Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Leaning Tower of Venice

22 Saturday Jun 2013

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Rumney, Ralph. The Leaning Tower of Venice. Paris: Silverbridge, 2002. 36 p.; ill.; 20 x29 cm.; blue cover with text in black. Limited and numbered edition of 368. In the 18 copies of the special edition on old Lana, one page in the last chapter (La stampa non é l’impronta) carries the hand print of the author in gold leaf with his signature. In the edition of 350, the hand’s imprint is screen printed on Centaure paper by the Charnière printer

“The first complete reproduction of Ralph Rumney’s seminal contribution of the International Situationist Movement’s conception of Psychogeography. This detournement of ‘fotonovella’ which Rumney realized in Venice in 1957, was meant to be published in the first issue of the International Situationist Review. In the preface, Ralph Rumney recounts all the misfortunes of this famous work of art which had disappeared under unclear circumstances and became invisible for many years” (Silverbridge)

The full book can be seen at (and ordered from) http://www.royalbooklodge.com/en/publications/the-leaning-tower-of-venice/

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La F.A. et les Situationnistes: Mémoire pour Discussion dans les Familles après Boire.

22 Saturday Jun 2013

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Bodson, Guy. La F.A. et les Situationnistes: Mémoire pour Discussion dans les Familles après Boire. [Paris]: n.p, [1973]. 130 p.; ill.; 31.5 x 22.5 cm; grey wrappers with text in black.

A set of photocopied letters and documents that contextualizes the relationship between the Anarchist Federation (F.A..led by Guy Bodson) and the Internationale Situationniste in the mid-1960s. As Gonzalvez points out, Bodson blames the  the breakdown of the F.A. to a Situationist conspiracy.

The Institute of Social History (IISG) in Amsterdam and the Center for Research on Anarchism (CIRA) own copies, but these are the only library holdings.

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La Société du Spectacle (1967)

10 Monday Jun 2013

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Debord, Guy. La Société du Spectacle. Paris: Buchet-Chastel, 14 November 1967. 14 x 21.5 cm; 175 pages. White cover with title printed in black, bound in contemporary black binding.

First edition, first printing of Guy Debord’s magnum opus. Self portrait of Debord on back cover, placed in the left quartal of the page, as called for with true first issue. Buchet-Chastel issued two more printings, in 1969 and 1971, before Debord transferred the rights to Champ Libre and, eventually, Gallimard (whom Debord had many times insulted in his lifetime…). This copy comes in a contemporary, sober black binding that reflects the serious tone of this “book of theory”

P-S: It was rightly pointed out that Buchet-Chastel issued a fourth printing in 1972, following the Champ Libre publication

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La Société du Spectacle – Dossier de Presse du Film [1973]

10 Monday Jun 2013

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Debord, Guy. La Société du Spectacle: Dossier de Presse du Film. Paris: Simar Films, 1973. 20 p.; ill. 21 x 29.5 cm.

This is a rather unique piece of Situationist ephemera – the “Dossier de Presse” released on the occasion of the release of Guy Debord’s La Société du Spectacle in 1971. Contents include: a an introduction to the film, excerpts from press articles about the film, and a biography of Debord. The publisher, Simar Films, was set up by Gerard Lebovici to produce Debord’s films.

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La Nuit [1961]

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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Bernstein, Michele. La Nuit. Paris: Buchet-Chastel, Septembre 1961. 181 p.; 20 cm; cream-colored cover in contemporary blue binding.

Second roman de celle qui fut la première épouse de Guy Debord, La Nuit forme un savoureux pastiche du Nouveau du Roman – en vogue à l’époque. Reprenant la même histoire que dans Tous Les Chevaux du Roi (publié l’année précédente), l’ouvrage “dépeint le quotidien et les amours d’un jeune couple ‘moderne’, comme l’on disait alors. On peut reconnaitre Bernstein et Debord sous les traits des deux héros” (Gonzalvez). Longtemps épuisé – et introuvable – l’ouvrage est de nouveau disponible chez Allia (2013).

L’exemplaire que nous présentons a la particularité d’être relié dans une couverture bleue cartonnée et entoilée qui n’est pas sans rappeler la dimension psychogéographique du roman: les longues ballades à pied dans Paris, qui sont légion dans le roman, évoquent la dérive si chère à Debord et aux membres de l’Internationale Situationniste.

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Contributions Serving to Rectify the Opinion of the Public Concering the Revolution in Underveloped Countries [1973]

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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[Caribbean Situationist] Contributions Serving to Rectify the Opinion of the Public Concering the Revolution in Undeveloped Countries. London: Caribbean Situationist, July 1973. 60 x 46cm; white lithographed poster with black print

This beautiful poster – seemingly absent from institutional holdings – reproduces a translated text by Mustapha Khayati published in Internationale Situationniste no.11.The text had already been published as a brochure in 1971 by Create Situations, a US-based pro-situ group, under the title The Poor and the Superpoor: Contributions Serving to Rectify the Opinion of the Public Concerning the Revolution in Underdeveloped countries (see Ford 167).

