The title of Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti In Los Angeles speaks for itself. The book, researched by Francois Chastanet, lays claim to Cholo graffiti as the oldest form of tagging in the 20th-century. Chastanet (himself a typographer) was influenced by photographer Howard Gribbles documentation of the material in the 1970s. Thirty years later, the Frenchman scoured the same neighborhoods to photograph the inscriptions evident today. Thrilling stuff, and a must for anyone interested in the history of street writing in America. [Bombing Science]
