Portnoy’s Complaint is possibly Philip Roth’s most popular novel, and along with Saul Bellow’s Herzog, defined Jewish American literature in the 1960s. A continuous monologue as narrated by its speaker, Alexander Portnoy, to his psychoanalyst, Dr. Spielvogel, the narration weaves through time and describes scenes from each stage in Portnoy’s life. Every recollection in some way touches upon Portnoy’s central dilemma: his inability to enjoy the fruits of his sexual adventures even as his extreme urges force him to seek release in ever more creative and in his mind degrading and shameful acts of eroticism. Portnoy’s Complaint is also emblematic of the times during which it was published. Most obviously, the book’s sexual frankness was both a product of and an inspiration for the sexual revolution that was in full swing during the late 1960s.

Description: SIGNED TWICE BY PHILIP ROTH! Hard bound in cream cloth, no dust jacket. In publishers red slipcase as issued. INSCRIBED BY PHILIP ROTH “May 1971, To __ for his thoughtful gift – Philip Roth” #384 in a limited edition of 600 printed copies SIGNED AND HAND NUMBERED BY PHILIP ROTH. Minor wear to slipcase, otherwise very good. SCARCE!

Bookseller Inventory # 20483

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Portnoy’s Complaint
Roth, Philip

Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 1969
Binding: Hard Bound
Book Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket
Signed: Inscribed by Author
Edition: First Edition

· Category: Sold ·

Tom Phillips is an English artist, born in London where he continues to work as a painter and collagist. In 1966 he started  his most famous work  A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel. The year of 1966 was important for Phillips. He exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition for the first time, started work on A Humument, and began collaborating with Brian Eno.  Phillips randomly purchased a novel called A Human Document by Victorian author William Hurrell Mallock, and began a long project of creating art from its pages. He painted, collaged & drew over the pages, leaving some of the text peeking through in serpentine bubble shapes, creating a “found” text with its own story, different from the original. Characters from Mallock’s novel appear in the new story, but the protagonist is a new character named Bill Toge (whose surname can only appear on pages which originally contained words like together or altogether). Toge’s story is a meditation on unrequited love and the struggle to create and appreciate art. The treated novel became known through literary and art magazines and quickly acquired a cult following.

Description: Hard bound with dust jacket. 376 pages with 368 color illustrations. A very nice copy of this scarce title.

Bookseller Inventory # 20976

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Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel
Phillips, Tom

Publisher: Thames and Hudson
Publication Date: 1980
Binding: Hard Bound
Book Condition: Near Fine
Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

· Category: Sold ·

George Barbier was one of the great French illustrators of the early 20th century. He was only 29 years old in 1911 when he was swept to the forefront of his profession with commissions to design theatre and ballet costumes, to illustrate books, and to produce haute couture illustrations. During his career Barbier also turned his hand to jewellery, glass and wallpaper design. In the mid 1920s he worked with Erté to design sets and costumes for the Folies Bergère. He achieved mainstream popularity through his regular appearances in L’Illustration magazine. Barbier died in 1932 at the very pinnacle of his success

Description: First printing, limited edition #254 of 275 copies. Stiff wraps with glassine overlay. Text in French by Edmond Jaloux. Original frontispiece etching by Charles Martin (portrait of Barbier)  25 Art Deco lithographic plates pochoir-painted by Georges Barbier. The plates are tipped-in on tinted Arches paper, each signed by the artist in the plate, with the original tissue guards. Tanning to glassine overlay, and some minor offsetting to endpage, otherwise fine. A RARE & BEAUTIFUL EDITION!

Bookseller inventory # 21135

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Vingt-cinq Costumes pour le Theatre
Barbier, George

Publisher: Camille Block & Jues Meynial, Paris
Publication Date: 1927
Binding: Paperback
Book Condition: Near Fine
Edition: First Edition

· Category: Sold ·