Description
In 1966 the artist Tom Phillips discovered A Human Document (1892), an obscure Victorian romance by W.H. Mallock, and set himself the task of altering every page, by painting, collage or cut-up techniques, to create an entirely new version. Some of Mallock's original text remains in tact and through the illustrated pages the character of Bill Toge, Phillips's anti-hero, and his romantic plight emerges.
First published in 1973, A Humument - as Phillips titled his altered book - quickly established itself as a cult classic. Since then, the artist has been working towards a complete revision of his original, adding new pages in successive editions. That process is now finished. This 50th anniversary edition presents, for the first time, an entirely new and complete version of A Humument .
This edition includes a revised Introduction by the artist, reflecting on the last 50 years' work on this project, and 92 new illustrated pages. A Special Limited edition is also available: this presents a copy of the 50th anniversary edition in a clamshell box with a limited-edition print, signed by the artist.
The final, 50th anniversary edition of Tom Phillips's 'defining masterpiece of postmodernism'
About the Author
Tom Phillips CBE RA is a painter, writer, translator and composer. Collaborators include the filmmaker Peter Greenaway (A TV Dante), the novelist Salman Rushdie (Merely Connect) and the composer Tarik O'Regan (Heart of Darkness). Informing Phillips's work for half a century, A Humument has appeared in many guises beyond book and exhibition form, including operatically in Irma, digitally as an app and aurally, read by the artist himself. Tom Phillips is also an ardent Africanist. His groundbreaking exhibition 'Africa: The Art of a Continent' at the Royal Academy in 1992 attracted huge crowds and enthusiastic reviews. He is himself a collector of African Art, specializing in the arts of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
Reviews
'Simply astounding ... and addictive' - Stephen Fry
'Visually stunning' - Daily Telegraph (50 Best Books of the Year)
'One of the most original, fascinating and lovely books of all time' - Brian Eno
'Utterly original, delightful and idiosyncratic' - David Lodge
'Astonishes the eye and amazes the mind' - William H. Gass
'An epic of bawdiness, indirection, verbal and visual digressions, and sheer pleasure in language, colour and shape' - The Economist
'Provokes questions about the balance of intentionality and chance in both art and life' - Times Literary Supplement
Book Information
ISBN 9780500519035
Author Tom Phillips
Format Hardback
Page Count 392
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Weight(grams) 690g
First published in 1973, A Humument - as Phillips titled his altered book - quickly established itself as a cult classic. Since then, the artist has been working towards a complete revision of his original, adding new pages in successive editions. That process is now finished. This 50th anniversary edition presents, for the first time, an entirely new and complete version of A Humument .
This edition includes a revised Introduction by the artist, reflecting on the last 50 years' work on this project, and 92 new illustrated pages. A Special Limited edition is also available: this presents a copy of the 50th anniversary edition in a clamshell box with a limited-edition print, signed by the artist.
The final, 50th anniversary edition of Tom Phillips's 'defining masterpiece of postmodernism'
About the Author
Tom Phillips CBE RA is a painter, writer, translator and composer. Collaborators include the filmmaker Peter Greenaway (A TV Dante), the novelist Salman Rushdie (Merely Connect) and the composer Tarik O'Regan (Heart of Darkness). Informing Phillips's work for half a century, A Humument has appeared in many guises beyond book and exhibition form, including operatically in Irma, digitally as an app and aurally, read by the artist himself. Tom Phillips is also an ardent Africanist. His groundbreaking exhibition 'Africa: The Art of a Continent' at the Royal Academy in 1992 attracted huge crowds and enthusiastic reviews. He is himself a collector of African Art, specializing in the arts of Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
Reviews
'Simply astounding ... and addictive' - Stephen Fry
'Visually stunning' - Daily Telegraph (50 Best Books of the Year)
'One of the most original, fascinating and lovely books of all time' - Brian Eno
'Utterly original, delightful and idiosyncratic' - David Lodge
'Astonishes the eye and amazes the mind' - William H. Gass
'An epic of bawdiness, indirection, verbal and visual digressions, and sheer pleasure in language, colour and shape' - The Economist
'Provokes questions about the balance of intentionality and chance in both art and life' - Times Literary Supplement
Book Information
ISBN 9780500519035
Author Tom Phillips
Format Hardback
Page Count 392
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Weight(grams) 690g
