GUEST POST: International Times #26 [1968]

International Times #26 (Feb 16-29 1968). n.p. [London, UK]: Lovebooks, February 1968. 16 p.; ill.; 45.5 x 29.5 cm.; white self-wraps with image printed in blue-grey and red.

16 p [London, UK]: International Times, 1968; 45.5 x 29.5cm; white self-wraps with image printed in blue-grey and red.

This edition of the iconic underground newspaper International Times (IT) features a Situationist poster (in English translation) as its front cover. The original is that designed by André Bertrand to announce the publication of Internationale Situationniste #11, and was originally issued in French in October 1967.

The IT’s editor explains the genesis of the cover: “Our front page is a found object. We found it flyposted to the building that houses our offices. It bears no printers or publishers imprint… we applaud the poster’s instructive as opposed to merely decorative function. Artificial colouring added by publisher. One word partly altered by printer. Shame!”

Presumably this translation is the work of ex-members of the English section of the SI, which although excluded en masse in December 1967, seems to have continued to dissemenate situationist material.

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Le Declin et la Chute de l’Economie Spectaculaire-Marchande [1993]

Debord, Guy. Le Declin et la Chute de l’Economie Spectaculaire-Marchande.
Paris: Jean-Jacques Pauvert, December 1993. 40 p.; ill.; 18 x 12 cm; white cover with text in red and black

This iconic Situationist text provides an astute commentary on the Watts riots in Los Angeles. First published as an anonymous pamphlet (in English) in December 1965, it is then reprinted in the periodical Internationale Situationniste no.10 in March 1966. As an homage to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Le Declin et la Chute is re-released in its first stand-alone edition by Jean-Jacques Pauvert in 1993 – this time around, the text is signed by its original author, Debord.

Readily available in the trade and on OCLC. Gonzalzez 123

This entry is a tribute to Jean-Jacques Pauvert, who passed away today.

Fini le Cinema Francais [1952]

Groupe Lettriste. Fini le Cinema Francais / Ion Centre de Creation.
Paris: n.p. [Groupe Lettriste], n.d. [April 1952]. 1p. leaflet (double-sided); 21 x 12.5 cm.; black text on light blue / grey stock.

Issued by the Groupe Lettriste (the Internationale Lettriste was only founded in June 1952), this double-sided leaflet was distributed at the 5th edition of the Festival de Cannes, held from April 23 to May 10, 1952. It promotes Lettrist experimental films, some of which had been banned by censorship, and announces the end of cinema in France. It is worth noting that Lettrist attempted to derail the Festival de Cannes by interrupting official movie screenings, getting involved in brawals, and vandalizing movie posters (e.g., by covering with them with the words “cinema is dead”).

Extremely scarce in the trade, with no copies found on OCLC (though the BNF in Paris does own one, acquired as part of the Guy Debord estate). While this retails for 600 Euros, we were fortunate to find it laid-in our copy of “Ion”

The full text is available at http://debordiana.chez.com/francais/cannes.htm

 

Ion. Centre de Creation no.1 [1952]

Guillaumain, Marc-Gilbert [aka, Marc’O] (Ed.). Ion: Centre de Creation no.1. Paris: n.p., April 1952. 286 p.; ill.; 22 x 17.5 cm.; green cover with text in white (back cover is a metagraphy by Gabriel Pomerand).

First and only issue of this first periodical issued by the Groupe Lettriste (which was superseded by the Internationale Lettriste in June 1952). This is a particularly important document because this where Guy Debord publishes his very first text (‘Hurlements en faveur de Sade précédés de Prolégomènes à tout cinéma futur’). Listed in Gonzalvez 89. Full table of contents below:

CONTENTS

• ‘Mise en garde’ / Rédaction
• Jean-Isidore Isou, Esthétique du Cinéma’
• Poucette, ‘Il nous arrive d’en parler …’
• Gabriel Pomerand, ‘La Légende cruelle. Décembre 1950’
• Gil J Wolman, ‘L’anticoncept. Argument cinematographique pour une phase physique des arts’
• Serge Berna, ‘Jusqu’à l’os’
• François Dufrêne, ‘Tambours du jugement premier’
• Yolande du Luart, ‘À propos de l’I.D.H.E.C. (extrait)’
• Guy-Ernest Debord, ‘Hurlements en faveur de Sade précédés de Prolégomènes à tout cinéma futur’
• Monique Geoffroy, ‘D’Isou à Marc O.’
• Marc O., ‘Première manifestation d’un Cinéma nucléaire (Diagramme, O. du cinéma)’

