The British Journal of Photography asked five experts to pick their top five photography books of the last quarter-century.
Masahisa Fukase‘s Karasu (Ravens), first published in 1986 by Sokyu-sha, was the winner. The photographs for this “obscure masterpiece” were taken during train journeys back to his birthplace in northern Japan following his divorce from his wife. Most were taken through the train’s window.
Many see the dark, ominous imagery as an “allegorical critique of modern industrialised society” as well as a visual meditation on mourning.
The first American edition of Karasu was published by Bedford Arts in 1991, under the title Solitude of Ravens, and in 2008 the Rat Hole Gallery in Tokyo published a limited edition of 1000 copies.
Five years after the publication of the book Fukase fell down a flight of stairs in a bar and has been in a coma ever since. His ex-wife, the impetus for the book, continues to visit him in the hospital twice a month.
More at:
British Journal of Photography, The best photobooks in 25 years
Guardian, Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens: the best photobook of the past 25 years?
A copy of the scarce 1986 First Edition is available from Harper’s Books for $3500.