As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a total nerd for early 20th century documentary style photography. It goes without saying then, that I would love critic/writer Luc Sante’s book Folk Photography: The American Real-Photo Postcard, 1905–1930.

Chronicling the real-photo postcard (postcards printed in a darkroom, not lithographed) craze of rural America post-Civil War, the book showcases a variety of distinctly American images which Sante deftly places in both socio-historical as well as aesthetic contexts.

So, um, basically it’s my dream book.

Images via buyolypmia.com, where you can purchase Folk Photography.