ABC – WE PRINT ANYTHING – IN THE CARDS. 1977. FIRST EDITION. PHILIP CORNER’S COPY.

Beuningen, Holland: Brummense Uitgeverij Van Luxe Werkjes, 1977

13 x 9 x 9.2cm., handmade blue cloth box, gold-stamped with title and tied with a ribbon. Content of 158 12.7 x 8.8cm printed cards with texts and images by Schneemann based on her failing relationship with the artist Anthony McCall and subsequent relationship with Bruce McPherson in 1976.

The cards are color coded, with the pink index cards containing comments and advice by friends of Schneemann during that year, the yellow cards containing diary and dream extracts, and the blue cards containing comments by A (Anthony, the artist’s soon-to-be ex), B (the artist’s new lover, Bruce) and C (the artist herself).

Designed by Schneemann  to be the basis for a performance work where she read out the cards, this was one of the first edition of the boxes (there was a later unauthorised reprinted edition published in Amsterdam of which she knew nothing until I told her of it much to her anger) which she gave to Philip Corner the Flxus artist as a gift. Some minor wear to the outer box, internal cards are near fine – over all VG+. One of only 151 such boxes made but this is an incredibly rare publication.