Arcana:

(BEARD, PETER). Turle, Gillies, Mark Greenberg & Peter Beard. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992. First Edition. 4to. Cloth in Pictorial Dust Jacket. Photography Monograph. Fine/Fine. 164pp, 115 b&w and 80 color illustrations. Designed by Virginia Tan. "The Art of the Maasai" presents for the first time three hundred extraordinary ceremonial artifacts - discovered by Gillies Turle and never before seen outside the villages to which they belong - that were created over many generations by members of the Maasai tribe of Kenya. What makes their discovery particularly exciting is that high art has been found in a part of the world in which, until now, it was believed no art had ever been created. The ceremonial objects brought together here are extraordinary, and Peter Beard's photographs of them are in themselves works of art. This is a book whose publication is an event in the worlds of art and African culture". A brand new, most handsome example of the 1992 Alfred A. Knopf first hardbound edition additionally BOLDLY SIGNED AND INSCRIBED "to Lee with gruntings and / greetings / (infinite)Ly / Peter / Beard" in black ink across the title page with Peter Beard's thumbprint in dark grey ink under which he has annotated "#37610" OVER A COLLAGED 4 x 6" color c-print from the sequence of images of the photographer famously being tossed by a charging Rhinoceros along with a piece of snakeskin. 0-394-58323-X Inventory Number: 026349

(LANG, CHARLES B.). Starr, Frederick. Chicago, IL: Printed for the Author by the Lakeside Press, 1899. First Edition 1/560. Oblong Small Folio. Gilt-Debossed Cloth in Jacket. Photography Monograph. Very Good -/No Jacket. xxxii + cxli (350pp), 141 monochrome gravure illustrations. "Indians of Southern Mexico: An Ethnographic Album" is Frederick Starr's beautifully illustrated ethnographic survey of the indigenous peoples of the southern states of Mexico at the close of the nineteenth century. It was printed for the author in 1899 utilizing letterpress and gravure in an edition of five hundred and sixty copies only at Chicago's fabled Lakeside Press. Reproducing photographers Charles B. Lang and Bedros Tartarian's albumen images from the author's 1896 and 1898 expeditions amongst the Aztec, Chontal, Cuicatec and Chinantec, Juave, Mixe, Mixtec, Otomi, Tarascan, Tehuantepecano, Tlaxcalan, Triqui, and Zapotec tribes along with a descriptive text, to this day it remains a standard work in the field. A handsome copy of this elegant tome NUMBERED (440/560) AND SIGNED "Frederick Starr" in black ink on the front colophon, as issued, showing only minor wear to the extremities and tips of its still bright, navy blue gilt-debossed cloth along with a few insignificant surface abrasions to the front and rear boards. With one hundred and forty-one photographic plates and weighing nearly eleven pounds, this title's binding and hinges are notoriously fragile. The massive textblock exhibits some typical play and slight pulling to the signatures, however it remains remarkably sturdy given its age and weight. The rear hinge is well preserved but for two small starts, with the front hinge revealing some separating along its length that has been securely repaired using archival adhesive without the need for reinforcement. The endpapers and edges show light wear and soiling, while the plates are bright and crisp with the occasional minor blemish to the margins. This particular example from the edition of five hundred impressions on "heavy plate paper" was exhibited in the 1993 Museum show "Mexico Through Foreign Eyes: 1850-1990" curated by Carole Naggar and Fred Ritchin, and is reproduced in its comprehensive catalogue published by W.W. Norton. All in all, it is a spectacular age-appropriate copy of this exceptionally striking and important Mexican ethnography. PLEASE NOTE: Additional shipping costs are required for this item beyond our standard rates due to its weight and value - we will inform you of the applicable amount at time of purchase. Inventory Number: 019354

