Talking Pictures

Have you ever found an old photograph and wondered about the story behind it? Uncover the hidden lives and forgotten secrets lurking within vintage snapshots. This collection reveals the poignant, hilarious, and often bizarre messages people left on the back of their most treasured photos. You'll learn to see these everyday artifacts as miniature time capsules, each with a unique narrative waiting to be decoded. Discover how a simple inscription can transform an anonymous face into a relatable human story, offering a fascinating glimpse into the private moments of the past.

Ransom Riggs is the 1 New York Times bestselling author of the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series, celebrated for his unique blending of vintage photography and fiction. A lifelong collector of strange and evocative found photographs, Riggs has spent years scouring flea markets and antique shops for these forgotten snapshots. This passion for rescuing orphaned images and imagining the stories they might tell is the direct inspiration for Talking Pictures, where he shares his most compelling visual discoveries.