There Are Always Mysteries with Vivian Maier

[UPDATE Sunday: I did send alerts to both the publisher and Amazon about this, and of course I have no idea if that was of any help or not, but at any rate the sham books have been removed from Amazon and Amazon U.K. It's interesting to become aware of this kind of scam; something to be on the lookout for. —Ed.]

Check this out:

What the...? The top one is the real book. It is by ANN MARKS, is published by ATRIA PUBLISHING GROUP (DBA "Atria Books"), and it is listed as having 368 pages.

The bottom one uses the same title (because titles can't be copyrighted), and the same cover (probably the photograph is not copyrightable, being as it's Vivian Maier, although I believe the graphic design is a copyrightable element). A different author's name is displayed, the book is listed as "Independently published" (no publisher's name given) and the number of pages is a paltry 29.

Innocent confusion? I doubt it.

Check out the review of the one from author Ann Marks at The World's Best Photography Magazine.

And don't be fooled into paying for the wrong one.

Mike
(Thanks to Tom Burke, who first alerted me to this, and several others)

Book o' the Week:
Vivian Maier Developed: The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny, by Ann Marks, is the most complete picture of the mysterious governess-photographer yet—and the picture is more surprising than we thought. NOTE: There is a similar-looking book that appears to be an attempt to confuse buyers. Beware!

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Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Dan Khong: "I am reading the real book by Ann Marks. I think the street photography skills and eye and timing of this unknown nanny photographer beat even the likes of the great HCB. And 140,000 images shot during her lifetime? Wow."

Comments

[Fred]

Please report this to Amazon.com

[Done. I also reported it to the publisher. --Mike]

[Oskar Ojala]

It feels that in the digital world, crude plagiarization or outright theft is extremely common. One wonders whether we need better technical means to be able enforce current laws and protect consumers or should we expect major platform owners to do more filtering. One thing is certain though: intentional misleading isn't going to disappear anytime soon.

[Roger Bradbury]

The same scan is being run in the UK, and the book description seems to be lifted word for word from the genuine Amazon advert, even to the extent of keeping Ann Marks' name.

[Roger Bradbury]

I've now reported this to Simon & Schuster UK, though I couldn't work out how to notify Amazon UK.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

I’ve been reading the Ann Marks book since it’s release on the 7th. It’s clearly the deep investigative work that was required to resolve any background kerfuffles regarding Maier’s work. Plus, it’s written in an engaging manner that would keep even non-photo enthusiasts turning pages.

And what a slimy move by “Kenneth Rodrigues”.

[Stan B.]

Yeah, but which one will become the "Collector's Edition."

[Henning]

There are (were?) many other books by Kenneth Rodrigues, all the same size, with 29 pages and weighing 95.2gms. Prices varied depending on what the real book cost.