Robert Mapplethorpe - Black Book [1st Edition] - 1986
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Description from the seller
Black Book by Robert Mapplethorpe is one of the defining publications of the photographer’s career and one of the most powerful explorations of the male body in late twentieth-century photography. First published by St. Martin’s Press in New York in 1986, the book presents Mapplethorpe’s highly controlled and unmistakable vision of Black male identity, masculinity and the nude. The publication includes an introduction by poet and playwright Ntozake Shange.
Mapplethorpe’s photographs combine classical compositional precision with an intense physical presence. Studio portraits, sculptural bodies and intimate studies are treated with the same attention to form, light and gesture that characterizes much of his work. The result is a book that moves between portraiture, erotic photography and a sustained investigation of the body as both subject and visual object.
This copy is the first edition, published in 1986 by St. Martin’s Press. The original edition is particularly significant within Mapplethorpe’s bibliography and remains one of his most recognizable and influential photobooks.
Condition: This copy presents some light foxing consistent with age. As the condition of individual photographs and pages can vary, we strongly recommend checking the photographs provided with the listing for a more precise assessment of the book’s overall condition. Please examine all images carefully before purchasing.
Seller's Story
Dartbooks is a specialized photography bookshop based in Barcelona, dedicated to photobooks, rare and out-of-print editions, and historically significant publications. With a strong focus on Japanese photography, Dartbooks was founded to provide continuity to a field that requires depth, expertise, and careful curation.
The bookshop was established after the closure of Kowasa, a landmark reference for photography books in Spain. Its disappearance left a clear gap for photographers, collectors, and institutions in need of a space with a serious and knowledgeable approach to the photobook. Dartbooks emerged in response to that need, not as a replacement, but as part of the natural evolution of a cultural ecosystem.
Dartbooks operates with a curatorial mindset, shaped by long-term engagement with photography and book collecting. The project functions as a book hunting platform for collectors, professionals, and libraries worldwide, and also provides advisory support to other bookshops seeking to develop coherent and specialized photography collections.
The catalogue includes new publications, rare and out-of-print titles, monographs, retrospectives, self-published works, signed copies, and editions produced directly by photographers through their own imprints. The selection reflects a sustained commitment to photography as a form of visual narration, where images construct meaning beyond text.
Although rooted in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Dartbooks serves an international audience. Its community includes collectors, professionals, and institutions from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and beyond, both through the physical space and the online platform.
Dartbooks understands the photobook not merely as an object of consumption, but as a cultural artifact that documents artistic practices, historical contexts, and personal visions. The bookshop functions simultaneously as a place of discovery, an archive in constant growth, and a point of connection between photographers, publishers, and readers.
Black Book by Robert Mapplethorpe is one of the defining publications of the photographer’s career and one of the most powerful explorations of the male body in late twentieth-century photography. First published by St. Martin’s Press in New York in 1986, the book presents Mapplethorpe’s highly controlled and unmistakable vision of Black male identity, masculinity and the nude. The publication includes an introduction by poet and playwright Ntozake Shange.
Mapplethorpe’s photographs combine classical compositional precision with an intense physical presence. Studio portraits, sculptural bodies and intimate studies are treated with the same attention to form, light and gesture that characterizes much of his work. The result is a book that moves between portraiture, erotic photography and a sustained investigation of the body as both subject and visual object.
This copy is the first edition, published in 1986 by St. Martin’s Press. The original edition is particularly significant within Mapplethorpe’s bibliography and remains one of his most recognizable and influential photobooks.
Condition: This copy presents some light foxing consistent with age. As the condition of individual photographs and pages can vary, we strongly recommend checking the photographs provided with the listing for a more precise assessment of the book’s overall condition. Please examine all images carefully before purchasing.
Seller's Story
Dartbooks is a specialized photography bookshop based in Barcelona, dedicated to photobooks, rare and out-of-print editions, and historically significant publications. With a strong focus on Japanese photography, Dartbooks was founded to provide continuity to a field that requires depth, expertise, and careful curation.
The bookshop was established after the closure of Kowasa, a landmark reference for photography books in Spain. Its disappearance left a clear gap for photographers, collectors, and institutions in need of a space with a serious and knowledgeable approach to the photobook. Dartbooks emerged in response to that need, not as a replacement, but as part of the natural evolution of a cultural ecosystem.
Dartbooks operates with a curatorial mindset, shaped by long-term engagement with photography and book collecting. The project functions as a book hunting platform for collectors, professionals, and libraries worldwide, and also provides advisory support to other bookshops seeking to develop coherent and specialized photography collections.
The catalogue includes new publications, rare and out-of-print titles, monographs, retrospectives, self-published works, signed copies, and editions produced directly by photographers through their own imprints. The selection reflects a sustained commitment to photography as a form of visual narration, where images construct meaning beyond text.
Although rooted in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Dartbooks serves an international audience. Its community includes collectors, professionals, and institutions from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and beyond, both through the physical space and the online platform.
Dartbooks understands the photobook not merely as an object of consumption, but as a cultural artifact that documents artistic practices, historical contexts, and personal visions. The bookshop functions simultaneously as a place of discovery, an archive in constant growth, and a point of connection between photographers, publishers, and readers.
Details
Number of books
1
Subject
Photography
Book title
Black Book [1st Edition]
Author/ Illustrator
Robert Mapplethorpe
Condition
Good
Publication year oldest item
1986
Height
28 cm
Edition
1st Edition
Width
28 cm
Language
English
Original language
Yes
Publisher
St. Martin's Press
Binding/ Material
Softback
Number of pages
91
