Tice, George. Common Mementos by George A. Tice. Signed.

Lodima Portfolio Book Series. Number 3. Lodima Press, 2005. Edition of 1,000 in stiff wraps, as issued. [Photographs taken in New Jersey. Published by Lodima, renowned for the highest quality reproductions of photographs.] Unsigned new copy, slight unevenness at corners on last few pages (occurred in binding). Another copy, very good with foxing on first leaf, SIGNED.  Summary:

Common Mementos is a slim photography portfolio book by renowned American photographer George Tice. The work serves as a concise, poignant visual essay on Tice's native New Jersey.

Key Elements of the Work

• The Imagery: The book features 16 black-and-white photographs taken primarily during the 1990s—a highly prolific period for Tice. These images belong to his broader, celebrated focus on urban landscapes.

• The Subject Matter: True to Tice’s signature style, the collection captures the ordinary, overlooked, and vernacular architecture of New Jersey's neighborhoods. It highlights common street views, suburban scenes, and commercial spaces that carry a sense of quiet nostalgia or impending disappearance.

• The Format: The collection was printed using a high-fidelity process specifically designed to preserve the rich tonal ranges of Tice’s masterful black-and-white printing.

Narrative Intent

Tice himself described the work not just as a random collection of pictures, but as a deliberate narrative piece:

"Common Mementos is akin to a short story, a short film, an essay. It is my attempt to define and interpret the New Jersey with which I was familiar. I think of it as a journey in time as well as place."

Ultimately, the book is a brief but deeply textured visual journey through time, capturing the everyday "mementos" of American cultural and regional history before they fade away.