Daiter, Stephen (Editor/Publisher) & Newman, Marvin E. (Photographer)
1st Printing. Signed. 50 pages. Published in 2019. Exhibition Catalog. One of the most beautiful catalogs ever published on the photographic art and achievement of Marvin E. Newman. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Exhibition Catalog is now scarce. A brilliant production by Stephen Daiter Gallery: Regular-sized volume format. Pictorial softcovers with wraparound photographic reproduction and black titles on the cover, as issued. Photographs by Marvin E. Newman. Introduction by Stephen Daiter. Printed on pristine-white, glossy stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name held at the Stephen Daiter Gallery Chicago from May through July, 2019. Presents Marvin E. Newman's "On The Avenues". Some of the finest and most representative images by the one photographer who mastered the aesthetics and practice of two radically different schools of art photography: The Photo League (its documentary, moral humanism) and the Institute of Design (its Bauhaus-principled, experimental formalism). Newman, who received the very first Master's Degree from ID, "embodies the best characteristics of these institutions: A compassion for his human subjects and an exceptional sense of space and design in his experimental photographs" (Stephen Daiter). "Celebrates Newman's career with over forty vintage black-and-white and color pieces. Features experimental images of inverted sidewalk shadows and manhole covers as well as documentary work from his time in Chicago and upon his return to New York. On view are two more poetic Series from his travels in 1960, of Paris prostitutes and of a small Alaskan village" (Publisher's blurb). 2019 was a Milestone Year for the photographer: It marked the 20th year of his inaugural exhibition at Stephen Daiter Gallery, the 70th year since he arrived at the Institute of Design, and the 100th-Year Anniversary of the founding of Bauhaus in Germany (the latter leading to major retrospectives, newly published books in Europe and the United States, and full-fledged profiles in the New York Times and New Yorker Magazine). Marvin E. Newman also turned 92 years old on December 5, 2019. An absolute "must-have" title for Marvin E. Newman collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed and inscribed in black ink-pen on the title page by the photographer: "For Paul! My old friend, Marvin E. Newman". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. The recipient, who is named, is Paul Berlanga, the Chicago-based artist and photography expert. This title is a contemporary art photography classic. This is the only such signed and inscribed copy of the Exhibition Catalog available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: This is a 46-plate Catalog, NOT a full-fledged monograph. But its exemplary production values and Newman's elusive signature make it eminently collectible for completists. A rare signed copy thus. 46 black-and-white and color plates. One of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER MARVIN E. NEWMAN TITLES IN OUR CATALOG)
Tsypkin, Leonid (Translated by Roger And Angela Keys)
1st Printing. 146 pages. Published in 2001. The first book by the author to be translated into English. One of the greatest re-discovered novels of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Leonid Tsypkin's "Leto V Badene" in a felicitous English translation as "Summer In Baden-Baden". Introduction by the great novelist and essayist Susan Sontag. "A complex, highly original novel, 'Summer In Baden-Baden' has a double narrative. It is wintertime, late December: A narrator - Tsypkin - is on a train going to Leningrad. And it is also mid-April 1867. The newly married Dostoyevskys, Fyodor and his wife, Anna Grigoryevna, are on their way to Germany for a four-year trip. This is not, like J. M. Coetzee's 'The Master of St. Petersburg', a Dostoyevsky fantasy. Neither is it a docu-novel although its author was obsessed with getting everything right. Nothing is invented, everything is invented. Dostoyevsky's reckless passions for gambling, for his literary vocation, for his wife are matched by her all-forgiving love, which in turn resonates with the love of literature's disciple for Dostoyevsky. In a remarkable Introductory Essay, Susan Sontag explains why it is something of a miracle that 'Summer In Baden-Baden' has survived, and celebrates the happy event of its publication in America with an account of Tsypkin's beleaguered life and the important pleasures of his marvelous novel" (Publisher's blurb). An absolute "must-have" title for Leonid Tsypkin collectors. This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A fine copy. ISBN 0811214842.
Banti, Anna (Translated by Shirley D'Ardia Caracciolo) & Lopresti, Lucia (Author's Real Name)
1st Printing. 220 pages. Published in 1988. The author's first novel. One of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in English, in hardcover, and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the Softcover Edition. It should also not be confused with the Rizzoli Art Book Edition, whose DJ is the one erroneously shown on all websites, including ABEBooks and Amazon. Published in a small and limited first print run by a small university press, the University of Nebraska Press, as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Anna Banti's "Artemisia" in a felicitous English translation. The great novel of the 20th century on perhaps, the very first feminist figure, Artemisia Gentileschi. It is, notably, the only novel by the renowned Italian art historian and scholar otherwise known to her scholarly colleagues as Lucia Lopresti. Making matters even more fascinating, her adopted pseudonym is the real name of another person whom she actually knew, as if she identified with this other woman and then turned her into a great writer, a literary transference AND transcendence that mirror and illuminate her subject and novel. It isn't known if the real Anna Banti ever found herself a published writer because the original completed manuscript vanished during the war. Lucia Lopresti had to re-write it from scratch much later, after the war. "This sensitive work of psychological portraiture is an intricate, self-reflective work of art. 'Anna Banti' fuses Artemisia's life with her own in Nazi-Occupied Italy, in a richly complex, historical narrative. Artemisia's struggle to fulfill herself, ensnared as she was in patriarchy, with its punitive double standards, is a powerful lesson in courage and the sustaining powers of a vocation. Banti's richly poetic, wonderfully idiosyncratic prose amply rewards the attentive reader" (Publishers Weekly). The basis of at least three film adaptations that are very different from one another. An absolute "must-have" title for Anna Banti collectors. This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have very serious flaws (because the DJ is pristine-white, therefore prone to easy soiling). This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A fine copy. ISBN 0803212038.
