Lot 73: ZDENEK TMEJ

ZDENEK TMEJ
Abeceda Dusevniho Prazdna -- Alphabet of Spiritual Emptiness. Prague: Zadura Nakladelstvi, 1946.

Quarto (239 x 210 mm). 45 black and white photographs. (Spotting on first leaf.) Original card-covers; lacking dust-jacket (facsimile supplied); cloth folding box. Tmej's signature in black ink on first blank.

Gelatin silver print (264 x 393 mm), annotated on the verso 'Zdenek Tmej 1942 Breslau', (three short tears at edges), cloth chemise and slipcase.

FIRST EDITION, SIGNED BY TMEJ. WITH A GELATIN SILVER PRINT reproduced in the book: a large interior scene of one of the dormitories in Breslau. "A remarkable document of his war experiences (psychological and otherwise). It is also a beautifully produced, if fragile, book" (The Photobook). "The dark, impressionistic look of Tmej's photographs is the result of working indoor with a concealed camera and only the dimmest available light" (101 Books). 101 Books, pp.124-25; The Open Book, pp.144-45; The Photobook, vol. I, pp.198-99. (2)