first edition Hardcover
1992 · New York
by Gan, Stephen; James Kaliardos; Cecilia Dean (eds.)
New York: Visionaire Publishing, 1992. Limited edition. Hardcover. New in publisher's shrink wrap. 1/1500. Quarto. 8.5x11". Leporello binding, with red and blue photo-illustrated boards and yellow lettering on the front cover. This is #1217 from a limited edition of 1500 copies. The work is profusely illustrated throughout with pop-up photographic reproductions and illustrations, following aquatic and nautical themes. Contributors include Adeline André, Don Freeman, Francois Berthoud, Stephane Sednaoui, JC de Castelbajac, Juan Botas, Ruben Toledo, and Pierre et Gilles. "We were inspired by ancient Oriental watercolor books, Egyptian manuscripts, and children's books, and imagined a long, long (long) accordion fold with pop-ups. The construction, devised by Stephen, consisted of two panels glued back to back with the pop-up elements built right in. This seemed to be a clever, streamlined strategy as it avoided having to print on both sides, but in the end, it was complicated enough that the factory could only produce fifty or so copies a day. At any rate, it was our first issue that could be considered "bound" or "book-like" because all the pages were connected. We tracked down a special underwater photographer who gave us the close-up of the fish on the cover, and for our own part, spent quite a bit of time at the New York Aquarium tracking the white whale that appears inside. The issue ends with a metal fish made for us by the Spanish designer Sybilla, which came embedded in a foam-core final page." - The Publisher.
(Inventory #: 43543)