Hardcover. New York, Golden Press, 1st US, 1963, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, 462 pages. Hardcover. The fourth volume of the series 'The Arts of Mankind' edited by Andre Malraux and Georges Salles. Light foxing to preliminary pages, front and rear. Profusely illustrated with full color and black & white photographs. A massive volume on the highlights of Oceanic art. Part One reviews material conditions of Oceanian life, the social & religious systems, etc. Part Two is a Gazetteer of Styles with Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia & Polynesia grouped stylistically. Dust jacket with chipping, wear along edges. Clean, tight copy.
Hardcover. Cambridge MA, The MIT Press, 1sr, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright gold foil dust wrapper, 476 pages. The artist Francis Picabia -- notorious dandy, bon vivant, painter, poet, filmmaker, and polemicist -- has emerged as the Dadaist with postmodern appeal, and one of the most enigmatic forces behind the enigma that was Dada. In this first book in English to focus on Picabia's work in Paris during the Dada years, art historian and critic George Baker reimagines Dada through Picabia's eyes. Such reimagining involves a new account of the readymade -- Marcel Duchamp's anti-art invention, which opened fine art to mass culture and the commodity. But in Picabia's hands, Baker argues, the Dada readymade aimed to reinvent art rather than destroy it. Picabia's readymade opened art not just to the commodity, but to the larger world from which the commodity stems: the fluid sea of capital and money that transforms all objects and experiences in its wake. The book thus tells the story of a set of newly transformed artistic practices, claiming them for art history -- and naming them -- for the first time: Dada Drawing, Dada Painting, Dada Photography, Dada Abstraction, Dada Cinema, Dada Montage.Along the way, Baker describes a series of nearly forgotten objects and events, from the almost lunatic range of the Paris Dada "manifestations" to Picabia's polemical writings. Clean copy.
Softcover. Bright Mountain Books , 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 358 pages, b&w illustrations throughout, Sometimes called the Paris of the South, Asheville, North Carolina, is known for its grand mountain views, rich and diverse culture, deep-rooted artistic heritage, historic architecture, and the legendary Biltmore Estate. Asheville: Mountain Majesty is an excellent source for discovering, or rediscovering, these and other facets of the city and its history.A lifelong resident of Asheville and regional historian, author Lou Harshaw offers a firsthand look at the history and development of this magnificent city by drawing upon a host of historical sources as well as an extensive oral tradition. She follows the development of Asheville from village to town to city, always reflecting the feeling of the times. The result is a journey through time, documenting the evolution of one of the most intriguing cities in the United States.Asheville: Mountain Majesty is enhanced by a wealth of period images, complemented by the author's contemporary photography.
Hardcover. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1st, 1970, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket, b&w illustrations, 257 pages. Praised for its scope and depth, Asia in the Making of Europe is the first comprehensive study of Asian influences on Western culture. This is the second volume in a series that traces, century by century, the role of Asia in the making of Europe. The rise to world dominance of the Western nations in modern times and the rapid industrial growth of the West, which outpaced the East in technical and military achievements, have led to a historical eclipse of the ancient and brilliant cultures of Asia. Light foxing to dust jacket, edge of text block. No markings.
Softcover. NY, Bloomsbury, reprint, 2013, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 454 pages. Via writings by philosophers, cultural theorists, and composers, Audio Culture explores the interconnections among such forms as minimalism, indeterminacy, musique concrete, free improvisation, experimental music, avant-rock, dub reggae, Ambient music, HipHop, and Techno. Instead of focusing on the putative "crossover" between "high art" and "popular culture," Audio Culture takes all of these musics as experimental practices on par with, and linked to, one another. While cultural studies has tended to look at music (primarily popular music) from a sociological perspective, the concern here is philosophical, musical, and historical. Audio Culture includes writing by some of the most important musical thinkers of the past half-century, among them John Cage, Brian Eno, Glenn Gould, Umberto Eco, Ornette Coleman, Jacques Attali, Simon Reynolds, Pauline Oliveros, Paul D. Miller, David Toop, John Zorn, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and many others. The book is divided into nine thematically-organized sections, each with its own introduction. Section headings include topics such as "Modes of Listening," "Minimalisms," and "DJ Culture." In addition, each essay has its own short introduction, helping the reader to place the essay within musical, historical, and conceptual contexts. The book concludes with a glossary, a timeline, and an extensive discography. Clean, bright copy.
Hardcover. Sydney AU, George Allen & Unwin, 1st, 1983, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. Centenary history of the Sydney-based business Burns, Philip & Co. The company was firmly established as a merchant in Australia and throughout the South Pacific. The book is unique in relating this big mercantile firm to its customers, regardless of their culture. A rich and varied story of a truly Australian company and a major contribution to Australian business history. 392 pages, 24 b&w plates, endpapers map. Clean copy.
