Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. Detroit: Black & Red, 1970. First English edition, first printing (1970). n.p. [120p.].; 21.5 x 13.5 cm.; B&W ill. wrappers. Charles Radcliffe’s copy, with his ownership signature to title page and brief pencilled notes to last page.
Charles Radcliffe was a member of the English section of the Situationist International from December 1966 to November 1967. Guy Debord did not view Radcliffe’s contributions to the SI in a favorable light. In a letter to Robert Chasse dated 23 December 1967, he writes that “Radcliffe n’avait rigoureusement rien fait en dix-huit mois, et finalement avait amicalement formule sa démission a Chris…” (English: Radcliffe had done literally nothing in eighteen months, and had eventually handed his resignation to Chris [Gray] (Corrrespondance vol. 0, p. 338). Prior to joining the SI, Radcliffe had edited the short-lived but influential magazine Heatwave (1966-1967). The publication is lauded in the pamphlet De la Misère en Milieu Etudiant (On the Poverty of Student Life) in 1966: “One thinks here of the excellent journal Heatwave, which seems to be evolving toward an increasingly rigorous radicality”
Radcliffe maintains a website, which includes a short biographical sketch and links to his writings (http://charlieradcliffe.com/biography/).Radcliffe authored a (now sold-out) autobiography: Don’t Start Me Talkin’” – The Story of a Sixties Scapegrace.
Provenance: Charles Radcliffe, through the trade