Broken Manual

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. —Steidl