Cage, John (Composer); Chaikovsky, Alexander; Grantham, Donald & Brant, Henry
1st Printing. Signed. 20 pages. Published in 1990. Rare John Cage and Voices of Change Ensemble collectible piece. A fine copy of the 1990 Fifteenth Anniversary Souvenir Program of the Voices of Change Ensemble, signed by John Cage. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only on the occasion of the two-evening performances. There is no ISBN. The Souvenir Program is now rare. Presents "The Voices of Change Ensemble: The Fifteenth Anniversary Season Souvenir Program". For a pioneering and ground-breaking group exclusively dedicated to new music, in deeply conservative Dallas, Texas of all places: A truly admirable and moving milestone. Using otherwise conventional instruments (that are sometimes altered), they performed pieces by John Cage, Alexander Chaikovsky, Donald Grantham, and Henry Brant, among other 20th-century composers, over two unforgettable evenings. Cage was, unquestionably, the most influential and celebrated of the present group of composers (who were still living at the time) heard and heralded. Aaron Copland and Igor Stravinsky were also performed in a separate concert. The Cage work, "Seven", is named after the piece's seven instruments (flute, clarinet, percussion, violin, viola, cello, and piano). An absolute "must-have" title for John Cage and Voices of Change Ensemble collectors. This copy of the Souvenir Program is very boldly and beautifully signed in purple pen-marker on his Profile by John Cage. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. John Cage made a rare appearance for the performance of the piece that he composed for the ensemble. This title is a late-modern classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed copy available online and is in fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare, one-of-a-kind signed copy thus. One of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. A fine copy.
Roth, Philip
1st Printing. 400 pages. Published in 1993. The author's fifteenth novel. One of the greatest novels of the 20th century. The Special Advance Reader's Copy. Made from the Uncorrected Proof sheets. Precedes and should not be confused with the regular trade edition. Published in a small and limited one-time-only print run for the exclusive use of the author and publisher. This is truly an elegant and lovely edition: Despite being an Advance Reader's Copy, the production values are outstanding: Regular-sized volume format. Pictorial hard boards with titles pasted in front, facsimile of Philip Roth's signature embossed in gilt, and blue cloth overboards, as issued. Printed on pristine-white, archival stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents, in its Special Advance Reader's Copy, Philip Roth's "Operation Shylock: A Confession". His audacious, most fully realized novel since "The Breast" (1972). Featuring an anti-hero protagonist whom Roth has vulnerably - rather than egotistically - named after himself. This literary device has been much-discussed and written about as though it were the first of its kind. In fact, Roth had many antecedents, notably Christopher Isherwood's great novels and Gore Vidal's "Two Sisters", to name only two writers among his American predecessors, and of course, Kafka himself. It is the twist of a "high-and-low" character - that "Philip Roth" is a Mossad agent and renowned writer at the same time - that is indeed quite provocative. "The drama of Jewish survival takes on a new twist in this novel, as Roth-ian ideas persist: All human beings make fiction; Man betrays and fulfills his Father's dream; an artist's doubt is his integrity; Jews test freedom (in the West, from exclusion and prejudice; in Israel, from temptations of power); embattled Israel dramatizes the nationalisms that drive history, with the Holocaust their persistent threat. Here, through an autobiographical escapade during the 'Ivan The Terrible' trial, a writer confronts his double" (Library Journal). "The first international contemporary Jewish novel. A brilliant novel of ideas, Roth has gone further into his own genius than he has ever before" (Ted Solotaroff). An absolute "must-have" title for Philip Roth collectors. This is a Special Advance Reader's Copy. This title is a great book. This is one of few copies still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the regular trade edition. Copies available online have serious flaws. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. Six of Philip Roth's novels were selected as among the Top 20 works of American fiction of the last 25 years: "American Pastoral", "The Counterlife", "Operation Shylock", "Sabbath's Theater", "The Human Stain", and "The Plot Against America". One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER PHILIP ROTH TITLES IN OUR CATALOG)
Carroll, Lewis (Author); Tenniel, John (Artist/Illustrator) & Paglia, Camille (Contributor)
1st Printing. 345 pages. Published in 1994. Modern Edition of the classic children's books. Two of the greatest books ever written. The 1994 First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other Barnes & Noble Editions, of which there are, by now, very many. Published in a small and limited print run by Barnes & Noble in conjunction with the Book of The Month Club as a hardcover original only. There is no ISBN. The 1994 First Edition Thus is now rare. Re-presents, in modern, accessible formats, Lewis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking-Glass". Children's books that everyone, without exception, regards as literary masterpieces, spawning what was then new and is now a full-fledged, post-modern genre: Fantasy for children that grownups still find irresistible, are unable to outgrow, re-discover, and treasure well into their adulthood and old age. Although the edition retains the great illustrations by John Tenniel, this edition is unmistakably designed for adults. For example, it features a long Introductory Essay by Camille Paglia, which appears in this edition only, and is meant for adults, not children readers - although precocious kids will have no problem reading it, too. "Romantic imagination and Enlightenment intellect join: Alice is our proxy in stubbornly making sense out of the flux of time" (Camille Paglia). An absolute "must-have" title for Lewis Carroll and Camille Paglia collectors. These titles are great books. As far as we know, this is the only copy of the 1994 Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the innumerable Barnes & Noble Editions that followed. A rare copy thus. One of the greatest artist/photographer/writers of all time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER LEWIS CARROLL TITLE IN OUR CATALOG)
Sander, August (Photographer/Subject) & The Editors of Griesebach Publications
1st Printing. 50 pages. Published in 2019. Auction House Catalog of the photographer's representative body of work. One of the most beautiful publications on the photographic art and achievement of August Sander. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only. None of the copies was sold. Given only to prospective bidders/buyers of the vintage prints. There is no ISBN. The Catalog is now rare. It is very beautifully produced: In regular-sized, white softcovers with bold black titles on the cover, as issued. Every vintage photographic print is reproduced within. There is minimal text. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Berlin, Germany to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is outstanding in every respect, superior to most published books on August Sander. Its clarity, luminousness, and warmth must be seen to be believed. Without DJ, as issued. Presents "August Sander: 70 Portraits". Representative, now-iconic photographs. One of the medium's most disciplined, rigorous, and dedicated practitioners, August Sander much preferred, however, to describe himself as a social scientist. His magnum opus, "Menschen des 20 Jahrhunderts" ("People of The 20th Century"), remains one of the greatest and most influential bodies of work in the history of photography. Subsequent artists such as Avedon, on the one hand, Rineke Dijkstra and Charles Freger, on the other, among so many others, would not exist without August Sander's pioneering example. He anticipated Minimalism long before it was named as such, even as it remains the most influential aesthetics of contemporary photography, art, design, and architecture. An absolute "must-have" title for August Sander collectors. This title is now highly collectible. As far as we know, this is the only copy available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: None of the copies was commercially sold. The production values are outstanding in every respect. A rare copy thus. 70 plates. One of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. A fine copy.
