Arcana:

(BRODOVITCH, ALEXEY). Brodovitch, Alexey & Edwin Denby. New York: J.J. Augustin, Publisher, 1945. First Edition. Oblong 4to. Boards in Dust Jacket, Boxed. Photography Monograph. Very Good -/Good. 144pp, 104 illustrations in b&w gravure. In a protective clear acetate dustwrapper. Designed by Alexey Brodovitch. "Ballet" is renowned late graphic designer Alexey Brodovitch's iconic 1945 book of photographic vignettes capturing eleven performances by The Ballets Russes between 1935 and 1937. Noted for the innovative-at-the-time use of murky shadows and blurred dancers bathed in light, these arresting images of the likes of principals Leonide Massine, Tamara Toumanova, Irina Baronova, and more are accompanied by New York poet and dance critic Edwin Denby's brief but cogent text. An internally bright, most handsome example of the first and only edition of this uncommon classic (cited on pages 240-241 of Martin Parr and Gerry Badger's "The Photobook: A History Volume I, pages 136-137 of The Hasselblad Center's "The Open Book: A History of the Photographic Book from 1878 to the Present", and pages 110-113 of "The Book of 101 Books") still in its original notoriously fragile paper dust jacket designed by Brodovitch showing a few flattened soft creases to the front pastedown along with some minor brown spotting to the endpapers. It's highly sulfurous chipboard covers are lightly age-toned with a few brown spots. The book's striking jacket is complete and intact, but lightly worn, soiled, and foxed along the extremities. It is housed in a lavish custom brown cloth over boards clamshell presentation box with pastedowns reproducing the "Ballet" logo on the front cover and spine executed by Woonsocket, Rhode Island's esteemed Dragonfly Bindery. All in all, this is a sharp, internally solid copy of one of the most lauded post-war American photography books aided by the addition of a presentation box that looks far nicer in hand than it describes. Inventory Number: 026051