If you were born any time before 1985, chances are you have memories of having your photo snapped by a Polaroid camera. And then the even more exciting event of watching it slowly develop from the murky depths. I can personally state that 95% of the pictures taken of me before the age of 7 are Polaroids. It was such a huge part of our culture. The original instant-view photos, long before digital photography and Instagram.
Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanos takes us back through the company’s creation and rapid rise to fame, from the small beginnings of Edwin Land’s garage startup to a multi-billion dollar company. I loved reading about artists falling in love with Polaroid, and my heart broke a little taking in the bankruptcy all over again. If you have the love for Polaroid that I do, or know someone else who might, this is a bookshelf necessity.
Book trailer for INSTANT: THE STORY OF POLAROID by Christopher Bonanos from Princeton Architectural Press on Vimeo.
If you’re in the Boston area, Christopher Bonanos is giving an author talk at the Cambridge Historical Society on this book! October 17, 6-8 pm. More info (including buying tix): http://www.cambridgehistory.org/calendar
10-02-12 » 5:23 pm »