Crooks Like Us

Fabulous!This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever been lucky enough to own. Ever since the Peaky Blinders mentioned this book in the “behind the scenes” section of the DVD, I have wondered and was desperate to be able to afford it. Since the prices vary wildly, it was thanks to a bookseller in Australia – Trepolar, being realistic that I could finally afford to buy it. It might have taken a couple of days longer to arrive (although the post here isn’t always reliable), the book arrived brilliantly protected and was sent via DHL. Worth the wait to be sure, no corners were cut by the seller despite the price being a huge amount cheaper than the next cheapest seller.The book itself... I knew that there were lots of sepia photos of thieves, murderers, bicycle thieves(!), whores, conmen/women and tricksters, petty criminals; I thought it would be a great “coffee table” book. The information that accompanies the photographs is fantastic. It really is a credit to Peter Doyle. I am now looking to save for his other book now. Most – if not all the “crooks” look stylish, well dressed and in some cases wonderfully handsome. I bet most women were taken in by their good looks alone. The majority look proud of having their picture taken, which probably was quite a rare event in the 1920’s.There doesn’t seem to be any lacking of confidence in these photographs; but it makes me wish I were around during these times when even petty thieves looked as stylish, groomed and proud of their appearance. I was persuaded by the first review given by ‘ A concerned reader’; his review of this book is well thought out and beautifully succinct, it is difficult when such a comprehensive review is written to add anything new. I would just advise BUY in the strongest possible terms. (But not at a ridiculous price…)

Art is often best when it is unintended. A masterfully simple Biedermeier desk, the futuristic Parker 51 fountain pen, Bauhaus woven cloth, Japanese wabi sabi objects, Dieter Rams' appliances for BRAUN, or the Gill Sans type font, things like these were expressly conceived to be used every day and not live out their years in a museum. But they were so exceptional or singular that over time they rode the elevator up to art's top floor and stayed there. So too with photography. Whether it be Weegee or Vivian Mayer's black and white pictures of 1940's NY, Lartigue and Doisneau's day to day in Paris, LIFE magazine's coverage of the Great Depression, or even the best accidental Lomography work, what most people first thought were merely snapshots grew wings over the years and now live among the angels of art. One of my favorite books of 2009 is called CROOKS LIKE US by Peter Doyle. Doyle is an Australian who went through the forensic photography archive of the Justice and Police Museum in Sydney. His book is essentially a collection of 1920's mugshots. Black and white look-the-camera-right-in-the-eye photos of criminals who were caught and booked. Pickpockets, whores, grifters, murderers, small time losers, dope fiends, counterfeiters... all were arrested and momentarily memorialized with one straight on and one profile picture before going to trial. The astonishing thing about the compilation is both the unintentional beauty and composition of many of these photos. A friend who saw the book said most of the subjects look like they're either Thom Browne models or people you'd see in a GQ or VOGUE fashion spread. The men wear fedora hats tipped at jaunty angles, formal white shirts and ties, sharp looking tweed. Although some are seriously scary looking hombres, they've almost all got style and flair like you can't believe. If you saw one of these guys walking down the street today you'd think "that is one cool dude." The women stare straight and fearlessly into the camera. You can almost hear them sneering "You gotta problem, pal? What are you gawking at?" They emanate strength, smartass, sexuality, street smarts, and in some, great mystery. Picture after dramatic picture of liars, cheats, steal from blind nuns, stab their mother, sell their children-- creeps, bottom feeders, perverts and monsters are transformed by simple police mugshots into gorgeous, haunting, timeless portraits. Their eyes tell a thousand stories. Hands in pockets, posture proud and erect, hair slicked carefully back, their expressions are defiant, amused. You can't beat them--in the end, they know they'll win. Almost a hundred years later you're certain these crooks knew things you wish you could learn. Characters whose lives you'd give a lot to know more about beyond that single, captivating glimpse. At some point the jarring realization hits you that every single person in the book is probably dead now. But that is one of the wonders of great art--it can resurrect anything and make it so alive again that for a while you can almost hear it breathe.