Boring Postcards USA [Paperback]

Martin Parr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Boring Postcards goes Stateside - 160 exquisitely dull postcards from America. In the original Boring Postcards Magnum photographer and postcard enthusiast Martin Parr brought together 160 of the dullest postcards of 50s, 60s and 70s Britain to make a book that was, paradoxically, both fascinating and extremely funny. It was one of those ideas that seemed so obvious that no one could believe it hadn't been done before, and it caught the public imagination in a big way. Boring Postcards was discussed everywhere from daytime TV shows to in-flight magazines, from The Times to the Time magazine. It was so successful partly because it was more than just a funny book. The very fact that such places and people were once considered to be interesting or beautiful enough to merit a postcard made us aware of the changes which had taken place. In effect, Boring Postcards was an alternative social and cultural history of Britain from the 1950s to the 1970s. Martin Parr subsequently turned his attention to the United States to produce Boring Postcards USA, 160 of the dullest postcards from the land of opportunity. Just as before, for a postcard to qualify as sufficiently 'boring', either its composition, or its content, or the characters featured, must be arguably boring, or the photograph must be absent of anything which might conventionally be described as interesting. The postcards in Boring Postcards USA include: 'Site of Proposed Larger Taconite Plant' (a field); 'The colourful rug near the entrance of the national offices of the American Baptist Churches' (a red rug); 'Sunset Travel Trailer Park' (some trailers); 'Pennsylvania Turnpike near the Philadelphia Interchange' (exactly what it says); 'Ariel View of the massive interchange complex of Federal Highways 1-75, 1-85, and I-20.' Once again, the design of the book reflects its contents by being at the cutting edge of dullness, sporting a neutral grey cover and captions in Helvetica, the typeface of choice for producers of boring postcards. Once again, these cards will provide not only a great deal of amusement but a commentary of how America has changed, a celebration of those places that have been forgotten by conventional history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You know those old postcards that show the local meatpacking factory in all its cinder-block glory or the sickening color scheme of a cheap '70s motel room? Well, here they are. Beginning with panoramas of highways in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and other U.S. states, Boring Postcards segues to truck stops, restaurants, motor inns, malls, airports, military bases, factories, tools, and automobiles. Every image is certifiably boring, whether by dint of a photographer's ineptitude (dead-on views taken from too far away) or the sorry state of corporate architecture and interior design. And yet, as earnest advertisements for the American Way of Life, they all radiate a sunny faith in the uniqueness and desirability of whatever they portray.

There's not a word of commentary in this book, but that part is up to you. Certain things begin to stand out as you flip through the pages. Like the always blue skies. (Positive thinking!) Or the potentially interesting details that are uniformly obliterated, thanks to those polite middle-distance views and the muddy qualities of cheap lithography. There's a weird tension between the blandly generic ("Fine Food" reads the only visible sign atop a low-slung white building) and the proudly local (according to the postcard caption, this is "The famous Blue Grill on U.S. 40, St. Elmo, Ill."). In its silently subversive way, Boring Postcards proposes that we look more closely at this hallowed form of marketing to see what it tells us about the values and standards of mainstream American culture. --Cathy Curtis --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Martin Parr is arguably Britain's key contemporary photographer, with a unique point of view and unmistakable signature, with a critical and popular following in the worlds of art, fashion and journalism. He has been widely published and exhibited internationally (very well known across Europe and about to become a major figure in the USA). Books of his photographs include Bad Weather, The Last Resort - Photographs of New Brighton, The Cost of Living (1991) and Small World (1995), Think of England (Phaidon), and Martin Parri (career retrospective, Phaidon).

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714843911
• ISBN-13: 978-0714843919
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anything but boring..., February 19, 2001

By 

Ahmad Jordan "Ahmad Jordan" (Bufalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boring Postcards USA (Hardcover)

This book breaks the maxim, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." With a honest title and a no frills cover, you open the book and you find postcards that live up to everything you didn't expect: No humor. No fancy photography. No witty postcard statements. No nothing. These are simple photographs of the most boring subjects a person can chance upon: Interstate highways, hotel rooms and Cafetteria Food.

But then you stop for a moment and wonder why something so boring could possibly hold your attention for so long. I think the mesmerizing element of these boring postcards is that they are actually doing what they were intendid to do during their creation: They are bookmarks of a persons travel. They show you where a person was as they crossed the state line into Ohio. Sure the toll booth in the photograph is not much to look at...but you almost feel as if you are in the car with the traveller.

Also, because these photos are from the 50's and 60's...you feel as if this is not only a travel across the country. But a travel back into time. A young fella like myself can actually appreciate the look of days that are before my time. The best part is that they aren't tampered with. No photography tricks or advertising acrobats. These were point and click photos that aren't trying to be sexy. So yes, these postcards are definitly boring. But that's what is so exciting about them.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boring, Ugly and Charmless Postcards, August 16, 2001

By 

Anthony Thompson (Big Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Boring Postcards USA (Hardcover)

This book is very funny. Whoever came up with the concept has a delightfully twisted sense of humor. And, I like the fact that the editor lets the cards speak for themselves (rather than indulging in an ultrahip forward). Bravo!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An inspired collection of postcards from the edges, January 11, 2001

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Boring Postcards USA (Hardcover)

The title is something of a misnomer - there's nothing boring about the cards collected in this edition. Banal, perhaps, but not boring. The irony encapsulated in a desloate stretch of highway titled "Picturesque Indiana" cannot be underestimated in its appeal or entertainment value.

The pride displayed in entrance ways to multimillion dollar turnpikes or the cafes of motels on well-traveled tourist highways speak to a time when the connectivity of automobile travel was still miraculous. Similarly for the cards documenting the rise of shopping centers (malls were still to come), factories, trailer courts, and all manner of 50s and 60s innovation. It all feels quite quaint now, magnified by the editor's terrific selection of poorly composed and wackily titled cards.

The editor has a terrific eye for oddball cards, and the inclusion of cards that show edge wear or postmarks helps bring them to life as mail-art. Perhaps the only negative is that the card backs were not included; a shame, given that the descriptions given there are often as good as the picture image. I also note the peculiar insertion of blank pages here and there.

A must-have volume for postcard collectors, collectors of kitschy 50s/60s art, or just about anyone with an interest in the intersection of industrial and consumer arts.