Livre - The gypsies

Gypsies, little known or understood by most people, have always maintained an intriguing and distinctive life-style. Books about them are comparatively few in number, and there has been little attempt to do justice to the great variety of visual interest that surrounds them. Denis Harvey has known Gypsies since the time when, at the age of 20, he found himself fruit-picking with some of them. It was not long before he acquired his first Gypsy van to live in, borrowed one of their horses and went on the road. His long familiarity with Gypsies, his experiences of living with them, and his empathy for them and their way of life are all brought out in this book, which aims -through its text and photographs-- not only to introduce Gypsies to the public at large, but also to make a visual historical record of all the main aspects of Gypsy life. It is a record that is particularly important as the migrant nature of their life, their most distinguishing feature, shows some signs of being brought to an end. He deals with Gypsy livelihood, crafts, traditions, caravans, cooking, dress, and virtually every other facet of their rich culture. Here is a document that traces the Gypsy part in folk history, from the early days of Waggon-time (when the big, decorated waggons became a common sight) up to the present day when Gypsies live in motor trailers – or even houses. This is the first comprehensive work of visual reference on this subject, and will be of great value to all those looking for the pictorial images of another society that for long has lived on the fringes, and is now beginning to live in our midst.