80 pp. (incl. wrappers). 8vo, printed wrappers, staple-bound. Amsterdam: 1996.

An impressive Boekie Woekie catalogue with hundreds of listings, all described in English. We find works by Eduard Bal, Broodthaers, Pol Bury, Lourdes Castro, Henri Chopin, Simon Cutts, Mirtha Dermisache, van Egten, Filliou, Michael Gibbs, Kristján Gudmundsson, Erica van Horn, Iannone, Oey Tjeng Sit, Tom Phillips, Björn & Dieter Roth, Colin Sackett, Guy Schraenen, Takako Saito, Endre Tót, Jan Voss, etc., etc.

In fine condition. More

One folded sheet, with laid-in signed invitation. Amsterdam: 1975.

A fine example of the printed announcement for Other Books and So’s inauguration, accompanied by a signed invitation to join for drinks on the opening day. Co-founders Ulises Carrión (1941-89) and Aart van Barneveld (1951-90) have signed this invitation, which reads vertically (in trans.) “come / and / raise / a / glass / with / us / on / opening day.” The text on the flyer lays out their plans for a space that would function as both a bookshop and gallery dedicated to artists’ bookworks.

In fine condition, this... More

Color printed on both sides. Illustrated postcard. Washington D.C.: Washington Project for the Arts, 1982.

Postcard invitation for Carrión’s screening of video works at Washington Project for the Arts, where he was an artist-in-residence. In the late 1970s he had begun to experiment with time-based media. In fine condition.

❧ G. Schraenen, ed., Dear reader. Don’t read. (2016), p. 136 (pictured). More

Black & white illus. 25 pp. & colophon. 4to, black printed softcover, title on spine. Amsterdam: Galerie Da Costa, 1980.

One of 500 copies, a scarce exhibition catalogue with an introduction composed by Carrión (1941-89). The catalogue provides a survey of Galerie Da Costa, a publisher of artists’ books and livres d’artistes managed by Juan J. Agius. Agius published two of Carrión’s bookworks: Verzamelde Werken (1980) and Sistemas (1983).

Carrión writes: “This catalogue illustrates the publishing activity developed by Juan Agius, from Da Costa Gallery, during the last 4 years. Such an activity takes place in a cultural context that... More

Many black & white illus. [15] leaves, printed on rectos only (except for one leaf). Small folio (295 x 210 mm.), pictorial wrappers, fastened with black plastic clasps. [From verso of the first leaf]: Amsterdam: Agora Studio, Sept. 1980.

A rare exhibition catalogue, printed in an edition of 200. Carrión (1941-89) devised this as a retrospective of his works and communications with his collaborators, for which he investigated the use of names and addresses.

This catalogue, with the introduction in parallel Dutch and English, is fully illustrated with reproductions of Carrión’s earlier works and performances, including pieces such as... More

Double-page black & white photographic illus. [4] pp. Single folded A3 sheet. Amsterdam: Art & Project, [1974].

The duo’s third Art & Project bulletin, featuring a black and white photograph of the two artists; their trademark embossed stamp has been added to the lower right corner of the two-page opening: “Art for All, Gilbert & George, The Sculptors.”

“Sometimes I got special instructions. Gilbert & George for example did not want their name in large on the front page. Instead they signed Bulletin 73 with an embossed stamp…”

Near fine. Edition of ca. 800 copies.

❧ Art & Project Bulletins... More

Seven folding leaves. 8vo (248 x 174 mm.), orig. wrappers, stitched as issued. [Japan]: date given on final page “1768“; this is a later copy, probably late Edo or early Meiji.

We are uncertain how to read the first name of Yoshimura, but “Hensen” is our best guess. Yoshimura lived in the Satsuma region. This manuscript is concerned with different theories of ginseng as a medicinal herb. The author discusses the writings of Zhang Zhongjing (active 168-96 CE), whose Shanghan lun [Treatise on Cold Damage] lists 21 multi-herbal decoctions containing ginseng, and Li Dongyuan (1180-1251), whose therapies were widely adapted... More

33 fine brush & ink illus. 33 leaves. 8vo (242 x 164 mm.), later semi-stiff orange-brown wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: from the final leaf (in trans.): “mid-October 1842. Ushigome juku [a study group], [possessed or copied by] Tsutsui.”

A manuscript copy of the first book to describe the agricultural experiments leading to the successful cultivation of Korean ginseng in Japan. Tamura Ransui (1718-76), official physician to the shogunate, “first succeeded in growing ginseng plants in Japan.”–Federico Marcon, The Knowledge of Nature and the Nature of Knowledge in Early Modern Japan, p. 212. The importation (actually, smuggling) of live seedlings from... More

1 p.l., 32 pp.; 1 p.l., 10 pp.; 1 p.l., 5, [1], 7-15 pp. Three parts in one vol. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. block-printed title-label on upper cover. From printed label pasted on inside of lower cover (partly in trans.): Aichi Prefecture: Mikawa shiryo kanko kai, printed in 70 copies, 1936.

First edition and a rare provincial printing, limited to 70 copies only. Sato (1762-1848), was a leading honzo scholar and writer on agricultural matters. He advised a number of fiefdoms throughout Japan on modern agricultural techniques. The first two parts of this work print Sato’s hitherto unpublished writings on... More

18 folding leaves. 8vo (246 x 167 mm.), orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [Japan]: late Edo–early Meiji.

This appears to be the text of the notes on ginseng recorded by a disciple of Ranzan Ono. We know that Ono’s final writings were on this herb, composed on his deathbed.

Ranzan Ono (1729-1810), was considered the “Linnaeus of Japan.” He started a school of botanical pharmacology in Kyoto, which, over the years, graduated more than 1000 students. During his long life, Ono travelled throughout Japan, gathering plant specimens and recording botanical remedies. He was familiar with both Chinese and Western texts on... More

25 folding leaves. 8vo (280 x 199 mm.), orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [Japan]: Preface dated 1810; this is a copy made later in the Edo period.

The final work by Ranzan Ono (1729-1810), who was considered the “Linnaeus of Japan.” He started a school of botanical pharmacology in Kyoto, which, over the years, graduated more than 1000 students. During his long life, Ono travelled throughout Japan, gathering plant specimens and recording botanical remedies. He was familiar with both Chinese and Western texts on herbal medicines. Ono’s Honzo komoku keimo [Dictated Compendium of Materia Medica Enlightenment [or] Clarifications on Honzo komoku]... More

One sheet, folded; three sheets, folded & stapled. Mexico: 1965 & 1970.

Carrión’s signed copies of contracts for his first and second published books. The publisher Ediciones Era reached an agreement for his debut book, La Muerte de Miss O, on 8 October 1965. It was printed in an edition of 1000 copies, with 10 given to Carrión. Per the terms of the contract, the author was to receive 10% of sales in semi-annual installments.

The second contract, with Joaquín Mortiz, a celebrated publisher of genre-defying works, consists of three mimeographed sheets (printed on rectos only), with blanks filled in... More