Aware of the immortal power of words, Walker Evans (1903–75) chose to leave a last will and testament, unmistakable in its clarity, in the form of an interview. He made sure that none of his intended clarity would be lost. This he achieved by choosing a close and trusted friend to collaborate in conducting several recorded conversations and editing them into a carefully articulated credo. Much sought and widely appreciated, but previously unavailable except in books of collected essays, the interview that is the text of Walker Evans Incognito is a true, first-hand source: Evans speaking freely about his photography and his philosophy. From Evans' own words the personality of the man behind the great, famously laconic photographs emerges. Walker Evans Incognito gives this brilliant text the grand presentation it deserves.
The book features eight scrupulously reproduced full-page photographs. Each photograph is accompanied by Evans' own comments on that picture. The text of the interview and the captions are printed in letterpress. Bound in buckram, with a tipped-on tritone photograph and mylar protective cover, the edition of the book is limited to a single printing of 2,500 copies.