VERY RARE, SUPER BEAUTIFUL VERY FIRST FULL MONOGRAPH from 1932 (!) on the work of pioneering California photographer Edward Weston (1886-1958), called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers" and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." Signed by the artist. I GUARANTEE THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SIGNATURE. From Fair to Fine 3: "20th Century Photography Books That Matter", page 200. BREATH-TAKING PRINTING (the quality of the full page reproductions of Weston's work was unprecendented for the time). STRONGLY LIMITED TO 550 (!) COPIES ONLY, of which this is number 183. THIS IS THE FIRST BEST-OF-PHOTOBOOKS AUCTION by 5Uhr30.com, starting in 2026. With more than 100 great lots from my personal collection and from recent acquisitions. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. It features thirty-nine images by Weston, a frontispiece portrait by his son Brett. With a foreword by Charles Sheeler, an appreciation by Lincoln Steffens, a prophecy by Arthur Miller, an estimate by Jean Charlot, and a statement by Edward Weston. The book was designed by Merle Armitage. Compiled in 1932 by the forward thinking Los Angeles-based graphic designer and publisher Merle Armitage. Printing by Lynton Kistler, Los Angeles. Edward Weston's close friend Ramiel McGehee edited the literary contributions by Sheeler, Steffens, Miller and Charlot. This is a lot by 5Uhr30.com (Ecki Heuser, Cologne, Germany). We guarantee detailed and accurate descriptions, 100% transport protection, 100% transport insurance and of course combined shipping - worldwide. E. Weyhe, New York. 1932. First edition, first printing. Hardcover (quarter white paper and glossy black paper over beveled boards). 265 x 350 mm. 108 pages (12 pages with text). Frontis portrait of Edward Weston by Brett Weston, and 39 full-page black and white plates from photographs. Photos: Edward Weston. Text in English. Condition: Outside fine, but with trace of use; toning (like so often) to the white paper which forms the spine and portion of the covers. Inside with stronger water damage; first and last page stronger stained, pages throughout waved, partly damaged at the edges from former sticking together (does not concern the text and does not concern the photo plates, see pictures). Lacks the slipcase. Overall good condition only. Very scarce, very beautiful, strongly limited photobook by Edward Weston - signed by the artist. Hard to find in any condition. Edward Henry Weston was a 20th-century American photographer. Over the course of his 40-year career Weston photographed an increasingly expansive set of subjects, including landscapes, still lifes, nudes, portraits, genre scenes and even whimsical parodies. It is said that he developed a "quintessentially American, and especially Californian, approach to modern photography" because of his focus on the people and places of the American West. In 1937 Weston was the first photographer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, and over the next two years he produced nearly 1,400 negatives using his 8 × 10 view camera. Some of his most famous photographs were taken of the trees and rocks at Point Lobos, California, near where he lived for many years. Weston was born in Chicago and moved to California when he was 21. He knew he wanted to be a photographer from an early age, and initially his work was typical of the soft focus pictorialism that was popular at the time. Within a few years, however he abandoned that style and went on to be one of the foremost champions of highly detailed photographic images. In 1947 he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and he soon stopped photographing. He spent the remaining ten years of his life overseeing the printing of more than 1,000 of his most famous images." (Wikipedia)