Cheap Novelties: The Pleasures of Urban Decay

Cans of sore-eye salve, cashew salesmen, plastic-slipcover showrooms, a forgotten beverage made from carbonated water, syrup, and half-sour milk known as a Herbert water: from these humble elements, noticed or remembered by Julius Knipl, real estate photographer, as he wanders through an unnamed city, Katchor constructs poignant comic-strip vignettes that can carry in a single page more emotion and complexity than entire novels. The 25th anniversary edition of Cheap Novelties is sturdier and more handsome than the original, but the stories themselves have retained their humble beauty, like the "strangely familiar shine" on the seat of taxi drivers' pants and subway banisters. It's one of my favorite books ever.