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identitäten

Gomringer, Eugen & Heinz-Günter Prager

Cologne. verlag konstantin post. 1981
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An excellent presentation copy of the scarce deluxe edition of identitäten.

From the edition limited to 333 numbered copies on Hahnemühle büttenkarton signed by both Gomringer and Prager in pencil to the justification, with this one of the first 13 copies bound in leather ('13 exemplare in leder gebunden'), and with a presentation from Prager in pencil to the same leaf: 'für Henning Rasner mit herzlichen / Gruß Heinz-Günter Prager'.

Inspired and published as a collaboration between Eugen Gomringer and Heinz-Günter Prager, the book consists of 81 spreads, each composed of a monochrome graphic on the left-hand page, a black square printed in the centre of the leaf with a superimposed quadrangular figure in white, and a poetic textual construction on the right-hand page such as 'das konkrete in der poesie / ist / die poesie im konkreten' or 'der fehler im system / ist / das system im fehler'.

'dieses buch enstand in enger zusammenarbeit zwischen eugen gomringer und heinz-günter prager im jahre 1980 für den verlag constantin post, köln.' (From the justification; lowercase as printed).
[84 unnumbered leaves]. Square 4to. (276 x 276 mm). Leaf with printed title recto and monochrome zincograph illustration verso with printed text on following recto, the remainder of the book composed as 80 double-page spreads with a monochrome zincograph at left and a poetic aphorism at right (see below), final leaf with justification; printed text in German in lowercase throughout. Original publisher's cream patterned leather by Hunke & Schröder, front and rear covers ruled in blind and with titles in blind to covers and spine, additional crystal paper jacket with rules and titles in black and biographical details of the contributors to rear flap, card slipcase.
#46524