Ralph Gibson, an iconic American fine art photographer known for his surrealist vision, founded Lustrum Press in 1970 to publish photography books as an art form. The press's debut series, known as "The Black Trilogy," includes The Somnambulist (1970), Deja-Vu (1973), and Days at Sea (1974), and is considered a milestone in twentieth-century photobooks. These works, celebrated for their innovative visual syntax and thematic depth, influenced renowned photographers like Larry Clark and Mary Ellen Mark. The trilogy has been reissued in a single volume with a new essay by Gilles Mora, reviving its status as a classic.
