11-ji 02-fun (11:02) Nagasaki.

£1,250 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

In 1961, Shomei Tomatsu began a series of close-up photographs of objects found at the explosion site at Nagasaki. These include a watch, stopped at precisely 11:02, a headless statue, and a warped glass bottle that serves as a horrific metaphor for all of the mined bodies and lost lives. Tomatsa had initially intended for 11:02 Nagasaki to be the first in a series of four separate books, the others being Osorezan: Countryside Politicians, Homes, Asphalt, and Occupation. However, sales of 11:02 Nagasaki were poor, and the publisher, Shashin Dojinsha, collapsed soon after its publication. The remaining three volumes were never realised individually, but Tomatsu subsequently formed his own publishing company called Shaken, and in 1967, he published Nihon, which included photographs from these series. In 1968, he took the remaining unsold copies of 11:02 Nagasaki, changed the copyright page, and placed a sticker bearing the new publisher's name on the spine. First edition, author's hanko stamp; 4to (221 x 189 mm, 8¾ x 7½ in); black-and-white photographs printed in sheet-fed gravure, text by Tamaki Motoi and interviews with survivors; photo-illustrated paper-covered boards, minor foxing, light toning to spine, original printed cardboard slipcase, lightly worn, publisher's brown printed insert laid in, without the acetate, near-fine; [172]pp. The Photobook A History, I pp274-7; The Open Book 226-7; Auer Collection p454; The Japanese Photobook 1912-1990 p380.

• Binding: Hardcover

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