Exile's Return: A Literary Odyssey of the 1920's
Berenice Abbott (SIGNED)
Malcolm Cowley (SIGNED)
Cover design by El Lissitzky
Description: New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1981; Limited Numbered Edition, 1/2000; This is number 1366; FLAT SIGNED on the limitation page by both Malcolm Cowley and Berenice Abbott. Original half-cloth over paper covered boards in original matching slipcase, with the fragile - now scarce - glassine jacket; LEC monthly newsletter, dated December 1981, tucked in back cover. Designed by Laurie H. Rippon. Printed at the Wild Carrot Letterpress. Introduction by Leon Edel. Illustrated with 12 full-page contemporary duotone photographs - of both urban scenes and portraits of the artistic greats of the time (including Alvin Langdon Coburn, Man Ray, Andre Kertesz, James Joyce, Walker Evans) - by Abbott.
Condition: Near Fine through-out including the thin glassine jacket which has one corner fold; overall in remarkable condition with just a hint of wear to the edges, clearly well maintained by a concerned collector.
Additional Information: Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th-century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation in the 1940s–1960s. Abbott was part of the straight photography movement, which stressed the importance of photographs being un-manipulated in both subject matter and developing processes. She lived with her partner, art critic Elizabeth McCausland, for 30 years.
Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (1890-1941), known as El Lissitzky was a Russian artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was an important figure of the Russian avant-garde, helping develop suprematism with his mentor, Kazimir Malevich, and designing numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works for the Soviet Union. His work greatly influenced the Bauhaus and constructivist movements, and he experimented with production techniques and stylistic devices that would go on to dominate 20th-century graphic design.
Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989) was an American writer, editor, historian, poet, and literary critic. He is best known for his first book of poetry, Blue Juniata (1929), and his lyrical memoir, Exile's Return, as a chronicler and fellow traveller of the Lost Generation, and as an influential editor and talent scout at Viking Press.
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"Cave" meant a home for both the tangible touch of beautiful objects and a cozy virtual den for armchair exploration. "Modern" starts with the art and literature that went beyond realistic depictions to expressive use of color, non-traditional materials, and new techniques and mediums. Our focus has evolved to be on important pieces by cultural innovators that take their work in new, unexpected, and modern directions. |