Description
Book SynopsisDaniel Root's photos of New York bars at dawn are a perfect blend of beauty and melancholia. Everything about them is just right.Roz Chast, New Yorker cartoonist
... The beautiful intersection of saturated colorful lights becomes a tapestry that fills and is faceted by the architectural details of each bar, making a magical space to be activated and a stage for our daily human dramas to play out.Kiki Smith, artist
I've always said the very best bars are inviting, whether packed or empty. Daniel Root's amazing set of images takes you to a bar netherworld that few get to see. These photos were taken before dawn, after closing, after the porters have been there to clean up and restock the bar before the managers come back to check last night's register ring. It's a part of every single bar, but one that mostly goes unseen.Eric Roscoe Ambel, guitarist, producer, and former owner of the Lak
Trade Review
“Daniel Root’s photos of New York bars at dawn are a perfect blend of beauty and melancholia. Everything about them is just right.” - Roz Chast,, New Yorker cartoonist
“Upon seeing Daniel Root’s photographs of Manhattan’s downtown bars, I was immediately taken by the light. Through his photographs, Daniel reveals each space as a container for light. The beautiful intersection of saturated colorful lights becomes a tapestry that fills and is faceted by the architectural details of each bar, making a magical space to be activated and a stage for our daily human dramas to play out." - Kiki Smith
“I’ve always said the very best bars are inviting, whether packed or empty. Daniel Root’s amazing set of images takes you to a bar netherworld that few get to see. These photos were taken before dawn, after closing, after the porters have been there to clean up and restock the bar, before the managers come back to check last night’s register ring. It’s a part of every single bar, but one that mostly goes unseen.” - Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, guitarist, producer, and former owner of the Lakeside Lounge in NYC
"In the city that never sleeps, it can be difficult to find moments of quiet solitude. For artist Daniel Root, those moments come just before the sun rises." - Untapped Cities
"Fascinating photos capture the eerie quiet of New York City's most famous drinking haunts at dawn—from Ernest Hemingway's favorite watering hole to an iconic Manhattan gay bar" - Daily Mail
"Stunning portraits showcase the softer side of the Big Apple, with incredible images illustrating raw and remarkable moments from across New York." - Daily Mail
"Photographer Phil Penman's new book New York Street Diaries gives a glimpse at the tranquil side of the city." - Daily Mail
"Penman literally catapults his viewer into the scene with a refreshing directness and the feeling of really being present." - All About Photo
"New York Street Diaries is a new coffee table book for all the fans of the Big Apple." - Eye of Photography
"Penman knows how to capture the city in its most sensitive moments in an impressive way." - All About Photo
"Mr. Root’s long history as a portrait photographer serves him well here, as each bar doubles as a character study. You get a broad view of the city’s incredibly diverse range of personalities, from blue collar neighborhood stiff to elegant professional, from raucous college kid to achingly hip demi-mondaine." - New York Sun
The 38 Best Books to gift for Christmas 2023: "Let them relive their glory days — or last night — with this evocative photography of Gotham’s most iconic watering holes, from McSorley’s to the Stonewall Inn. Rosie Schaap, author of Drinking with Men, provides the insightful foreword." - New York Post
“This is a massive and richly fascinating ode to Manhattan nightlife in all its iterations. Long may he wander and continue to photograph in his own inimitable fashion.” - Museé
“Perhaps what is most interesting about Root’s work is how it demonstrates that even without people, these spaces are possessed of personality and life. It’s quite easy to conjure from each shot an interpretive guess at what happened just hours earlier and what could happen hours hence. In this sense, New York Bars at Dawn captures the city asleep and conscious at the same time.” - The Lo-Down
