WHY ABSTRACT by Henry Miller; Hilaire Hiler and William Saroyan - Jan 01, 1945

New York, NY: J. Laughlin, 1945. Hardcover. G+ (book shows wear at corners, particularly at bottom of spine and some spots of fading, all pages clear and intact - dust jacket (if present) shows significant age toning and discoloration and also chipping and a few tears. Gray cloth boards with blue spine lettering 100 pp. "'Why abstract?' That is the question constantly put to modern painters by laymen astonished by the trends of modern art. Hilaire Hiler, himself an abstract painter and a color theorist, answers that question in plain, non-technical language which anyone can understand. Hiler than takes up a number of other important problems which confront the modern painter: the role of the creative artist in our social economy; the influence of scientific discoveries on the technique of painting; the relation of painting and politics; and others. Henry Miller and William Saroyan join Hiler in the discussion. Saroyan is particularly interested in the nature of what we call 'genius' in a painter.… Read More

New York: New Directions, 1945. Hardcover. Small 4to. Grey cloth, pictorial dust jacket. 100pp. Good/good minus. Some jacket wear and tear, chipping. First edition. Uncommon in dust jacket.

New Directions, 1945. First Edition. Hardcover. Good/No jacket. Signed. Inscribed (to friend and collector Pierre Sicari) and SIGNED by Henry Miller on the front endpaper. Grey cloth, blue spine lettering. The corners are bumped and the spine ends rubbed with some fraying. The interior is in very good condition with just a touch of page toning.