Upon first viewing of the classic, black-and-white, observe-and-capture images in Grace’s book, one familiar element is the public displays of larger-than-life portraits dotting the bland concreteness of the cities Grace traveled through. Stern visages of elected officials and members of the various politburos who maintained the status quo of communism overlaid on society created a sense of menace, as if Big Brother was watching everyone’s every move.

Imagine if someone put a gun to Arthur Grace’s head and asked him if he had photographed Evel Knievel jumping over trucks in Worcester, Mass.

He would be a dead man.