Synopsis
In 1966 the artist Tom Phillips discovered A Human Document (1892), an obscure Victorian romance by W.H. Mallock, and set himself the task of altering every page, by painting, collage or cut-up techniques, to create an entirely new version. Some of Mallock’s original text remains in tact and through the illustrated pages the character of Bill Toge, Phillips’s anti-hero, and his romantic plight emerges.
First published in 1973, A Humument – as Phillips titled his altered book – quickly established itself as a cult classic. Since then, the artist has been working towards a complete revision of his original, adding new pages in successive editions. That process is now finished. This 50th anniversary edition presents, for the first time, an entirely new and complete version of A Humument .
This edition includes a revised Introduction by the artist, reflecting on the last 50 years’ work on this project, and 92 new illustrated pages. A Special Limited edition is also available: this presents a copy of the 50th anniversary edition in a clamshell box with a limited-edition print, signed by the artist.
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Review
'Provokes questions about the balance of intentionality and chance in both art and life' -- The Times Literary Supplement
'Visually stunning' --Daily Telegraph top 50 books of the year
'Weird yet compelling... brilliant and readable'--The Week
'Visually stunning and verbally clever' --The Scotsman
'A multimedia masterpiece' --1843
'A book to dip in to and enjoy a wide range of techniques and media' --Mature Times
About the Author
The English painter, writer, and composer Tom Phillips curated the groundbreaking exhibition Africa: The Art of the Continent at the Royal Academy in 1992. He is himself a collector of African art, specializing in the arts of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. His other books include The Postcard Century.
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Humument
Published by
Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: HALCYON BOOKS, LONDON, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Includes dust jacket. A clean, tight copy. Very good dust jacket First edition ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING. Seller Inventory # mon0000917808
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A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel
Published by
Thames & Hudson, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Moe's Books, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good. Spine slightly cocked. Jacket sunned along top edge. Seller Inventory # 112216
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A humument : a treated Victorian novel
Published by
Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Joseph Burridge Books, Dagenham, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. 'First revised edition.' 367 pages, 9 unnumbered pages : illustrations (chiefly colour) ; 18 cm. Summary:"After its first publication in book form in 1980, A Humument rapidly became a cult classic. This edition follows its predecessors by incorporating revisions and re-workings: a hundred pages are replaced by new versions. As well as marking Tom Phillips's sixtieth birthday year, it celebrates an enterprise which is now itself thirty years old and still actively a work in progress." "In a unique fiction, word and image are blended with a richness scarcely seen since Blake. The artist writes, "I took a forgotten Victorian novel found by chance. I plundered, mined, and undermined its text to make it yield the ghosts of other possible stories, scenes, poems, erotic incidents and surrealist catastrophes which seemed to lurk within its wall of words. As I worked on it, I replaced the text I'd stripped away with visual images of all kinds. It began to tell and depict, amongst other memories, dreams and reflections, the sad story of Bill Toge, one of love's casualties." "Within this small format Tom Phillips has made the arts connect, bringing Wagner's idea of "a comprehensive work of art" to pocketbook proportions."--Jacket. Seller Inventory # 11BR812
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A Humument. A Treated Victorian Novel
Published by
Thames and Hudson, London, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Librairie Sheehy (Theologia Books), La Charite sur Loire, France
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Very good hardback copy in very good dustjacket. 315 pp., colour illustrations. First edition. Seller Inventory # 042326
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A Humument. A Treated Victorian Novel.
Seller: Frans Melk Antiquariaat, HILVERSUM, Netherlands
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
London, Thames and Hudson, 1980. First published. Hardcover (clothbound) with dust jacket. 18 x 13 cm. Illustrated in color throughout. 367 pages - [near] FINE COPY [. Seller Inventory # #129485
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A Humument. A treated victorian novel.
Published by
Thames and Hudson, London, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Antiquariat am St. Vith, Mönchengladbach, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Leinen. Dust Jacket Condition: mit Schutzumschlag. 367 S. Leinen mit Schutzumschlag. Sprache: Englisch, Mit zahlr. farb. Illustr. tadellos. Seller Inventory # 71610
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A HUMUMENT - A TREATED VICTORIAN NOVEL (First edition - review copy with slip)
Published by
Thames and Hudson, London, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Orlando Booksellers, Lincoln, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. First edition in book form, published in 1980. Fully illustrated in colour throughout. The first printing of this extraordinary work was issued by Ian Tyson's Tetrad Press in a series of boxed pages, between 1971 and 1976 (the complete edition comprising 367 pp). On the fiftieth anniversary of its inception, in 2016, Phillips completed the sixth and final version of this work, each version with successively more pages reworked, until his original work had itself been completely transformed. Now regarded as a seminal classic of postmodern art, and one of the most important artists' books of the twentieth century, "A Humument" has become a touchstone of Phillips's oeuvre. The Royal Academy's 2015 Summer Exhibition dedicated a full room to it, and manuscript was acquired by the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry. ***Near fine in purple cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The boards are clean and unmarked. Head and tail of spine uncreased. Corners sharp. Top edge of page-block lightly foxed. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Internally also near fine, with no inscriptions. No interior foxing. Pages clean. No creases or tears. ***With an original publisher's review slip loosely inserted, stating that the book was published on 13th October 80 at £12.00 net. The slip is fine. ***In a near fine colour-illustrated unpriced dustwrapper, which is just slightly rubbed at the edges. No chips, creases or tears. No fading. Dustwrapper clean and bright. ***180mm x130mm. 368 pages plus five pages of notes to the rear. ***'In this unique fiction word and image meet with a richness scarcely seen since Blake. Already with a cult following via literary and art magazines it is now available for the first time in book form produced under the direction of its author. He writes, "I took a forgotten Victorian novel found by chance. I plundered, mined, and undermined its text to make it yield the ghosts of other possible stories, scenes, poems, erotic incidents and surrealist catastrophes which seemed to lurk within its wall of words. As I worked on it, I replaced the text I'd stripped away with visual images of all kinds. It began to tell and depict, amongst other memories, dreams and reflections, the sad story of Bill Toge, one of love's casualties." Within this small format, Tom Phillips has made the arts connect, bringing Wagner's idea of "a comprehensive work of art" to pocket book proportions.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***A near fine copy of the true first edition in book form, profusely illustrated throughout, and complete in a near fine original dustwrapper. All editions of this interesting work are uncommon, and the first edition is particularly elusive. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc. Seller Inventory # 8767
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A Humument. A Treated Victorian Novel FIRST EDITION + SIGNED CARD
Published by
Thames and Hudson, London, 1980
ISBN 10: 0500091463
ISBN 13: 9780500091463
Used
Hardcover
Signed
Seller: Antiquariaat Berger & De Vries, Groningen, Netherlands
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
With hand-wrtitten postcard, signed, from Tom Phillips. The book is bound in cloth, with dust jacket. 367 [8] pp. - ca. 17,5 (h) x 12,5 (b) x 3,8 (d) cm. -(Some shelf-wear, but overall in excellent condition. A very collectable copy.). ISBN 0500091463. Seller Inventory # 70825-A-58001
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