HENNER, Mishka. Less Americains.

(Belgium): Mishka Henner, 2013.  First edition.  Hardcover.  19cm by 22.1cm.  Unpaginated.  Introduction by Elizabeth Tonnard takes the form of a concrete poetry version of Kerouac’s introduction (from the Grove edition). Tonnard systematically whitened‑out the individual letters A M E R I C A I N S from Kerouac’s original text. What remains is “an incomprehensible soup of vowels and consonants” — fragments of words, bits of syntax, now disrupted.  The volume, itself which follows image sequence of the 2008 Steidl edition is a bold conceptual response to Robert Frank’s seminal photobook,  in Henner’s Less Américains most of the visual content has been digitally removed. Faces, buildings, and key details are masked or erased, leaving behind only fragments of the originals. The result is a provocative reimagining that both critiques and pays homage to one of the most influential books in the history of photography. Designed in reference to the original 1958 French edition, Henner’s version retains the structure and rhythm of Frank’s original while transforming the content into a ghostly, minimal visual essay. The work raises questions about authorship, image saturation, appropriation, and the sanctity of the photobook as cultural artifact.  A very good copy in boards, a bump and scratch to bottom edge of rear panel.  Published in an edition of 350 copies.  Scarce.