46 pp. Large 4to (270 x 210 mm.), orig. printed wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto: 1979].

A very rare and early catalogue published by Art Metropole; unrecorded on WorldCat. On the inside of the upper wrapper, Art Metropole’s archivist Tim Guest lays out a definition of the artist’s book: “Since the early 1960‘ [sic] artists have been producing bookworks as a completely autonomous artform. Different in that they exist outside the traditions of either the ‘literary text’ or the ‘illustrated book’, they are instead books as works of art in themselves. They belong to that movement in art history which seeks to de-emphasize form and aesthetics... More

14 black & white illus. 36 unnumbered pages. Irregularly shaped small 4to (200 x 200 mm.), die-cut corners (spine faintly rubbed), staple-bound. [Chicago]: The University of Chicago Library, 1986.

An important exhibition catalogue as well as reference work on artists’ books. This catalogue was designed by the book artist Buzz Spector (b. 1948), and his pencil notes for the mock-up have been reproduced in this final version. Jeffrey Abt, the organizer of the exhibition, writes in an insightful essay: “The contemporary artist’s book…represents an evolution of the book’s use from a vehicle for text and its illustration to an artistically integrated, sometimes sculptural object. Though superficially... More

20, [1] unnumbered pages. 8vo (200 x 130 mm.), printed thick paper wrappers. Madrid: Estampa Ediciones, 1991.

One of Carrión’s rare bookworks, posthumously published by the Other Books and So Archive; from a numbered edition of 300. This work, printed offset, contains a collection of text-based poems by Carrión employing the first three or four letters of the alphabet.

As new. WorldCat records only three copies in North America. More

Many illus in the text. Four unnumbered leaves. Small folio (298 x 210), orig. printed wrappers, staple-bound. Amsterdam: U. Carrión, 1981.

Very rare lecture notes serving as the explanation for a piece of performance art created by Carrión to examine informal modes of communication. The artist, with the help of friends, spread gossip about himself around Amsterdam. This piece also entailed a lecture and a video recapitulating the results of this experiment-cum-artwork. The text of this work is printed in parallel Dutch and English texts. Each step of the performance is explained, and definitions, accompanied by diagrams, of gossip, scandal, rumor, etc.... More

47 pp. Small 4to (210 x 158 mm.), orig. black wrappers (upper corner creased), staple-bound. [London]: Nigel Greenwood Inc. Ltd., 1972.

First edition of this seminal exhibition catalogue, which features the first English translation of Celant’s essay on artists’ books, as well as an important list of nearly 300 then-unheralded artists’ books. Originally published in the first issue of the Italian magazine Data (Sept. 1971),the essay is recognized as one of the earliest in-depth examinations of the book form and its bearing within Conceptual art. Celant (b. 1940), the art historian and critic, organized several Arte Povera exhibitions in Italy in the 1960s and... More

23 silk-screened images of potatoes hand-tinted & tipped-in. 14 unnumbered leaves. Folio (430 x 310 mm.), orig. pink paper wrappers & yellow band with watercolored title, stitched. London: The Everyday Press, 2018.

A charming illustrated recipe book by the chef Jeremy Lee and British artist Simon Popper; produced in an edition of 75. Recipes include: pommes sarladaises, potato soup, Cullen skink, champ, and “Janson’s Temptation.” The silk-screened potato images were copied from 19th-century engravings of potatoes. Printed by Lesley Sharp.

As new. More

Many black & white illus. 124 pp. Laser-printed single sheets, rectos only (280 x 215 mm.), semi-stiff printed pictorial wrappers, plastic-spiral bound. San Francisco: April 2002.

Leiber’s rare 40th catalogue, offering ca. 331 items, many of which were duplicates from the Ruth & Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry (now at the University of Iowa). Also included were artists’ books, periodicals, recordings, exhibition catalogues, and ephemera. Approximately 100 copies of this catalogue were produced and sent to clients.

Nice copy and rare. We know of only three American institutions with copies. Small faint stain to title-page and head of upper cover a bit worn. More

Many black & white illus., four original artist’s “pageworks” by Albrecht D., and photograph pasted to lower cover. 8vo (280 x 108 mm.) & 4to (210 x 220 mm.), orig. printed green wrappers, staple-bound. San Francisco: S. Leiber, April 1998.

Leiber’s 33rd catalogue; like the others issued by him, it is rare. The leaves, printed in two sizes, are bound in alternating format, and correspond to the materials they describe. This catalogue imitates a work created by the German artist and publisher Albrecht D. (b. 1944), the German artist and founder of the Reflection Press. Leiber provides a concise history of the press and a biography... More

64 unnumbered pages. Tall 8vo (210 x 110 mm.), semi-stiff pictorial wrappers (by LeWitt), staple-bound. [Paris: 1995].

An uncommon catalogue which describes 446 books by artists, including Baldessari, Boltanski, Broodthaers, Jean-Marc Bustamente, Ulises Carrion, Hanne Darboven, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Keith Haring, On Kawara, Kippenberger, Jeff Koons, LeWitt, Richard Long, George Maciunas, Pistoletto, Richard Prince, Gerhard Richter, Dieter Roth, Herman de Vries, Warhol, Lawrence Weiner, Christopher Wool, etc. The catalogue ends with a selection of Loewy’s own publications. For each item, measurements, publication information, printing method, and edition size are provided, and for some there is a concise description of the content.

Fine copy, with an untitled artwork by Sol LeWitt executed in the summer of 1995 in Spoleto, Italy. More

Many black & white illus. in the text. 92, [4] pp. order form and ads. 8vo, printed semi-stiff wrappers (minor wear on extremities), staple-bound. [New York: Printed Matter Inc.], 1996.

Printed Matter’s 1996 mail-order catalogue consisting of two pages of Artists’ Projects for fundraising; an essay by Clive Phillpot entitled: “Twenty Years of Printed Matter”; a section called “How to Use the 1996 Printed Matter Catalogue”; recent publications ; back-list items; the remaining publications from Printed Matter’s short-lived publishing program in operation from 1976 to 1980; books from the Lapp Princess Press, including the work of Chuck Close, Fred Sandback, and Alan Turner; issues... More

15 black & white offset printed images. 48 unnumbered pages. Tall narrow 8vo (220 x 85 mm.), stiff silver wrappers (extremities very slightly worn), date & board members on lower cover, staple-bound. [New York: Printed Matter, Inc., December 1976].

Printed Matter’s very rare first catalogue, published in December 1976, eight months after the drafting of the organization’s mission statement. The founders established two fundamental criteria for their inventory: works in editions of 100 or more copies and works affordable to the general public. Much of the early stock came from Martha Wilson’s Franklin Furnace bookstore, which she had decided to divest and turn over to Printed Matter... More

Many illus. in the text, some full-page, & on inside covers. 2 p.l., 80 pp. & order forms. 8vo (215 x 140 mm), printed pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [New York: Printed Matter: 1991].

A catalogue issued in Printed Matter’s 15th year. It begins with an Introduction by director John Goodwin who writes: “Printed Matter Bookstore at Dia is in its fifteenth year of distributing books by artists to an ever-widening audience that includes students, collectors, educators, librarians, and, of course, other artists. We are delighted to observe that what the founders of Printed Matter dared to assert has indeed come true: the field of artists’ books is... More