Brian Cassidy, Bookseller Archives - Rare Book Insider

Brian Cassidy, Bookseller

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SOURCE: Music of the Avant Garde

SOURCE: Music of the Avant Garde

Austin, Larry Complete eleven-issue run of this arguably the greatest publication to emerge from the mid-century experimental music scene. Elaborately-produced and edited by Larry Austin (UC-Davis instructor and director of its New Music Ensemble), SOURCE aimed not only to document the experimental music scene that centered primarily on the West Coast (Mills College, etc.), but to expand the very idea of the musical score: "Our idea of a 'score' is broad. To us it is transcribed information about the composer's music-making process and contains a way of imparting this information to those who might recreate the composition" (Austin, issue 1). Much like frequent contributor John Cage's 1969 book NOTATIONS, SOURCE argued in part that the score should be viewed as much as a visual art as a musical one. This was reflected in the magazine's production: a Dick Higgins score riddled with actual bullet holes, John Cage's "Not Wanting to Say Anything About Marcel" printed in color on glassine, and perhaps most infamously Nelson Howe's "Fur Music," which utilized actual tipped-in fur swatches and included the instruction "to focus attention on the exploration of the tactile qualities of fur, but with the added requirement that the tactile sensation be *heard*." Contributors across the run include: John Cage, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Harry Partch, David Tudor, Morton Feldman, Robert Ashley, Pauline Oliveros, Dick Higgins, Nam June Paik, Steve Reich, Harold Budd, Lejaren Hiller, Max Neuhaus, Larry Austinm, among many others. 11 numbers in 10 volumes, 10.77'' x 14''. Original spiral-bound pictorial wrappers all. Issues 7/8 printed tete beche. Various paginations. Printed offset throughout on various paper stocks, with numerous custom elements: die-cut and folded sheets, glassine inserts, and a variety of tipped-in items. Contents complete with all inserts, records, and like. Minor soil and rubbing here and there. Small dampstain to front cover of issue one. Occasional chipping to plastic binding. Overall, remarkably well kept. Very good plus to near fine overall.
  • $7,000
  • $7,000
THE WORLD OF CHARLOTTE MOORMAN: Archive Catalogue

THE WORLD OF CHARLOTTE MOORMAN: Archive Catalogue

Moorman, Charlotte; Moore, Barbara; McWilliams, Jim Archive of original programs, photographs, posters, and documents from the career of the avant-garde cellist and performance artist, one of just 100 copies assembled and compiled by Moore in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Bound & Unbound gallery in 2000. The founder of the Annual New York Avant Garde Festival of New York, the Juilliard-trained Moorman was a frequent collaborator with Nam June Paik, John Cage, Joseph Beuys, Carolee Shneeman, and Yoko Ono, her onetime roommate and great admirer. Moorman's own musical performances - variously topless (in Paik's Opera Sextronique, for which she was arrested), suspended from helium balloons (in Jim McWilliams's Sky Kiss), underwater, in an electric bikini, and fully nude playing an ice cello - showed spectacular physical fortitude and endurance as well as creativity, musicality, and an absolute commitment to the experimental. Among the highlights of this remarkable catalogue are: an original flyer for a 1967 performance of Opera Sextronique ("Why is sex a predominant theme in art and literature prohibited ONLY in music?"); a program for the New York premiere of La Monte Young's Trio for Strings, featuring Moorman on cello; and original posters and programs for the 15 Avant Garde Festivals she created, bringing together Sun Ra, Ligeti, and Stockhausen; Stan Brakhage and Allan Kaprow; John Giorno, Ray Johnson, and John Lennon. This collection was originally edited, compiled, and produced by Barbara Moore, who assembled the sets from duplicates from Moorman's archive. Arranged chronologically, the contents largely follow each of the annual Avant Garde Festivals Moorman organized and at which she performed. An archive and tribute of both depth and richness. OCLC locates some 15 scattered US holdings. It is rare in the market. 10.5'' x 15.5'' x 5'' (box). 22 manila envelopes in original hinged cardboard box with decorative printed labels designed by McWilliams. Edition of 100 unnumbered copies plus 5 publisher's proofs hors commerce; this copy not numbered. Contents include a total of 169 items, ordered chronologically, with individual envelope contents fully catalogued in Envelope I: Table of Contents. Minimal edgewear to box.
  • $12,500
  • $12,500
FUCK YOU: A Magazine of the Arts [Thirteen Issues

FUCK YOU: A Magazine of the Arts [Thirteen Issues, Complete Run]

Sanders, Ed Rare complete 13-issue run of Sanders' infamous little magazine of the mimeo revolution - in extraordinary condition. A difficult run to assemble under even the best of circumstances - the first issue was handed out for free on the streets of the Lower East Side, both the "Mad Motherfucker" and final issues were subject to confiscation during the Peace Eye raid that ultimately killed FU, and issue 5.1 remains almost inexplicably elusive - this set was put together by the original purchaser and literally pulled from a cabinet in the Village where they'd been stored undisturbed for decades. As such, the condition of nearly every issue is practically as the day they were printed. In particular, the "Mad Motherfucker" issue, with its fragile thermofax cover by Andy Warhol, is stunningly well-preserved. Not only does the cover remain mounted to all staples, but it lacks any of the typical chipping or creasing. It is sharp and bright, with none of the usual muddling caused by exposure to light. I have never seen its equal, nor do I expect to again. Arguably *the* quintessential publication of the Mimeo Revolution - radical, obscene, and as its name implies perfectly melding high- and low-brow - FU published many of the defining writers and poets of the era: Ginsberg, Burroughs, Berrigan, Taylor Mead, Corso, Duncan, Whalen, Wieners, Frank O'Hara, etc. The first complete run we've encountered since we last sold a set in 2016 (the Warhol issue in that run lacking the cover entirely), and the next was ten years before that. Almost certainly the best set of this legendary publication extant. 13 volumes; 11'' x 8.5'' all. Original side-stapled wrappers all. Mimeographed throughout on a variety colored paper stocks. Issue 12 with original thermofax cover designed by Andy Warhol. Various paginations. Mild wear and soil here and there. Else remarkably bright, sharp, and sound. All issues near fine or better.
  • $40,000
  • $40,000