All Around Town

"All Around Town: The Photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts" combines the subject matter of the title with an easy-to-read text by Dinah Johnson. An author's note at the end states that Roberts was a self-taught photographer who documented African-American life in Columbia, South Carolina, and other places in the 1920s and 1930s.This book is full of wonderful images: a proud graduate in cap and gown, a baseball team, uniformed schoolgirls, a couple posing with a classic car, a man with a dog, a young soldier in uniform, and much more. There are some particularly nice pictures of children that should appeal to contemporary kids. Together these pictures offer a moving glimpse into the lives of African-Americans in Roberts' time. Roberts had a real gift for photography, and the format of this book makes that gift accessible to young readers. Highly recommended.