Within U.S.A.About this Item: San Francisco, 1964, 1964. In 1963, when Ed Ruscha published Twentysix Gasoline Stations, his first book, he sent two copies to the U.S.
Copyright Office, one to establish copyright, the other destined for the collection of the Library of Congress. Recognition for the young artist. As you might imagine, LC receives a great deal of copyright material that it cannot store forever: commercial catalogues, advertising material, and many self-published books, among others. Jennings Wood, Chief, Exchange and Gift Division, sent Ed a very polite letter on October 2, 1963, as follows: 'Dear Mr. Ruscha: I am, herewith, returning this copy of Twentysix Gasoline Stations, which the Library of Congress does not wish to add to its collection.
Ushbu 'O‘zbekcha-ruscha lug‘at' ta’lim rus tilida olib boriladigan maktablarning boshlang‘ich sinf o‘quvchilari uchun mo‘ljallangan.Ushbu lug‘atning leksik materialidan keyin kiritilgan so‘zlar, frazeologik oborotlar va tasvirlanayotgan hodisalarni tushunish va esda saqlab qolishga yordam beruvchi qiziqarli illustratsiyalar berilgan.
We are, nevertheless, deeply grateful for your thoughtful consideration of our interests.' Ed turned this seeming setback into one of the wittiest pieces ever to appear in Artforum: a five-inch display ad on p. 55 of the March 1964 issue (volume 2, number 9). The following text accompanies a photograph of a hand holding the book: 'REJECTED Oct. 2, 1963 by the Library of Congress Washington 25, D.C.
Copies available @ $3.00, National Excelsior 2351-1/2 Vestal Avenue Los Angeles 26, Calif. Wittenborn & Company 1018 Madison Avenue New York 21, New York.' A facsimile copy of this letter accompanies the issue. This is item M6 in Edward Ruscha: editions 1959-1989 (Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 1999). LC still does not own a copy of any edition of Twentysix Gasoline Stations, by the way. Later, Ruscha did layout and design work for Artforum, including the superbly inventive cover for the Surrealism issue, September 1966, volume 5, number 1 (see separate listing).
Several pristine copies available of this rare, March 1964 issue of Artforum. Richly illustrated (no color this early). 27 x 26.5 cm (about 11 inches square). Cover by Larry Rivers. Includes articles on recent American ceramic art (Voulkos, etc.), Shiko Munakata, Pop Art in Canada, and, most notably, John Coplans on Wallace Berman.Free domestic shipping with direct order. Seller Inventory # 69003 1. Within U.S.A.About this Item: Los Angeles: the artist, 1969, 1969.
Third edition, printed in 1969 by the Cunningham Press, Alhambra, California. 3000 copies, after 500 of the second edition (1967) and 400 numbered copies of the first edition (1962). Ruscha's first book-it all began here.
White paper covers with title in red, faded toward spine. 26 black-and-white plates (3 double-spread) on 48 pp.
17.9 x 14.1 cm. Fine in original glassine. The glassine is slightly tanned at spine and lacks the bottom 3 cm of the backstrip. The first photograph shows the book without glassine; the second includes the glassine.Free domestic or international shipping with direct order. Seller Inventory # 28002 4. Within U.S.A.About this Item: Edward Ruscha, Los Angeles, 1969. Third edition of Ruscha's first book, limited to 3000 copies (the first and second combined add another 900 copies); square 12mo, 7' x 5.5', pp.
46; grayscale images of gasoline stations around LA; fine in a fine glassine jacket, with only the slightest hint of wear to glassine edges. Ruscha is credited with the reinvention of the artist book, and this, his first of a series of similar projects, represents the beginning of this style. Seller Inventory # 53811 7. Within U.S.A.About this Item: np (1969), np, 1969. Condition: Near fine. Third edition.
Publisher's wraps in original glassine. SIGNED by Ruscha at inside front cover. Mild toning and chipping to glassine with price sticker at front flap and some creasing to flaps. Distributor sticker at final page. Trivial touches of wear to wraps at edges. Interior bright and clean.
