twentysix gasoline stations, ruscha

Book Description: Various Places: Various Publishers 1963-1978, 1963. First Editions. Square octavos. A nice mini-set of nine SIGNED Ruscha artists' books, including: Twentysix Gasoline Stations (with a nice contemporary inscription, numbered 171/400), Various Small Fires and Milk (contemporary signature), Some Los Angeles Apartments (contemporary signature), Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass, Real Estate Opportunities, A Few Palm Trees, Records, Colored People, Hard Light. The books have an exceptional provenance and are housed in a custom plexi box. Condition: Twentysix Gasoline Stations: First three pages have a light crease, else close to near fine in a very good complete glassine with a few nicks. Various Small Fires and Milk: Wrappers a little soiled, else very good in a very good glassine (few small tears). The rest are complete near fine or fine copies. Bookseller Inventory # 17016

Book Description: Alhambra, CA: National Excelsior, 1963. First edition, one of 400 numbered copies of the artist's first book. This copy was one of Ruscha's personal author copies. He presented this copy to a fellow artist whose parents owned Anderson, Ritchie & Simon---the printing firm that produced many of Ruscha's books. Included is a letter of provenance from the recipient. Spine slightly toned, else near fine. Inscribed by Ruscha and additionally signed. Original white wrappers, printed in red. "Ed Ruscha’s first book, a seminal "bookwork", one of the most influential conceptual art works, it served as a kind of tonic, liberating the artists’ book from many of its traditional emphases" (Parr & Badger, Photobook V. II). Bookseller Inventory # 3101

Book Description: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, 1962. paperback. Book Condition: fine. Dust Jacket Condition: good. Second. One of 500 unnumbered copies, this one is autographed by Ruscha. His first book. 16mo, white wrappers lettered in red. Original glassine dust wrapper, yellowed and with small chips. (Alhambra: Cunningham Press), 1962 (1967). Second Edition. Bookseller Inventory # 236292

Book Description: 1969, 1969. RUSCHA, EDWARD. Twentysix Gasoline Stations [SIGNED]. 26 b&w photographs by Ruscha. 8vo, wraps. Los Angeles, National Excelsior Publications. 1969. Third edition.Photographs of gas stations taken while travelling from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City, Ruscha's hometown (mysteriously, the final photograph is of a gas station in Groom, Texas). Signed by the artist. Bookseller Inventory # 121375

Book Description: Alhambra, CA: The Cunningham Press, 1967. Second Edition. One of 500 unnumbered copies. Original white wrappers with title printed in red ink on front and spine. Glassine dust-jacket with protective mylar cover. Some tearing on top/bottom edges of glassine dust jacket. Light soiling and wear on front cover. Ruscha combines the literalness of early California pop art with a photographic aesthetic using minimalist concepts of repetitive sequence and seriality. The title describes the book - black and white photographs of twenty-six different gasoline stations. The idea was for the book to be available to an audience that couldn't afford gallery art; circumventing galleries began with Happenings and certain Fluxus events in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There was an idea of the book as a democratic and affordable means in which an artist could produce their vision and disseminate it widely. [Drucker 77]. In an interview Ruscha explains that, ".One of the purposes of my book has to do with making a mass-produced object. The final product has a very commercial, professional feel to it.My pictures are not that interesting, nor the subject matter. They are simply a collection of "facts.a collection of "readymades." [quoted from an interview with Ruscha by John Coplans, Artforum,February, 1965 in Lippard 12]. A very good copy of Ruscha's ground breaking first book. Bookseller Inventory # 00201164

Book Description: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, CA, 1969. Wraps. Book Condition: Near Fine in Very Good + DJ. Third Printing. Handsome copy. Spine is very slightly faded at top and bottom of spine. Tissue dj has 1 1/2" tear at top of spine. Several minute tears along top of front panel, also 1/4" x 1/2" chip on rear panel. Ownership signature of prominent photographer. Bookseller Inventory # 3752

Book Description: Alhambra: The Cunningham Press, 1969, 1969. Duodecimo. Original white wrappers printed in red. With the unprinted tissue dust jacket. Book fine, tissue dust jacket nicked to the back fore edge, two closed tears to foot of back panel. Photographic illustrations by Ruscha. Third edition. Ruscha's first book, the first and second editions totalled only 900 copies. Bookseller Inventory # 82166

