Black Panthers 1968

Back in 1968, Life magazine wanted to do a big feature about the Black Panthers, but their leader, Eldridge Cleaver, would only give the editors permission if photographer Howard Bingham shot the photos. He went in with a Jamaican writer named Gilbert Moore and spent two months with full access to the militant group. But the story got killed when Moore refused to sign off on the final draft that Life wanted to publish. The bulk of the photos remained shelved for 40 years, until now. Last week AMMO Books published Howard Bingham's Black Panthers 1968, the long-awaited collection of this amazing series.

For anyone interested in 1960s counterculture, this is one of the most important book releases of the year, and according to the website: "Featured here are never before published intimate portraits of key Panther members such as Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, and Kathleen Cleaver, as well as classic reportage of the more public and tumultuous events associated with the Panthers."

Howard Bingham cut his teeth as a newspaper photographer shooting Muhammad Ali. He was the guy who captured the famous frame of the boxer knocking out the Beatles in 1963, when he was still known as Cassius Clay. It's written that Bingham shot over a million frames of America's greatest fighter. When the conversation circles around to iconic images of the 60s, Bingham's name hovers around the top of the list. The Kennedys, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X — you name it, the prolific photographer had it in his viewfinder (see the excellent interview in Good magazine). Black Panthers 1968 is the latest offering from AMMO (American Modern) books, whose motto is "Changing the world, one book at a time." The independent publisher opened shop in 2007, defying the commercial industry with an entirely fresh approach, treating each title as a unique creation and artist collaboration. This is certainly no exception.