(MEISELAS, SUSAN). Meiselas, Susan. Göttingen, GERMANY & New York. 1976 (2003).: Steidl & The International Center of Photography, 2003. First Edition. 4to. Pictorial Boards. Photography Monograph. As New/No Jacket - As Issued. 96pp, profusely illustrated in color and b&w. "In her most recent body of work, acclaimed photographer Susan Meiselas pieces together verbal and visual traces of encounters with the Dani - an indigenous people of the West Papuan highlands of New Guinea from the nearly six decades since their "discovery" by the West. In this subjective, fragmentary history, Meiselas draws from the experiences of missionaries, colonists, anthropologists and modern-day ecotourists, all of whom have come to the Dani's Baliem Valley and transformed the conditions under which they live. The ambiguous relations between power and representation - whether in the form of Dutch colonial patrol notes from the 1930s, the sensationalized media accounts of the survivors of a downed U.S. army plane in "Shangri-La" from the 1940s or a tourist’s snapshots from the 1990s - become visible in Meiselas's book, through both the contradictions and unexpected continuities of the gathered materials". Published in conjunction with the 2003 exhibition "Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video", this is a beautifully produced collage-like companion to the photographer's 1997 work; "Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History". A brand new, pristine example of the 2003 first edition (cited on page 245 of Fred Ritchin and Carole Naggar's "Magnum Photobook: A Catalogue Raisonné") additionally SIGNED AND DATED by Susan Meiselas in silver marker on the title page. PLEASE NOTE: Additional shipping costs are required for this item beyond our standard rates due to its weight - we will inform you of the applicable amount at time of purchase. 3-88243-930-0 Inventory Number: 007334

(MORTENSEN, VIGGO). Mortensen, Viggo, Mike Davis, James Mooney & Sonny Richards. Santa Monica, CA: Perceval Press, 2003. First Edition. Oblong 4to. Printed Boards. Photography Monograph. As New/No Jacket - As Issued. 64pp, profusely illustrated in color and b&w. "Miyelo is comprised of a series of large-scale, panoramic photographs of a Lakota Ghost Dance, taken from a single roll of film in March of 2003. The images record a re-creation of the dance that was originally performed by members of Chief Big Foot's band on December 29, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. The intent was to capture the event as a delirious remembrance, an ephemeral dream. Accompanying these and other related images is extensive literary and historical documentation of the period during which the Ghost Dance originated, leading up to and beyond the tragic massacre at Wounded Knee. With selected first-hand accounts of the event, as well as modern-day commentary and a comprehensive bibliography, Miyelo gives the reader an overview that otherwise might only be gained from examining a myriad of sources". A brand new, most handsome example of the unavailable first hardbound edition of actor/artist/musician/poet/all-around renaissance guy Viggo Mortensen's compelling cultural document still in the publisher's shrinkwrap. 0-9721436-7-X Inventory Number: 021066

(MORTENSEN, VIGGO). Mortensen, Viggo, Mike Davis, James Mooney & Sonny Richards. Santa Monica, CA: Perceval Press, 2003. First Edition. Oblong 4to. Printed Boards. Photography Monograph. As New/No Jacket - As Issued. 64pp, profusely illustrated in color and b&w. "Miyelo is comprised of a series of large-scale, panoramic photographs of a Lakota Ghost Dance, taken from a single roll of film in March of 2003. The images record a re-creation of the dance that was originally performed by members of Chief Big Foot's band on December 29, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. The intent was to capture the event as a delirious remembrance, an ephemeral dream. Accompanying these and other related images is extensive literary and historical documentation of the period during which the Ghost Dance originated, leading up to and beyond the tragic massacre at Wounded Knee. With selected first-hand accounts of the event, as well as modern-day commentary and a comprehensive bibliography, Miyelo gives the reader an overview that otherwise might only be gained from examining a myriad of sources". A brand new, most handsome example of the unavailable first hardbound edition of actor/artist/musician/poet/all-around renaissance guy Viggo Mortensen's compelling cultural document still in the publisher's shrinkwrap. 0-9721436-7-X Inventory Number: 018335

