AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY: RICHARD AVEDON

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY: RICHARD AVEDON Richard Avedon (Random House, $100) Whether they're models or mentally ill, Avedon's subjects are bizarre. Women look like drag queens, deadbeat poets are indistinguishable from deadbeat drift-ers, and everyone-even fashion fatale Stephanie Seymour-looks just a little crazy. The insanity does nothing to distract from the riveting images, which run the gamut from corpses in Palermo's catacombs to the photographer's equally stunning first and second wives. Short of the artistic interest inherent in these works, they're a fascinating look at the latter half of the 20th century, from Louis Armstrong to former presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy. There are several self- portraits of Avedon, but every plate in this book attests to his unmistakable presence. A+ -Rebecca Ascher-Walsh