{"product_id":"oho-laurence-whistler-rex-whistler-1st-edition","title":"¡OHO!, Laurence Whistler \u0026 Rex Whistler — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1946\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e Small 4to, pp. [32].\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The original pictorial paper-covered boards are remarkably bright and clean for a publication of this era and format, exhibiting only minor rubbing to the corners, a touch of gentle wear to the spine extremities, and light surface toning. The binding remains square, firm, and tight. Internally, while the preliminary and terminal endpapers show mild, scattered foxing and age-toning, the main body of text and the illustrations are exceptionally clean, bright, and free of major blemishes, making for a highly presentable surviving copy of a fragile production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e First edition. A brilliant posthumous collaboration between the Whistler brothers, issued shortly after Rex Whistler’s tragic death in action during the Second World War in 1944. This highly original volume gathers Rex’s whimsical and surreal \"reversible faces,\" originally conceived as advertising illustrations in the early 1930s, and pairs them with satirical verses by his brother, Laurence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is celebrated for its ingenious bidirectional layout, designed with no true front or back cover. Instead, the volume features two title pages, allowing the reader to turn the book upside down to reveal entirely different characters in the illustrations and a corresponding second set of poems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCopies surviving in tight, presentable condition are becoming increasingly uncommon, particularly as the fragile paper-covered boards are highly susceptible to chipping and wear. This copy is offered without the rare dust wrapper but stands as an attractive, well-preserved example of the boards themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA whimsical and faintly macabre collaboration between the Whistler brothers, \u003ci\u003e¡OHO!\u003c\/i\u003e is a brilliant gallery of two-faced characters. Presenting an ingenious array of optical illusions, Rex Whistler's reversible illustrations shift character entirely when the book is turned upside down, transforming a scowling old woman into a smirking man, or a stern soldier into a weeping girl. Paired with the witty, satirical verses of his brother, Laurence Whistler, this unique mid-century curiosity is designed to be read in both directions, celebrating the enduring charm, theatricality, and playful eccentricities of English surrealism.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54813892411731,"sku":"5311","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260819_140809.jpg?v=1788252898","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/oho-laurence-whistler-rex-whistler-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}