Burning Small Fires.

Los Angeles: [self-published,], 1968. First edition of Nauman's seminal self-published artist's book. A reworking of Ed Ruscha's 1964 work 'Various Small Fires and Milk', Nauman tore apart Ruscha's earlier book, burning and photographing its pages to to be rearranged on a single large sheet in the form of a new work. This is a rare and early work, reacting to both the introverted aesthetic nature of 1960's conceptual art (incapsulated here in Ruscha's cold, neutral, documentary photobooks) and the ongoing political and human chaos of the Vietnam War and the approaching end of the decade of protest. Original card wrappers, offset lithograph in colours. Single folded sheet, 93 x 127 cm unfolded, 36 x 24 cm folded. Housed in a red cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Wrappers with small bend to top right corner and some slight discolouration. Single folded sheet in excellent condition.