(OCTOBER). Copjec, Joan, Douglas Crimp, Rosalind Krauss, Annette Michelson & Christopher Phillips, Editors. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Journals, 1985. First Edition. 8vo. Printed Wrappers. Journal. Good +.. 120pp, illustrated in b&w. At the forefront of contemporary arts theory and criticism, "October" has for over thirty-five years focused critical attention on the contemporary arts and their various contexts of interpretation: film, painting, music, photography, performance, sculpture, literature. Contributions to this issue include: On Poetry and Trans-Sense Language - Viktor Shklovsky; Chapters from an Artist's Autobiography - Kazimir Malevich; The "Primitive" Unconscious of Modern Art - Hal Foster; Sly Civility - Homi K. Bhabha; Photography and Fetish - Christian Metz; An Interview with Bill Viola - Raymond Bellour. A most presentable example showing some light overall soiling and handling along with two diagonal soft creases to the covers. It has been priced accordingly. 0-262-75184-4 Inventory Number: 021672

Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Canberra, AUSTRALIA: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1972. First Edition. 4to. Printed Stapled Wrappers. Journal. Very Good -.. 36 + 14pp. This is the May 1972 installment of the Newsletter of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. A most presentable example bearing the neat ink ownership inscription of well-known ethnomusicologist Dr. Elizabeth May on the front cover, with the first published Index to the Newsletter (covering the years 1963-1970) laid in, as issued. Inventory Number: 004965

Cole, Herbert M.. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1983. First Edition. 8vo. Stapled Illustrated Wrappers. Good -.. 29pp, profusely illustrated in b&w. With a bibliography and exhibition checklist. Published in conjunction with a 1983 Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition, this is noted art historian and curator Herbert M. Cole's study of matched pairs of male and female sculptural figures in the art of Sub-Saharan Africa. A presentable example only showing a discoloring dampstain (but with no sticking or tearing of the pages) running through the covers and textblock from the heel of the spine along the lower edge. It has been priced accordingly. Inventory Number: 018963

Cole, Herbert M. & Doran H. Ross. Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1977. First Edition. 4to. Pictorial Wrappers. Ethnographic Art Monograph. Fine.. 230pp, profusely illustrated in color and b&w. "The Arts of Ghana" is the vibrant, authoritative catalogue for a 1977 touring exhibition of Ghanaian Art curated by two of the preeminent scholars in the field; Herbert Cole and Doran Ross. The assembled pieces include domestic, utilitarian, cult, and state objects demonstrate the variety and complexity of the tribal arts of Ghana as well as the skills of the makers. A brand new, most handsome example of the paperbound edition of this still vital reference. LC-77-89769 Inventory Number: 024264

Donnan, Christopher B.. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin America Center Publications / University of California, 1976. First Edition. 4to. Boards in Dust Jacket. Very Good/Very Good -. 146pp, 128 b&w and 16 color illustrations. With a bibliography. Published by the UCLA Latin America Center in 1976, this is the second monograph devoted to Moche material culture written by the preeminent American researcher on the subject, Christopher Donnan. A handsome example bearing a bold ink ownership inscription of the noted late Los Angeles artist and collector Emerson Woelffer in his hand on the first preliminary whose dust jacket shows a short closed tear with some attendant creasing on the front near the crown of the spine. 0-87903-033-X Inventory Number: 016169

Dupree, Nancy Hatch. Markus Hakansson, Editor. Stockholm, SWEDEN. 2008 (2011): Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. Second Edition. Large Square 8vo. Pictorial Boards. Fine/No Jacket - As Issued. 192pp, profusely illustrated in color and b&w. Text in English. "Afghanistan Over a Cup of Tea" is a collection of essays written between 1995 and 2007 by the estimable Nancy Hatch Dupree. It offers the unique views of the woman dubbed "Afghanistan's Grandmother" on a wide range of topics including the Taliban movement, Afghan culture, sport, the status of women, the need for improved health care and education, and the current challenges to progress in her adopted homeland. According to editor Markus Hakansson, Dupree is perhaps the world's foremost living expert on the region. She embodies the Afghan memories of the many and difficult war years, and has worked for decades to improve the quality of life for the peoples of this deeply damaged but life-affirming country. Illustrated with scores of photographs, it contains a rare account of Ms. Dupree's own fascinating life, and is a must-read for anyone interested in Afghanistan and its renowned and cherished benefactor. A brand new, most handsome example of the exceedingly uncommon 2011 second edition - only eight copies of both editions are currently cited in OCLC WorldCat - updated with a further twelve commentaries additionally SIGNED "Nancy Hatch Dupree" in ink on the title page. 91-86936-25-5 Inventory Number: 027204

