BRANDT, Bill (1904-1983)

[Photobook] The English at Home

London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1936. First Edition. Pictorial Boards. First Printing (so stated) of the photographer's first book, introduced by Raymond Mortimer. Royal 8vo (235 x 180 mm): 8pp, with 63 full-page captioned gravure plates by Brandt. Publisher's glazed photographically illustrated boards, spine and upper cover lettered in red, photographic end papers. Wanting the rare unprinted acetate dust jacket. Spine and covers lightly toned, else a clean, bright, firmly bound copy. Roth (101), p. 90. Roth (Open Book), pp. 122-23. Parr & Badger I, p. 138. Auer, p. 230. Fine-. Item #BB1983

Brandt's first foray into print, contrasting the English social classes and panning between urban and rural milieus, with the photographer showing himself "not only to be an artist but an anthropologist. He seems to have wandered about England with the detached curiosity of a man investigating the customs of some remote and unfamiliar tribe." (from the Introduction) Most of the photographs appeared here for the first time. The English at Home seems to begin as a conventional photographic celebration of Englishness, with views of a Buckingham Palace guard and double-decker buses crossing London Bridge. But as the book proceeds, the "strictly divided class structure of England is increasingly reflected in the layout, with an image of a desolate street (East End Playground) juxtaposed with children in fine clothes looking bored (Kensington Children's Party) . . . Compared with the works Brandt would later produce and the ones he would later inspire in Robert Frank and others, The English at Home seems tame, but it had a lasting effect." (Roth 101) "The book is notable for . . . Brandt's sheer relish for the mysteries and rituals of Englishness. He had privileged access to these through various Brandt uncles and their households. Friends and family acted out various roles in Brandt's photographs. His master in the art of documentary photography, or photojournalism, was the Paris-based Transylvanian Brassai . . . " (ODNB) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $1,024.00