childish, shamanistic, wild and anarchic, it is as far outside the box as it is possible to be. Box?? There is no box!Be bold, be adventurous. Do profound things, dazzle yourself and the world. Don't wear beige: it might kill you. Contribute to society, and live large. Life is short, make every moment count. It is never too late to find your passion." -- Sue Kreitzman

This monograph on the work of Gideon Lewin, master printer and assistant to Richard Avedon, reveals moments never told, stories never heard, and a life that only a few ever experienced. It is a story of a close working relationship and collaboration with a master. Avedon: Behind the Scenes, 1964-1980 relates Lewin's personal experiences working with Richard Avedon for 16 years. It is about the hard work, the intrigues, the energy, the mysteries, the humor, and the commitment to creating images that were larger-than-life and will last for generations. This book illuminates many details about preparations for Avedon's major exhibitions, the master classes he was a part of, and many behind-the-scenes stories working on fashion collections in Paris and in New York for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, photographing the world's most famous personalities and most beautiful women: Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve, Cher, Jean Shrimpton, Veruschka, Twiggy, Rene Russo, Patti Hansen, and Lauren Hutton. Finally, this book opens a window on the lighter side of Richard Avedon, as well as his total dedication to the art of photography in his determination to leave a legacy unlike that of any other photographer. With about 200 photographs Avedon: Behind the Scenes, 1964-1980 is a singular and remarkable journey.

A spectacular photographer's daybook, in the tradition of Peter Beard, Bill Burke, and Robert Frank, detailing the wanderlust of faraway travel and profound discovery in a part of the world few desire to wander.Asia Calling is longtime mid-east photographer Edward Grazda's art journal recap of his decades traversing the globe during times of immense social and cultural change in the Asian continent. Much like Peter Beard and Bill Burke before, Grazda's journal entries and diaristic graphics, along with his image manipulation and conceptual positionings of his photographs and writings make this no mere photo notebook, but rather an indelible stamp, a graphic passport if you will, of people and places, frozen in time, but now alive with invigorating juxtapositions and dynamic sequencing, a filmic recap of a place and time long gone but still there.  Starting in 1980, Grazda traveled to Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, India, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This was a time of change in Asia–globalization, wars, drugs, tourism, and religion remaking ethnic traditions and governments alike. Grazda's photos–with a few fictional and literary texts–is your passport to that long time ago.

"She may be an insane chimp, but she's my insane chimp!" Mike Sacks is writing the apotheosis of avant garde comedy-books written as found documents, trawling through the ephemera of suburban America, jokes low-brow, bizarre and visceral in a package more formally taut and wildly ambitious than nearly anything published as literary fiction today. Stinker Lets Loose is the deadly accurate novelization of a non-existent '70s drive-in film, complete with images from the set; it explores the implications behind Eastwood and Reynolds vehicles while one-upping them in puerility and wildness. "If you don't know who Mike Sacks is, well, you should. His writing is funnier than just about anyone's and now he has a podcast that is excellent. I say Hooray for Mike Sacks and everything he stands for." -David Sedaris "He's the best kind of comedy writer; a bona fide weirdo with virtually no interest in satisfying anything other than his own personal obsessions." -Andy Richter "One of the Best Comedy Releases of the year." -Splitsider "Top ten comedy release of the year!" -Vulture

Called "an ecstatic, arc-bright wonder and terror" by The New Yorker, this major work of art now receives a first printing, featuring a brilliant introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn.Called "an ecstatic, arc-bright wonder and terror" by The New Yorker, this major work of art now receives a first printing, featuring a brilliant introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn. This Academy Award-nominated screenplay is one of the greatest and most urgent in Paul Schrader's long and decorated career. Called a "portrait of a soul in torment, all the more powerful for being so rigorously conceived and meticulously executed" in the New York Times, First Reformed follows the Rev. Ernst Toller as his crisis of faith coincides with a recognition of looming environmental catastrophe. It is an uncompromising work that seamlessly synthesizes a tribute to Bresson with a profound, existential meditation on the everexpanding devastation that humanity is spreading over the natural world. The crowning late period achievement for an undisputed legend of screenwriting, this is both a master class in concision, depth and emotional range, and a continually relevant work of activist import.

