New York Bikes

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Michele Castagnetti

Self Published, 2011

Nonfiction, Photography

201 pages, print on demand via Espresso Book Machine

Suggested Retail Price: $19.99

Photographs of bicycles in New York City. “Since moving to New York I have found these derelict bikes to be a symbol of the city. The city takes from you as much as it gives. I feel people glancing at them and quickly thinking: that’s New York. Imagine if all the bikes tied at poles were brand new and immaculate; it wouldn’t be The City. The toll the city takes on these bikes is so visible that you cannot help but wonder about the toll on people over the years.”—Michele Castagnetti.

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Phil Patton

On Phil Patton’s Notable Books of 2011 list

I came across this self-published volume of images of bicycles in the window of Mxyplyzyk, the New York design shop. The book wonderfully summarizes the grit of city bikes, personalized by tape and paint, wearing an urban patina of dings and scratches.

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