For a decade between 1935 and 1946, Weegee made a name for himself snapping crime scenes, victims, and perpetrators. Armed with a Speed Graphic camera and a police-band radio, Weegee often beat the cops to the story, determined to sell his pictures to the sensation-hungry tabloids. His stark black and- white photos were often lurid and unsettling. Yet, as this beautifully produced volume shows, they were also brimming with humanity. Designed as a series of "dossiers," this book follows Weegee's transformation from a freelancer to a photo-detective. It explores his relationship with the tabloid press and gangster culture and reveals his intimate knowledge of New York's darkest corners. It provides readers with a rich historical experience--a New York City "noir" shot through the lens of one of its most iconoclastic figures. AUTHOR: Brian Wallis is deputy director of exhibitions and collections and chief curator at the International Center of Photography in New York.

Formerly a curator at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and senior editor at Art in America, he is the author of numerous publications on art, art history, and photography. SELLING POINTS: Drawn from the International Center of Photography's archives, this book highlights the incomparable style and fascinating career of Weegee, one of New York City's quintessential press photographers. ILLUSTRATIONS: 267 duotone photographs.