New York: Zone Books, 1992.  Oblong octavo, 256 pages. First edition, text in English and French, with jacket copy by J.G. Ballard.  The book version of Chris Marker's classic short film of the same name. Issued in 1962, the 28-minute film La Jetée is made almost entirely of photographic stills and tells a story of death, memory, and survival in a post-apocalyptic world.  Telling the story entirely through still photos with only captions of the film's spoken dialogue, designer Bruce Mau has created a "cine-roman", or "photo novel".  "The photographer as editor as designer as movie-maker is all contained within the genius of La Jetée. As it stirs our emotions with memories, it also makes possible the construction of a never-to-be forgotten narrative sequence. It's so simple. It's the ultimate visual essay, the epic novel told in the most minimal and constrained number of images." Bill Drentell - Design Observer. A fine copy, in publisher's black cloth, in a near fine dust jacket, with only a single tiny scuff on the front panel. In my opinion, the most beautiful book produced in the last fifteen years, and quite scarce.  

$1200 -