Books

First edition, one of a projected edition of 200 handmade copies, of the only autonomous collection of Smith's photographs to appear in his lifetime, of which perhaps only 60 were produced. This copy has a rare variant cover with the Zazeela design printed entirely in yellow. Given the scarcity of this title, it is absent from many significant institutional holdings and the circumstances of its production. This is a beautiful survival of one of the most provocative works of the American underground just before it exploded in a confusion that encompassed gender, sexuality, performance, photography, and film, in short all of the aspects that would come to define contemporary art. These photographs - the sole contents of the work - were produced mainly during the course of extended shooting sessions in Smith's Lower East Side apartment. Most date from the autumn of 1961 to June 1962, though a few are earlier, including the final 'signature' photograph, a portrait of the artist on the steps beneath the Brooklyn Bridge taken by filmmaker Ken Jacobs. This title, as well as being the only autonomous collection of Smith's photographs to appear in his lifetime and the germination his cinematic magnum opus, Flaming Creatures, marks the break in his relationship with Zazeela at a point where their collaborative brilliance was reaching its apex. The books were put together by Smith and Piero Heliczer in the late spring or early summer of that year, over the course of three nights, with photographs by Smith and screen-printed covers based on Zazeela's design. Smith pioneered the idea of the underground superstar that was later used to such effect by Warhol, elevating (or recognizing) unknown artists, actors, and transsexuals to a stardom in the performance of life. "The Beautiful Book included poses by several 'models' - Mario Montez, Francis Francine, Joel Markman, Arnold Rockwood, and Irving Rosenthal - who would often appear in Smith's early photographs and films (including Flaming Creatures), but above all it showcased artist-model Marian Zazeela. Later in 1962, Zazeela would make a 'cameo' appearance (in an elaborately populated tableau) at the end of Flaming Creatures, the lead role of which Smith had created especially to commemorate the work they had done together in still photography: 'It was a part that would have allowed the fulfilment of any impressionable, imaginative, ambitious young woman's fantasy: to be a Star in a Great Work of Art, to be a Dietrich to [Jack's] von Sternberg' [Zazeela]... but the artist-muse relationship changed abruptly when in June 1962 Zazeela began an intense relationship with... La Monte Young, Smith writing with equal measures of pain and acrimony in his journal: 'The heart is a small room. When one person enters someone else must leave'" (Verevis). READ MORE Octavo, 20pp. Original wire-stitched white wrappers, yellow silkscreen and lettering cover design by Zazeela, yellow pages. Housed in a black quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. With 19 original monochrome photographs (55 x 55 mm) hand-cut from contact sheets and pasted one to a page: 18 by Smith, 1 of Smith by Ken Jacobs (rear pastedown). Penciled price to front wrapper, a little toning, small mark to rear wrapper, soft creasing to corners, photo 14 professionally re-adhered. An excellent copy, well-preserved. Constantine Verevis, Flaming Creatures, 2019, available online.

An iconic work, 'The Beautiful Book' is known for its eloquent prose and historical significance.