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ART FORMS IN NATURE: EXAMPLES FROM THE PLANT WORLD PHOTOGRAPHED DIRECT FROM NATURE BY PROFESSOR KARL BLOSSFELDT
(BLOSSFELDT, KARL). Blossfeldt, Karl. Edited, and with a Foreword by Karl Nierendorf. London: A. Zwemmer, 1929. First British Edition. 4to. Gilt-Stamped Linen Over Boards. Photography Monograph. Very Good -/No Jacket. xvi + 240pp, 120 gravure illustrations. In a protective clear acetate dustwrapper. Perhaps the most sought after book of photographic images from the plant world, the elegant gravure plates from Karl Blossfeldt's "Art Forms in Nature" matted and framed have become de rigeur decoration for the walls of many a contemporary interior. As a result, complete copies of the desirable late twenties editions - printed on the recto only of the heavy stock - have become increasingly scarce and sought-after. A most presentable, complete example of the first printing of the 1929 A. Zwemmer English language edition (whose 1928 Ernst Wasmuth predecessor is cited on page 96 of Martin Parr and Gerry Badger's "The Photobook: A History Volume I", pages 66-67 of The Hasselblad Center's "The Open Book", and pages 48-49 of "The Book of 101 Books") lacking its dust jacket whose front cover gilt lettering and ornament are still bright. There is abrading to the green cloth at both the heel and crown of the spine, and a few unobtrusive small brown spots to the endpapers, but otherwise the boards appear fresh and nice with the binding and textblock tight and clean. It bears a slight crimp to a portion of the bottom edge of the textblock, but the plates themselves are exceptionally fresh and unmarred. All in all this is an unusually nice copy of a stellar book. Inventory Number: 025040