Hubert’s Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus

Bob Langmuir is an obsessive dealer with a remarkable eye for treasure who makes the discovery of a lifetime when he chances upon a trove of never-before-seen prints by the legendary Diane Arbus. From the moment he purchases a trunk containing the archive of Hubert s Dime Museum and Flea Circus a midcentury Times Square freak show frequented by Arbus and discovers some intriguing photographs, he knows he s on to something. Furthermore, he begins to suspect that what he s found may add a pivotal chapter to what is now known about Arbus and the old weird America, in Greil Marcus s phrase, that Hubert s inhabited.

Langmuir s ensuing adventure, filled with bizarre coincidences, turns into a roller-coaster ride that takes him from memorabilia shows to the curator s office at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Will the photos be authenticated? How will the Arbus estate react? most important, can Bob, who has seen more than a few promising deals head south, finally make his one big score? "