Third edition of the first of Ruscha's sixteen books and an iconic early artist's book. Inspired by the look and feel of the books he encountered at the bouquiniste stands on the Left Bank during a 1961 trip to Paris, as well as his own work as a typesetter and printers devil, Ruscha self-published TWENTYSIX GAS STATIONS with an aesthetic reminiscent of iconic Editions Gallimard paperbacks. Conceiving first of the title, Ruscha took photographs to fill the requisite number on a road trip from Los Angeles to visit his mother in his hometown of Oklahoma City.
The photographs, labeled with the station name and location, together form a dotted line between LA and Oklahoma, creating out of these stoically framed images of banal locations a deep emotional resonance. Phillpot, CATALOGUE RAISONNE, 60. Seller Inventory # 17731 8. Within U.S.A.About this Item: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, 1962. Condition: near fine. Dust Jacket Condition: very good(+).
16mo, white wrappers lettered in red. Original glassine dust wrapper, chipped at the bottom edge & with a few light stains; small light stain on the front cover covering the letter 'T' and on the top edge. (Alhambra: Cunningham Press), 1962 (1967). Second Edition.
One of 500 unnumbered copies, this one bears presentation by Ruscha, 1969. His first book. Seller Inventory # 267201 10. Within U.S.A.About this Item: A National Excelsior Publication, Alhambra, California, 1963. First edition, one of 400 numbered copies of the artist's first book, this is number 180. Small octavo, original white wrappers, printed in red. Signed by Ed Ruscha on the title page.
Near fine in the rare original glassine. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Ed Ruscha's first book, a seminal 'bookwork', one of the most influential conceptual art works, it served as a kind of tonic, liberating the artists' book from many of its traditional emphases. 'The first book came out of a play with words.
The title came before I even thought about the pictures. I like the word 'gasoline' and I like the specific quality of 'twenty-six.' If you look at the book you will see how well the typography works - I worked on all that before I took the photographs. Above all, the photographs I use are not 'arty' in any sense of the word. One of the purposes of my book has to do with making a mass-produced object. The final product has a very commercial, professional feel to it. I have eliminated all text from my books - I want absolutely neutral material.
My pictures are not that interesting, nor the subject matter. My book is more like a collection of 'ready- 56 item 241 mades'. Edward Ruscha, Artforum interview, 1965; Lippard, Six Years: The dematerialization of the art object from 1966 to 1972, p.11. 'The most renowned series of artist's books in the history of the genre' (Parr & Badger, The Photobook: A History, Vol.
II; Castleman, A Century of Artists Books, p.167.). Seller Inventory # 97975 12. Within U.S.A.About this Item: A National Excelsior Publication, Alhambra, California, 1963. First edition, one of 400 numbered copies of the artist's first book. Small octavo, original white wrappers, printed in red. This example was one of Ruscha's personal author copies.
He presented this copy to a fellow artist whose parents owned Anderson, Ritchie & Simon-the printing firm that produced many of Ruscha's books.Presentation copy, inscribed by Ed Ruscha and additionally signed again by Ruscha on the dedication page. Spine slightly toned, near fine. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Ed Ruscha's first book, a seminal 'bookwork', one of the most influential conceptual art works, it served as a kind of tonic, liberating the artists' book from many of its traditional emphases. 'The first book came out of a play with words.
The title came before I even thought about the pictures. I like the word 'gasoline' and I like the specific quality of 'twenty-six.' If you look at the book you will see how well the typography works - I worked on all that before I took the photographs. Above all, the photographs I use are not 'arty' in any sense of the word.
One of the purposes of my book has to do with making a mass-produced object. The final product has a very commercial, professional feel to it. I have eliminated all text from my books - I want absolutely neutral material. My pictures are not that interesting, nor the subject matter. My book is more like a collection of 'ready- 56 item 241 mades'.
Edward Ruscha, Artforum interview, 1965; Lippard, Six Years: The dematerialization of the art object from 1966 to 1972, p.11. 'The most renowned series of artist's books in the history of the genre' (Parr & Badger, The Photobook: A History, Vol. II; Castleman, A Century of Artists Books, p.167.). Seller Inventory # 3101 13.