Spectacular Times [

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Law, Larry. Spectacular Times 1-14London: Spectacular Times, 1979-1989. Various pagination, 14.5 x 10 cm. Illustrated throughout.

“Larry Law compiled and edited a series of small ‘pocketbooks’ in the late 1970s/early 1980s entitled ‘Spectacular Times’. They serve as a brief introduction to the ideas of Situationism. Each consists of newspaper clippings, quotations, handwritten text by Law and illustrations, all compiled and arranged with great humour!” (nntk.net)

A series of booklets published by Larry Law. I finally got my hand on #5 and #6 – which, until then, were believed to never have been publsihed. All issues are now available in PDF format at http://nntk.net/main.php?g2_itemId=251. Check it out!

 

Pour une Critique de l’Avant-Gardisme: l’Unique et sa Propriete [1967]

Frey, Edith; Frey, Theo; Garmault, Jean; Holl, Herbert. Pour une Critique de l’Avant-Gardisme: l’Unique et sa Propriete – Suivi de Documents Relatifs a l’Eclatement de l’Internationale SituationnisteStrasbourg: n.p., 1967. 12 p. (+9 loose sheets +2 loose double sheets); 27.3 x 21.6 cm.

Scarce, with only four copies on OCLC (Yale, Michigan, Internationale Institute of Social History, Getty Institute)

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 Important pamphlet published by a group of recent SI excludees known as the “Garnautins” (Theo Frey, Jean Garnault, Herbert Holl and Edith Frey), and perhaps the earliest documented criticism of the S.I. Includes a pamphlet and 5 documents laid in the back cover: See below :

1) ” Circulaire de l’Internationale Situationniste” signed by Michèle Bernstein, Guy Debord, Mustapha Khayati, Donald Nicholson-Smith, René Vienet concerning the exclusion of Théo Frey, Jean Garnault and Herbert Holl following a meeting of the S.I. dated 15 January 1967 (1 page leaflet)

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2) In response, a resignation letter entitled “La Vérité est révolutionnaire”, dated 16 January 1967 and signed by Théo Frey, Jean Garnault, Herbert Holl and Edith Frey (2-page leaflet)

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3) Another leaflet entitled “De la merde en milieu situationniste”, dated 19 January 1967. Frey, Garnault and Holl attack Debord and Khayati and claim that they resigned from and were not excluded from the S.I. (3-page leaflet)

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4) A photocopy of the supplement to Internationale Situationniste entitled “Attention ! Trois provocateurs”, dated 22 January 1967 and signed by Bernstein, Debord, Khayati, J.-V. Martin, Nicholson-Smith, Raoul Vaneigem, Vienet. Stapled to it is Frey, Garnault and Holl’s response, “Appel à tous les étudiants en état de porter les armes !, produit des « Scheidemann-Noske”, fictitiously signed by the Office des Etudiants de Berlin. Includes original text in German and translation in French

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5) “Rien que de la merde, mais toute la merde” offers a more in-depth criticism of the S.I and Debord in particular. It is dated 2 February 1967 (5 page leaflet)
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Muf or How Venice Defeats Us // The Leaning Tower of Venice (facsimile) [POSTER] [2000s]

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Ruskin, Rumney. Muf or how Venice defeats us //  Rumney, Ralph. The Leaning Tower of Venice. 12 p.; ill.; 58 x 40 cm. (folded); white paper with text in black, B&W picture. 

12-page article on one side, spread from “the Leaning Tower of Venice” by Rumney on the other.

Not on OCLC or in the trade.

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La Dialectique peut-elle casser des briques [POSTER] [1973]

Vienet, Rene. La Dialectique Peut-elle Casser des Briques? Paris: n.p., 1973. 32 x 23,5 cm; ill.; double-sided color poster (front: ill. film screenshot, back: blue paper with text in black).

Film poster for Vienet’s famous detourned film. Front: illustrated screen filmost. Back:press reviews and film synopsis. A much larger poster was also issued.

Scarce. 2 copies in the trade, none on OCLC.

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論大學生之貧乏 Louen ta hiue cheng tche pin fa / De La Misere en Milieu Etudiant [CHINOIS]

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Khayati, Mustapha / Internationale Situationniste. 論大學生之貧乏  Louen ta hiue cheng tche pin fa / De La Misere en Milieu Etudiant [Chinese]. London: Spectacular Times, 1986. 30 p.;  21 x 15 cm; white wrappers with Chinese text in black and a red dot

A corrected version of the 1972 translation by Editions Champ Libre (Bibliotheque Asiatique), which was also the first edition in Chinese. Translation and preface by Lu Zhishen. Cover design and correctins by Hei Xing. On the last page, advertisement for Spectacular Times publications and P.O. Box address of Spectacular Times (Box 99, Freedom Press, 84b, Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX, England)

Not see in the trade or on OCLC. A truly rare find.

