The Bikeriders by Danny Lyon, First Edition, Hardcover with Dust Jacket

The Bikeriders by Danny Lyon  

First Edition, First Printing, 1968 

Rare Hardcover with Dust Jacket 

This is a very rare first edition, first printing of Danny Lyon’s critically acclaimed photobook “The Bikeriders” published by Macmillan, New York in 1968. “The Bikeriders” was Danny Lyon’s first book and launched his career as one of the most prominent documentary photographers of our time.  Parr & Badger in their book, “The History of the Photobook, wrote, "The Bikeriders, an important and influential work, was one of the first books to bring a new genre to late twentieth century photography...Lyon photographed communities from the inside, making them an integral part of his life for the duration of the project...[it] represented a significant step in 1960s American photography, not only launching an important photographic career, but also giving a younger generation of photographers a spokesman...understanding instinctively not only their hopes and aspirations, but also why they were rebelling against all kinds of adult authority." Twin Palms issued a limited edition reproduction of the book in 1997 and the publisher wrote a wonderful introduction about the significance of the book, "In 1968, a small and unassuming book of photographs featuring America's bikers was published. Little note was taken of its release, and it rather quietly disappeared. Today, “The Bikeriders” is recognized as a seminal work of documentary photography by one of a new generation of photographers. In it an iconographic American landscape of violence, freedom, drugs and sex unfolded before Danny Lyon's lens. Brando and Dean made real, at once exhilarating and disappointing, magnetic and frightening…His much-sought-after first book is treasured both as a cult classic and a standard of photojournalism.”

Featuring 48 gravure photographs and measuring approximately 9.5” x 6.5”, the book is bound in black cloth boards with a photographically illustrated dust jacket. The condition of the book is Near FINE+ with a rub to the top of the rear board and some minor soiling. The dust jacket is in Near FINE+ condition with a small close tear to the upper right edge and minimal wear to the edges. Overall, this is an exceptional hardcover with dust jacket copy of a classic photobook rarely found in this condition.

Cited in all three reference works on photobooks: “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century” and “The Open Book” by Andrew Roth and Parr and Badgers, “The History of the Photobook”.

Photographs of the dust jacket cover, the rear board of the book (to illustrate faults mentioned above), as well as photographs contained in the book appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on the thumbnail to open a separate window where the photographs are viewable as a slideshow.