Women and girl leaders around the world are guiding organisations that are reducing - and over time reversing - the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. For this book, Paola Gianturco and her 12-year-old granddaughter and co-author, Avery Sangster, interviewed and photographed women leaders from all over the world. COOL: Women Leaders Reversing Global Warming tells their important, inspiring stories in their own words and suggests action steps so you can join them on this existential journey.

Ephemeral and anarchic, Runes and Chords is the first collection of artwork by famed poet, critic and artist Alice Notley. These sketches, drawn on an iPad and first serialized on Notley’s Twitter feed, are a fascinating window into an evolving practice, collages of flowers and poetry, the white space of digital creation and overlaid colors erupting from the page. They defy containment and category, much like their creator—each a second in a day, an afternoon or evening in Paris, a thought so transient it can only exist in the medium of social media. With this collection, one of America’s most influential living poets and artists continues to prove her worthiness of that title.

Archway Editions is the brand new imprint of powerHouse Books, and a literary complement to their trailblazing photography and illustrated publications, all distributed by Simon & Schuster.  Our mission statement is “to publish the finest authors, at all stages of their careers, who write material which is at odds with the prevailing status quo, both legendary and emerging." We are genre-blind with a goal to publish unconventional books for the widest possible audience.  This includes writers with long careers like Alice Notley, Ishmael Reed and Paul Schrader, but also young writers who need a place to show off their stuff and meet likeminded literati.  Archways is the in-house reading series that takes place every few months at POWERHOUSE Arena, our bookstore in downtown Brooklyn across from the Manhattan Bridge archway.  It's our home base and a place for authors to present incredible work out of the mainstream.  Some we end up publishing (like Gabriel Kruis' instant classic Acid Virga, excerpted here), and each one is a vital new voice working at odds with a complacent and hidebound publishing industry. This anthology collects work from the first three readings, held in 2019 and 2020.  Every event has a visual component, and we've shared some stills and photos from our incredible visual artists too.  There's nothing quite like the high wire tension of a live reading - but this'll have to do for now. CONTRIBUTORS include: Rachel Allen, Phil Anderson, Brendan Burdzinski, Naomi Falk, Katie Foster, Andrew Gibeley, Ariel Francisco, Kelly Gallagher, Cyree Jarelle Johnson, Gabriel Kruis, Shayla Lawz, Etan Nechin, Kwame Opoku-Duku, Chunbum Park, Joseph Rathgeber, Nicholas Rys, Andrea Stella, and Shy Watson.

Young readers trace a continuous line through vibrantly illustrated landscapes that are full of charm and surprises, while answering questions about what they see.Follow the line...into a board book! Re-imagined in a new format for the littlest readers, Follow This Line takes you on an adventure across varying landscapes by tracing a continuous line throughout the book. Starting on the front cover, the line zigs and zags across scenes both urban and pastoral, playfully spiraling into the shapes of animals, faces, buildings, vehicles and more, all without breaking its stride. Along their journey, kids will be asked to count, sort, and identify objects, creating an entertaining opportunity to practice early concepts through these attractive, whimsical, Scandinavian-style designs.   Adapted from artist Laura Ljungkvist’ popular picture book series Follow the Line (Viking, 2006-2011), Follow This Line introduces her clever continuous line drawings to a whole new audience

A rhyming board book that celebrates the boundless joy of loving dogs. Are you a puppy pal? A canine companion? Down with the doggies? A friend of Fido? In Dogs, Dogs, Dogs: I Love Them All, a little girl tells us all that she loves about our shaggy, wiry, spotty, playful, lazy, noble, sometimes-drooly, furry companions. Who could choose a favorite? This simple narrative set to a silly rhyme makes for a perfect book to read aloud for babies and toddlers, and an excellent gift for pet-owners and admirers alike. Those without dogs may find themselves on the way to their local adoption center after several readings!

A chunky, oversized board book that prompts children to guess obscured creatures and objects through rhyming clues. Engage your toddler’s phonetic development with this playful, vibrant board book from artist and graphic designer, Chad Geran.  In the first section of the book, readers are shown two things or animals that rhyme, and are then asked to guess a third rhyming item that is partially hidden. In the latter section, readers are shown pairs of items that rhyme and are challenged to fill in the blanks with the correct name of those things and animals.  This unique and fun dual approach strengthens children’s ability to utilize contextual clues, identify common objects, and recognize rhyming patterns. Geran’s signature blend of retro pop art and modern minimalism fill this book with whimsy and delight, and the Seussian bounce of the silly rhymes will have toddlers asking to run through it again and again!