Merrill, Larry. Pedestrian Photographs by Larry Merrill.

University of Rochester Press, 2008. Candid photographs in color, often humorous, of New York City pedestrians by Larry Merrill. Texts by Marjorie B. Searl and Wendell Berry. 60 pages. Wraps, as issued. First edition. Almost like new with a few small nicks on covers. Born in Brooklyn in 1948, Larry Merrill has lived in Rochester where he taught photography at Nazareth College. At time of publication, he had had a solo show at the George Eastman House (now George Eastman Museum), where he was director of education, Bard College and other prestigious venues. Merrill also ran the studio art school of the University of Rochester Art Museum (Memorial Art Gallery). He was guest curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the show, “The Camera and the Photograph.” His work is in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Yale University Art Gallery; George Eastman Museum; Museum of the City of New York, et al.  Merrill has an MFA from the University of Minnesota. Summary:

Pedestrian Photographs is a photography book by Larry Merrill that offers a vivid, visual exploration of street life in New York City, especially on the East Side of Manhattan and in Central Park. The book is a curated collection of 48 color photographic plates taken mainly between 2004 and 2007, capturing everyday moments, subtle gestures, and candid encounters of people moving through urban space — walkers, passersby, and pedestrians who animate the city’s streets.

Rather than following a narrative or written argument, the book immerses readers in the rhythm of metropolitan life, revealing how ordinary scenes of walking, waiting, and passing can express deeper rhythms of human behavior and urban dynamics. Merrill’s photographs are grounded in street photography’s observational tradition — an approach that finds expression and meaning in ordinary public moments.

Accompanying the images are introductory essays by author Wendell Berry and curator Marjorie Searl, which help to contextualize Merrill’s work, both artistically and culturally. These texts frame his images as more than casual snapshots; they underscore the intentional vision behind portraying everyday pedestrians and the interplay between individual subjects and the public spaces they inhabit.

Overall, Pedestrian Photographs is a visual meditation on contemporary urban existence, inviting readers to look closely at the unremarkable yet evocative moments of city life that often go unnoticed.