Archival gelatin print of Martin Parr's O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, Ireland (1981/2015); the source for the cover of his first photobook, Bad Weather (see item 16 below). This framed print available at Harper's Books, as part of our two venue retrospective exhibition, The Parr Survey.

Harper's Books: November Selections

Below, our 22 monthly selections; a range of books, ephemera, and other printed matter relating to art, photography, modern literature, and design. Follow the links for additional images and purchasing options. To browse similar materials, visit Harper's Books at 504 West 22nd Street and our East Hampton gallery at 87 Newtown Lane.

01. (Abstract Expressionism)

It Is: A Magazine for Abstract Art (Full Set)

New York: Second Half Publishing Company, 1958-1965. First Editions. Quartos. Six issues (all published) of the influential magazine founded by sculptor and polemicist Philip Pavia, committed to "catalyze and catalogue" the development of Abstract Expressionism. With contributions—whether textual statements, panel transcripts, or reproductions of works—from the likes of Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Arshile Gorky, Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Elaine and Willem de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, "P.G." Pavia, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, Larry Rivers, Milton Resnick, Mark Rothko, Salvatore Scarpitta, Walasse Ting, Mark Tobey, Jack Tworkov, and Esteban Vicente. With adjacent contributions from the likes of André Breton, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Allen Ginsberg, Allan Kaprow, and Piet Mondrian. Thoroughly illustrated in black-and-white, with several color plates. Aside from some minor scuffing to illustrated wrappers, and short edge tear to front panel of issue 5, this set in near fine condition; first five issues in illustrated wrappers, with the sixth in plain wrappers and brown card jacket, printed in black and copper ink. Full sets uncommon, with fewer than a dozen OCLC records located in North America.

$4000.00

02. Ruth Asawa and Elizabeth McClintock

The Japanese Tea Garden, Golden State Park, San Francisco, California

San Francisco: John McLaren Society, 1977. First Edition. Octavo. A guide to the oldest public Japanese garden in California—nurtured by Makoto Hagiwara after its establishment during the 1894 World's Fair in 1894 and the source of one of Ruth Asawa's most long-standing civic engagements. For this guide, which features both architectural details and a list of the garden's plants, Asawa supplied seven elegant botanical drawings; two of them printed in red, to the verso of the insert map. Contents: [58] pages, with text by Elizabeth McClintock. Fine, in illustrated wrappers.

$100.00

03. Valerie Cassel Oliver (curator)

Double Consciousness: Black Conceptual Art Since 1970

Houston: Contemporary Arts Museum, 2005. First Edition. Small quarto. An impressive survey of two generations of Black conceptual artists, published on the occasion of the exhibition curated by Valerie Cassel Oliver at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston (Jan. 22 – Apr. 17, 2005). Illustrated after color reproductions of works from each of the 31 exhibited artists, including Terry Adkins, Chakaia Booker, Charles Gaines, David Hammons, Maren Hassinger, Arthur Jafa, Glenn Ligon, Senga Nengudi, Adam Pendleton, Howardena Pindell, Adrian Piper, William Pope.L, Gary Simmons, Nari Ward, and Fred Wilson. Accompanied by art historical essays from both Cassel Oliver and Franklin Simons, as well as writings from some of the artists themselves (e.g. Gaines, Jafa, Piper), artist bios, a sociological timeline, and a selected bibliography. Near fine in illustrated wrappers.

$450.00

04. Rineke Dijkstra

Beaches (First Edition)

Zurich: Codax Publisher, 1996. First Edition. Quarto. A series of 18 color photographs of adolescents in bathing suits, across eerily similar beach-scapes in Belgium, Croatia, Poland, Ukraine, and the United States. Accompanied by philosophical text from Birgid Uccia, in both German and English translation. (Parr / Badger, v2, 277). Minor bumping to corners of silver boards, with debossed lettering and affixed black-and-white image to front panel; near fine.

$600.00

05. Lee Friedlander

Sticks & Stones: Architectural America (Signed)

San Francisco: Fraenkel Gallery, 2004. First Edition. Quarto. A collection of fifteen years' worth of black-and-white photographs from Friedlander, representing America through its vernacular architecture. This copy SIGNED by Friedlander to half-title page. A fine copy in mustard cloth boards with black lettering to spine, in fine photo-illustrated jacket.

$200.00

06. Paul Graham

Beyond Caring (Signed)

London: Grey Editions, 1986. First Edition. Oblong quarto. SIGNED by Graham to half-title page. Graham's second book, with photographs of government waiting rooms, corridors, and cubicles capturing the bleakness of the British welfare system. (Parr / Badger, v2, 300). A sharp copy in photo-illustrated wrappers; save for some scuffing to lower edge of textblock, near fine.

