A photography book by Robert Frank, originally published in 1963 by The New York Times under the “Just for Fun” imprint. It was created as a promotional gift for American booksellers during the 1963 New York Book Fair and was never commercially released, making it a coveted collector’s item. A reprint was later issued by Steidl in 2008.
Using a cinematic approach, Frank captured the expressive and comedic gestures of actor Zero Mostel as he reads—sitting at a table or lounging on a sofa—depicting emotions like confusion, surprise, and delight in a cartoonish manner. These visual cues echo Mostel’s iconic stage roles such as Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof), Pseudolus (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), and Max Bialystock (The Producers). The book is nearly wordless, relying solely on imagery to tell a humorous visual narrative, and stands as a unique exploration of motion and mood in still photography.
