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Exploring Its Materiality, Rarity, and Sensory Presence

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Potential Research Questions & Concepts

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Potential Research Questions & Concepts

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How do books function as objects of emotional attachment (drawing from psychoanalysis & Winnicott's theory of transitional objects)?

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Can an artist book hold personal, cultural, or collective memory in a way that extends beyond its textual content?

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How does materiality (paper, fabric, organic elements, scent) trigger sensory or emotional connections?

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The Aura of the Handmade vs. Digital Book:

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The Aura of the Handmade vs. Digital Book:

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Does an artist book lose its ‘aura’ when digitized or mass-produced?

How does touch, weight, and material presence contribute to a book’s unique existence?

Could an artist book be designed to decay, evolve, or transform over time, reinforcing its aura and ephemerality?

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The Book as an Unreadable or Secret Object:

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The Book as an Unreadable or Secret Object:

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What happens when an artist book is illegible, hidden, or intentionally inaccessible?

Can a book function as an object of desire, secrecy, or mystery, where its meaning is not immediately available?

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Artistic Approach & Experimental Methods

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Artistic Approach & Experimental Methods

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Multi-Sensory Artist Books: Books that activate touch, smell, temperature, and sound to heighten the reader’s psychological response.

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Sculptural or Performative Books: Books that require rituals of opening, unfolding, or decoding to be understood.

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Time-Based Books: Books that age, decay, or change over time, shifting their meaning as they evolve.

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Walter Benjamin – "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (Aura & Originality)

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Walter Benjamin – "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (Aura & Originality)

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Walter Benjamin – "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (Aura & Originality)

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Johanna Drucker: How materiality changes our perception of books.

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Johanna Drucker: How materiality changes our perception of books.

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Donald Winnicott – Theories on transitional objects and emotional attachment to objects

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Donald Winnicott – Theories on transitional objects and emotional attachment to objects

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Sophie Calle – Books as personal archives & objects of desire

Dieter Roth – Books that self-destruct and decay over time

Xu Bing – Unreadable books that exist as aesthetic, conceptual objects

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Julia Bohle, SOLSTICE (Signed and numbered, edt of 10) , Self-published, 2024 | Bookshop Le Plac’Art Photo

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Julia Bohle,SOLSTICE (Signed and numbered, edt of 10) ,Self-published,2024

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Focusing on avant-garde.

Among these were the publications that came from Surrealist art and literature, as well as those which extended early experiments into more mainstream venues.

There was nothing mainstream about Surrealism at the time of its origin.

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"Auratic" refers to something that possesses an aura—a unique presence, atmosphere, or essence that gives it a special, almost mystical or sacred quality.

The term originates from Walter Benjamin’s concept of the "aura" in his essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1935).

Benjamin describes the auratic quality as the authenticity, originality, and singular presence of an artwork that cannot be fully replicated.

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Futurist, Dadaist, and Surrealist Contributions to the Evolution of the Artist Book

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Futurist, Dadaist, and Surrealist Contributions to the Evolution of the Artist Book

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Futurist, Dada, and Surrealist artists clearly participated in the evolution of the artist book.

There were also commercial publications, particularly photographic books.

Neue Sachlichkeit / New Realism

August Sander – Die Welt ist schön (The World is Beautiful).

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Surrealism and the Book – Paperback (1 Oct. 1992)
English edition by Renée Hubert
📖 Surrealism and the Book – Google Books

The principles of surprise and disorientation, fundamental to Surrealist aesthetics, play themselves out in these works.

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Phenomenology: A Definition and Overview

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Phenomenology: A Definition and Overview

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How do surrealist, avant-garde, and contemporary artists manipulate the book format to engage with themes of the unconscious, desire, and memory?

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Phenomenology: A Definition and Overview

Phenomenology is a philosophical approach to experience and perception, focusing on how things appear to human consciousness rather than on objective reality alone. It examines the structures of experience, how we engage with objects, and the meaning we assign to the world through our perception.

Key Ideas in Phenomenology

Phenomenology is concerned with subjective experience, exploring:

1. How we perceive and engage with objects in the world.

2. How meaning is created through lived experience.

3. The relationship between perception, memory, emotion, and consciousness.

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What Does It Mean to "Materialize" the Book?

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What Does It Mean to "Materialize" the Book?

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The Emotional & Conceptual Impact of Books as Objects

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The Emotional & Conceptual Impact of Books as Objects

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 Rethinking the Book: Future Implications

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 Rethinking the Book: Future Implications

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What does this research reveal about the future of book arts?

How might these expanded book forms be integrated into contemporary art, archives, or curatorial practice?

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How does materiality enhance the book’s aura and presence?

What unexpected responses did different materials evoke in the audience?

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Did the books successfully evoke memory, secrecy, or desire?

How did audience engagement shift based on physical access to the book?

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The Book as a Psychological Object: Memory, Longing & Ritual

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The Book as a Psychological Object: Memory, Longing & Ritual

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What happens when a book’s content is denied to the reader?

Can the desire to access meaning become an artistic strategy?

How does the absence of readable text shape the aura of a book?

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Studio-Based Research & Material Investigations

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Studio-Based Research & Material Investigations

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Alternative materials / photographic studies

non paper materials

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Das Künstlerbuch als Aura: Erforschung seiner Materialität, Seltenheit und sinnlichen Präsenz

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Das Künstlerbuch als Aura: Erforschung seiner Materialität, Seltenheit und sinnlichen Präsenz

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Description:

Eben Francis Thompson
Worcester, MA, ca. 1933
Smallest Book in the World at time of Publication! "The Rose Garden of Omar Khayyam" -Beautiful Presentation
Books
"The Rose Garden of Omar Khayyam" [as three miniatures] by Eben Francis Thompson. Worcester: Commonwealth Press, 1923-33. Housed within a custom made box of red Morocco over marbled paper boards, containing six items in all: "The Rose Garden of Omar Khayyam" (5" x 6"); "The Rose Garden…" miniature (1.5" x 1.75"); "The Rose Garden…" super miniature (.25" x .125"); "A Thimbleful of Books", also by Thompson which details the making of the mini version; two proof sheets in paper wrappers; and a magnifying glass in a brass holder. All books have been bound in full red Morocco. Missing from the set are two booklets: "Kind Words About the Smallest Book in the World" and "The Real Omar Khayyam" by Henry Harmon Chamberlain. Moderate wear to outside box, including bumping, rubbing at edges, and tearing to gilt perimeter; some loss of shape with areas of restoration. Despite these flaws, the contents remain in very good condition, with only minor imperfections (creasing, light toning, etc.). Marketed as the smallest book in the world at the time of publication (1933), this box set makes a delightful addition to any collection.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Dimensions:

9" x 9.5"

Artist Name:

Eben Francis Thompson

Medium:

Books