Unemployed in New York City after his late 1980s college
graduation, Jason Rosette started selling books on the street.
He soon became a full-time street bookseller, collecting from
rummage sales, library clearances, and even dumpsters. His
career brought him into contact with other remarkable
characters who sold books on the street: Marvin, a self-styled
man of God with a jaunty black hat and fondness for betting
on horses; Polish Joe, a tobacco enthusiast with a
five-pack-a-day habit and a sixth sense for knowing when
bad weather will thin out his competition; Slick Rick
Sherman, who does magic tricks to pass the time and has
mastered the art of book-selling psychology; and Peter
Whitney, who creates sculptures and collages that document
his fascination with toads. Rosette began documenting the
culture of street booksellers on videotape and Super-8 film in
1995, just as New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani began
to crack down on street vendors and New York University
began to lose patience with the book dealers operating near
their campus. BookWars, Rosette's first film, was named
Best Documentary at the 2000 New York Underground Film
Festival.
-- Mark Deming All Movie Guide