Here, however, the text is produced in poster form and richly illustrated with black and white images that give a taste of the the uprising in the Hungary, Trinidad, and Jamaica. “The lower part of the poster advertises an LP entitled “None Shall Escape”, along with a blank space intended to denote a record shop where the LP would be available, here blank” (Division Leap) Overall, “a rare propagandizing poster from English situationists hoping to capitalize on Caribbean-emigre concerns about recent riots in their home countries” (Heart Fine Art)

Not in Ford, Vienet, and others

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Bureaucratic Comix [1970]

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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POWERS OF COUNCILS [Ken Knabb], Bureaucratic Comix. Berkeley, Jan. 1970. Illustrated poster. 45 x 57 cm; white paper with text and illustrations in black.

An early poster by the group Contradiction/ For the Power of Councils, to which Ken Knabb – who later went on to launch his Bureau of Public Secrets – belonged. The poster is not accounted for by Ford in his Suppression and Realization of the Situationist International (1972-1992), but appears in a recent bibliography of American Situationists and pro-situ groups (http://www.notbored.org/american-situs.html)

From a formal standpoint, this comix is of a great interest, as it draws from both comic strips and photographs. Issued following the December 1969-January 1970 worker revolt in Poland”, this poster also stands out in its critique of a wide range of communist leaders (Lenin, Castro, Trotsky, Ho Chi Minh and others. ), very much in the Situationist vein.

The text and comic can be found in a legible format at the Bureau of Public Secrets: http://www.bopsecrets.org/comics/bureaucratic.htm

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Situationist Times [1962-1967]

02 Sunday Jun 2013

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De Jong, Jacqueline (Ed.) Situationist Times 1-6. Hengelo, Copenhagen and Paris: Rhodos / International Science, 1962-1967. 64-200 p..; ill.; 22 x 28 cm; illustrated wrappers in different colors

The Situationist Times was originally intended as an orthodox Situationist periodical to run alongside IS, but at Goteborg, it was decided that a second paper would be too expensive, besides presenting the problem of translation into English. Jacqueline de Jong, after her expulsion, launched and edited the magazine single handed, though many of the photographs and ideas were supplied by Jorn (Ford). Contributors included: Theo Wolvecamp, de Jong, Armando, Vanderkamm, Gruppe SPUR, de Boer, Edle Hansen, Singer, Gordon Fazarkely, M. Bucaille, G. Hay, Asger Jorn, P. Schat, Noel Arnaud, Pierre Alechinsky, Boris Vian, and many others.

Issues were published in runs of 1,000-2,000 copies, with some focused on specific topics. Issue no.3 dealt with the Typology of Knots, Issue no.4 with labyrinths, and Issue no.5 with rings and chains. and Issue no.6 was simply comprised of 33 color lithographs. An issue no.7 was to be published, but lack of funds prevented it release

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Situationist Times, Boo-Hooray Gallery released a facsimile reprint of all six issues in a limited-edition box of 1,000. While De Jong initially supported effort – led by Johan Kugelberg – she later expressed her disappointment and is working on creating an errata (http://jacquelinedejong.com/internationale-situationniste/) . Nonetheless, this reprint makes this long out of print magazine available to the general public

Featured below are all six original issues, as well as a leaflet advertising the publication of the fourth issue

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Internazionale Situazionista [1969]

02 Sunday Jun 2013

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[Internazionale Situazionista] Internazionale Situazionista 1. Milan: Internazionale Situazionista, July 1969. 144 p.; ill.;  24 x 16 cm; green wrappers with text in black.

The Italian section of the S.I. only published a single issue of their review. The editorial board included Claudio Pavan, P. Salvadori and Gianfranco Sanguinetti. Includes an Italian translation of the chapter “le proletariat comme sujet et comme representation” of la Societe du Spectacle as well as a translation of Le Point d’Explosion de l’ideologie en Chine…(Gonzalvez). According to Raspaud, 4000 copies were printed.

A French translation (the work of Joel Gayraud and Luc Mercier) was published in Paris by Contre-Moule in 1988  under the title Section italienne de l’Internationale Situationniste: Ecrits complets [1969-1972]. This edition includes 4 additional texts: “Avis au proletariat italien”, “Les ouvriers d’Italie et la revole de Reggio de Calabre”, “Le Reichstag brule-t-il?”, and “Correspondance avec un editeur (Feltrinelli)”

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