A Book of Days

**THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** A deeply moving and brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book of days by the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train. More than 365 images chart Smith's singular aesthetic - inspired by her wildly popular Instagram In 2018; without any plan or agenda for what might happen next; Patti Smith posted her first Instagram photo: her hand with the simple message Hello Everybody! Known for shooting with her beloved Land Camera 250; Smith started posting images from her phone including portraits of her kids; her radiator; her boots; and her Abyssinian cat; Cairo. Followers felt an immediate affinity with these miniature windows into Smith's world; photographs of her daily coffee; the books she's reading; the graves of beloved heroes - William Blake; Dylan Thomas; Sylvia Plath; Simone Weil; Albert Camus. Over time; a coherent story of a life devoted to art took shape; and more than a million followers responded to Smith's unique aesthetic in images that chart her passions; devotions; obsessions; and whims. Original to this book are vintage photographs: anniversary pearls; a mother's keychain; and a husband's Mosrite guitar. Here; too; are never-before-seen photos of life on and off the road; train stations; obscure cafes; a notebook always nearby. In wide-ranging yet intimate daily notations; Smith shares dispatches from her travels around the world. With 365 photographs; taking you through a single year; A Book of Days is a new way to experience the expansive mind of the visionary poet; writer; and performer. Hopeful; elegiac; playful - and complete with an introduction by Smith that explores her documentary process - A Book of Days is a timeless offering for deeply uncertain times; an inspirational map of an artist's life.