Ghost of Chance

[New York]: The Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art [printed at The Grenfell Press], 1991. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Condo, George. One of 160 copies, folio size, [88] pp., signed by William S. Burroughs and George Condo. William Seward Burroughs II (1914-1997) is "widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and literature" (n.b., quote from Wiki). George Condo (b. 1957) was drawn to the arts at an early age. He coined the term "Artifical Realism" and "was instrumental in the international revival of painting from the 1980s onward". The lst (truncated) of his awards and exhibitions is too long to list here, suffice it to say that he is internationally recognized, with his art being an influence both of other artists and authors - including William Burroughs.

This work, "Ghost of Chance", was a collaborative effort between Burroughs and Condo, being a collection of writings paired with etchings and illustrations. The work a perfect marriage between fine printing and incredible art, having been printed by Leslie Miller at The Grenfell Press, the design and typography perfection. The artwork includes three original etchings and nine tipped-in illustrations printed on heavy paper, as well as illustrated endpapers.

The story opens with: "Captain Mission strapped on his double-barreled flintlock..." and closes with "Soon, all sign, all memory of the wars and the Plagues of Mad will fade like dream traces." Really, how can one not be drawn in?

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full brown-black cloth over boards, black leather spine label with gilt lettering, illlustrated endpapers, title page in red and black, the etchings and illustrations bound in throughout, the text opens with a large historiated inital "C" in red; folio size (14 15/16" by 10 1/8"), unpaginated with forty-four printed leaves (note that page count excludes the three leaves with etchings which are blank on the verso). Housed in a the publisher's slipcase of sturdy cardboard covered with matching brown-black fabric.

___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and free of prior owner markings; some faint evidence on the verso of the front free endpaper at the top margin of erasure by a prior owner, else fine. The slipcase also fine, clean and without wear, strong and sturdy.

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___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help. (Inventory #: 23111802)