Barbershops is a tribute to a romantic time when waiting in line was an excuse for a chat and when looking tip-top was a personal mantra. Once a hub of local news and activity, sacred to men and closed to women, the barbershop is slowly disappearing. If their walls could talk, they would tell of boys' first visits with their fathers, of potions applied to men's beards and self-esteem, of great arguments held, of friendships made, broken, and made again. Barbershops captures the original, beautiful, kitsch, and sometimes surreal beauty of these fading places. Featuring brilliant portraits, unusual decor, and heartbreaking stories, it will transport you to one of the most authentic spaces in our urban environment. Book jacket.