Sacco, Graciela (Artist/Subject); Giunta, Andrea (Author/Curator) & Other Contributors
1st Printing. 125 pages. Published in 2000. Bilingual Retrospective Monograph. One of the most important books on the art and achievement of Graciela Sacco. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The First Edition is now rare. A brilliant production by Andrea Giunta: Oversize-volume format. Pictorial softcovers with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Art by Graciela Sacco. Text in the Spanish original and felicitous English translations by Andrea Giunta and other contributors. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Buenos Aires, Argentina to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Published on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition of the same name held at the Diana Lowenstein Gallery Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2000. Presents "Graciela Sacco: Imagenes en turbulencia, migraciones, cuerpos, memoria". Enjoys the close cooperation of the artist herself, who has otherwise been extensively curated since her untimely demise. At the outset, the influence of Christian Boltanski must be noted, inflected by Sacco's urgent socio-political concerns. "The development of Graciela Sacco's art can be seen as a continuity of the approaches engaged by the avant-garde in the city of Rosario in the 1960's. Her singularity, however, is the search for new techniques that would allow her to deepen a personal artistic language. Sacco was the first artist to use heliography for printing images on different surfaces such as spoons, suitcases, and shoes, re-signifying objects of daily life. Her works propose a double reading code, at the same time efficient and disturbing. On the one hand, they unfold an irresistible artistic seduction and on the other, they place us in an unprotected in-clemency. Nevertheless, she never accepted to be labelled as being part of so-called political art, and didn't like those who claimed to see in her work some kind of revolutionary manifesto" (Andres Duprat). Politics unavoidably localizes. Like Boltanski, Graciela Sacco aimed for a universalizing art: That the terrible suffering she constantly evokes has universal significance and relevance. An absolute "must-have" title for Graciela Sacco collectors. This title is a contemporary art classic. This is one of very few copies of the First Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with plates. One of the most brilliant Latin-American artists of our time. A fine copy.
Burke, Bill
1st Printing. Signed. 118 pages. Published in 1995. Retrospective collection of photographs, with integral materials. One of Bill Burke's finest achievements. Special Limited Edition of 75 indicated and signed copies. Precedes and should not be confused with the regular trade edition. Published as a slipcased hardcover edition only. The Limited Edition is now rare. A magnificent production by Bill Burke: Oversize-volume format. Glossy pictorial hard boards with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Photographs and text by Bill Burke. Original 8 X 10 inch double-weight, silver-gelatin print encased in its own protective plastic sleeve and laid-in. Booklet of Excerpts from Burke's journals and black-and-white reproductions of Polaroid prints, also laid-in. Brilliantly designed black linen cloth pictorial slipcase. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Canada to the highest standards. The production values are outstanding in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents, in its Special Limited Edition format, Bill Burke's "Mine Fields". Physical, personal, cultural, mental, and psychological dangers that the photographer confronted in order to do justice to his subject - and come to terms with himself. His sequel to "I Want To Take Picture", this is Bill Burke's "scrapbook of his life, and his pursuit of the history and daily life of Cambodia. Part adventure story, part personal confession, part travelogue, and always fascinating, Burke's negotiation of the mine fields of divorce and war is a compelling collage of photographs, found objects, stories, and the contrast between glorious ancient temples and the horrors of war and genocide. Neither overtly political nor proscriptive, Burke's work instead recognizes the personal is indeed political. Obliterates the notion that the 'documentary' photograph is a vehicle for 'truth', and compellingly shows that it is always a form of personal or political propaganda" (Publisher's blurb). Exceptional among photographers who have an explicitly ideological slant, Bill Burke's stance is more complex and nuanced: "I have no problem with ambiguity" (Bill Burke). The result is this dazzling, maddening, and overwhelming near-masterpiece of a photobook. An absolute "must-have" title for Bill Burke collectors. This is a copy of the Special Limited Edition of 75 copies, indicated as such. It is very prominently and beautifully signed in black ink-pen underneath his self-portrait by Bill Burke. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. Laid-in is an 8 X 10 inch silver-gelatin print, also very prominently and beautifully dated and signed in pencil on verso by the photographer: "Bill Burke 1990". This title is an art photography classic. This is one of very few copies of the Special Limited Edition still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the regular trade edition. A rare signed copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with duotone and color plates, 2 gatefolds, 1 original print. Bill Burke's "I Want To Take Picture" was selected as one of the greatest photography books in "The Photobook". One of the greatest photographers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER BILL BURKE AND "THE KILLING FIELDS" TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 0932526500.
