A Postcard from Kasos, 1965

A ravishing photographic portrait of a hidden gem of the Aegean

Kasos is the southernmost island of the Dodecanese, lying between Karpathos and Crete. Roughly eleven miles long and four miles wide, Kasos was famed from antiquity as a center of shipbuilding, and played a role in the Greek War of Independence. But with the advent of steam, the island’s shipyard closed, and its population dwindled. Today some one thousand people remain on the island, living in five small villages full of historic homes and churches.

In 1965, Robert McCabe traversed the stormy seas to Kasos, and was instantly captivated by its rocky, mountainous landscape and sparkling beaches. Through his lens, we encounter the island’s daily life and striking terrain; from its ports, where crowds await the mail’s arrival; to the villages, where carefree children play in the streets, dancers step to the music of lyres and violins, and friends gather for coffee; to the mountaintop views of fields, shores, and islands nestled in the sea. In a stark contrast to the transformation undergone by other Greek islands, many of the scenes depicted in McCabe’s photographs remain almost unchanged today.

The text, by Nikos G. Mastropavlos, a distinguished journalist who grew up on Kasos, brings the photographs to life and sheds light on the island’s history. Mastropavlos and another essayist of Kasiote ancestry, Marilen Frangoulis Kedros, offer thoughtful reflections on the meaning of the island to its inhabitants and their descendants.

Featuring stunning full-page tritone reproductions of McCabe’s photographs, A Postcard from Kasos, 1965 will appeal to all travelers off the beaten track.

About the Author

Robert A. McCabe was born in Chicago in 1934. He started taking photographs in 1939 with a Kodak Brownie given to him by his father, who published a tabloid newspaper in New York. His work is featured in a permanent exhibition at the Greek consulate in Boston, MA. McCabe's 15 published photo books include the Abbeville titles Mykonos, Mycenae: From Myth to History, The Ramble in Central Park: A Wilderness West of Fifth, and Three Days in Havana.