Hardcover. London, Carpet Bombing Culture, 1st, 2017, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 200 pages. Hardcover with no dust jacket. Very clean, unmarked copy. Full page color photographs throughout. Tight copy. A look deep inside the crumbling apocalyptic landscape of America through the eyes of Photojournalist Seph Lawless.
Hardcover. NY, Knopf`, 1st, 2019, Hardcover in a bright, unclipped dust jacket. Returning to his longtime home in Japan after his father-in-law's sudden death, Pico Iyer picks up the steadying patterns of his everyday rites: going to the post office and engaging in furious games of ping-pong every evening. But in a country whose calendar is marked with occasions honoring the dead, he comes to reflect on changelessness in ways that anyone can relate to: parents age, children scatter, and Iyer and his wife turn to whatever can sustain them as everything falls away. As the maple leaves begin to turn and the heat begins to soften, Iyer shows us a Japan we have seldom seen before, where the transparent and the mysterious are held in a delicate balance, and where autumn reminds us to take nothing for granted. Clean copy.
Softcover. NY, Gagosian, 1st, 2023, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 316 pages. Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Gagosian, New York, in 2023, this striking illustrated catalog celebrates the centenary of the iconic photographer's birth. Over one hundred celebrated artists, designers, musicians, writers, curators, and figures from the world of fashion were asked to select a photograph by Avedon and elaborate on the ways in which both the image and artist have made an impact on their lives. Participants include Hilton Als, Naomi Campbell, Elton John, Spike Lee, Sally Mann, Polly Mellen, Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Taryn Simon, Christy Turlington, and Jonas Wood."Avedon 100" celebrates Avedon's enduring influence on photography and makes clear his profound impression on visual culture worldwide. The book represents various periods from his oeuvre, including the widely known In the American West series, images of the social justice movement, classic portraiture, advertising, and fashion work. Includes a foreword by Larry Gagosian, texts by Derek Blasberg and Jake Skeets, and an essay by Sarah Elizabeth Lewis. Red remainder dot on bottom edge otherwise clean.
Hardcover. NY, Abrams, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 352 pages. Richard Avedon was one of the most sought-after and influential advertising photographers in America from the 1940s to the beginning of the 21st century, creating work that exemplified Madison Avenue at the height of its influence in world culture. Working with a talented cadre of models, copy writers, and art directors, Avedon made images that enticed consumers to embrace the new, especially in the areas of fashion and beauty, with campaigns for Revlon, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Dior, and Versace, among many others. Avedon Advertising tells this story, reproducing memorable ads that range from the buoyant 1940s and 1950s, when post-war prosperity opened up new experiences to consumers; through the explosive '60s; and into the era defined by celebrity culture and global brand awareness.
Softcover. Periplus Editions, reprint, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 362 pages. Presents graded courses in Bahasa Indonesia. It is used by universities all over the world and is accessible to those who wish to master the language through self-study at the intermediate and advanced levels. Most comprehensive approach to the Indonesian language and culture. Not a phrase book for travelers. Be prepared for university level curriculum. Logical in approach to all aspects of the language. Book One only. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Saturday Review Press, 1st, 1972, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a chipped, worn dust jacket, 252 pages. An account of the glitzy New York charity ball that attracts over 1000 debutantes, society dowagers, European aristocrats, oil-rich Texans and other assorted social climbers - all for a good cause. Clean copy, large chip from rear dj panel.
Softcover. New York, Museum for African Art, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 263 pages. Softcover with paper wrappers. Exhibition catalog, 9x12", color and b&w photographs of the art and culture of the Bamana people. Tight copy with only minor wear to wrappers.
Hardcover. NY, powerHouse Books, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 108 pages. In the basement of an apartment building in Manhattan, Scott Zieher discovered a pile of photographs among the effects of a recently deceased tenant. These photographs,presented for the first time in Band of Bikers, offer an intimate portrait of a group of gay bikers in the city and the woods, and a touching snapshot of an entire generation at it's carefree zenith.Newly aware of muscle and biker magazines and their heavy-handed eroticism, photographer and photographed brimwith a subtly vibrant, chromatic pride. The photographs as a whole bring into focus a brief, specific period of relative innocence, when middle-of-the-road Americans more often than not failed to perceive the homoerotic undertones of their most heterosexual of institutions. With conceptual light cast by issues ranging from anonymity in homosexuality and underground motorcycle chic, to vernacular photography's pop-culture ramifications, a warm and generous spirit of camaraderie pervades this subterranean survey. Like a real-world set forScorpio Rising casually captured byan unpretentious extra, presented as Band of Bikers and accompanied by an essay by Zieher, this found cache of old-school, leather party snapshots attains archeological significance.