Cuaron, Alfonso
1st Printing. 180 pages. Published in 2018. Rare Alfonso Cuaron and "Roma" collectible set. A pristine copy of the Assouline Coffee Table Book with copies of the "For Your Consideration" Hollywood Promotional Souvenir Material and the Criterion Blu-Ray Edition. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a slipcased hardcover edition only, which sold out - despite its hefty price - shortly after publication. A French publisher, none of the copies was widely distributed in the United States. The First Edition is now rare. A magnificent production by Assouline: Oversize-volume format. A thick and tall book that weighs 8 pounds. Deep-blue cloth boards with titles embossed on the cover and spine, as issued. Photographs, film stills, and supplementary materials by Alfonso Cuaron. Text by Alfonso Cuaron and other contributors. Matching bright-orange hard board pictorial slipcase. In publisher's original shrinkwrap. Without DJ, as issued. Presents "Roma: The Assouline Coffee Table Book". The ultimate celebration and memorialization of Alfonso Cuaron's award-winning, sublime masterpiece. Question: Why publish such a lavish, extravagant volume on a mainstream Hollywood film, however great? Answer: "Beyond beautiful books, Assouline is invested in the promotion of culture. It has created the first luxury brand on culture by opening boutiques where one can discover a world of good taste, excitement, and intellect: A place where culture can be acquired within a luxurious environment" (Assouline). Comes with a copy of the "For Your Consideration" Promotional Souvenir Material, whose images are culled from the book, and the Criterion Blu-Ray Edition. An absolute "must-have" set for Alfonso Cuaron, "Roma", and Assouline collectors. This title is a great film art book. It comes with the Hollywood Souvenir Material and Criterion Blu-Ray Edition. As far as we know, this is the only copy of the Assouline Coffee Table Book (with fabulous extras) available online, is still in the publisher's original shrinkwrap, and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, pristine beauties. Please note: Copies of the book available online have very serious flaws because the book is humongous and unwieldy, therefore prone to all kinds of shipping and handling flaws. Such copies have NO collectible value. Some copies command many hundreds of dollars more. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare set thus. Lavishly illustrated with plates. One of the greatest film directors of our time. A fine collectible set. ISBN 1614287767.
Gorey, Edward (Artist); Updike, John (Author/Poet) & The Editors of The New Yorker Magazine
1st Printing. Signed. 136 pages. Published in 1992. Rare Edward Gorey and John Updike collectible item. A near-pristine copy of the December 21, 1992 New Yorker Magazine Issue. Which marks the very first appearance of the poems in published form. Preceded by Edward Gorey's irresistibly beautiful Cover Art, one of the greatest New Yorker Magazine Covers ever. The latter is in Gorey-esque black-and-white punctuated with "holiday" colors. Published in a regular print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Magazine Issue is now rare. Pictorial softcovers with original glassine over-flaps intact, as issued. Cover Art by Edward Gorey. Poems by John Updike, presented as the "Shouts & Murmurs" last page. It is a full-fledged, 136-page Issue that comes with journalism pieces, literary essays, and critical reviews as usual. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in New York to the highest standards. American magazines, when they were still being printed regularly, almost always surpassed books in terms of production values. Without DJ, as issued. Presents, in its very first appearance, John Updike's "The Twelve Terrors of Christmas". Twelve poems, introduced by Edward Gorey's magazine cover art. The two great artists subsequently completed their collaboration with a full-fledged book of the poems, interspersed with many more of Gorey's original drawings. Published in a now-very-rare Limited Edition the following year, in 1993, and in a now-rare First Edition in 1994. This Issue is, arguably, the true first. The characteristically eerie and irresistibly magical Gorey style brilliantly matches the darkly comic look at the holidays by Updike. An absolute "must-have" title for John Updike and Edward Gorey collectors. This is a copy of the New Yorker Magazine December 21, 1992 Holiday Issue. This title is a great Issue. As far as we know, this is the only copy available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare copy thus. Two of the greatest artists of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER EDWARD GOREY AND JOHN UPDIKE TITLES IN OUR CATALOG)
Schjeldahl, Peter (Author) & Storr, Robert (Contributor)
1st Printing. 24 pages. Published in 1983. Rare Peter Schjeldahl collectible item. A fine copy of the Art Institute of Chicago's Profile Magazine Volume 3, Issue Number 4 Bi-Monthly. The single most comprehensive and illuminating Interview given by the art critic in his lifetime. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Magazine Issue is now rare. The magazine is in a small-size volume format. Pictorial softcovers, with photographic portrait of Peter Schjeldahl on the cover, as issued. Interview conducted by the eminent art historian and scholar Robert Storr. Printed on pristine-white, archival stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents "Peter Schjeldahl: The Profile Magazine Interview". The longest and most insightful Interview of the writer while he was the Art Critic of Vanity Fair Magazine, after having written for a variety of publications, principally The Village Voice, and before becoming the Art Critic of the New Yorker Magazine, a position he held until his untimely death. As such, it is an indispensable companion to the collections of art criticism he published. It is complacent to regard Peter Schjeldahl as the most adept art chronicler for our time (which he was). He was much more than this. More than any other art critic in recent memory, he patiently asked the same unanswerable, eternal questions: What is art? What is beauty? What does it mean to be an artist? What does the art we produce and admire tell us about ourselves? They are worth asking nonetheless as there are (far too) many theory-driven art critics actively writing drivel today. Alas, there was only one Peter Schjeldahl. Our most important art critic since Harold Rosenberg, Clement Greenberg, Robert Hughes, and Arthur C. Danto, for Schjeldahl, there was still such a thing as art in a world that only talks and cares about the art market, is fixated on identity politics, and yet is finally only interested in money. Schjeldahl was also a brilliant poet (of the New York School, which he also discusses at length in the Interview). Two long, celebrated poems, "The Artist", and "Dear Profession of Art Writing", are reproduced alongside the Interview. "The idea that there are only 'the great' is crazy to me. But there is such a thing as great. Irony isn't new. It is our modern condition" (Peter Schjeldahl). An absolute "must-have" title for Peter Schjeldahl collectors. This title is a great Issue. As far as we know, this is the only copy available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare copy thus. One of the greatest art critics of our time. A fine copy.
