A fantastic collection of images from Times Square, pulled from the years before Disney took over – at a time when the action moved 24 hours a day, and at a non-stop pace! Bill Butterworth was right on the streets during the early 80s – and presents stunning full color shots of a range of figures from the Deuce – strippers, short order cooks, merchants, hustlers, b boys, Guardian Angels, and others – often in posed portraits in their environs, but occasionally captured in more candid ways too. The look and feel of the photographs is great – similar to some of the Powerhouse books on old school hip hop culture – and the whole thing is hardcover, and overflowing with great shots. Book

If you find the image on the cover as striking as we do, wait until you see what's inside – page after page of brilliant black and white photographs, all taken from the long-running Hamburger Eyes publication – still somewhat young when this book came out, but already clearly a leading voice in 21st Century photography! The images vary wildly, but they all have a unifying vibe – material by a range of different photographers who seem to capture a special moment on the street, or an oddity in reality – keen work by a lineup that includes Mark Murrmann, Ryan Furtado, Matt Weber, Ted Pushinsky, Boogie, Vic Blue, and many others – a band of disparate artist who seem to have a great unifying thread in their work. The book is lovingly done in the best tradition of Powerhouse Press – hardcover, very little text, just page after page of explosive images! Book

The title's no lie, as the book is exactly what is promised – a surprisingly cool photo book that documents the laundromats of New York City – conveniently divided up into different chapters for each borough, with the real address of each location as well! Every image has the same stark representation as the photo on the front – and the presentation creates this really surprising sense of form and format – the slight variations that set each business apart, almost like the famous storefront book from years back. There's a short essay on the status of the American laundromat at the end – and the book is hardcover, full color, and 155 pages. Book

We're not normally ones to stock urban fire books here at Dusty Groove – but as you probably know, our hometown is Chicago, a city with a pretty incredible history – part of which is a fantastic fire that burned the whole place to the ground back in the 19th century! This huge book dives into great detail about the fire – its origins, its too-long burnout, initial failed efforts to stop it, and the surprisingly quick rise from the ashes that Chicago experienced as a result – as the city turned the tragedy into a way of rethinking and modernizing itself, which made it very well-poised to become a global powerhouse in years to come! Carl Smith tells the tale with a nicely narrative voice, while also showcasing the long research that went into the project – and this hardcover edition is 374 pages, with some black and white images. Book