The Complete Berlin: 2 Signed First Editions by John Gossage

The Complete Berlin: 2 Signed First Editions by John Gossage

Berlin in the Time of the Wall, First Edition, 2004, Limited to 2,000

Putting Back the Wall, First Edition, 2007 Limited to 1,000

Each Volume Signed by John Gossage

MINT Condition

This is a two volume slipcased set of individually signed first editions, first printings of John Gossage’s seminal work on the Berlin Wall, “The Complete Berlin” published by Loosestrife Editions, Bethesda, Maryland in 2004 & 2007. The two volumes are:

Berlin in the Time of the Wall, First Edition, 2004, Limited to 2,000

Putting Back the Wall, First Edition, 2007 Limited to 1,000

“Berlin in the Time of the Wall” offers an emotive, photographic survey can be viewed as being both historical and contemporary at once. Text is by Gerry Badger, and photography is by John Gossage.  The book measures 13.25 x 10.25 inches, and has 462 pages containing 464 duotone images, which are printed on fine matte art paper from Japan.  The book is covered in rich black cloth boards, with duotone plates tipped-in on the front and rear covers. The title is stamped in gilt on the spine of the book, and there is a clear acetate dust jacket, which protects the surface of the book. The Edition was limited to 2,000 copies. The images are politically charged by historic events, while their starkness tells an emotional story that speaks of the people who lived with the daily reminder of the forces at work around them.

“Putting Back the Wall” presents Gossage’s Berlin documentary photographs from 1982-1989, revisited as memory. The hardcover book is covered in rich black cloth covered pictorial boards, with the title printed in gray and black, and has an illustrated dust jacket. Text (English and German) is by Gerry Badger, and the photography is by John Gossage. The book measures 13.25 x 10.25 inches, and contains 132 pages, with 134 duotone plates on fine Japanese art paper. The First Edition was limited to 1,000 copies.

From Gerry Badger who provided the text for both books, "Berlin, one might say, is the place where photography became both easy and difficult for Gossage. Easy because there was such a rich vein of subject matter, history piled up in front of his eyes, one metaphorical layer upon another, like the different strata that can reveal so much to the archaeologist when a trench is cut through a site. But such strata, translated into the archaeologist's sectional drawings, are notoriously difficult to read, and that, in a nutshell, was where the difficulty, the challenge lay for Gossage. He was faced with the task of evaluating the evidence, reading it, recording it, interpreting it, and fashioning it into a coherent 'report' both for himself and for his audience. Of course, as John Gossage is an artist, the 'report' may be oblique, poetic, metaphorical, subjective, and ambiguous. In short, it is a creative interpretation."

The condition of the set is MINT and is still housed in the original publisher’s cardboard shipping box. Since each of the books were sold separately, there were only a limited number of books set-aside for the Complete Berlin Set. The two books are housed in an illustrated cardboard slipcase which measures approximately 13.5” x 10.5”.

Each volume is signed by John Gossage on the half title page. This is a great opportunity to obtain a signed set of photobooks that will become increasingly scarce.

Photographs of the cardboard slipcase, the two books as well as a few photographs from the books 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.