The Great Illustrated Private Press Books (TGIPPB) - Book #6
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1dlphcoracl
Book #6:
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Limited Editions Club, 2 vols., 1942. Illustrated with 49 photographic plates by Edward Weston.
In 1941, as the world became a more threatening place and the entry of the United States into World War II became increasingly inevitable, George Macy decided to publish a deluxe edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. The reasons were twofold:
1. He was dissatisfied with the earlier LEC edition of 1929, one of the earliest LEC publications, because of its restrained, unassuming design. He wanted a bolder, more exuberant edition for Whitman's Leaves of Grass. (Note: The 1929 LEC Leaves of Grass is a beautiful book whose design pays homage to the 1st edition of Leaves of Grass published in 1855 and its simplicity and elegance make it one of my favorite LECs).
2. To produce a work reaffirming American democracy and ideals in response to the beginning of WW II and the ensuing chaos in Europe.
Macy sought a photographer who would capture "the real American faces and the real American places" and he commissioned Edward Weston, then at the very peak of his career at age 55. This was a most unlikely choice and Weston's acceptance of the LEC commission was even more surprising. Weston's aesthetic was to find monumental architecture and beauty in the simplest, most mundane objects, using a very tightly controlled and disciplined approach that relied heavily in his work in the photography laboratory. Traveling thousands of miles across the United States, as sprawling as Whitman's seminal free verse poem (Note: a work Whitman would tinker with, revise and expand incessantly over his lifetime, to the poem's great detriment) , while taking photographs of the fly was certainly not in keeping with his discipline or method. Weston shared his odyssey with his wife Charis Wilson, who would keep a detailed diary of their adventure in the hopes of writing a book about it. They would travel from Los Angeles down to the Southwest, across Texas and the Deep South, then up along the east coast to New England and Maine. The LEC assignment was unexpectedly cut short by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. They hurriedly retraced their southern route to return to California, arriving in California early 1942 after covering over 20,000 miles. Weston then began reviewing and sorting from amongst over 700 negatives he had taken, sending 70 to George Macy, who would then select 49 photos for the new LEC Leaves of Grass edition. Weston would look back upon this project and view these photographs as representing some of his finest work. However, he considered the illustrated book a failure, in large part due to George Macy's interference and poor aesthetic decisions.
To full understand why Weston was deeply disappointed in the culmination of his LEC commission one must first know a bit about George Macy. George Macy was, first and foremost, a visionary - with the bold idea of producing letterpress books in larger editions (typically between 1500 to 2000 copies per book), tightly controlling costs, and selling them at a price point affordable to fine & private press book collectors who were not extraordinarily wealthy. He was also a shrewd, hard-nosed businessman - he had to be, founding the LEC in 1929 shortly before the Wall Street stock market crash, keeping it financially afloat during the ensuing decade of the Great Depression (1930-1939), then through the chaotic period of World War II (1940-1945). However, no one will ever confuse Macy with Bruce Rogers or D.B. Updike as a book designer and his aesthetic choices and judgments were often flawed, perhaps nowhere more so than in the LEC/Weston edition of Leaves of Grass. Macy envisioned and wanted Weston to produce photographs that could be easily paired with sections of Whitman's prose, a literal representation of Leaves of Grass and a ludicrous expectation of a world-class artist. By contrast, Weston had a much broader view of the project and believed the cumulative effect of his body of work would capture Whitman's bold vision of the United States as it put the finishing touches on its westward expansion in the late 19th century. Unfortunately, George Macy was also a control freak and, without Weston's knowledge, he printed the poem on pages tinted mint green (Leaves of GRASS, get it?!), used the same mint green to frame each photograph with broad borders, then paired Weston's photographs with specific lines from the poem which often have little or no bearing upon the photograph.
