MARY ELLEN MARK | Streetwise - first edition

Original edition published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 1988.

A moving collection of 57 duotone photographs by Mary Ellen Mark of Seattle's street children.  The black and white photographs express the stark realities of poverty, addiction, societal marginalization, and resilience in the lives of Mark's subjects. 

Includes introductions by John Irving, preface by Mary Ellen Mark. Also includes 15 page transcript from the movie Streetwise and song lyrics by Tom Waits.
Edited by Nancy Baker.

Pages are clean and crisp with very minimal toning to page edges. Cover has moderate to heavy wear. Cover corners and edges have creasing. Moderate scratching and rubbing. Good condition.

From the back cover:
These are faces you will never forget.
Lulu, a high-strung 19-year-old with "an extraordinary sense of justice." Lulu was killed in a knife fight while defending a wronged friend.
"Tiny" a 13-year-old malnourished child prostitute with dreams of a horse farm, diamonds and furs, and a baby of her own.
Rat and Mike, 16-year-olds who roller skate in the halls of a condemned building and share tips on eating from dumpsters.
Dewayne, a fragile 16-year-old errand boy for drug pushers, who hanged himself in the cell of a juvenile facility when faced with the prospect of returning to the streets.

Mary Ellen Mark tells an important story through her collection of photographs of the street children of Seattle. Streetwise captures not only the children's lives on the streets but, in their expressions and mannerisms, the effect of that life on them. With a text adapted from the film documentary made by Mark and her husband, filmmaker Martin Bell, this book is a powerful education into one of the darker sides of American life.

MARY ELLEN MARK, a highly regarded photographer with a long list of books, articles, exhibitions, and awards to her credit, is internationally known. Her work has been featured in Life, London Sunday Times, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Time, Stern, and Paris-Match among others. She is the author of a number of books including Falkland Road, Ward 81, and Mother Teresa."

10 x 11 inches.