Unoriginal Sins |

THE TONGUE OF LOVE. 1971.

paul robertson — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 20:07:55 +0000

N.p.: Stimula Books, 1971

22.5 x 15.8cm, 12pp (self cover) Printed red, blue and black on brown laid paper. Unofficial copy of this small book of poems which were also used in the songs written for the Horses LP. Fine although with a small mark on front cover where the original price label has been removed. Rare bootleg printing.

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE. c. 2005.

paul robertson — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 21:01:17 +0000

London: Other Criteria, n.p. (c. 2005) 15 x 10.5cm, 1pp. Front with image of the title butterfly print by Hirst. Fine.

LES ANIMAUX ET LEURS HOMMES. LES HOMMES ET LEURS ANIMAUX. 1938 30 ILLUSTRATIONS BY VALENTINE HUGO.

paul robertson — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 16:53:37 +0000

Paris: Gallimard, n.d. (1938)

19 x 14.5cm, unpaginated (c. 84pp) plus original wrappers. Thirsty full page lithographs after drawings by Valentine Hugo. Second edition although first thus with Hugo's illustrations of Eluard''s Dada-period cycle of poems. Hugo and Eluard worked together on a number of books during the late 30s and 40s of which this was one of the first. Fine condition. Scarce.

BOIS D’AMOUR. (‘LE TALISMAN’). 1978.

paul robertson — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 22:25:27 +0000

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1978
20 x 16.4cm, printed black on cream outer folder content of a single 20 x 16.4cm offset lithograph on light blue paper.
The folder has "BOIS D'AMOUR. ('LE TALISMAN')" printed at the top and the inner sheet has "Lavender Water" printed at the bottom. On the back of the folder there is also the mention that the work is "An "Homage to Sérusier."
Paul Sérusier was an abstract French painter (who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabis movement who Finlay honours elsewhere in his works) painted a major work known as "Le Talisman" in 1888 that showed a bridge crossing into a wood. That painting is usually regarded as the first of the Nabis works. The French title of the work is "Paysage au Bois d'Amour" - hence the title of Finlay's work here.
The words Lavender Water found on the second sheet are not only associated with an over-sweet smelling perfume much beloved of old ladies but is also the colour of the water under the bridge in the Serusier painting.
This was the second of Finlay's "colour paper" works (a term we have coined to categorise these innovative works) after his earlier L'embarquement pour l'Ile de Cychere of 1975. VG+>

FIGHTING FOR LOVE &. 1998. ONE OF 300 SIGNED & NUMBERED PRINTS.

paul robertson — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 14:17:42 +0000

NYC: n.p., 1998 29.7 x 21cm. Single Xerox sheet printed black on apple green paper with a textual work by Emin stressing her sexuality - from the time when she would write (as an artwork) a raunchy love letter to anyone who paid her 50 quid. One of only 300 numbered and signed copies. Fine and now quite rare.

COEUR. 2019.

paul robertson — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 14:59:57 +0000

Paris: Centre Pompideau, 2019 7.8 x 5.3cm, metal and plastic and paper fridge magnet with an image of the artist's Coeur (Heart) - a lightbulB that turns off and on with a soundtrack from 2005. VG.

CENT PHOTOGRAPHIES EROTIQUES. 1979. UNNUMBERED COPY.

paul robertson — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 08:58:54 +0000

Paris: Images Obliques, 1979

22 x 14cm, 112pp plus cloth covered boards with foil stamping. Published soon after the death of the surrealist, transvestite photographer and painter who, on deciding his life was no longer worth living, placed a note on the door of his flat before shooting himself: It read: ";I am dead. The key is with the concierge."

The book consists of 100 b/w reproductions of Molinier's erotic and wholly believable self-portraits as a woman (occasionally with real women and female adult puppets as props). An unnumbered copy aside from the first edition of 43 copies (33 + 10 du tete). There is an handwritten dedication by a previous owner at the half-title but this is otherwise a very good copy of an elusive and desirable title.

FOXGLOVE. 1994.

paul robertson — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:11:47 +0000

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1994 10.5 x 5.7cm, 4pp card with a series of purple numbers made up of the randomly changing sequence of 1 - 6 (apart from the top number which is made up of seven numbers 1 - 7). A green line moves erratically down through the numbers separating them into two parts. The top three numbers have a thin line between them and the ones below. The latin name for the foxglove flower is Digitalis purpurea - which might be read as purple digits hence this bastardisation of the latin creates a visual poem aided by the two colours. VG+.

J’ADORE GERTRUDE STEIN GERTRUDE STEIN. 2007. SIGNED.

paul robertson — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 10:28:11 +0000

NYC: S.P.(Leibowitz). 2007

15cm, dia., very large pin badge (metal, plastic and printed paper) with the title text displaying the artist's love love for the repetitive writer. One of an unstated but small number of such works signed and dated by the artist. There are some brown stains behind the plastic - possibly past damp? Priced thus.

SUB ROSA WORLD. 2014. ONE OF 450 SIGNED & NUMBERED SILKSCREENS.

paul robertson — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 12:56:44 +0000

Brooklyn: Faile, 2014 70 x 60cm, 26 (wow!) colour silkscreen print on a deckle edged 310gsm Coventry Rage paper. An image of two kissing mermaids - based on a classic FAaile image and wood palette painting as seen in the duo's new Works on Wood book. This was one of the artists' most detailed and complete silkscreen works. One of 450 signed and numbered and stamped examples. In VG++ condition.

DIE PUPPE. 1962. WITH THE PROOF OF AGE CERTIFICATE EXTANT

paul robertson — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 14:53:37 +0000

Berlin: Gerhardt Verlag, 1962

21 x 16.8cm, 190pp plus original card wrappers plus printed dustjacket (with a tipped on 'puppe' vignette) and original transparent pvc cover.

The last of the published versions of Bellmer's classic surrealist book which displays the erotic possibilities of his modified dolls - this version was comprised of the contents of Die Puppe; Die Spiele der Puppe and Die Anatomie des Bildes. Illustrated throughout with b/w line drawings this additionally has ten b/w tipped in reproductions of photographs and sixteen in colours - all after the original publications - of Bellmer's flexible doll-scullture in various poses and situations (some with an air of menace, others sexuality and others still seemingly innocent).

One of 2,000 numbered copies, this is still a desirable and much sought after publication. This is a near fine copy. Very scarce.

LAID IN:

21 x 16cm, 1pp b/w statement for the purchaser to sign and date and have stamped by the bookseller to prove that the book was sold to someone over the age of 21 to avoid prosecution for obscenity. This is usually missing from the books as the certificate was to be retained by the bookseller.

HER HANDWRITING: SPRING WATER. A VALENTINE. 1996.

paul robertson — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 13:44:59 +0000

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1996 9 x 11 cm, 4pp black on white folding card. The poem internally reads: Her handwriting spring water. (Her words, river-washes pebbles). The flowing hand-writing is compared with the importance of the lover's words. VG+.