"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

"... 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 Lakeside Lounge in NYC

This one-of-a-kind photo book offers evocative portraits of New York bars after closing time.

Nearly every day, Daniel Root sets out before sunrise to wander the streets of Manhattan with his camera. In those comparatively quiet hours, the entire city wears a different face, but Root is particularly fascinated by the scenes to be glimpsed through the windows of its bars. Empty of patrons and illuminated by an odd mix of artificial lights - neon beer ads, red EXIT signs, a single bulb above the cash register - they present a more hushed and mysterious aspect than in the busy evening hours. Nonetheless, each one - whether a dive bar, a sports bar, or a restaurant bar - still conveys an individual character, a distinct personality. New York Bars at Dawn presents some 200 of Root's most compelling bar portraits, ranging from well-known establishments like Balthazar, McSorley's, and the Stonewall Inn to nameless dives and an American Legion post. A foreword by Rosie Schaap, author of Drinking with Men, shows us just how much Root's photographs reveal about bar culture, and an afterword by art historian Suzaan Boettger examines their aesthetic qualities. This will be an essential volume for anyone with an interest in nightlife, interiors, or urban photography.

About the Author

Daniel Root is a fine art photographer and a principal in the design firm The Root Group. His predawn photographs of Manhattan have attracted a devoted following among bartenders and other night shift workers, and have been featured on NY1. Root lives on the Lower East Side and is a very early riser. Rosie Schaap is the author of Drinking with Men and Becoming a Sommelier, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. Suzaan Boettger is an art historian and critic, and the author of Inside the Spiral: The Passions of Robert Smithson.

Reviews
"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." - Musee
"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



Book Information
ISBN 9780789214775
Author Daniel Root
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Publisher Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Weight(grams) 1496g
Dimensions(mm) 250mm * 251mm * 24mm