Messengers Style [Paperback]

Philippe Bialobos (Author, Photographer, Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

Messengers: fast, furious, athletic, stylish. Whether carving through city traffic at breakneck speed or pausing on the sidewalk, today's bike messengers are the absolute in urban style. Because of messengers' impact on society on many levels like open attitudes, trend-setting, music and sports, this book is a real statement on the driving engine of a high energy city. They are the true symbols of the active metropolis, and an important link to the business community. Here, for the first time, they are taken off the street and into the studio. Contemporary photographer Philippe Bialobos has taken a series of rhythmic, colorful portraits which perfectly frame the messengers' off-beat appearances and transfixing physical presence, while at the same time capturing the varied personalities that lie hidden beneath the layers of hats, shades and city smoke. The images are accompanied by various poems written by messengers from across the country.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Assouline (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2843232104
• ISBN-13: 978-2843232107
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,578,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars street style..., October 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Messengers Style (Paperback)

The photographs in this book are amazing...this is one of the coolest books on street style to come out in a long time. The cover and packaging are kinda funky too (it comes with this rubber belly band). If you live in New York, there's a good chance you'll recognise one of these whacky looking messengers. Original.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars some crazy bicycle riding kinda shaite, October 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Messengers Style (Paperback)

you've honked at those crazy mthrfkrs weaving through traffic with bags of cargo and walkie talkies--but you've never asked yourself if they can write poetry; or if they represent the last stand of american fashion--postpunk primitive mad max though it may be. if you live in the sticks, buy this book and pretend you see bicycle messengers all the time. if you're the city mouse, quit your worthless job and get yerself 2 wheels.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Glimpse of NYC Bike Messenger Style, May 16, 2004

By 

Duane Browning (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Messengers Style (Paperback)

I had hoped for a collection of pictures of bike messengers from around the United States. Instead, judging by the pictures, the authors decided to only include messengers from the New York City area. NYC messengers have a reputation for being among the best in the world, so I wasn't too disappointed. I would have liked to have seen pics of messengers from Chicago, San Francisco, DC, etc. included as well.

The book gives a good glimpse of NYC messenger style, despite it being only 100 pages thick. If the author had wanted to, he could have sought pictures of messengers from around the USA to include, making for a longer book and, perhaps, a wider variety of styles.

The subjects included in the book have been messengers for various periods of time, ranging from a few months to a couple of decades. So, rookies are included, along with veteran messengers.

The photos were well done and shot by obvious professionals in a studio, rather than having been taken out on the streets where the messengers really work and I felt the photos to be a little too posed-looking. I think pics of the messengers actually out on the streets would have provided a better, more honest, book. I had the feeling that Messenger Syle looked more like a clothing catalog, rather than a real pictorial of bike messengers.

I bought the book out of curiousity and I skim-through it, once in awhile when I'm bored. Overall, I liked the book, despite what I felt its shortcomings to be.

If you want to take a look at NYC bike messengers, this book gives a good glimpse. Don't expect too much, though.