Twentysix Gasoline Stations by Ruscha

Softcover. Condition: Fine. All First Editions. Glossy printed plain white wraps with original glassine jjackets. 5.55" x 7.05" An extraordinary set of the first three of Ruscha's iconic publications, in pristine condition. The three glassine jackets are all original and virtually unscathed, with the exception being a Lilliputian hole along the spine edge between the top and middle lines of text. The jackets exhibit some age-toning and offsetting from where set on top of each other for some period of time as if in a display. The inside flaps of the glassine show very small folds at the front and back of TWENTYSIX GASOLINE STATIONS, and there is a tiny fold to the inside glassine jacket at the rear of SOME LOS ANGELES APARTMENTS. The superior condition of these three books cannot be overstated. From what can be pieced together, this group was likely sent to a New York Art Book store as part of a marketing campaign to sell the books, which originally did not sell well for Ruscha. These are all first editions. TWENTYSIX GASOLINE STATIONS is not signed, lending strength to the proposal that these were complimentary copies sent to try and drum up business. TWENTYSIX GASOLINE STATIONS is dated 1962 on the title-page, and is an unnumbered copy of 400 copies printed in April 1963 by The Cunningham Press. VARIOUS SMALL FIRES AND MILK is dated 1964 at the base of the title-page and is copyrighted 1964, and one of 400 copies printed by Anderson Ritchie & Simon, Los Angeles. SOME LOS ANGELES APARTMENTS is dated 1965 at the base of the title-page and is copyright 1965, and printed by Anderson Ritchie & Simon, Los Angeles. An extraordinary set.

First edition, one of 400 numbered copies of the artist's first book, this is number 180. Small octavo, original white wrappers, printed in red. Signed by Ed Ruscha on the title page. Near fine in the rare original glassine. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. 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. "The first book came out of a play with words. The title came before I even thought about the pictures. I like the word 'gasoline' and I like the specific quality of 'twenty-six.' If you look at the book you will see how well the typography works - I worked on all that before I took the photographs. Above all, the photographs I use are not 'arty' in any sense of the word. . . . 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 . . . . I have eliminated all text from my books -- I want absolutely neutral material. My pictures are not that interesting, nor the subject matter . . . my book is more like a collection of 'ready- 56 item 241 mades'. Edward Ruscha, Artforum interview, 1965; Lippard, Six Years: The dematerialization of the art object from 1966 to 1972, p.11. "The most renowned series of artist's books in the history of the genre" (Parr & Badger, The Photobook: A History, Vol. II; Castleman, A Century of Artists Books, p.167.).

With 26 black-and-white offset photographic illustrations (3 double-spread). First edition of RuschaÕs first artistÕs book, published in an edition of 400 hand-numbered copies, numbered in red pencil on the colophon page. A second edition appeared in 1967, and a third edition in 1969. Twentysix Gasoline Stations, as the title simply attests, is comprised solely of RuschaÕs photographs of petrol stations, along the highway between the artistÕs home in Los Angeles and his parentÕs house in Oklahoma City. The photographs are not reproduced in a perfect linear sequence, however, with five photographs reproduced out of order. Taken from the highway and often including large areas of forecourt or road, the shots appear to be simply factual records of the petrol stations. The captions consist of the name of the petrol station and its location (for example, ÔTexaco, Sunset Strip, Los AngelesÕ and ÔFlying A, Kingman, ArizonaÕ). This is a presentation copy inscribed by Ruscha, apparently to a girlfriend ÒHello Joy, From Ed, 1963Ó (see: Jennifer Eileen Quick - Back to the Drawing Board: Ed Ruscha 1956 - 68. Harvard dissertation 2015, p.184, for reference to a ÔJoyÕ). This copy also one of approximately 50 copies of the first edition housed in the original black paper-covered slipcase. [Ref. Siri Engberg & Clive Phillpot, Ed Ruscha Editions, B1; Martin Parr & Gerry Badger, The Photobook: A History, Vol. II, p. 140; Riva Castleman, A Century of Artists Books, p.167]. White wrappers, with title printed in red on front cover and spine. Glassine dust jacket. With original black paper-covered slipcase (only approximately 50 copies of the first edition were issued with the slipcase).

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

Paperback. Condition: Good. 3rd edition, 1969, one of only 3000 copies. In original wraps, cover shows minor tanning and staining. Including a receipt from one of the pictured gas stations. Pages are mostly clean. This is the first artist's book by American pop artist Ed Ruscha and is often considered to the be first modern artist's book. It is a precurson and major influence on artist's book culture.

Ruscha, Edward, 1937-. Twentysix gasoline stations. Alhambra, Calif.: Cunningham Press, 1967, second edition, , small PAPERBACK, very good copy with a few flecks on covers, BUT glassine wrapper is very badly torn and chipped. 500 unnumbered copies.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Second edition, 1967, one of 500 unnumbered copies. Glassine wrapper shows minor wear, tear, and tanning. Cover with a few very minor spots of wear. Pages are clean.