Bernstein, Leonard (Author); Wilford, Sara And Ronald (Recipients) & Various Photographers
1st Printing. Signed. 376 pages. Published in 1982. The author's autobiography. One of the greatest books on music, the arts, and culture of the 20th century. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, of which there are many. Published in a small and limited first print run by Alfred A. Knopf as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents, in its true first format, Leonard Bernstein's "Findings". His most personal - and illuminating - book. His theme is beautifully literary and musical at the same time: About discovery and re-discovery, about finding oneself, (beloved) others, and his ground-breaking artistic voice. Reminiscences of his childhood, upbringing, Jewish roots, education, and evolution as composer are remarkable in their candor and insight - and unusually self-critical, considering this is the prodigy who wrote "West Side Story", the greatest musical of the 20th century, among other masterpieces too numerous to mention here. At the same time, Bernstein dazzles us with "selections of poetry, essays, personal correspondence, and critical studies of music and musicians from the Classical Period to the Present, to offer an incisive look into the world of the composer and conductor. A book glowing with life and warmth" (Publisher's blurb). Notwithstanding, the biopic on Bernstein, as controversial and fascinating a figure today as he was in his lifetime, appears in 2023, with Bradley Cooper in the eponymous role. An absolute "must-have" title for Leonard Bernstein collectors. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed, dated (shortly after publication), holiday-occasioned, and inscribed in black ink-pen on the front free endpaper by the author: "For Sara & Ronald Wilford, Every good wish, Leonard Bernstein X'Mas '82". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This was a Christmas gift to two very close friends and professional colleagues. Ronald Wilford was, quite simply, Classical music's most important power broker. It would not exist as a viable commercial enterprise without him, with 50 years at Columbia Artists Management under his belt nurturing Who's Who talents that included, among many others: James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, Mstislav Rostropovich, Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Muti, Maurizio Pollini, Vladimir Horowitz, Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, and of course, Leonard Bernstein. This title is a great book. This is the best such signed, post-publication dated, holiday-occasioned, and inscribed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with all other subsequent editions. Copies available online have serious flaws. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with photographic plates and music material sources. One of the greatest musical and cultural figures of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy. ISBN 0671429191.
Rauschenberg, Robert (Artist) & The Editors of ARTNews Magazine
1st Printing. Signed. 128 pages. Published in 1977. Rare Robert Rauschenberg collectible item. A fine copy of the ARTNews Magazine January 1977 Monthly Issue, signed by Robert Rauschenberg. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Magazine Issue is now rare. Pictorial softcovers, which feature Robert Rauschenberg on the cover, as issued. Art by Rauschenberg and other artists. Contributions by various journalists, art critics, and scholars. Printed on pristine-white, archival stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. American magazines, when they were still being printed regularly, almost always surpassed books in terms of production values. Without DJ, as issued. Published on the occasion of the artist's major retrospective held at the National Collection of Fine Arts in 1977. Presents "Rauschenberg: The ARTNews Magazine Cover Issue". The Cover Portrait of the artist with "Bed", his 1955 combine, behind him, which is permanently housed at the museum. "A protean genius who showed America that all of life could be open to art. Rauschenberg didn't give a fig for consistency or curating his reputation; his taste was always facile, omnivorous, and hit-or-miss, yet he had a big-ness of soul and a richness of temperament that recalled Walt Whitman" (Robert Hughes). "My fear is that something interesting will happen, and I'll miss it" (Robert Rauschenberg). An absolute "must-have" title for Robert Rauschenberg collectors. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in black pen-marker on the Front Cover by Robert Rauschenberg. It is signed directly on the Cover itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a great Issue. As far as we know, this is the only such signed copy available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: According to dealers who knew him, Rauschenberg basically stopped signing books in the 1990's. Signed copies still available online are vintage, not recent, and very few. A rare signed copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white and color plates. One of the greatest artists of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG TITLES IN OUR CATALOG)
Gehry, Frank; Hitchens, Christopher; Updike, John; Wallace, David Foster; West, Cornel & Others
1st Printing. 178 pages. Published in 2007. Rare Atlantic Monthly collectible item. A pristine copy of the November 2007 150th Anniversary Issue. The first and only edition. Published in a regular print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Anniversary Issue is now scarce. Pictorial softcovers with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Essays by various contributors, a Who's Who of American journalism, literature, the arts, culture, and politics. A few among them: Frank Gehry, Christopher Hitchens, John Updike, David Foster Wallace (shortly before his death, being his last published magazine piece), and Cornel West, among many others. Printed on pristine-white, archival stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents "The Atlantic: The Future of The American Idea: 150th Anniversary Issue". Attempts to chart a fungible course for America - even as it presciently anticipates our deeply divisive and turbulent time. "What is the American idea? It is the fractious, maddening approach to the conduct of human affairs that values equality despite its elusiveness, that values democracy despite its debasement, that values pluralism despite its messiness, that values the institutions of civic culture despite their flaws, and that values public life as something higher and greater than the sum of all our private lives. The Founders of the magazine valued these things, and they valued the immense amount of effort it takes to preserve them from generation to generation" (The Editors of The Atlantic Monthly). 150 years is a milestone that very few publications will match. An absolute "must-have" title for contemporary literature and culture readers/collectors. This title is a great Issue. As far as we know, this is the only copy available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A scarce copy thus. Some of the greatest American figures of our time. A fine copy.