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Da Miséria No Meio Estudantil [1983]

Khayati, Mustapha / Internationale Situationniste. Da Miseria No Meio Estudiantil. Coimbra (Portugal): Fenda, 1983. 44 p.; 21  x 10.5 cm; illustrated light brown wrappers with 6 portraits and text in dark brown

Portuguese translation of De la Misere en Milieu Etudiant. Translation by Julio Henriques.

Reproduces (in Portuguese) the introduction that first appeared in Ten Days that Shook the University in 1967. Also includes a brief note by the translator, in which he states that the pamphlet has previously been distributed in Portugal, but no other editions (or accounts of these early publications) can be found. Thus, this may very well be the first edition.

Not see in the trade, with a single copy found on OCLC (At the National Library of Portugal). As is often the case with editions of La Misere en Milieu Etudiant, the text is available online: http://www.cedap.assis.unesp.br/cantolibertario/textos/0121.htm

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Brief interlude – Why I do what I do, and how you can help

I thought I would make a brief interlude and explain my project and how you can help.

My objective is simple: acquire, curate and make available rare or hard-to-find Situationist or Situationist-inspired texts. While Europeans (through the International Institute of Social History) have easy access to such material, it is more difficult in the United States – despite excellent holdings at the Labadie (Michigan), Yale and the Tamiment/Wagner (NYU). Once my work is done – in 2,5,10 or 15 years – I will gift my collection to an institution that 1) has a policy of open readership (i.e., anybody is welcomed to access their holdings) and 2) has a project to digitize texts that are not otherwise available online

I have been accused of engaging in commodity fetishism. Ultimately, however, this is about the best way to preserve and share texts that are critical to understanding the social and political history of the 20th century. This blog constitutes a first step.

How can you help? In several ways:1) provide a guest entry – I will feature a rare/unusual item you’d like to share with this blog’s readership; 2) share comments – improve the quality of the bibliographic information provided on this blog; 3) contact me with offers – if you have rare/unusual Situ or pro/post-situ texts that I could borrow or buy from you, please reach out

Thanks again for reading this blog

Bilan du Situationnisme [1996]

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Lemaitre, Maurice. Bilan du SituationnismeParis: Centre de Creativite, 1996. 15 p.; 21 x 14.5 cm.; pink wrappers with text in black.

Brief (4 p.) text by Lemaitre against the Internationale Situationniste, originally published in the periodical La Lettre, no.38, January 1982.

This separate reprint was strictly limited to 100 copies, 10 of which signed by the author. This copy bears the number 5 and is signed by Lemaitre

Not seen in the trade, with 3 copies on OCLC (BNF, Iowa, Oxford) – likely of the non-signed edition.

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Cahier pour un Paysage a Inventer

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Straram, Patrick. Cahier pour un Paysage a Inventer. n.p. [Montreal]: n.p., May 1960. 103 p.; 26.5 x 21 cm; white cover with text in orange and black

First and only issue of this Situationist-influenced, Quebec-based periodical. Produced by Patrick Straram following his expatriation to Canada, this publication includes articles, poems and critical texts by Quebec writers (Gaston Miron, Marie-France O’Leary, Paul-Marie Lapointe, Gilles Hénault, Serge Garant, Marcel Dubé…) and members of the Internationale Situationniste (Asger Jorn, Gilles Ivain, Guy-Ernest Debord…).

Born in Paris in 1934, Patrick Straram was a member of the Internationale Lettriste and a close (and early) friend of Guy Debord and Ivan Chtcheglov. He left the I.L. in 1954 when he fled to Canada to avoid military service. He remained close to Debord for several, as attested by their warm and friend letters to each other.

This association copy belonged to Gaston Miron (1928-1996), one of the poets featured in the Cahier. Miron signed his name on the front cover and heavily annotated his brief text (“Notes d’un homme d’ici”). Miron was an important poet, writer and editor of Quebec’s quiet revolution, as well as a highly visible member of Quebec’s nationalist and independence movements.

Not found in the trade with only three copies on OCLC, all in Canada (Sherbrooke, Montreal, UQAM)

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Perspective de Modifications Conscientes de l’Activite Revolutionnaire

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Boulard, Raoul. Perspective de Modifications Conscientes de l’Activite Revolutionnaire. Paris: Le Jargon Libre, November 1981. 1 folded sheet ([6] p.) ; 30 x 66 cm; yellow stock with text in black

This relatively unknown text revisits and critiques Guy Debord’s Perspectives de Modifications Conscientes dans la Vie Quotidienne. The author is a member of the Federation Anarchiste.

Rare in the trade with three copies on OCLC (Oregon, BDIC-Nanterre, and CIRA)

PS: Despite what OCLC states, Rene Berthier has stated that he is NOT the co-author (or pseudonymous writer) of this text.

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