$1500.00

07. Wade Guyton

Zeichnungen für ein großes Bild / kleines Zimmer / lange Bilder

Köln: Walter König, 2010-2013. First Editions. Quartos. A series of three complementary artist's books created by Wade Guyton to accompany exhibitions in Cologne (Museum Ludwig, Apr. 23 – Aug. 22, 2010), Vienna (Secession, May 27 – Aug. 21, 2011), and Zurich (Kunsthalle Zürich, Aug. 31 – Nov. 10, 2013). Each of the volumes functioning as pseudo-flip books, with Guyton shooting piles of his exhibited "drawings" (i.e. overprinted pages that he tore from art history books) against the glossy kitchen floors of his studio—painted blue, red, and yellow, respectively; the top sheet of the pile removed with each turn of the page. Fine copies in illustrated wrappers, with fine matching jackets.

$750.00

08. David Hammons and Anthony Huberman (editor) 

David Hammons is On Our Mind

San Francisco: CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, 2018. First Edition. Quarto. Published in an edition of 750 copies, this monograph is the culmination of a year-long series of meetings and events at the Wattis Institute dedicated to the work of David Hammons. Featuring transcriptions of a 1994 lecture by Hammons and a 2017 lecture by Fred Moten, as well as a poem from Tongo Eisen-Martin. Illustrated with photographs that Hammons sent to the Wattis Institute in 2017, which are interspersed throughout the Moten and Eisen-Martin texts. Minor bump to top corner, else near fine in near fine jacket.

$300.00

09. Jacqueline Humphries

Jacqueline Humphries

London: Koenig Books, 2014. First Edition. Quarto. An impeccably-designed monograph, reproducing more than 70 of Humphries' silver paintings, along with insightful essays from David Joselit, Suzanne Hudson, and Angus Cooke. A fine copy in silver cloth boards with debossed lettering.

$350.00

10. Mike Kelley / Destroy All Monsters

"It Melts in Your Mind, Not in Your Mouth:" The Destroy All Monsters Sticker Assortment (Two Packs)

Detroit: The End is Here Productions, 1996 / 2002. Two separately issued sticker/ephemera packs from the art-rock band Destroy All Monsters. Approximately two dozen items in each pack. Both packs (7.5 inches square) still sealed, with baggies stapled to printed toppers; near fine.

$850.00

11. Barbara Kruger and Hal Foster

Barbara Kruger

New York: Rizzoli, 2010. First Edition. Quarto. An impressively illustrated survey of the artist's works, compiled in collaboration with Kruger, who reformatted a number of her texts for inclusion. Introduced by short essay from Hal Foster ("Seriously playful"). Glossy white boards with debossed red lettering; near fine. In photo-illustrated jacket; fine.

$250.00

12. Lee Lozano

Lee Lozano: Tools

New York: An Art Service, 2011. First Edition. Quarto. A collection of Lozano's often-abstract drawings of tools (1963-1964), concluding with text from Sabine Folie, entitled "Tools of Pleasure and Violence." Printed in a limited edition of 500 copies. A fine copy in cloth boards.

$250.00

13. Ryan McGinley and Balenciaga

Balenciaga: Men Collection SS 09

Paris: Balenciaga, 2009. First Edition. Oblong quarto. A cinematic lookbook from Ryan McGinley, commissioned by Balenciaga for their 2009 Spring/Summer men's collection. With a total of 19 color photographs rhythmically spaced across 22 pages, and an additional image affixed to front panel. A scarce item for McGinley collectors. A fine copy in silken cloth boards, with copper endpapers.

$850.00

14. Albert Oehlen

Albert Oehlen: 1991, 2008

Berlin: Galerie Max Hetzler, 2009. First Edition. Quarto. Published on the occasion of an exhibition conceived by Oehlen for Max Hetzler Temporary in the Osram-Höfe factory buildings (Nov. 1 – Dec 20, 2008), drawing together earlier abstract works, loaned from private collections, with recent paintings that incorporated advertising posters. With 28 works reproduced in color, and a series of installation photographs, accompanied by an interview with Oehlen by Max Dax ("Now it's much better"). Text in both German and English. Illustrated laminate boards; fine.

$250.00

15. Laura Owens

Twelve Paintings (Signed with Drawing)

Los Angeles: Ooga Booga, 2014. First Edition. Quarto. Published on the occasion of an exhibition at Ooga Booga (Jan. 20 – Jul. 7, 2013). This copy SIGNED by Owens to front endpaper, along with a full page marker drawing in the style of the featured works. Comprised of twelve titular paintings reproduced in full page color plates, a series of installation photographs, and another 10 plates of details. Concluding with a series of short texts from Gavin Brown, Corinna Durland, Andrew Cannon, Wendy Yao, and Owens herself. A fine copy in gray cloth boards, over-printed with reproduction of classified ads in red. In printed acetate jacket, with lettering to front panel and design elements to rear; minor bump to lower corner, thus near fine.

