Going Postal [Hardcover]

Martha Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2009

Postal stickers have long been a preferred substrate used by street artists to get up. Of course, because stickers from the US Postal Service, UPS, DHL and FEDEX are so readily available, many of these stickers get lost in the fray. That’s where graffiti photography legend Martha Cooper comes in. Shooting the origins of hip-hop and graffiti cultures since the late 1970s in New York City, and later all over the world, Cooper’s well-trained eyes know how to recognize deft sticker art. Going Postal is a collection of more than 200 photographs of some of Cooper’s favorite handmade postal stickers from around the world, done by both better-known and anonymous artists. Going Postal documents how an old-school method has burgeoned into a rich facet of the world’s graffiti cultures.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Mark Batty Publisher (February 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979966655
• ISBN-13: 978-0979966651
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.7 x 6.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Stamps

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for street art; too few artists., May 20, 2009

By 

J. Gist - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Postal (Hardcover)

I just received my copy of Martha Cooper's newest book Going Postal the other day and it's pretty much what I expected. Street-Art books are getting pretty run of the mill these days, covering all of the same artists. While Cooper's reputation allows her access to some of the more elusive artists, any work of this type worth covering is already on the street.

The strength of this book is in its showcase of work by unknown artists. Since stickers are one of the preferred media of traveling writers, the book credits the city in which the sticker was spotted versus crediting the writers themselves.

As a fan of sticker art I would have loved to see this book go a bit more in depth. At only 96 pages it seems a bit light, and tends to focus an inordinate amount on too few artists. Perhaps in that aspect my personal taste runs askew to the books. I would have liked to see it be a bit more tag and hand style heavy, and less stencil and street art heavy.