Twentysix Gasoline Stations by Ruscha

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About this Item: A National Excelsior Publication, Alhambra, California, 1963. First edition, one of 400 numbered copies of the artist's first book. Small octavo, original white wrappers, printed in red. This example 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.Presentation copy, inscribed by Ed Ruscha and additionally signed again by Ruscha on the dedication page. Spine slightly toned, near fine. 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.). Seller Inventory # 3101

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About this Item: A National Excelsior Publication, Alhambra, California, 1963. 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.). Seller Inventory # 97975

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About this Item: Alhambra, California: The Cunningham Press., 1963. First edition, first printing, numbered 242 of 400. Original white paper covers printed in red, with the original plain tissue wrapper. Housed in a purpose made quarter black morocco solander box. An excellent near fine bright copy with no inscriptions or stamps and no loose, marked or torn pages. Covers very faintly darkened to the bottom edge. The glassine is darkened and edge-worn with a tear and some associated loss to the front flap but complete. A terrific copy. Ruscha's first book, initiating his much-imitated cut back, literal aesthetic. Produced cheaply and accessibly, Ruscha's signature style is sympathetic to Warhol's Pop Art movement and made without use of heavy paper or glossy hard covers. The twenty six gasoline stations follow Route 66 from West to East; Los Angeles, where Ruscha lives to Oklahoma City, where he grew up. The final station, at Groom in Texas, marks the beginning of the return journey. A scarce book, particularly as nice as this. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers. Seller Inventory # 10201

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About this Item: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, 1962. 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. Seller Inventory # 279227

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About this Item: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, 1962. paperback. Condition: near fine. Dust Jacket Condition: very good(+). 16mo, white wrappers lettered in red. Original glassine dust wrapper, chipped at the bottom edge & with a few light stains; small light stain on the front cover covering the letter "T" and on the top edge. (Alhambra: Cunningham Press), 1962 (1967). Second Edition. One of 500 unnumbered copies, this one bears presentation by Ruscha, 1969. His first book. Seller Inventory # 267201

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About this Item: Cunningham Press, 1962. 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. Seller Inventory # mon0002128213

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About this Item: LOS ANGELES, 1969. AUTOGRAPHED COPY IN NEAR PERFECT CONDITION. THIRD EDITION. REPLACED GLASSINE JACKET A BIT BROWNED BUT NOT AFFECTING THE PRISTINE WHITE COVER. Seller Inventory # K27685

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About this Item: np (1969), np, 1969. Wraps. Condition: Near fine. Third edition. 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. 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]. Seller Inventory # 17731

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About this Item: Edward Ruscha, [Los Angeles, 1969. Third edition of Ruscha's first book, limited to 3000 copies (the first and second combined add another 900 copies); square 12mo, 7" x 5.5", pp. [46]; grayscale images of gasoline stations around LA; fine in a fine glassine jacket, with only the slightest hint of wear to glassine edges. Ruscha is credited with the reinvention of the artist book, and this, his first of a series of similar projects, represents the beginning of this style. Seller Inventory # 53811

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About this Item: Cunningham Press., Alhambra, 1969. 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". Seller Inventory # 3112994

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About this Item: The Cunnigham Press, 3rd edition, 1969. 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. Seller Inventory # TwRuTh1000

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About this Item: [Los Angeles: [the artist], 1969, 1969. 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 book-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. Seller Inventory # 28002

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About this Item: Cunningham Press, Alhambra, California, 1969. 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. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 10837

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About this Item: Alhambra Cunningham Press 1969, 1969. (17,9 x 14 cm), 48 S. mit 26 (2 doppelblattgroße) s/w-Fotos, Orig.-Karton mit Orig.-Pergaminumleger. 3. Auflage in 3000 Exemplaren.- Engberg/Philipot B 1.-Pergamin besonders am Rücken etwas gebräunt und mit kleinem Einriss am Kapital, sonst schönes Exemplar. Seller Inventory # 88067

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