Getting Up: Subway Graffitti in New York [Paperback]

Craig Castleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1984

"Getting Up" is the term used by graffiti "artists" to describe their success in making their mark on the New York subway system. Through candid interviews, New Yorker Craig Castleman documents the inside story of the lives and activities of these young graffitists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A concise descriptive history of subway graffiti... well organized, informative and well illustrated.... No matter if one judges subway graffiti to be art or pollution, one comes away from Getting Up admiring the ingenuity of the young writers." Robert R. Harris, The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (April 26, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262530511
• ISBN-13: 978-0262530514
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanna be "Tagger"??....Read this book first!!, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Up: Subway Graffitti in New York (Paperback)

Real stories about "REAL" grafitti artists. It could not have been done better! The author, Graig Castleman writes about one of the most respected artists of them all, Lee. Lee's Graffiti years were awsome. The book is great to help the public truly understand the term "Street Art" Any book that can make my own parents believe in my own Graffiti gets 5 stars!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting up is a Quality book!, June 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Up: Subway Graffitti in New York (Paperback)

Getting up is the best book I have ever read. It's not filed with pictures but explains what life is like to be a writer in New York.It tells the story of Lee and his famous whole train!It tells you how the writers racked the spraycans!If you want to get in to Graffiti buy this book!!I enjoyed it from cover to cover. One point left to make=I only wish i was as good as the artists in Getting up! END

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting up to Get Down, September 5, 2005

By 

Liam K. "steady mind" (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Up: Subway Graffitti in New York (Paperback)

From the second you open this book, to the day you put it down for the last time, you are exposed to the origins of graffiti and the graffiti lifestyle. From the in depth interviews with the infamous "Fabulous Five", to the bias opinions of New York's M.T.A(Metropolitan Transit Authority), this book brings you back to the late 70's, where style's were made and the fame was gained.
As a graffiti artist myself, I related to a lot of the stories told by the artists documented in this book. Craig Castleman portrayed the perfect image of what it's like to be an "artist" and a "criminal" at the same time. The adrenaline of a late night excursion, to the overload of a police chase. At the end of it all, the overall satisfaction of seeing your name roll by on the local transit line.
I really enjoyed looking back at the photos captured in the book. There is a lot of history documented in this piece. The first "whole train", the evolution of the "bomb", to miscelaneous "tagging" are all shown in detail colour pictures.
I feel this book captured the essence of the graffiti culture, and documented the views and opinions of both sides, the artist, and the audience.
"Getting Up" Craig Castleman, definetly a good read, for any audience. Educational and fun at the same time.