Jones, Ruth. London: International African Institute, 1961. Later Printing. 4to. Spiral Bound Wrappers. Good +.. 61pp, no illustrations. Devoted entirely to South-East Central Africa and Madagascar, this is one of a series of four bibliographies compiled by librarian Ruth Jones from the comprehensive card indexes of London's International African Institute. A most presentable example of this important reference showing some overall wear and soft creases to its cardstock covers as well as some typical slight discoloration to the extremities. It has been priced accordingly. Inventory Number: 005398

Lehuard, Raoul. Arnouville, FRANCE: Arts D'Afrique Noir, 1980. First Edition. 4to. Cloth in Pictorial Dust Jacket. African Art Monograph. Fine/Fine. 268pp, 139 b&w illustrations. Text in French. With a bibliography. Published as part of the "Arts D'Afrique Noir" monographs, this substantial volume by noted African art historian Raoul Lehuard is a comprehensive stylistic study of the wood and metal fetish figures of the Kongo and Nkonde peoples of Southern Zaire. A most handsome example of this uncommon, authoritative reference. PLEASE NOTE: Additional shipping costs are required for this item beyond our standard rates due to its weight and value - we will inform you of the applicable amount at time of purchase. Inventory Number: 019528

Stone, Ruth M., & Frank J. Gillis. Foreword by Alan P. Merriam. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1975. First Edition. 8vo. Cloth. Ethnomusicology Monograph. Fine/No Jacket - As Issued. 412pp, no illustrations. This is a comprehensive, hardbound scholarly catalogue based on the African Field Recordings Survey that provides concise summaries of collections of phonorecordings of music and oral data held by individuals and institutions throughout the world. A brand new, most handsome example. PLEASE NOTE: Additional shipping costs are required for this item beyond our standard rates due to its weight - we will inform you of the applicable amount at time of purchase. 0-253-30262-5 Inventory Number: 004980

Wolfe, Ernie III. With Contributions by Clive Barker, LeVar Burton, Deirdre Evans-Pritchard, Walter Hill, Anjelica Huston, John Milius, Roy Sieber, Paul Hayes Tucker, Gus Van Sant & John Yau. Los Angeles: Dilettante Press & Kesho Press, 2000. First Edition. 4to. Illustrated Wrappers. Film Monograph. Fine.. 305pp, profusely illustrated in color. This is noted African Art scholar Ernie Wolfe's extraordinary compendium of vivid, vulgar and outrageous examples of indigenous Ghanaian vernacular movie advertisements. These hand-painted, one-of-a-kind canvases typically adorn local video stores. Resembling vintage American carnival sideshow banners, their lurid images may or may not have anything to do with the actual content of the film they are representing. These posters are both amusing, and poignant in their irony of promoting Hollywood's excesses in the dry, dusty West African villages in which they hang. The list of essayists is also remarkable, featuring Clive Barker, LeVar Burton, Deirdre Evans-Pritchard, Walter Hill, Anjelica Huston, John Milius, Roy Sieber, Paul Hayes Tucker, Gus Van Sant, and John Yau each writing on the film genre of their choice. A brand new, most handsome example of the 2000 paperbound first edition additionally BOLDLY SIGNED "Ernie Wolfe III" by the author in black marker on the verso of the front pastedown. 0-9664272-2-X Inventory Number: 027323