Dave Heath
A Dialogue With SolitudeIntroduction by Hugh Edwards
and a Letter from Robert Frank
2000
With the publication of A Dialogue With Solitude, Lumiere Press has reached a unique milestone in our history - our first unlimited-edition publication. This is, however, a book with a remarkable pedigree, a meticulous production history, and, in keeping with the traditions of the press, a distinctive, hand-made variant edition.
In 1961, Dave Heath assembled the photographs that he had been making throughout the fifties into a poetic sequence. The original plan for a book, as he envisioned it, would be a large format, akin to LIFE magazine. When the book was eventually published, in 1965, it was reduced in size. Nevertheless, A Dialogue With Solitude was a landmark in photography – it quickly went out-of-print and for the last thirty years has been highly sought by collectors.
The new Lumiere Press edition is the rebirth of a classic. Using the maquette from 1961, and the set of master prints, the book has been restored to the format of Heath's original design. The eighty-two images were printed in Berlin in the NovaTone process – an exceptional offset technique that preserved the photographs' brilliant tonal scale. The binding cloth and endpapers duplicate the original binding. In every way this book is the fulfillment of the artist's creative aspirations. To mark the new edition, a thoughtful perspective was provided in a brief contribution by Robert Frank.
The book is 100 pages and measures 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches. Signed by the artist.
Photogravure Edition
Two limited-edition sets have been produced each of 100 copies.
The first issuance presents a photogravure of Heath's incomparable image, "Vengeful Sister, Chicago, 1956". The print is housed in a folio, and book and folio are presented in a slipcase.
The second edition of 100 presents a photogravure of one of Heath's most celebrated images, "Washington Square, New York City, 1958". The print is contained in a paper folio, and book and folio are housed in a clamshell box.
The prints for both editions are hand-pulled, dust-grain photogravures commissioned from the studio of Jon Goodman. Each book and gravure is numbered and signed by the artist.
Status
Out of Print