art history

Hardcover. Washington, Smithsonian Books, 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 292 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. Color and black and whote photos throughout. Clean, tight copy. The Smithsonian holds more than 13 million images spanning over 150 years of taking and collecting photographs. This largely unknown body of photography (most never before published) represents nothing less than the Smithsonian's effort, in the name of all Americans, to describe and comprehend the world. Open anywhere in these pages to be plunged into the history of our modernity, and see what the Smithsonian deemed important to document and preserve. The famous, the infamous, and the never-before-seen are here in a remarkable "democracy of images": Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, P.T. Barnum and Tom Thumb, John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Lucille Ball, Greta Garbo, Babe Ruth; the earliest views of the moon and the earliest panoramic view of Damascus; rare Native American photography; views of Asia, Africa, and the American West; photographs of early flight, and much, much more. By recording the act of seeing, and of what was seen, both photography and the Smithsonian have shaped our sense of ourselves, as individuals, as a people, and as a country.

Hardcover. Cambridge MA, The MIT Press, 1st thus, 1986, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. August Sander (1876-1964) spent his life intending to create a collective portrait of the German people, an undertaking which remained incomplete at the time of his death. This reconstruction by Keller, a professor of art history, in collaboration with Gunther Sander, the photographer's son, was compiled from Sander's notes and negatives. The photographs cover the years of the Kaisers, the Weimar Republic, the Nazi regime, and the early Federal Republic and have become a landmark in the history of photography. 512 pages; 431 full-page duo-toned b&w plates + 75 text illustrations; 9.25 x 11.75 inches. Bibliography. Clean copy. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Hardcover. Munich/NY, Prestel, 1st, 2019, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 304 pages. Featuring 60 subjects from August Sander's People of the 20th Century along with another 100 brilliant images from his large-scale project, this book presents a selection of the most stunning images from the photographer's monumental work. August Sander is one of the greatest photographers in international photographic history. With his seminal book People of the 20th Century, he set new standards in portrait photography. Sander's aspiration was to create a typological "composite image" of his time. The ambitious project began in the 1910s and was to occupy him through the 1950s. A novel feature of this book is that all the reproductions are based on vintage prints produced and authorized by August Sander himself. The croppings and the desired tonal values are authentically rendered here for the first time in the long publication history of Sander's brilliant portrait work. The originals are from the rich holdings of the Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur in Cologne and from additional major collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. Like new in publisher's shrinkwrap. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Softcover. NY, Aperture, 1st pbk, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover. Catalog of an exhibition presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art from Mar. 1-Apr. 27, 1980, to travel to major institutions throughout the United States. A special combined issue of Aperture Magazine. 128 pages, photo illustrated in b&w. Historical commentary by Robert Kramer. Also includes a chronology and bibliography. Clean copy.

Softcover. NY, Aperture, 1st pbk, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover. Catalog of an exhibition presented by the Philadelphia Museum of Art from Mar. 1-Apr. 27, 1980, to travel to major institutions throughout the United States. A special combined issue of Aperture Magazine. 128 pages, photo illustrated in b&w. Historical commentary by Robert Kramer. Also includes a chronology and bibliography. Clean copy.

Hardcover. University of Nebraska, 1st, 1996, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a dust jacket with minor fading to edges, b&w illustrations, 179 pages. Contemporary feminist critics have often described Surrealism as a misogynist movement. In Automatic Woman, Katharine Conley addresses this issue, confirming some feminist allegations while qualifying and overturning others. Through insightful analyses of works by a range of writers and artists, Conley develops a complex view of Surrealist portrayals of Woman. Conley begins with a discussion of the composite image of Woman developed by such early male Surrealists as Andre Breton, Francis Picabia, and Paul Eluard. She labels that image "Automatic Woman"--a term that comprises views of Woman as provocative and revolutionary but also as a depersonalized object largely devoid of individuality and volition. This analysis largely confirms feminist critiques of Surrealism. The heart of the book, however, examines the writings of Leonora Carrington and Unica Zurn, two women in the Surrealist movement whose works, Conley argues, anticipate much contemporary feminist art and theory. In concluding, Conley shows how Breton's own views on women evolved in the course of his long career, arriving at last at a position far more congenial to contemporary feminists.

Hardcover. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 1st, 2017, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 720 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. A very clean, unmarked copy with only minor dust jacket wear. Black and white images throughout. A tight copy.

Hardcover. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 1st, 2017, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 720 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. A very clean, unmarked copy with only minor dust jacket wear. Black and white images throughout. A tight copy.

Hardcover. NY, Canongate , 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dustjacket, 694 pages. Destined to become a classic on the subject alongside Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me , Babylon's Burning is a groundbreaking, definitive account of punk rock, one of the most influential and lasting music movements in history--a movement that ironically was built on self-annihilation. Acclaimed critic Clinton Heylin seamlessly weaves together the lives of disparate artists who had in common not the music (there was no distribution) but the pictures, words, and fashions depicted in magazines like Creem and NME . It was a sound that eschewed conventional lyrics, promoted a gutteral musicality but yet contained a keen pop sensibility. Whether exploring the work of early progenitors like Suicide, The New York Dolls, and Patti Smith or charting the progress of the bands who legitimately took up the mantle in the eighties and nineties, Clinton Heylin brings to life the strands of a global artform. From the Sex Pistols's clarion call of a record, "Never Mind the Bollocks," to Kurt Cobain's songs of an alienated youth, Babylon's Burning is the brilliant, exhaustively researched story that once and for all defines what Punk is and is not.