Book Description: Edward Ruscha, Los Angeles, California, USA, 1969. Soft cover. Book Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 3rd Edition. Third Edition. Softcover. 12mo. Very good plus condition. 240 pages. Stiff wraps with the title in orange to the front cover and spine. Numerous b&w plates. Text in English. Glassine cover shows a 14cm and 6cm tears to the back cover. Original price sticker to the back cover. Light soiling to the glassine cover and light sunning along the spine. 3 small losses to the spine of the glassine cover. Light soiling to the covers of the book. Previous owners inscription to the title page. Otherwise the book is in a near fine condition. Reasonably scarce. Contact for further images. Bookseller Inventory # JPH1111

Book Description: Alhambra, The Cunningham Press, 1969, 1969. Alhambra, The Cunningham Press, 1969. Blank stiff wrappers with title in gold on frontcover and spine housed in a glassine dustjacket, 18 x 14 cms., (48) pp. with 26 illustrations in duotone. Third Edition. Printed in 3000 copies. Two very small chips missing from front cover of glassine jacket, but over all a very fine copy. Bookseller Inventory # 17956

Book Description: The Press, 1969. Couverture souple. Book Condition: Très bon. RUSCHA, Edward. Twentysix gasoline stations. Alhambra, The Press, 1969. Petit in 16 carré broché, couverture imprimée, titre en rouge, troisième édition limitée à 3000 exemplaires, 26 photos en n/b de stations services, très bon état, bon et bel exemplaire. Avec ce livre, Ruscha établit un nouveau paradigme pour les livres d'artistes, en totale opposition non seulement avec les volumes imprimés de façon artisanale à quelques exemplaires, mais aussi par rapport aux livres d'art de luxe, très courants au milieu du XXème siècle. Ce livre, uniquement visuel est composé de photos sans texte ni description de stations services dans un format de poche. Bookseller Inventory # 4

Book Description: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, California, 1969. Wraps. Book Condition: Good. No Jacket. Third Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. One of 3,000 printed in the third edition. Unpaginated. There are a few faint spots on the stiff paper wraps. A name and date are written in green ink on the title page. The rest of the interior is clean and unmarked. Photos upon request. Postage fees will be waived. Bookseller Inventory # 10837

Book Description: The Cunningham Press, Alhambra, CA, 1969. Third edition. Softcover. Printed in an edition of 3000 copies. His first artist book, originally published in 1962. A collection of black and white photographs of gasoline stations along the roads between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. A clean close to near fine copy with some fading to the spine lettering in an about fair example of the original glassine with a large portion of the spine missing. Still, a nice copy of this important debut. (Parr & Badger v2, 140). Bookseller Inventory # 117445

Book Description: Los Angeles., 1969. Small 8vo. pp. 48. Black-and-white photographic illustrations throughout. Original wrappers, title printed in red ink on front and spine. Original glassine jacket. Slight browning to glassine, otherwise a good copy. Third edition, limited to 3000 unnumbered copies. 'With this his first book, Ruscha established a new paradigm for artist's books that stood in opposition not only to hand-printed books but also to the livres de luxe common earlier in the century . here was a book - primarily visual, comprising nondescript photos of gas stations, assembled by a visual artist, that could slip into any book store, or pocket, and be marketed like any other paperback.' [Engberg & Phillpot - Ed Ruscha Editions, B1]. Bookseller Inventory # 41976

Book Description: The Cunningham Press, Alhambra, California, 1969. Soft cover. Book Condition: Near Fine. Third edition, limited to 3000 copies. Printed wrappers. A near fine copy, spine is mildly toned, else bright and clean. The glassine is a bit creased, toned and has a minor chip. Bookseller Inventory # 001259

Book Description: Privately Published By Author, California, 1969. Wrappers. Book Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good +. Third Edition. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. 3rd edition - one of 3000 unnumbered copies. Wrappers with glassine dust jacket. Tight and clean other than previous owner's name on title page. Glassine is chipped along edges with minor absences at spine ends. A nice copy. Bookseller Inventory # 22659