The results are predictably disastrous and betray George Macy's thorough lack of understanding and appreciation of what the photographic medium is about. Viewing Weston's photographs in this context is akin to reading a great novel while sitting at a utilitarian desk on the floor of an industrial plant with strong overhead fluorescent lighting. Worse, it was a betrayal of Edward Weston himself. Although Macy had the foresight to select Weston for this LEC edition of Leaves of Grass he did not have the confidence in a world-class photographer to permit him to express himself and his vision of Walt Whitman's poem and America. Sadly, although these photographs ARE amongst Weston's finest work they remain little known and are under-appreciated because of George Macy's poor presentation. Over the past decade, this has begun to correct itself through several carefully organized exhibitions of Weston's actual photographs under ideal circumstances, one by the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) in 2012 and another at the Huntington Library (California) in 2016.
Despite these flaws, this book is still a gem and one of the very few times a photographer of Weston's stature has illustrated a private press book with as many photographs. The photographs are also reproduced with care on glossy coated paper, a saving grace. Macy's heavy-handedness cannot obscure Edward Weston's genius and his all-encompassing vision of the United States in the 1940's still comes shining through.
Photos to follow.
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Limited Editions Club, 2 vols., 1942. Illustrated with 49 photographic plates by Edward Weston.
In 1941, as the world became a more threatening place and the entry of the United States into World War II became increasingly inevitable, George Macy decided to publish a deluxe edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. The reasons were twofold:
1. He was dissatisfied with the earlier LEC edition of 1929, one of the earliest LEC publications, because of its restrained, unassuming design. He wanted a bolder, more exuberant edition for Whitman's Leaves of Grass. (Note: The 1929 LEC Leaves of Grass is a beautiful book whose design pays homage to the 1st edition of Leaves of Grass published in 1855 and its simplicity and elegance make it one of my favorite LECs).
2. To produce a work reaffirming American democracy and ideals in response to the beginning of WW II and the ensuing chaos in Europe.
Macy sought a photographer who would capture "the real American faces and the real American places" and he commissioned Edward Weston, then at the very peak of his career at age 55. This was a most unlikely choice and Weston's acceptance of the LEC commission was even more surprising. Weston's aesthetic was to find monumental architecture and beauty in the simplest, most mundane objects, using a very tightly controlled and disciplined approach that relied heavily in his work in the photography laboratory. Traveling thousands of miles across the United States, as sprawling as Whitman's seminal free verse poem (Note: a work Whitman would tinker with, revise and expand incessantly over his lifetime, to the poem's great detriment) , while taking photographs of the fly was certainly not in keeping with his discipline or method. Weston shared his odyssey with his wife Charis Wilson, who would keep a detailed diary of their adventure in the hopes of writing a book about it. They would travel from Los Angeles down to the Southwest, across Texas and the Deep South, then up along the east coast to New England and Maine. The LEC assignment was unexpectedly cut short by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. They hurriedly retraced their southern route to return to California, arriving in California early 1942 after covering over 20,000 miles. Weston then began reviewing and sorting from amongst over 700 negatives he had taken, sending 70 to George Macy, who would then select 49 photos for the new LEC Leaves of Grass edition. Weston would look back upon this project and view these photographs as representing some of his finest work. However, he considered the illustrated book a failure, in large part due to George Macy's interference and poor aesthetic decisions.
To full understand why Weston was deeply disappointed in the culmination of his LEC commission one must first know a bit about George Macy. George Macy was, first and foremost, a visionary - with the bold idea of producing letterpress books in larger editions (typically between 1500 to 2000 copies per book), tightly controlling costs, and selling them at a price point affordable to fine & private press book collectors who were not extraordinarily wealthy. He was also a shrewd, hard-nosed businessman - he had to be, founding the LEC in 1929 shortly before the Wall Street stock market crash, keeping it financially afloat during the ensuing decade of the Great Depression (1930-1939), then through the chaotic period of World War II (1940-1945). However, no one will ever confuse Macy with Bruce Rogers or D.B. Updike as a book designer and his aesthetic choices and judgments were often flawed, perhaps nowhere more so than in the LEC/Weston edition of Leaves of Grass. Macy envisioned and wanted Weston to produce photographs that could be easily paired with sections of Whitman's prose, a literal representation of Leaves of Grass and a ludicrous expectation of a world-class artist. By contrast, Weston had a much broader view of the project and believed the cumulative effect of his body of work would capture Whitman's bold vision of the United States as it put the finishing touches on its westward expansion in the late 19th century. Unfortunately, George Macy was also a control freak and, without Weston's knowledge, he printed the poem on pages tinted mint green (Leaves of GRASS, get it?!), used the same mint green to frame each photograph with broad borders, then paired Weston's photographs with specific lines from the poem which often have little or no bearing upon the photograph.