Softcover. New Haven CT, Yale University Press, 1st, 2009, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 128 pages, softcover. This striking collection of photographs features nearly every important figure in the world of rock & roll, from Elvis to Eric Clapton, the Beatles to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix to John Coltrane. The more than fifty photographers who contribute to the volume are among the most talented in their field, including Lee Friedlander, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, Mick Rock, and many more. Like new in publishers shrink-wrap.

Hardcover. Washington D.C, National Portrait Gallery, 1st, 2014, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover. Like new in publisher's shrink-wrap. For this exclusive collection of postcards, David Bailey, one of the worlds most distinguished and distinctive photographers, has chosen a selection of images from his archive some familiar, others previously unseen. This box of 36 portraits, reminiscent of Baileys acclaimed Box of Pin - Ups (1965), demonstrates the extraordinary range of people that he has captured during his long career;

Hardcover. Washington DC, National Portrait Gallery, 1st, 2014, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover. Like new in publisher's shrink-wrap. For this exclusive collection of postcards, David Bailey, one of the worlds most distinguished and distinctive photographers, has chosen a selection of images from his archive some familiar, others previously unseen. This box of 36 portraits, reminiscent of Baileys acclaimed Box of Pin - Ups (1965), demonstrates the extraordinary range of people that he has captured during his long career;

Hardcover. NY, Atheneum, 1st, 1970, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. 245 pages. B&w illustrations and photographs throughout. Decorated endpapers. Decorative pink stain to top edge. Private library stamp on front endpaper. Otherwise clean. Entertaining recount of the pivotal battle of the Crimean War. Includes bibliography & index. Excellent collection of period photographs and artwork.

Middlesex, Baltimore, Victoria, Penguin Books, 1st, 1965, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover, burgundy cloth covers in an edgeworn dust jacket. 370 pages, 200 black-and-white illustrations, 32 figures as drawings (floor plans, sectional and frontal views, etc), maps. Translated from the German by Elisabeth Hempel and Marguerite Kay. Clean. No slipcase.

Hardcover. New Haven CT, Yale University Press, 1st, 1968, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket, ex-library copy with residue to endpapers, stamping to copyright page, spine sticker. 155 pages, illustrated with color and sepia tone plates. Documents the years when John Russell Bartlett (1805-1886)was commissioner of the Mexican Boundary Survey of 1850. A very nice collection of images drawn by a better than average hand. They depict the scenes witnessed by Bartlett along with a biographical text recounting the artist and his travels.

Softcover. NY, DC Comics, reprint, 2005-09, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Seven softcover volumes. Collects the earliest adventures of Batman and Robin as they battle a variety of villains including the Monk and the Joker. The early adventures of Batman including his very first appearance in Detective Comics and his first solo comic are included in Volume 1, the first of a series that prints every Batman story in order. While the dialogue and artwork and plots are very basic and crude which is normal for early comics, it does show how Batman started with the basic familiar origin story still there. The action is set in New York, not Gotham and the art is by Bob Kane, the original creator. The first 7 volumes in the series are offered here.

Softcover. NY, Watson-Guptill, 1st pbk, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 292 pages. A detailed resource on the comics and collectibles inspired by the classic character provides close-up photography and information on everything Batman, from the history of the character's graphic design to sixteen new pages of obscure memorabilia. Chip Kidd, who also wrote a neat "Batman Animated" coffee able book on the well-loved and critically acclaimed "Batman: The Animated Series" that debuted in 1992, turns here to the hobby (and serious business, for some) of collecting. He includes his own childhood remembrances of Bat-items, as well as wonderfully quirky photography. This book, full-color throughout, is not a "guide" to the collectibles, as it does not include price values or manufacturers (it does give the year and dimensions for each piece pictured). Plus, there is an editorial comment on the Andy Warhol Batman piece that's got a bit of an attitude. Clean copy.

Hardcover. New York, Sterling, reprint, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. Originally published in 1990 by Kitchen Sink Press. Color throughout. 208 pages. When Bob Kane's seminal Batman first reached newspapers during World War II, only a small group of papers published it. So the early Batman and Robin comic strips have remained among the most elusive works in comics' history. Not anymore: these rare Sunday color pages are now reprinted in a generously sized format worthy of their importance. The many fans of the Caped Crusader will thrill to see Batman and the Boy Wonder do battle once again with both common thugs and outrageous villains in order to save Gotham City from plot after evil plot. Making their nefarious way across these illustrated panels are some of the Caped Crusader's most indelible adversaries, including the Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, and Two-Face. In addition to behind-the-scenes information and rare promotional materials, this deluxe edition collects the first four years of the classic Batman and Robin newspaper comics exactly as written and illustrated by the strip's most famous writers and artists. Among the classic stories are: ?The Penguin's Crime-Thunderstorms," ?Catwoman's Grasshopper Chase," and ?Half Man?Half Monster."

