Defensive Book; Riddle Book; Ghost Book.

(Skeptical Press) REISBORD (Coriander)

Published by 1993. 1992, 1993

About this Item

11/15 COPIES of each book, the first printed on laid paper imbued with rusting pins, rear pastedown red, front pastedown with printed red fringe, the second comprises intaglio prints (printed on both sides of black squares of Japanese Usumino paper) suspended within windows in each page, the third, printed from photo-etched zinc plate on kozo-sulphite silk tissue, pp. 18; 12; 12; 8vo, black boards with inset white label with title printed in red, linen-cotton paper-backed Ingres paper boards, with inset label at outer edge, title printed vertically, wrappers with tissue window allowing title of first page to show through within chemise of black textured boards with title faintly inscribed in pale gold, all housed in black slipcase, fine. A highly successful emotive triptych, concerning various aspects of female existence, the shared aesthetic across the three works contributing to a sense of shared experience across generations. The text of Defensive Book is derived from a manual supplied to female undergraduates on their arrival at college, highlighting the potential threats of campus life in a list of advisory orders, 'Don't tell anyone you live alone', 'Keep the curtains closed', punctuated by the repeated 'Don't trust anybody', the diminishing page sizes, which allow more pin points to emerge (painfully) at the page edges, adding to the sense of danger. The captions for the small spectral images of Riddle Book suggest isolation and fear, 'This door does not open', 'This ear does not hear,' etc. (the implication that this is a reaction to the atmosphere of the Defensive Book is unavoidable); while the printed calligraphic diary text of Ghost Book describes the final days of the author's grandmother, and her thoughts on her past self, her physical and her mental deterioration - the tissue paper allowing the lines to be seen through several pages, suggestive of eras running into each other.

Seller Inventory # 74962

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Defensive Book; Riddle Book; Ghost Book.
• Publisher: 1993. 1992
• Publication Date: 1993
• Seller catalogs:
  • Private Press