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

Hubert's Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus by Gibson, Gregory. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780156033084.

From the moment Bob Langmuir, a down-and-out rare book dealer, spies some intriguing photographs in the archive of a midcentury Times Square freak show, he knows hes on to something. It turns out hes made the find of a lifetime--never-before-seen prints by the legendary Diane Arbus. Furthermore, he begins to suspect that what hes found may add a pivotal chapter to what is now known about Arbus as well as about the "old weird America," in Greil Marcuss phrase, that Huberts inhabited. Bobs ensuing adventure--a roller-coaster ride filled with bizarre characters and coincidences--takes him from the fringes of the rare book business to Sothebys, and from the exhibits of a run-down Times Square freak show to the curators office of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Will the photos be authenticated? How will Arbuss notoriously protective daughter react? Most importantly, can Bob, who always manages to screw up his most promising deals, finally make just one big score?