Hubert's Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus by Gregory Gibson

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars

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 turn-of-the-century traveling shows to New York of the 1950s and 1960s, 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 African-Americans in sideshows and the pre-Disney Times Square.

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