Created over four years (2006-2010), Alec Soth’s newest book represents a significant departure from his three
previous Steidl publications. Entitled Broken Manual, Soth investigates the places in which people retreat to escape
civilization. Soth photographs monks, survivalists, hermits and runaways, but this isn’t a conventional documentary
book on life „off the grid.“ Instead, working with the writer Lester B. Morrison, the authors have created an
underground instruction manual for those looking to escape their lives.
Alec Soth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1969, where he still lives, works and teaches at the Minneapolis
College of Art and Design. He has received fellowships from the McKnight and Jerome Foundations and was the
recipient of the 2003 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. His photographs are in major public and private collections,
including the Los Angeles County Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Walker Art Center.
Broken Manual
von Alec Soth
