Various (Mills, Brian (Editor); Beuys, Joseph; et al.)

The Dreamer No. 7 (October 1970)

Derbyshire, England: Brian Mills, 1970. First Edition. Folded Sheets. Signed by Brian Mills. “To a background of taped sounds (electronic? processed piano? voices?), Beuys, dressed in his (usual?) wide-brimmed hat and individual multi-pocketed dirty white (suede?) shoplifter’s waistcoat, attempted, with an irregular stick, to turn over a small blackboard which slithered uncooperatively across the wooden floor of a studio in Edinburgh College of Art. A small audience sat around the room, those without chairs sitting amongst tiny pellets of jelly left over from a previous event. In addition to Beuys and Christiansen, their electronic equipment, and their audience, the room also contained two 16mm film projectors, a small screen, a grand piano, and two long pieces of L-section wood consisting of two planks at right-angles to each other…” (“Joseph Beuys and Henning Christiansen: Edinburgh: Aug. 1970.”) This is the seventh number of the Dada-Surrealism-inspired literary/collage-art journal edited & published by Brian Mills (possibly the acclaimed British television director (1933-2006) whose background was in the arts). With hand-colored front cover image, & vintage circa-Victorian era collaged images, texts throughout. The juxtapositioning & mixture of disparate images & texts were practiced by Mills' predecessors in the Dadaist & Surrealist movements including Max Ernst et al., & were a precursor to William S. Burroughs' cut-up works. This issue also features a special piece by renowned German artist, Joseph Beuys (1921-1986). Loose sheets folded vertically, one of 100 copies hand-numbered & signed in black ink by Mills at lower rear cover colophon, this is copy No. 36/100. From the collection of Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed mate in the UK who was the manager of the fabled Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, England founded by Bill Butler (1934-1977, the famed American-expatriate poet, bookseller & publisher). From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, Unicorn proffered & published many outstanding productions by WSB, J.G. Ballard et al., some of which have become the scarcest, all-but-unobtainable Beat-&-Beyond collectibles (see for example our item No.s 8217, 8366). After prevailing against censorious harassment efforts, Unicorn closed & Butler died in short order. Cupidi went on to found the Public House Bookshop in Brighton, which had a long & successful run but which is now also closed, & he still resides there. We have been privileged to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all the remaining gems of Unicorn & Public House, including this. This issue is the seventh of a complete run of the short-lived but legendary series of The Dreamer. The final five issues are included in this group of new arrivals (see item No.s 9024, 9026, 9028, 9030); the preceding issues can be found in our inventory as well. A delicately beautiful production; a most scarce & influential collectible in its singularly rarest contemporary form with the most distinguished & relevant provenance. In relatively very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges, slight smudging/staining/spotting to front and back covers, and very slight discoloration due to age-toning to same. Very Fine. [Item #9032]

Price: $50.00 save 10% $45.00