Don1, The King from Queens: The Life and Photos of a NYC Transit Graffiti Master

Nicely done book focusing on the graffiti art of DON-1 from Queens. Queens subway writers get their props! Interesting photos and one of the best books on subway art that has been newly released.

This is a long overdue work, in fact KR-1 had been working on this for years. The result is an incredibly detailed story of one of graffitis most unsung masters; DON-1. This style master was a major influence and inspiration to many great writers. Queens writers, and BMT's in general are so overshadowed by the Bronx, and Manhattan,,,finally DON-1 gets his just props here. KR-1 tells DON's story in raw detail, and brings to life those golden days of writing on the BMT's in the mid 70's. A time when many greats were regularly hitting the RR, N, J, LL, and M lines..great writers like DEAN(KO), GEAR-1, JESTER-1(DY-167), DIME-139, KB, and others. DON-1 in just a brief couple of years executed some of the most highly developed early burners, influencing many during this period. BY the time we(RTW) began hitting the BMT's(primarily the RR), this was 1977, DON-1 had already gone into an early retirement. I was in awe of his works on the RR, and LL trains. This book is written very well, and holds you all the way through...telling the true history as it was. DON-1, President of M.A.F.I.A. made his mark, and was truly one of the early stylists..doing stuff in the mid 70's that was so far ahead of its time. Myself, ZEPHYR, MIN-1, REVOLT, and all of RTW were inspired by the DON!. This book is 101% RTW approved!!!,,,,BILROCK-161(SAGE), President/Founder of RTW.

This book has a lot of rare BMT train shots, even a few ridgies. shots are crisp, book is good quality & not skimpy. Good essays as well.

in this beautifully crafted book, the author, Louie Gasparro, not only tells the story of his humble idol, Don 1, (King from Queens,) he also tranports us back in time, to a period when New York City subways were boasting with tag names and colorful graffiti art. I remember riding the trains proudly during that era, a time that is long gone, but left an indellible mark. Reading this book, I yearned for the grittier days in the city, and realized how much I miss the days when NYC artists expressed themselves through their very own style of graffiti. The author delivers the story in such a way, that you begin to feel that you personally knew Don 1 in his younger years as artist, when he so unexpectedly became a huge part of the graffiti world. Louie Gasparro's reverance for Don 1 truly moved me. Don 1 inspired him to pursue his own dreams of becoming an artist, and he has greatly succeeded. I was eager to turn each page to see the astounding graffiti pieces created by Don 1 and all the other artists. This book is so beautifully crafted, and all lovers of art will undoubtedly relish in it. I am grateful that Louie Gasparro allowed us all a glimpse into his world that is a pure, and loving celebration of graffiti art.

Great Job, the blackbook section took me back to an era i had almost forgotten. thanks for bringing it back. Don 1 an Underated Master finally gets his dues!

The quality of the burners in this book is amazing and the photos are crisp 35mm shots. It comes highly recommended!

This is a good book and a must have to add to the collection of Graffiti Books. Highly recommend this book.

very in-depth book of his trajectory, sad he left us so soon.

Hay buenas fotografías y también buenos textos, que te acercan a la ida de este escritor y, sobre todo, el contexto historico en el que desarrollo su arte. Si lo encuentras a buen precio merece la pena

Great book , photos and story.One of the best writer of this time.One of NY Tags king . True Story!

First time I've written a review of anything on amazon- it's that good! Over the past decade books have started to appear (or been re-issued) that throw a spotlight on the work of the founding fathers of writing from the decade before 'Subway Art/Style Wars' when styles were funkier than the later straight-jacket of wild styles and B Boy characters. This great book is another crucial piece of that puzzle. Author Louie 'KR.One' Gasparro has done anyone interested in 70s graffiti a huge turn here in bringing the contribution of Don 1 M.A.F.I.A to wider attention. Don's artistic talents were spotted early and he was encouraged to successfully apply to attend the New York school of Art & Design, a hotbed of pioneering writing talent (the book contains some photos of the 'boys room' at A&D!). There he developed his writing skills and networked with top writers of the day and importantly for this book, learnt photography. The book contains some killer shots of the artist and his writing partners at work as well as his own photos documenting his incredible blazing tags, pieces and some killer black book work alongside examples of great pieces from the likes of Lee TF5 (busting letter styles in panel pieces rather than his more familiar mural work), Butch TFP and more. Interviews with leading style writers of the day (Lee, Chain 3, Team, Inca, etc) demonstrate the influence Don had on his contemporaries and on the next generation of writers like Dondi. The book emphasizes how rare this was for a white writer representing Astoria, Queens writing on the BMTs - many writers assuming he was from the Bronx and the more prestigious IRT lines. NYC in the mid 70s leaps off the page. All respect due to the Godfather, Don 1 M.A.F.I.A and K.R One for this fantastic book. Now if anyone can find that BBC/PBS 1975 documentary on graff with the footage of Don painting a handball court....

Contentísima! Mi hermano lo llevaba tiempo buscando y le ha encantado. En perfecto estado.

Another classic NYC writer tale. If you love getting in the time machine and reading about the old times then this book is for you. I won't spoil the ending, but it's a crazy story for sure.