Spottorno, Carlos
1st Printing. Signed. 112 pages. Published in 2013. Artist Book. Collection of documentary-like photographs, presented as a Facsimile Edition of The Economist Magazine. One of the most original and brilliant art photography books of our time. The first and only edition. Published in small and limited print run by RM/PHREE as a softcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Carlos Spottorno's "The Pigs". Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain: Former world empires humiliated, humbled, and gone to sod in the 21st century. "PIGS is a media-coined term referring to the European Union's economically weakest countries. Carlos Spottorno's 'The Pigs' is a tragicomic vision of these countries' stereotypes, utilizing the format of the influential magazine, The Economist. Coined by neoconservatives, the term PIGS is used to reference their financial and social plight. The glaring absence of 'beauty' stands out. This omission is Spottorno's clever way of questioning the authenticity of the stereotype and its origin" (Publisher's blurb). That's because The Pigs also happen to be four of the most beautiful countries in the world ever. Spottorno ends, evocatively, with a photograph of real pigs. An absolute "must-have" title for Carlos Spottorno collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed, placed, and dated (in the month and year of publication) in black ink-pen on the Inside Back Page by the photographer: "Carlos Spottorno Paris Nov 2013". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary art photography classic. As far as we know, this is the only such signed, placed, and publication-month dated copy of the First Edition/First Printing and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare signed copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with color plates. One of the most brilliant photographers of our time. A fine copy. ISBN 8415118627.
Hockney, David (Artist) & The Brothers Grimm (Translated by Heiner Bastian)
1st Printing. Unpaginated. Published in 1970. Collection of etchings, illustrating and accompanying the classic fairy tales. One of David Hockney's finest achievements. The 1970 Leatherette First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the 2012 Reissued Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run by St. Petersburg Press in conjunction with the Kasmin Gallery as a leatherette original only. None of the copies was commercially distributed or sold. The First Edition is now rare. A brilliant production by David Hockney: Small-size volume format. The book will fit into your shirt pocket, designed as such by the London gallery, mainly for prospective buyers of the actual etchings, as a keepsake and handy reference at the same time. Blue leatherette boards with metallic-silver titles on the cover, as issued. Art by David Hockney. Text by The Brothers Grimm in felicitous English translations by Heiner Bastian. Printed on pristine-white, archival stock paper in London to the highest standards. Considering its miniscule size, the reproduction quality of the etchings is amazing in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents "Six Fairy Tales: From The Brothers Grimm With Original Etchings by David Hockney". Lapidary, exquisite art to illustrate six foundational fairy tales of Western literature: "The Little Sea Hare", "Fundevogel", "Rapunzel", "The Boy Who Left Home To Learn Fear", "Old Rinkrank", and "Rumpelstilzchen". A gem of a book. An absolute "must-have" title for David Hockney and The Brothers Grimm collectors. This title is a great art book. This is one of few copies of the 1970 First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the 2012 Reissued Edition. Copies available online have serious flaws or command many hundreds of dollars more. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. 39 plates. One of the greatest artists of the 20th century and our time. A fine collectible copy. ISBN 0902825003.
Engstrom, J. H.
1st Printing. Signed. Unpaginated. Published in 2013. Retrospective collection of photographs, presented in a scrapbook format as an Artist Book. One of the most beautiful art photography books of our time. The first appearance of the title in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run by Aperture Foundation as a softcover original only. A brilliant production by J. H. Engstrom: Oversize-volume format. Pictorial softcovers with black cloth overboards and white titles embossed on the spine, as issued. Photographs by J. H. Engstrom. There is no text. Brown cardboard slipcase. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Italy to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is exemplary in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents J. H. Engstrom's "Sketch of Paris". His singularly personal homage to the most photographed city in the world. One of the few photographic projects of our time that capture what we call the Zeitgeist, the raw, contemporary moment. Which makes it unusual because the photographs were taken over a relatively long period of time. What a critic has said about Engstrom's aesthetic and practice applies: "A visual stream-of-consciousness monologue, an ongoing succession of moments that retains an importance of their own, fragments of relentlessly passing time. The impression of looking at memories, rather than documentary images, is heightened by the variety of the photographs" (Martin Jaeggi). "I can only make photographs of what I feel, of what results from my encounters with people. In this regard, my work is completely subjective. At the same time, I am interested in objectivity, in the fact that since you take photographs, you always deal with reality. And in this respect, I am not interested in subjectivity. It's a paradox" (J. H. Engstrom). Includes some of his most arrestingly lyrical and unusual nudes - of himself and others - which is, by now, an Engstrom specialty. An absolute "must-have" title for J. H. Engstrom collectors. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in black pen-marker on the front cover by J. H. Engstrom. It is signed directly on the cover itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary art photography book. This is one few such signed copies of the First Edition/First Printing (American) still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A scarce signed copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white and color plates. "Trying To Dance" was selected as one of the greatest photography books in "The Photobook". One of the most brilliant photographers of our time. A fine copy. ISBN 1597112534.
