Peruse Huberts Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, The Times Square Talker, And The Lost Photos Of Diane Arbus Conveyed By Gregory Gibson In Physical Edition

book is not what you think, several people I've brought this book up to insist it is fiction, NO! It is not fiction! It must be read, The cover is ugly, and belies the original excitement of such a volume the permanent sideshow/flea circus on times square begrudgingly managed by a black man who with his wife performs in african savage mask as the sideshow to the archetypal Collector, the "bookdealer" who comes into possession of the remains of said sideshow that first came into possession of another kind of junk dealer, Nigerian Royalty of the fleamarkets, via a storage facility auction.
. . this is a sad story, and the side story is that the archetypal collector realizes that some of the odds and ends are photographs taken by Diane Arbus while she worked there, or worked the denizens there, on her Guggenheim grant.
. . and the saga of the intertwining obsessions of the persons involved, etc etc, . .

kind of sensationalist in a way that does not need be, to start with, but the story gets rolling and the end is kind of unnecessary so it doesn't matter at all that it is anticlimactic the meat is tasty and totally fascinating.
This book was pretty awesome up to the last chapters, . . i will get to that but first to the good stuff:

I found this book in a free box and knew not much about the New York freak show Hubert's Museum that existed froms tos but this book ended up weaving other interesting stories the famed photographer Diane Arbus spent a great deal off time visiting the snake charmers, faux African Savages, and other live oddities.
Then there's the story of a rare book collector who comes upon this suitcase of lost photographs and papers from the Museum.


All subjects I find fascinating and the book weaves today all the stories in short but interesting chapters.


However the end chapters just made me mad,

Suddenly the author inserts himself into the story and tons of what seem to be be unnecessary personal details are played out in too much detail about the collector and his wife who are going through a divorce and also the family members of the couple who ran the Freak Show for a time.


It lost me and I didn't want to know this personal info that didn't seem too important and seemed to talk about living people that even with possible name changes didn't really need this dirty laundry aired outside.
So I skimmed the end,

Almost wanted to add this book to my permanent bookcase, but the flawed ending means I will pass it on! A great work of nonfiction about an antiquarian book dealer's discovery of long lost Diane Arbus photographs as he assembles the archives of New York's most popular dime museum, literally a "freak show" of oddballs, "savages," and misfits.
This book is excellent in its research, giving a rich history of New York's carny culture as well as a decent minibiography of Diane Arbus that traces the evolution of her

work.
The book is also great chronicle of one man's attempt to create a historical archive based on photographs, diaries, newspaper clippings, etc, and his frustrating attempts to market it to various museums and historians.
Hubert's Freaks drops the reader on the fringe of the antiquarian book market where Bob Langmuir, an obsessive book and art dealer, attempts to put together a collection of material from Charlie Lucas, a former sideshow barker/performer from Times Square.
Among the findings are photos from Diane Arbus and journals about running the Hubert's freak show in New York City.
The winding tale that Gregory Gibson follows takes the reader from turnofthecentury traveling shows to New York of thes ands, to a rare book shop in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square.
The story itself is an interesting exploration of the current antiquarian book market and museum acquisitions, The book is worth reading just to see how museums, auction houses, and collectors interact,

The writing is pedestrian and at points a little jarring, At one point the author suddenly interjects himself into the story for no reason that is important to the story of Bob Langmuir.
I found the writing and the short chapters too disruptive to be completely consumed by the story of the obsessive book dealer who has a mental breakdown while trying to trace a sideshow barker's life.
There was enough interesting material to keep me reading, but I never felt completely involved in the plot.
It's a good read for those interested in the history of AfricanAmericans in sideshows and the preDisney Times Square.
What a thrilling ride! This book is such a pageturner and had me on the edge of my seat or bed waiting to see where the author would take me next from the weird, eccentric world of the freak show through to the murky nastiness that hides behind the respectable facade of the art world.
By the end, I felt I knew all the characters in the book: art dealers, gallery owners, curators, the "freaks" themselves,Diane Arbus and especially the protagonist, Bob Langmuir.
There was a movie, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Bob, in the offing at one stage and I'm really disappointed that was never made.
However there is a great documentary waiting for someone to make,


This was a neat story, which kept me reading even though I didn't love the writing.
Which in itself is kind of interesting: how does someone who can clearly write a fine sentence, and who has this really fascinating story with neat characters, eversoslightly miss the mark It's not terrible writing, just a bit flaccidthere's a marked lack in dramatic tension and managing of the plot, which is such a shame because Gibson uncovered a real gift of a good story.


And in the end I'm glad I kept going, because Gibson's obvious affection for his protagonist really carried the day.
Basically, I wanted to find out what happened to him, Ultimately, I wouldn't NOT recommend the book, but I would make sure to add the caveat that the writing's on the slack side.


The insight into the archivist's/collector's POV kept me going as well, both because I write about archives and have a wouldbe hoarder's fascination with the pathology of collecting.
It actually hijacked the narrative sometimes, but againonce I let go of my expectation that it tell a cohesive story, I kind of enjoyed those asides.
A strange little book, about a collectibles dealer that nobody's ever heard of, Turns out, he's a friend of the author, I didn't find out about it until the book suddenly and unexpectedly switched to the first person more than three quarters of the way in.
Some interesting stuff, but it's one of those books where the subject matter doesn't come across as being as important as the author thinks it is.
A good read, though. It's too bad they didn't get permission to include some of Diane Arbus' photos in the book it would have really enhanced it.

Always fascinated by the photographs of Diane Arbus, the title and back cover blurbs made this seem a nice purchase while browsing the Madison Frugal Muse used bookstore and the book certainly did not disappoint initially.
Unfortunately it steadily loses steam as the primary narrative thread of the Rare Book Dealer's obsessive pursuit of the Arbus photos and related items from Hubert's Freak Show, a Times Square landmark moves farther away from Diane Arbus, the freak show culture and the world of photography as art and more into the personal tribulations of the Rare Book Dealer who is really the primary character.
There are certainly fascinating aspects to the story told, particularly of the Time Square Talker and his fellow members of Hubert's Freak Show and Diane Arbus herself but as the emphasis moves away from them the momentum of the narrative arc slows down.
Moreso, the author's entrance into the narrative as a active participant is jarring and further distracts from the focus of the book.
All in all, I'm glad I read this book for its insight into Diane Arbus, the era of freak shows and some small insights into obsessive searching but some shifts of focus and loss of narrative momentum don't make it a candidate for rereading.
.