Hardcover. New Yory, Sterling, reprint, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. Originally published in 1990 by Kitchen Sink Press. Color throughout. 208 pages.

Hardcover. 5 Continents, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 10" x 11.5", together with dust jacket, new, still in shrinkwrap. 196 pages, illustrated in color. Ceil Pulitzer started her journey as a collector of African art more than thirty years ago. Her artistic spirit has drawn her to all forms of culture and human expression across time and space. As a dedicated painter, she has relentlessly exercised her eye in the study of art and art history. As a collector of modern art first, she understood that African art shaped the trajectory of twentieth-century art. Later, in Paris, she met the venerable expert and legendary dealer of African art, Charles Ratton. In one brief meeting, he said to her: "You have a good eye." This encounter distilled her passion and pursuit of excellence in classical African art. The Ceil and Michael Pulitzer Foundation has developed and supported a number of philanthropic endeavors in Africa, and in major institutions that promote the art of Africa and humanitarian efforts there.

Softcover. Berkeley CA, University of California Press, 1st, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 232 pages. "Professor DeNora's achievement in placing Beethoven, and the reception of Beethoven's music, in social context is all the more impressive because it goes so much against the grain of conventional habits of thought. In illuminating how changing social institutions created opportunities for Beethoven to gain contemporary and posthumous recognition, and, in so doing, created new forms for thinking and talking about musical achievement-the author at once provides fresh insights into the institutional origins of 'classical' music and offers an exemplary contribution to the sociological study of the arts." Clean copy.

Softcover. NY, Skyhorse, 1st, 2014, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 361 pages, b&w illustrations. Burlesque was one of America's most popular forms of live entertainment in the first half of the 20th century. Gaudy, bawdy, and spectacular, the shows entertained thousands of paying customers every night of the week. And yet the legacy of burlesque is often vilified and misunderstood, left out of the history books.By telling the intimate and surprising stories from its golden age through the women (and men!) who lived it, Behind the Burly Q reveals the true story of burlesque, even as it experiences a new renaissance. Lovingly interviewed by burlesque enthusiast Leslie Zemeckis who produced the hit documentary of the same name, are former musicians, strippers, novelty acts, club owners, authors, and historians--assembled here for the first time ever to tell you just what really happened in a burlesque show. From Jack Ruby and Robert Kennedy to Abbott and Costello--burlesque touched every corner of American life. The sexy shows often poked fun at the upper classes, at sex, and at what people were willing to do in the pursuit of sex. Sadly, many of the performers have since passed away, making this their last, and often only interview. Behind the Burly Q is the definitive history of burlesque during its heyday and an invaluable oral history of an American art form. Funny, shocking, unbelievable, and heartbreaking, their stories will touch your hearts. We invite you to peek behind the curtain at the burly show.

Softcover. US, University of Illinois Press, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 190 pages, illustrated throughout in b&w. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to wrappers. The paintings, murals, and graphics of Ben Shahn (1898-1969) have made him one of the most heralded American artists of the twentieth century, but during the 1930s he was also among the nation's premier photographers. Much of his photographic work was sponsored by the New Deal's Farm Security Administration, where his colleagues included Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.Ben Shahn's American Scene: Photographs, 1938 presents one hundred superb photographs from his most ambitious FSA project, a survey of small-town life in the Depression. John Raeburn's accompanying text illuminates the thematic and formal significance of individual photographs and reveals how, taken together, they address key cultural and political issues of the years leading up to World War II. Shahn's photographs highlight conflicts between traditional values and the newer ones introduced by modernity as represented by the movies, chain stores, and the tantalizing allure of consumer goods, and they are particularly rich in observation about the changes brought about by Americans' universal reliance on the automobile. They also explore the small town's standing as the nation's symbol of democratic community and expose the discriminatory social and racial practices that subverted this ideal in 1930s America.

Softcover. US, University of Illinois Press, 1st, 2010, Book: Near Fine, Dust Jacket: None, 190 pages, illustrated throughout in b&w. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to wrappers. The paintings, murals, and graphics of Ben Shahn (1898-1969) have made him one of the most heralded American artists of the twentieth century, but during the 1930s he was also among the nation's premier photographers. Much of his photographic work was sponsored by the New Deal's Farm Security Administration, where his colleagues included Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.Ben Shahn's American Scene: Photographs, 1938 presents one hundred superb photographs from his most ambitious FSA project, a survey of small-town life in the Depression. John Raeburn's accompanying text illuminates the thematic and formal significance of individual photographs and reveals how, taken together, they address key cultural and political issues of the years leading up to World War II. Shahn's photographs highlight conflicts between traditional values and the newer ones introduced by modernity as represented by the movies, chain stores, and the tantalizing allure of consumer goods, and they are particularly rich in observation about the changes brought about by Americans' universal reliance on the automobile. They also explore the small town's standing as the nation's symbol of democratic community and expose the discriminatory social and racial practices that subverted this ideal in 1930s America.