Sleeping by the Mississippi

Sleeping by the Mississippi by Alec Soth is one of the most landmarks of the photo book era. First published by Steidl in 2004 was Soth's first book, sold in three editions, and established him as one of the main figures of contemporary photographic practice. This MACK edition coincides with the first exhibition in London dedicated to the series at Beetles + Huxley Gallery, and includes two new photographs that were not included in previous versions of the book. From a road trip series along the Mississippi River, Sleeping by the Mississippi captures the iconic but often overlooked “third coast” of America. The richly descriptive large-format color photographs of Soth presents an eclectic mix of individuals, landscapes and interiors. Sensual in detail and raw in subject matter, Sleeping by the Mississippi evokes a consistent mood of solitude, nostalgia and reverie. ``In The book's 46 ruthlessly edited images,' writes Anne Wilkes Tucker in The original essay published in the book, ``Soth alludes to the disease, the procreation, race, crime, learning, art, music, death, religion, redemption, politics and cheap sex. Like the classic Robert Frank, The Americans, Sleeping by the Mississippi fuses a style documentary with a poetic sensibility. Mississippi is less the subject of the book than its organizational structure. Not bound by a concept or ideology rigid, the series is created from a typically American spirit of wanderlust. Thirteen years after the book's first publication, the lyrical vision of the artist has undoubtedly acquired a nuanced meaning - in which hope, fear, desire and regret blend into the evocative journey along this mythical river.