City Alphabet

By Joanne Schwartz

The urban landscape is alive with words. They appear in every locale, material, and form imaginable. It's this intriguing aspect of the city that Matt Beam has captured in his photographs -- words spray-painted on walls, etched in concrete, carved into wood, stuck onto glass. He and Joanne Schwartz create a visually arresting alphabet book that documents the random occurrences of language all around us. The result is an edgy catalog of words from art to zoo that inspires readers to look more closely at their environments. This beautifully designed book is a small treasure for anyone who loves to explore the city in which they live.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0888999283
• ISBN13: 9780888999283
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Length: 60 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 10.1" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 3 years and up
• Grade Range: Preschool and higher

Customer Reviews

More than Urban Text

At first I wasn't so sure about this one. How hard is it to take a picture of a word in an urban setting? Words are everywhere, after all. But by the time I got to E for Evoke, I was hooked. The photos manage to convey esoteric ideas like transience and permanence, art and decay, bureaucracy and beauty. On the F page, the word `Forever' etched in concrete is at once both permanent and delicate. Very nice.