Condition: Near fine. Third edition. Third edition of the first of Ruscha's sixteen books and an iconic early artist's book. Inspired by the look and feel of the books he encountered at the bouquiniste stands on the Left Bank during a 1961 trip to Paris, as well as his own work as a typesetter and printers devil, Ruscha self-published TWENTYSIX GAS STATIONS with an aesthetic reminiscent of iconic Editions Gallimard paperbacks. Conceiving first of the title, Ruscha took photographs to fill the requisite number on a road trip from Los Angeles to visit his mother in his hometown of Oklahoma City. The photographs, labeled with the station name and location, together form a dotted line between LA and Oklahoma, creating out of these stoically framed images of banal locations a deep emotional resonance. [Phillpot, CATALOGUE RAISONNE, 60]. Wraps. 8vo. Publisher's wraps in original glassine. SIGNED by Ruscha at inside front cover. Mild toning and chipping to glassine with price sticker at front flap and some creasing to flaps. Distributor sticker at final page. Trivial touches of wear to wraps at edges. Interior bright and clean. Near fine.

AUTOGRAPHED COPY IN NEAR PERFECT CONDITION. THIRD EDITION. REPLACED GLASSINE JACKET A BIT BROWNED BUT NOT AFFECTING THE PRISTINE WHITE COVER.

Paperback. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Third Edition. Third edition. One of 3000 copies printed. Fine copy lacking the unprinted glassine overlay. (48pp. ) (5 1/4" x 7") 26 b&w photo images. (B); 5 1/4" x 7".

Softcover artist book with glassine dustwrapper; 48 pages; very good condition; tiny brown stain to rear cover at bottom edge; binding is tight; glassine is yellowed at spine but untorn; clean and crisp; no internal marks. Wittenborn distributor sticker to inside rear cover.

Third edition, printed in 1969 by the Cunningham Press, Alhambra, California. 3000 copies, after 500 of the second edition (1967) and 400 numbered copies of the first edition (1962). Ruscha's first bookâ "it all began here. White paper covers with title in red, faded toward spine. 26 black-and-white plates (3 double-spread) on [48 ] pp. Light wear. 17.9 x 14.1 cm. Fine in original glassine. The glassine is slightly tanned at spine and lacks the bottom 3 cm of the backstrip. The first photograph shows the book without glassine; the second includes the glassine. **Free domestic shipping with direct order.

[Los Angeles] : the artist, 1963. Third printing, 1969. Octavo (179 x 140 mm), lettered white wrappers, glassine dustjacket, pp. [48], illustrated, printed at the Cunningham Press, Alhambra on white paper. Third printing, printed in an edition of 3000 copies (the first printing of 1963 an edition of 400 copies, the second printing of 1967 [?].

Wraps. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Third Edition. 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.

In 1963, when Ed Ruscha published Twentysix Gasoline Stations, his first book, he sent two copies to the U.S. Copyright Office, one to establish copyright, the other destined for the collection of the Library of Congress. Great! Recognition for the young artist. As you might imagine, LC receives a great deal of copyright material that it cannot store forever: commercial catalogues, advertising material, and many self-published books, among others. Jennings Wood, Chief, Exchange and Gift Division, sent Ed a very polite letter on October 2, 1963, as follows: "Dear Mr. Ruscha: I am, herewith, returning this copy of Twentysix Gasoline Stations, which the Library of Congress does not wish to add to its collection. We are, nevertheless, deeply grateful for your thoughtful consideration of our interests." What a blow! Ed turned this seeming setback into one of the wittiest pieces ever to appear in Artforum: a five-inch display ad on p. 55 of the March 1964 issue (volume 2, number 9). The following text accompanies a photograph of a hand holding the book: "REJECTED Oct. 2, 1963 by the Library of Congress Washington 25, D.C. copies available @ $3.00, National Excelsior 2351-1/2 Vestal Avenue Los Angeles 26, Calif. Wittenborn & Company 1018 Madison Avenue New York 21, New York." A facsimile copy of this letter accompanies the issue. This is item M6 in Edward Ruscha: editions 1959-1989 (Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 1999). LC still does not own a copy of any edition of Twentysix Gasoline Stations, by the way. Later, Ruscha did layout and design work for Artforum, including the superbly inventive cover for the Surrealism issue, September 1966, volume 5, number 1 (see separate listing). Several pristine copies available of this rare, March 1964 issue of Artforum. Richly illustrated (no color this early). 60 pp. 27 x 26.5 cm (about 11 inches square). Cover by Larry Rivers. Includes articles on recent American ceramic art (Voulkos, etc.), Shiko Munakata, Pop Art in Canada, and, most notably, John Coplans on Wallace Berman. **Free domestic shipping with direct order.