In Evidence, Luc Sante, the author of Low Life, offers an eerie, insider’s visit to the scene of the crime. This collection of rarely seen evidence photographs, taken by the New York City Police Department between 1914 and 1918, presents startling images, some brutal, some poetic and all possessed of a strange and spectral beauty. In his introduction, Sante explains his attraction to this murderous gallery: “Here was a true record of the texture and grain of a lost New York, laid bare by the circumstances of murder. Lives stopped by razor or bullet were frozen by a flash of powder……

I couldn’t agree more.  The photographs are oddly artistic in their own gloomy way.  The grit, grain, and reality of the subject matter is enhanced by the film photography of the early 1900′s, making this book a must have for any true photography enthusiast.

Snag a copy here.