Perspective of Nudes by Bill Brandt, First Edition

Perspective of Nudes by Bill Brandt

First Edition, First Printing, 1961

This is a rare first edition, first printing of the Brandt’s seminal photobook “Perspective of Nudes” published by Amphoto, New York, in 1961. Parr & Badger in their book, “The Photobook: A History”, state that these images "rewrote the language of nude photography in not one, but several quarters...[they are] as interesting for their psychological undertones as for the wealth of unexpected forms he conjured...Brandt pictured a world of faded grandeur, of Edwardian bourgeois homes metamorphosing into 1940’s bedsit land--cavernous refuges for European émigrés or bohemian nonconformists." Vince Aletti in “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century” added, Brandt "conjure[d] a dream world of skewed perspectives in which his nude female subjects appeared to float unanchored or loom like giants".

Containing 90 full page black and white photogravures and measuring approximately 13 x 10”, the book is bound in decorative paper covered boards with a photographically illustrated dust jacket. The book is in FINE- condition with some very minor (1/3”) strip of toning to the lower front edge in a Near Fine+  dust jacket with a one half inch very closed tear at the top rear edge and a one quarter inch shallow chip at same top edge. The dust jacket has NOT been price clipped and conforms to the hinge near the top of the spine and shows minor wear at the base of the spine. Despite the catalogue of trifling defects meticulously noted, this is an exceptional copy a rare photobook highspot which is rarely found in really collectible condition.

Cited in all three reference works on photobooks:  “The Book of 101 Books: Seminal Photographic Books of the Twentieth Century” by Andrew Roth and “The Photobook: A History”, by Parr and Badger, and “The Open Book” by Andrew Roth.

Photographs of the books cover as well as photographs contained in the book appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on the thumbnail to open a separate window where the picture is viewable in a slideshow.