SEMINA 5
Complete fifth "Mexico" issue of Berman's legendary artist's magazine.
Near fine.
Price: $7,500.00
SEMINA 5
"SEMINA was to conventional magazines what spiking the reservoirs would be to tap water." — Aarons & Roth
Privately distributed and "handset on a beat 5 x 8 Excelsior hand-press" by Berman, SEMINA combines the early DIY-ethos of the Mimeo Revolution with the aesthetics of the burgeoning mail art movement. From the beginning, the magazine was an innovation, "not a choice of poems and art works to exercise the editor's discrimination and aesthetic judgment, but the fashioning of a context," as Robert Duncan described it. In other words, an artwork in and of itself: "Taking a dose of inspiration from Dadaist and Surrealist periodicals [...] SEMINA was heterogeneous in content and physical materials. The magazine manifested in equal measure Berman's passion for the crafted object and his love of poetry, but issues also encompassed photography, collage, and drawings [...] hand-printed on a variety of papers [...] [m]ost issues were looseleaf and unsequenced, the order left for the reader to determine" (Aarons & Roth, 340).
Contributors to this issue include: Antonin Artaud, Wallace Berman (as "Pantale Xantos," a photo of Lamantia shooting up), John Chance, Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz, Kirby Doyle, John Hoffman, Larry Jordan, Robert Kaufman, Philip Lamantia, Christopher Maclaine, Michael McClure, Anne McKeever, William Margolia, David Meltzer, John Reed, John Wieners, and Ruth Weiss.
Given their rather fugitive nature and with editions rarely exceeding 300 copies, all of the issues of SEMINA are scarce.
Read more: Michael Duncan and Kristine McKenna, Semina Culture, 42 and 59-61; Aarons & Roth, In Numbers, 339-44; Kugelberg, Semina, 85-106; Clay & Phillips, From A Secret Location, 78-79; Allen, Artists' Magazines, 295.
The Object
First edition. [Larkspur, CA]: Wallace Berman, [1959]. Original printed folder featuring a photo by Charles Brittin of a phallic sculpture. Containing in an interior pocket 18 inserts letterpress poems, half-tone photographs, reproduced drawings etc. on various colored papers by more than a dozen contributors. One of 350 unnumbered copies printed by Berman. Light wear to folder, minor toning to paper. Overall bright and sharp.
The Fine Print
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Priority. International orders over $500 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