The publisher states that, in addition to the regular edition, 26 copies of the periodical were released but not made available in the trade (numbered A-Z) and an additional 100 copies were signed by the authors. However, we have  yet to hear of or examine any of these copies. Most likely, Marc’O did this to mock the “limited edition” practice which was so common among French publishers at the time. If you have further information, please let me know

Rare in the trade, with OCLC listing 7 copies. The Last realized copy sold for 650 Euros (+BP), though we were fortunate to acquire ours for $30 from an unsuspecting individual!

GUEST POST: Grammes no.4 [1959]

[NOTE: Today is our first guest post, courtesy of Ian Thompsom from Australia. If you own any interesting/unique/exciting/relevant Situationist or Situationist-related material, please submit me a guest post along with a brief note about you at elhajoui AT gmail DOT com. It will be great to grow the blog!]

Robert Estivals [Editor]; Grammes no.4. n.p. [Paris, France]: Editions du Parc, 1959. 30 p (+ 2 tipped-in plates); 21 x 13.5cm; white wrappers with text in black and red.

Grammes was inaugurated as the journal of the short-lived Ultra-Lettriste group (which broke from the Lettristes in the mid-50s). In addition to Estivals the group also included François Dufrene and Jacques Villegle (who both went on to greater recognition as Nouveau Realistes in the 1960s). However by the time of this, the 4th number, the review had changed it’s orientation to Estivals own ”Signisme” and Dufrene and Villegle had departed.

This issue is notable for containing one of the earliest lengthy critiques of the Situationiste Internationale: “Le Systéme de Situations”(pp 19-29). Debord deemed the article worthy of  response, with “A Propos de Quelques Erreurs d’Interprétation” in the next (4th) issue of Internationale Situationniste (pp 30-33).

This led to an ongoing dialogue over the next three years, documented by several letters in Debord, “Correspondance, Volume 2: 1960-1964”

Rare in the trade, with quite a few copies on OCLC

Various mimeographed texts by Debord, Vienet, Vaneigem [1960s/1970s?]

Debord, Guy; Vienet, Rene; Vaneigem, Raoul. Preliminaires pour Une Definition de l’Unite du Programme Revolutionnaire…n.p. [Paris, France?]: Les Editions de Nulle Part, n.d [1960s or 1970s]; n.p. [32 p.], 21 x 30 cm..; white wrappers with text in black.

This is a mimeographed copy of several Situationist texts, namely:

• Debord, Guy. Preliminaires pour une definition de l’unite du programme revolutionnaire [1960]
• Debord, Guy. Pour un jugement revolutionnaire de l’art [1962]
• Debord, Guy. Les Situationnistes et les nouvelles formes d’action dans la politique ou l’art [1963]
• Vienet, Rene. La Revolution Inconnue [1967]
• Vaneigem, Raoul. Isidore Ducasset et le Comte de Lautreamont dans les Poesies [1958]

This item, which was distributed in Paris left-bank libraries (see back cover) is unseen in the trade or on OCLC.

Depths and Limits of the Revolutionary Crisis [1970s]

Gray, Christopher (Ed. and Trans.); Vienet, Rene [Author]. Depths and Limits of the Revolutionary Crisis. n.p. [London, United Kingdom?]: Ammunition Pressworks, n.d [1970s]; ill.; n.p. [10 p.], 21 x 14 cm..; white wrappers with text in blue.

Yet another librarian’s nightmare, with little information on anything but authorship. This is Christopher Gray’s translation of a portion of Rene Vienet’s Enrages et Situationnistes dans le Mouvement des Occupations(Paris: Gallimard, 1968), enriched with illustrations (see below). Gray, who was briefly a member of the SI, is known as the author of Leaving the 20th Century: The Incomplete Works of the Situationist International (London, UK: Free Fall Press, 1974), the first English language anthology of Situationist texts

This edition is listed in Not Bored’s Bibliography of American Situationiste, but is not otherwise accounted for. No other copy available in trade or on OCLC.