Hardcover. NY, powerHouse Books, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 108 pages. In the basement of an apartment building in Manhattan, Scott Zieher discovered a pile of photographs among the effects of a recently deceased tenant. These photographs,presented for the first time in Band of Bikers, offer an intimate portrait of a group of gay bikers in the city and the woods, and a touching snapshot of an entire generation at it's carefree zenith.Newly aware of muscle and biker magazines and their heavy-handed eroticism, photographer and photographed brimwith a subtly vibrant, chromatic pride. The photographs as a whole bring into focus a brief, specific period of relative innocence, when middle-of-the-road Americans more often than not failed to perceive the homoerotic undertones of their most heterosexual of institutions. With conceptual light cast by issues ranging from anonymity in homosexuality and underground motorcycle chic, to vernacular photography's pop-culture ramifications, a warm and generous spirit of camaraderie pervades this subterranean survey. Like a real-world set forScorpio Rising casually captured byan unpretentious extra, presented as Band of Bikers and accompanied by an essay by Zieher, this found cache of old-school, leather party snapshots attains archeological significance.
Hardcover. Italy, Fabbri Editori, 1st, 1994, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 138 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. Italian text. Color pictures throughout. Light wear to cover edges. Previous owner's bookplate on front end cover.
Hardcover. Seattle, Fantagraphics, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 160 pages. Basil Wolverton's Culture Corner is a collection of gag cartoons by the legendary Mad Magazine artist in the form of an indispensable guide to demystifying life's most disconcerting social quandaries. With his fictional host, Croucher K. Conk, Q.O.C (Queer Old Coot), Wolverton would posit the problem and offer a uniquely Wolvertonian solution over seven or eight panels, each one a miniature masterpiece of scandalous visual humor. Wolverton's feature "Culture Corner" originally appeared monthly from 1945 to 1952. Each episode would tackle a different subject from the practical to the pixilated -"How to cross a busy street" to "How to tweak a beak." Revered by aficionados, it contains some of Wolverton's most outrageous drawing and his trademarked lexicon of wacky wordplay
Hardcover. London, Peter Owen , 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 256 pages. An acclaimed and most unusual biography of Baudelaire, showing him ensnared by his passions for poetry, prostitutes, and drugs.A crucial link between romanticism and modernism, Charles Baudelaire is a pivotal figure in European literature and thought. His influence on modern poetry is immense. In the English language, where his literary reputation is less well known, it is his link with drug culture that gives him contemporary resonance. It is commonly known that Baudelaire used opium. Many writers have described him as being addicted to the drug, but none of his biographers, Frank Hilton argues, has fully understood the effect of opiate addiction on the personality and, in the case of Baudelaire, the extent to which it damaged his life and work. In this original contribution to Baudelaire studies Hilton contends that the drug is at the root of all Baudelaire's problems and in particular--something that constantly tormented him--his chronic inability to apply himself to any prolonged creative work. Unquestionably, there is significantly more to Baudelaire than his opium addiction. But a proper awareness of what it did to the poet helps to illuminate those puzzling aspects of his life and behavior that were not previously understood. Written with the general reader in mind, Baudelaire in Chains will give those who know little or nothing about him a comprehensive picture of his life. To those who know a great deal it will present him in an unexpected light.
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.
Hardcover. New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1st, 1960, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, 177 pages. Hardcover. Illustrated with black & white photographs. Price clipped dust jacket with wear along edges - now protected with clear plastic cover. Clean, tight copy. Report on the men and women who lived in the South and created work songs, spirituals, blues, and jazz.
Hardcover. NY, Vendome Press, 1st, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 208 pages. Beene by Beene is a journey through Geoffrey Beene's life in fashion, a 40-year exploration that was, by turns, visionary, witty, irreverent, iconic, and timeless. His work was of such powerful clarity, such complete complicity between form and function that it actually teaches us-as all works of art do-how to look. A defining American artist, Geoffrey Beene towers in his field.Pamela A. Parmal provides a chronological survey of Mr. Beene's career as a fashion designer and discusses the evolution of his work. Chapters focus on themes or influences-Woman, Body, Fabric, Comfort, Geometry, Sport, Culture-that were a constant source of inspiration to the designer. Beene won the attention and admiration of other artists, and here we see his work through the eyes of renowned photographers and illustrators, even filmmakers and choreographers.
Softcover. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, reprint, 1978, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 414 pages. A work of literary criticism in which Said differentiates between the concept of "origin" and "beginning", also reflecting reflexively on the role of criticism and of the intellectual within a larger culture. 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.