Palma, Luis Gonzalez (Artist/Photographer) & Various Contributors
1st Printing. 208 pages. Published in 2014. Retrospective collection of photographs and original artworks. One of the most beautiful art photography books of our time. The 2014 First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, particularly the 2015 Softcover Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run by La Fabrica as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. An austerely elegant production by La Fabrica: Oversize-volume format. Pictorial hard boards with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Photographs by Luis Gonzalez Palma. Text by various contributors. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Madrid, Spain to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is exemplary in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents "Luis Gonzalez Palma". More portraits rich with the symbolism of indigenous myth and culture, Catholicism and humanity. "Explores the artistic evolution of Luis Gonzalez Palma. His carefully composed images are characterized by his luxuriant use of props. His combinations of flower wreaths, wings, scepters, breastplates, and other handcrafted objects create a rich, symbolic atmosphere" (Publisher's blurb). "His body of work has been described as existing on both 'the bright and dark sides of Reason'. I'm not at all sure what that means, but it seems somehow appropriate. It's clear Gonzalez Palma's photography extends into the realm of metaphor. There is more to his photographs than what appears in his photographs" (Greg Fallis). "Gonzalez Palma's images unfold with increasing significance, resulting in an underlying sense of tension and foreboding that is only slightly eased by their sheer loveliness" (A. D. Miller). An absolute "must-have" title for Luis Gonzalez Palma collectors. This title is a contemporary art photography classic. This is one of few copies of the 2014 First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the 2015 Softcover Edition. Copies available online command many hundreds of dollars more. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with color plates. One of the finest Latin-American artist/photographers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER LUIS GONZALEZ PALMA TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 8415691882.
Monroe, Marilyn (Subject); Claxton, William; Greene, Milton; Karsh, Yousuf; Cruz, Valdir & Others
1st Printing. 65 pages. Published in 1999. Rare B&W Black And White Magazine collectible item. A fine copy of the Spring 1999 Premier Issue. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited print run as a softcover original only. There is no ISBN. The Premier Issue is now rare. Pictorial softcovers, which feature Milton Greene's iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe, and titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Photographs and text by various contributors. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents B&W's Premier Issue. Its auspicious, breathtakingly beautiful debut. Includes photographs by Milton Greene, William Claxton, Yousuf Karsh, and Valdir Cruz, the pioneering photographer of the Amazon Rain Forest tribes, among others. Features a portfolio of black-and-white female nudes, sensuous, diaphanously elegant, and indelible. An absolute "must-have" title for photography collectors. This Issue is now collectible. As far as we know, this is the only copy available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare copy thus. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white plates. Some of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. A fine copy.
Arnheim, Rudolf
1st Printing. 345 pages. Published in 1969. Book-length account on subject. One of the most important books of the 20th century. The 1969 First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, of which there are many, particularly the 1970 Softcover Edition. Published in a small and limited first print run by Faber & Faber, simultaneously with the American Edition, as a hardcover original only. There is no ISBN. The First Edition is now rare. Presents, in its true-first format, Rudolf Arnheim's "Visual Thinking". His best book, provocative, insightful, authoritative: Those who can see, can think; those who cannot see, cannot think. "The gold standard for art educators, psychologists, and general readers. Asserts that all thinking is perceptual in nature, and that the ancient dichotomy between seeing and thinking, between perceiving and reasoning, is false and misleading. He shows that even the fundamental processes of vision involve mechanisms typical of reasoning, and he describes problem-solving in the arts in the form of the 'thought-models' of science" (Publisher's blurb). An absolute "must-have" title for Rudolf Arnheim collectors. This title is a late-modern classic. As far as we know, this is the only copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (British) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Precedes and should NOT be confused with the 1970 Softcover Edition and all other subsequent editions. A rare copy thus. One of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. A fine collectible copy.
Trudeau, Garry B.
1st Printing. Signed. 695 pages. Published in 2010. Rare Garry B. Trudeau collectible set. Autographed Copy of the First Hardcover Slipcased Edition/First Printing with Autographed Letter Signed (ALS). Retrospective collection of the political cartoonist/satirist's body of work. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run by Andrews McMeel as a slipcased hardcover edition only. A magnificent production by Garry B. Trudeau and Andrews McMeel: Oversize-volume format. Weighs a humongous, "don't drop it on your foot" 11 pounds. Pictorial hard boards with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Art and text by Garry B. Trudeau. Printed on pristine-white, acid-free stock paper in the United States to the highest standards. Without DJ, as issued. Presents Garry B. Trudeau's "40: A Doonesbury Retrospective". The ultimate Doonesbury Book: Massive in size, weight, and substance. "Marks Doonesbury's 40th anniversary by examining in-depth the characters that have given the strip such vitality. The world of Doonesbury has grown uniquely vast, sustained by an intricately woven web of relationships. Offers a unique way to experience one of the greatest comic strips ever" (Publisher's blurb). Comes with an Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) on lovely Doonesbury Letterhead: "Thanks for your inquiry, but I'm afraid my original art is not available at this time. Sorry I can't help. All best, G Trudeau". This book should suffice for now, for one and all. An absolute "must-have" set for Garry B. Trudeau collectors. This Autographed Copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in black ink-pen on the title page by Garry B. Trudeau. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This comes with an Autographed Letter Signed (ALS) that Trudeau sent to a lifelong reader. This title is a great book. As far as we know, this is the only such signed set available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, pristine beauties. Please note: Copies available online have very serious flaws because of the book's unwieldy size. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed set thus. 1800 strips. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1975 for Editorial Cartooning, the very first comic strip artist to be so honored. One of the greatest American writer/satirists of our time. A fine collectible set. ISBN 0740797352.