$1000.00

16. Martin Parr 

Bad Weather (Signed)

London: A. Zwemmer Ltd., 1982. First Edition. Oblong quarto. Martin Parr's first photobook, capturing the climactic charms of the British Isles; published to coincide with a touring exhibition of the photographs. This copy SIGNED to title page. While Parr's style has since become synonymous with color, this debut displayed his early affinity for a black-and-white aesthetic. Slight toning to illustrated wrappers, as typical; else fine. Preserved in cloth clamshell case with leather lettering piece to spine.

$850.00

17. Martin Parr

The Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton (Signed)

Wallasey, England: Promenade Press, 1986. First Edition. Oblong quarto. SIGNED by Parr to title page and dated in 2008. Text by Ian Walker. Representing the photographer's first color photobook, this collection set the tone for Parr's subsequent work, with images that convey the subtle juxtaposition of the humorous, the desperate, the banal, and the offbeat in modern society. A fine copy, in illustrated wrappers. Housed in cloth clamshell case, with leather lettering piece to spine.

$1200.00

18. Richard Prince and Roe Ethridge

Special Guest (Signed Limited Edition with Print)

New York: Karma, 2015. Limited Edition. Quarto. One of 100 hardcover copies, SIGNED by both artists to front endpaper. Accompanied by loose color photographic print, hand-numbered to verso as 52/100. Published on the occasion of the Gagosian Gallery exhibition (Apr. 3 – May 3, 2014); a collaborative artist's book in which Prince and Ethridge reflect on each other's work through a series of images in dialogue. Blue linen boards with red lettering to front panel; fine.

$850.00

19. Ramm-ell-zee

Rammellzee: Acts of Terrorism (ArT Random Series 36)

Tokyo: Kyoto Shoin, 1990. First Edition. Quarto. The first monograph from the graffiti writer, musician, sculptor, and performance artist Rammellzee. A cryptic work of Gothic Futurism, featuring a glossary of 24 "ionic statements," combining tags, collages, and poetic texts; "On the trains, IONIC STATEMENTS are used as names for fame. These statements can be mega-structured to perform sentences and are called SIGN OVERTURES in this style of writing using Harpoons." Published as the thirty-sixth volume in the ArT Random series; text in both English and Japanese translation. Light bumping to lower edge of illustrated laminate boards, with minor blemish to front endpaper; near fine.

 $650.00

20. Mark Rothko

Mark Rothko: The Works on Canvas: Catalogue Raisonné

New Haven / Washington, DC: Yale University Press / National Gallery of Art, 1998. First Edition. Thick quarto. The first volume of the definitive Rothko catalogue raisonné, documenting his entire output of paintings on canvas and panel. With 834 works reproduced in color. Introduced by lengthy text from David Anfam; concluding with a comprehensive bibliography. A fine copy in black cloth boards, in illustrated jacket, also fine. Minor scuffing to cloth slipcase with illustrated panels; near fine.

$450.00

21. Ed Ruscha and Joe Goode

Joe Goode / Edward Ruscha

Balboa, California: Fine Arts Patrons of Newport Harbor, 1968. First Edition. Slim quarto. Published on the occasion of an exhibition of childhood friends Ed Ruscha and Joe Goode at the Balboa Pavilion Gallery (Mar. 27 – Apr. 21, 1968), with the front cover featuring a photograph of the two Oklahoma City-raised artists on horseback. The catalogue reproduces 17 of their works, some in color, accompanied by interpretive texts from Mason Williams, Henry T. Hopkins, and Ruscha's mother Dorothy: "I felt right proud when my son, Edward, and friend Joe asked me to write an introduction to this catalogue. I must confess I've never been able to pin either one down long enough to have the true meaning of their art explained. They are both masters of the evasive. If no more, this much is certain: these young artists are trail-blazing pioneers of their own thing." Light rubbing to clip-bound illustrated wrappers, with minor scuffing to rear panel; near fine.

$300.00

22. Christopher Williams

Printed in Germany (Red, Yellow, and Green)

Köln: Walther Konig, 2014. First Edition. Quarto; the work present here in its three variant states. Printed in Germany represents the second artist's book developed by Christopher Williams from-out-of his first major museum survey (The Production Line of Happiness), co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, MoMA, and Whitechapel Gallery. This work, "conceived to exist as a stand-alone visual object," creatively arranges Williams' photography without textual supplements; present here in the red, yellow, and green cover variants, each of which were designed with subtle differences in layout. All three volumes new in illustrated wrappers, still in publishers shrink-wrap. Uncommon as set.

$750.00

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