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Fook Book 2

Item date(s): undated

Walter Whall Battiss  (1906-1982)


Pages: unpaged (108pp)
Size: 240mm; oblong
Edition: #4/40


Publisher: Artists Book
Previous reference GB/12548
Battiss bibliography 25

Additional notes:
Auction catalogue description: "hardcover, col & b.w. illustrations, colour photo lithographs, hardback in excellent condition, limited to 40 copies, each with a different original signed drawing (collage - containing a Fook Island stamp) by Battiss of which this is no 4/40, and inscribed FOR CHRIS SPIES, excellent condition. The collage is signed Walter BATT 155." [They emphasise the "excellent condition" twice. Estimated price: R30,000-R40,000. This copy is bound in brown buckram without any titling on the cover or spine. All pages are printed on heavy card on the verso only .

It is highly unlikely that 40 copies were produced by Battiss.

His son, Giles, has many single pages some of which were made up into completed copies for the exhibition at Gallery AOP in May 2013. These ciopies have a shiny red leatherette cover, are unsigned and are badly bound and have non-archival black tape at the front and back endpapers. Some of the individual pages were also on sale at the exhibition.

Notes: Loose front and rear endpapers are not numbered in this sequence. All pages are lithographs. "Print" is used to describe an illustrated page without script. The final sequence (84-106) are printed on thinner paper.

Warren Siebrits has copy #5 of this book and it is dated 14/11/1979; so this will be a similar date.

1. Heavy stock sheet decorated in blind.

2. The hand-titled title page in white ink on brown paper:

Fook Book 2

Limited to 40 copies only,

each with a different

original signed drawing (collage) (the bracketed word "(collage)" is added in pencil in ms)

by Battiss

This is no 4/40. (the "4" is added in black ink in ms)

FOR CHRIS SPIES (added in black ink in ms)

3. Pasted onto a heavy brown stock sheet: The collage has four elements printed on a heavy sheet depicting the Fook Flag (an embroided two-headed janus duck): 1. a Fook Island stamp (Shadow of Fook); 2. a cut-out eyeless man; 3. two b&w illustrations of the Alphabat portrait; and 4. a cut-out "Fookball for Fun" from Prints on the Financial Times, Tuesday July 15 197, an item of Fookiana "Fook Nookspaaker". It is signed Walter BATT 155.

4. Title page with "Fook Book" thrice; the number "2" and "Fook Island"

5-11. Script (7p) "Cosmic Man"

12. Pasted-down colour photograph of bird on blue-gray paper

13. Colour print. With Battiss ms comment "Fook freed them from this art slavery!"

14. Colour print. "Family Flags"

15. Colour print. With Battiss ms comment "Champion Fookballers: Wokkell and Hooby"

16. Colour print. "Storm over La Digue W.B. 23.7.72"

17. Colour print. With Battiss ms comment "Self Portrait by John M[uafangejo]"

18. Colour print. "Semi-Portrait of NOOK", the word NOOK and sentence ending in Fook Alphabet script

19. Pasted-down colour photograph of bird on blue-grey paper

20. Print. "Goo & Gwa in Arizona. A confused metaphysical experience in the desert" [duplicate page]

21-32. Script (12p) (untitled [The jack Kerouac School])

33. Print. (untitled [Grass])

34-43. Script (10p) "Mountain Alive"

44-47. Script (4p) "The Broken Bottle";

48-53. Script (6p) "Casting Off"

54. Print. "Fook Alphabet" Fook Alphabet script

55. Print. "Leaping Man" and "They don’t look for answers" titled in Fook alphabet script

56. Print. (untitled [Eleven figures])

57-67. Script (11p) (untitled [Su]) [duplicate pages 61 and 64]

68-80. Script (13p) (untitled [In high spirits])

81. Print. "Arizona Desert 25.8.76"

82. Print. "Rock Shelter Camp in Arizona Desert 25 Aug 1976"

83. Photograph. "Goo"

84. Print. "Mountain Alive at home by the clear spring creek in the forest outside of Flagstaff South. . ."

85. Photograph. "Mountain Alive and Batt one five five, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1976"

86. Photograph. "Fook Flag flying at Gila River, New Mexico - green double bird on red background."

87. Photograph. "Fook Camp, Gila River, New Mexico, 1977. Shawn, Fookbat, John, Jim, Vincent, Su. Photo by Gerrit."

88. Print: "To Fook from John"

89. Print. "Gila River, New Mexico. 5 July 1977"

90. Print. "Rainbow Family Camp. Gila River. 8am. 6.7.77". "You've come here to open your hearts." Hama | luku | ku-koo | koo | chant on drums. [Note that the original pencil drawing of this print is in the art collection (Item 1266). It is slightly larger than the print.]

91. Print. "The Loner Jon"

92. Print. (untitled [nine nudes) 26.1.75

93. Print. (untitled [four nudes]) 26.1.75

94. Print. "John. Santa Fé 15.6.77"

95. Print. "Dennis. Santa Fé New Mexico July 13.77"

96. Photograph. "Lulu Cannibals"

96A. In the Working Copy only: Hands clasping buttocks.

97. Photograph. "Photo M.C."

98. Photograph. "Abud"

99. Print. "Fook Island Wine. Tom Phillips"

100. Print. "Johan"

101. Photograph. "Filipo - Kalos"

102. Photograph. "Sarah"

103. Photograph. "M.C. and W.B."

104. Fook Crossword in Fook Island script

105. Print. "The Problem of the Fook Mate. By Gerrit"

106. Print. "Coloured Boy on a Unicycle. New York. 1.10.76"

Ref: SA/2441























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