DAY

(Great Barrington, MA) [and] [Kenmore, NY]: The Figures [and] "BlazeVOX", 2009. First edition. Very good plus.. Signed limited edition artist's book, appropriating a first edition of Kenneth Goldsmith's epic conceptual poem DAY. A book that plays not only with appropriation, but with ideas of edition and bibliography. On its most obvious level, Johnson here takes Goldsmith's words and work as his own (something Goldsmith himself has been accused of), but in effect additionally alters the original edition size, de facto reducing it to 600 copies (from 700), and thereby rendering the book's colophon wrong. While BlazeVOX sells DIY kits of the same stickers (so you can convert your own copy of Goldsmith's book - although it has itself become rather scarce), this is part of an entirely new issue created by Johnson himself. A brilliant work of not only of appropriation (one that would soon be echoed by Richard Prince's CATCHER IN THE RYE) and conceptual poetry, but of conceptual bibliography. 10'' x 6.5''. Original printed blue wraps, with new author, spine, rear panel, ISBN, and other stickers attached. [10], 836, [4]. The original book: one of 700 unnumbered copies; Johnson's altered book: #14 of 100 hand-numbered copies, additionally signed by Johnson to title page. Mild shelfsoil, penned previous owner annotation to front free endpaper, last twenty pages or so creased at upper corner. Johnson's new spine label beginning to peel.