Doctorow, E. L.; Suares, J.C.; Haas, Ernst; Manos, Constantine; Webb, Alex & Other Photographers
1st Printing. Signed. Unpaginated. Published in 1982. Retrospective collection of photographs, with accompanying text. One of the most beautiful art photography books of the 20th century. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. A brilliant production by E. L. Doctorow and J. C. Suares: Oversize-volume format. Ribbed pictorial cloth boards with gilt titles embossed on the cover and spine, as issued. The design beautifully replicates the American flag. Concept, Introductory Essay, and hymnal text by E. L. Doctorow. Photographs by J. C. Suares and eighty-one other photographers, a Who's Who of 20th-century American photography. All of the images are reproduced "bleed" (in full-color) and appended "miniature-size" (in black-and-white) at the End Credits. Printed on thick, glossy stock paper by Amilcare Pizzi in Italy to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is exemplary in every respect. Without DJ, as issued. Presents E. L. Doctorow's and Jean-Claude Suares' "American Anthem". Magnificent color photographs, accompanied by an Essay and running text by one of the greatest writers of our time. "This is a hymn of praise to the beauty of the American continent and the American people. It is a bold effort to compose, by means of color photographs, a pictorial anthem of the United States, from the snapped moments of its self-revealing character. This is a good thing to be doing these days when we seem to be losing our clarity and crystal purpose as the last best hope of mankind" (E. L. Doctorow). His unabashed photographic realization of Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" (1855), it is a rather surprising achievement for E. L. Doctorow, one of America's fiercest critics when his fellow-Americans get it wrong and lose their way. Doctorow's prose is crisp and elegant in its simplicity. At its best, it soars to an eloquence not found elsewhere. An absolute "must-have" title for E. L. Doctorow and photography book collectors. This copy is very prominently and beautifully signed (in his full name), publication-year dated, holiday-occasioned, and inscribed in black ink-pen on the half-title page by the author: "To the Packs of Pound Ridge. With love, Edgar Lawrence Doctorow XMas, 1982". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. There is no person-recipient named. Pound Ridge is the legendary golf course club of which Doctorow was apparently a member. This title is a great art photography book. As far as we know, this is the only such signed-in-full, publication-year dated, holiday-occasioned, and inscribed copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing available online and despite its imperfection (some rubbing and handling wear on the cloth covers, but it's there) is still in fine condition overall: Every single internal page is clean, crisp, and bright. None of that, however, is what makes this copy uniquely collectible: This is the only book we have ever found that Doctorow signed with his full name which, until now, we thought he never did. A rare, one-of-a-kind signed copy thus. 82 photographic plates. Some of the greatest American photographers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER E. L. DOCTOROW TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 0941434168.
Struth, Thomas (Photographer) & Various Contributors
1st Printing. Signed. 190 pages. Published in 2002. Major retrospective of the photographer's body of work. One of the essential books on the photographic art and achievement of Thomas Struth. A brilliant production by the Dallas Museum of Art: Oversize-volume format. Pale gray cloth boards with black titles embossed on cover and spine, as issued. Photographs by Thomas Struth. Essays by various scholars and photography experts: Douglas Eklund, Ann Goldstein, Maria Morris Hambourg, and Charles Wylie. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper in Italy to the highest standards. The reproduction quality is outstanding in every respect. In pictorial DJ with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name held at the Dallas Museum of Art in 2002. It travelled on to several major venues: The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Presents "Thomas Struth 1977-2002". Singular photography that remains rooted in the influential German School that Struth helped develop. "Coming to prominence in his native Germany in the 1970's, Struth captured the atmospheric power of the contemporary urban landscape in his early black-and-white works. With an intent gaze and exacting lens, Struth expanded his range to include color portraits, bringing a unique psychological precision to the tradition of portraiture. Struth's best-known works are his majestic, large-scaled museum photographs depicting visitors to some of the world's great museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musee du Louvre Paris, the Accademia Venice, and the Pantheon Rome. These captivating photographs not only transport us to the place depicted, they also provide a chance to re-examine our own selves looking at art. The most comprehensive book to date on Thomas Struth" (Publisher's blurb). An absolute "must-have" title for Thomas Struth collectors. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in metallic-silver pen-marker on the half-title page by Thomas Struth. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a contemporary art photography classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. A rare signed copy thus. 60 color, 37 duotone plates. "Thomas Struth: Museum Photographs" was selected as one of the greatest photography books in "The Photobook". One of the most brilliant photographers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER THOMAS STRUTH TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 0300093608.
Amis, Martin
1st Printing. Signed. 306 pages. Published in 2014. The author's fourteenth novel. One of Martin Amis' masterpieces. The first appearance of the title in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions, of which there are several. Published in a small and limited first print run by Alfred A. Knopf as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Martin Amis' "The Zone of Interest". The author's so-called "Holocaust" novel, subtly and obliquely addressed as such. Hence all the more indelible. "A love story with a violently un-romantic setting. Can love survive the mirror? Can we even meet each other's eye, after we have seen who we really are? Powered by both wit and compassion, and in characteristically vivid prose, Martin Amis' unforgettable novel excavates the depths and contradictions of the human soul" (Publisher's blurb). Martin Amis has noted that the serious modern novel is - or should ideally be - plotless, that only the thriller genre requires a plot. Otherwise, the serious novel is about thoughts, feelings, and sensations - a character's immanence, if that is not too high-sounding a word - as well as experience (the title of his memoir). Amis dubbed it the "voice novel", "voice" being his replacement-word for "character". He was right, of course, and his own voice, now permanently stilled with his premature demise (on May 19, 2023), is inimitable and irreplaceable. "Amis is a force unto himself. There is, quite simply, no one else like him" (The Washington Post). An absolute "must-have" title for Martin Amis collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed and dated (the day after publication and on the day of book launch in New York City) in black ink-pen on the title page by the author: "Martin Amis 10.1.14". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a great book. As far as we know, this is the only such signed and day-after-publication dated copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws or are in multiple subsequent printings This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. One of the greatest writers of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER MARTIN AMIS TITLES IN OUR CATALOG) ISBN 0385353499.
