Diners: People and Places

Not full of unnecessary text, but choc full of wonderfully evocative photographs that superbly show the real feel of the places and the people who frequent them, whether staff, or denizens of the establishments who seem to, in the main, give off that air of dejected lost souls passing through, but may, of course, just be enjoying themselves in a reflective moment of leisure. I wish we had diners like this in the UK. The two first pictures in the book are my favourites of all, but every page has something worthwhile to feast your eyes upon. A truly wonderful book. Enjoy.

I've owned Mr. Kittel's book for quite some time. I bought it not for the subject matter, but for his photography. As an amateur for 30 years I know how hard it is to produce some of the photography shown in this book. I notice the prior reviewer criticizes the book for not providing more history, etc. on diners. If the book were misleading in its description or presentation I would agree. However, it makes no such pretenses. This is a photographic book, plain and simple. Actually, those interested in diner history should look into the work of Richard Gutman on diners, which is comprehensive and an excellent companion to this volume. It has been with this book that I've felt more closeness to the atmosphere of diners, because his photos provide not only a sense of spontaneity in the people, but also his use of lighting. I particularly enjoy those photos where he has made no correction for fluoroscent lighting with his daylight film. This lends a greenish cast to those photos, again enhancing the feel of spontaneity. As stated above, this is an excellent photographic study of the American diner phenomenon. Those looking for historical narrative can find that easily elsewhere.