Match in a Bottle

North Andover, Mass: Kat Ran Press, 1997. In fine condition. 4to (11 x 8 inches). [24] leaves including initial and terminal blanks. Seven original "smoke" drawings by Gohde. Red cloth, gilt-lettered on front cover; matching red cloth clamshell case. Number 35 of 50 copies (an additional 15 were not for sale). Printed on Arches by Michael and Katherine Russem at the Kat Ran Press, bound by Winifred Bixler.

The seven poems by Tracey Knapp are illustrated by Kurt Gohde who "made over 800 original drawings with matches, kerosene lamps, 'snaps,' gold leaf, gun powder, and cigarette lighters. The title page and poems are each accompanied by one of these drawings" (colophon). Gohde's note before the colophon states "Classical painters tried to freeze the moment immediately before an action took place. By drawing with smoke, I try to catch the moment immediately after. Fixing the smoke on paper stops the natural dissipation - alluding to the flame that produced it. These drawings exist like scars that tell the stories of their own creation."

Each copy is therefore unique, since the illustrations are not prints but original "smoke" drawings, created individually by Gohde. The book sold out immediately and won critical acclaim in the book art's community.