The results are predictably disastrous and betray George Macy's thorough lack of understanding and appreciation of what the photographic medium is about. Viewing Weston's photographs in this context is akin to reading a great novel while sitting at a utilitarian desk on the floor of an industrial plant with strong overhead fluorescent lighting. Worse, it was a betrayal of Edward Weston himself. Although Macy had the foresight to select Weston for this LEC edition of Leaves of Grass he did not have the confidence in a world-class photographer to permit him to express himself and his vision of Walt Whitman's poem and America. Sadly, although these photographs ARE amongst Weston's finest work they remain little known and are under-appreciated because of George Macy's poor presentation. Over the past decade, this has begun to correct itself through several carefully organized exhibitions of Weston's actual photographs under ideal circumstances, one by the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) in 2012 and another at the Huntington Library (California) in 2016.
Despite these flaws, this book is still a gem and one of the very few times a photographer of Weston's stature has illustrated a private press book with as many photographs. The photographs are also reproduced with care on glossy coated paper, a saving grace. Macy's heavy-handedness cannot obscure Edward Weston's genius and his all-encompassing vision of the United States in the 1940's still comes shining through.
Photos to follow.
12dlphcoracl
Macro photo #1:
13dlphcoracl
Macro photo #2:
14dlphcoracl
Macro photo #3:
15kdweber
Nice clean copy! Hard to find this edition with such a nice looking binding. Mine is much more worn.
16ultrarightist
Which edition do you prefer for extended reading? The elegantly simple 1929 edition or the flawed 1942 edition?
17dlphcoracl
>16 ultrarightist:
Truly an impossible question to answer because they are two entirely different reading experiences. The original LEC edition of 1929 is quiet, elegant, and perfect for a quiet evening of reading. I also have a preference for the original (first) edition Whitman published in 1855 before he began dorking around with it, continually expanding the text and diluting the initial inspiration of the poem beyond recognition.
The 1942 LEC edition is bolder and more dramatic - "in your face" - because of the type selected, the glossy paper and the green tint to the paper and the photography pages. Weston's photographs add immeasurably to one's enjoyment of the reading experience, however.
I will post photos of the LEC 1929 edition below. It was designed by Frederic Warde and printed by William Edwin Rudge, two of the finest in American fine & private press books. The paper is handmade and quite fine with a classy watermark, the printing is flawless. No illustrations. Aside from using the original 1855 text of Leaves of Grass it also includes Whitman's original preface in its entirety.
This is an excellent case of why it is not book collector insanity to own more than one private press edition of a classic work of literature or poetry. The ball is in your court - YOU decide!!
Truly an impossible question to answer because they are two entirely different reading experiences. The original LEC edition of 1929 is quiet, elegant, and perfect for a quiet evening of reading. I also have a preference for the original (first) edition Whitman published in 1855 before he began dorking around with it, continually expanding the text and diluting the initial inspiration of the poem beyond recognition.
The 1942 LEC edition is bolder and more dramatic - "in your face" - because of the type selected, the glossy paper and the green tint to the paper and the photography pages. Weston's photographs add immeasurably to one's enjoyment of the reading experience, however.
I will post photos of the LEC 1929 edition below. It was designed by Frederic Warde and printed by William Edwin Rudge, two of the finest in American fine & private press books. The paper is handmade and quite fine with a classy watermark, the printing is flawless. No illustrations. Aside from using the original 1855 text of Leaves of Grass it also includes Whitman's original preface in its entirety.
This is an excellent case of why it is not book collector insanity to own more than one private press edition of a classic work of literature or poetry. The ball is in your court - YOU decide!!
20dlphcoracl
Title page.
22dlphcoracl
Page one of Whitman's preface.
23dlphcoracl
Opening lines of the poem.
24dlphcoracl
Macro view of opening lines.
