Chris Verene’s self-titled photobook was published by Twin Palms Publishers in October 2000. The volume gathers sixty-five four-color plates across 112 pages in a format of twelve by thirteen inches. Chris Verene is credited as the photographer, and the publisher describes the project as one that attends closely to people negotiating the difficulties of small-town American life.

The publisher names the kinds of subjects the photographs return to: young people, living rooms, older relatives and children. The exact-ISBN catalog record lists the Verene family, Galesburg, Illinois, and photography of families among the book’s subjects, pointing to an intimate, place-specific body of work. The publisher states that Verene uses minute details to enlarge the viewer’s understanding of people who might otherwise be written off as insignificant, pointing to Grandpa Bill’s well-used pillow and the affection directed toward household pets.

Verene’s attention to domestic detail makes the household an important part of the photographic encounter. The book’s subjects, as recorded, center on one family and its community. The 12 x 13 inch format and the 112-page extent are the physical facts given by the publisher.

What remains is the work itself: a photographic record of one family, its household objects, and its community, as described by the publisher. The book’s claim on a viewer’s attention rests on the photographs and on the relationships visible through familiar settings and possessions. A reader can follow these details without reducing the people to a single description of their social circumstances.