MEATYARD (Ralph Eugene). Ralph Eugene Meatyard. - Lot 174

MEATYARD (Ralph Eugene). Ralph Eugene Meatyard. Millerton (New York), Aperture, Inc., 1974. Quarto, approx. 28 cm, 136 pp., numerous black-and-white photographs, publisher’s black cloth binding, illustrated pink dust jacket. Text and editing by James Baker Hall, reminiscences by Guy Davenport. An Aperture Monograph. First edition of the first monograph dedicated to Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1925–1972), published two years after the photographer’s death. Aperture confirms that this is the first volume-length publication of his work, released simultaneously as Volume 18, Nos. 3–4 of the journal *Aperture* and as a hardcover book. A singular American photographer, akin in some respects to Surrealism, Meatyard created a deliberately enigmatic body of work, blending Kentucky landscapes, human figures, objects, masks, blurred images, and unsettling scenes. His photographs largely depart from the American documentary tradition and create a poetic universe where the familiar becomes strange. The selection and arrangement of the photographs were curated by James Baker Hall, a writer, photographer, and friend of Meatyard’s. The project had actually been started as early as 1970 with the photographer’s consent and was completed after his death with the help of his widow, Madelyn. The volume also includes a tribute to Meatyard by the writer Guy Davenport. Richly illustrated with full-page photographic reproductions, the book is an important milestone in Meatyard’s bibliography and one of the first books to capture the full scope of his photographic language. A beautiful copy inside, as shown in the photographs. The original pink dust jacket is present but shows significant wear: scuffing, creases, and signs of use, as well as small tears and superficial damage to the edges and corners, particularly on the spine and headbands. The hardcover beneath the dust jacket appears to be in much better condition.