Catalogue des Editions Gerard Lebovici [1988]

[Editions Gerard Lebovici]. Catalogue 1988. Paris: Editions Gerard Lebovici, Dec. 1987. n.p [ca. 90p.]; ill.; 20 x 12.5 cm.; beige cover with text in red.

Founded by Gerard Lebovici in 1969, Champ Libre became Guy Debord’s publisher in 1971, following the Situationist author’s conflict with Buchet-Chastel. Over the next 20 years, Champ Libre released numerous books by the Internationale Situationniste and its members. These include:

• Debord, Guy. La Societe du Spectacle (1971)
• Raspaud, Jean-Jacques; Voyer, Jean-Pierre. L’Internationale Situationniste (1972)
• Internationale Situationniste. La Veritable Scission dans l’Internationale (1972)
• Internationale Situationniste. Internationale Situationniste 1958-69 (1975)
• Sanguinetti, Gianfranco. Veridique Rapport sur les Dernieres Chance de Sauver le Capitalisme en Italie (1976)
• [Internationale Situationniste]. De la Misere en Milieu Etudiant (1976)
• Debord, Guy. Oeuvres Cinematographiques Completes (1978)
• Debord, Guy. Preface a la Quatrieme Edition Italienne de “La Societe du Spectacle” (1979)
• [Debord, Guy]. Ordures et Decombres Deballes a la Sortie du Film “In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur Igni” (1982)
• Debord, Guy. Considerations sur l’Assassinat de Gerard Lebovici (1985)
• [Debord, Guy – Ed.] Potlatch 1954-57 (1985)
• Debord, Guy et Becker-Ho, Alice. Le Jeu de la Guerre (1987)

In 1984, after the assassination of Gerard Lebovici, Champ Libre changed its name and became Éditions Gérard Lebovici as an hommage. In 1992, it became Éditions Ivrea. At that point, Debord distanced himself from the publishing house.

Over the course of its history, Champ libre published works by many authors that were dear to Guy Debord, such as George Orwell, Baltasar Gracian, Clausewitz, Jorge Manrique, Bakounine, etc.

The Champ Libre / Lebovici catalogs are sought after and thus rare in the trade. We find no other copy in the trade for the 1988 catalog, and OCLC returns no listings.

Det Er Et Liv Efter Fødslen : Situationistisk Internationale 1958-69 [1972]

[Internationale Situationniste]. Det Er Et Liv Efter Fodslen: Situationistisk Internationale 1958-69. Copenhagen: Rhodos, 1972. 248 p.; 21 x 11 cm.; off-white cover with text in black

Collection of Situationist texts, selected by J. V. Martin ; in collaboration with Claus Clausen and Ole Klitgaard ; translated by J. V. Martin and Ole Klitgaard. Also includes a short bibliography, as well as the address of the Scandinavian section of the SI in Randers.

Scarce, with no copies in the trade and a single copy on OCLC (Danish National Library)

La Vie Secrete d’Eugenie Grandet [1981]

Julienne de Cherisy [RAOUL VANEIGEM?]. La Vie Secrete d’Eugenie Grandet. Paris: La Brigandine, 1981. 188 p.; 18 x 10 cm.; ill. cover with photography of a scantily-clad woman, text in white.

Published under the pseudonym of Julienne de Cherisy, this work of fiction is generally attributed to Raoul Vaneigem, though there is no clear consensus. Shige Gonzalvez, the author of a Debord Bibliography (Guy Debord ou la Beaute du Negatif – Mille et une Nuits, 1998), states on his internet blog that this pornographic novel was written by of one of Vaneigem’s friends. Laurent Six, author of Raoul Vaneigem, L’éloge de la vie affinée (Luce Wilquin, 2004), believes it was written jointly by Vaneigem and Marie-France Planeix.

La Vie Secrete d’Eugenie Grandet is a pastiche on many levels. Its title is a reference to Balzac’s novel. Indeed, the novel showcases an in-depth knowledge of the 19th-century French author.

Gonzalvez 214. Scarce in the trade, with a single OCLC copy at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.