Token Books

Simple Objects A cloth book from the 70s Good condition - has been loved, edges fraying, but colours still bright. Washable, non toxic. £25

Shells and How They Live by Eileen Mayo, 1944 Three of my favourite descriptions from the book: The Oyster is a bivalve which spends its life in one place. It has no foot and no eyes. When it hatches it swims for about forty-eight hours and then cements itself on to a stone, a bit of driftwood, or the shell of an older oyster. There it remains for the rest of its days unless washed off by the waves. The Violet Sea-snail floats at the surface of the sea. It makes a raft by giving off bubbles of slime which stick together and harden. The mother fixes her eggs to the underside of her raft, and so carries them about with her until they are hatched. The Argonaut or Paper Nautilus is a small octopus, which flushes from silver to pink, from yellow to green, blue, violet and scarlet, with every movement of its body. Unlike other octopuses, which have no visible shells, the mother Argonaut has a thin, fluted shell on the outside of her body. This shell is made of a filmy matter given off by two of the Argonaut’s arms. The arms broaden at the ends into thin ‘wings’, which fold around the shell which they have made. The little octopus lays her eggs in this delicate boat, and they are kept there until they hatch. Sometimes the mother swims about, her body inside the shell, her two broad arms holding it, and the other six arms tucked inside round her body. Sometimes she leaves the shell to look for food, but if she is alarmed she darts back into it, and curls up until only her large, black eyes are showing above the edge.

SOLD Monograph of Katarzyna Gawłowa from Krakow Ethnographic Museum, 1978 Gawłowa lived in the village of Zielonki, working on her father’s farm, selling milk from the cows at the market in Krakow, and painted throughout her life — firstly the walls of her home, then framed pieces of wood. ‘She positions her figures centrally, and paints from the centre working outwards. She applies her paint in large thin uniform patches. She betrays a tendency for filling in all the empty spaces in her paintings. The specific characteristics of her art include white flat faces which are normally the starting points of her paintings’ DM for price and more information ✴️

Monograph of Maria Wnęk from Krakow Ethnographic Museum, 1983 Wnęk lived in the village of Olszanka. She was deeply religious, and took a vow of chastity when she was 16. She worked until she was in her late-30s and had an accident at work, at which point she retired and began painting. Her paintings mostly portray holy figures, but she also paints scenes from her life — particularly situations in which she felt threatened (accidents at work, worries about her home and successive dwellings, attempts on her life, etc.) DM for price and more information ✴️

We have many more of Ivor’s cigarette packet sized books ❤️ Is That Your Flap, Jack? (1992)

A Nice Wee Present from Scotland by Ivor Cutler, 1988 DM for more info and price ✴️

TOKEN BOOKS at @acurrentaffair hosted by @18.01london all weekend 🎀🎀🎀 Come and say hi and buy some books! 2 Glebe Road, London, E8 4BD Selling alongside the best vintage dealers @jamesveloria @miriti.vintage @maevintagelondon @eveliinavintage @amarcordvintage @arcadeshops @sirenvintagela @thefindvtg

SOLD ME IN MY BAG by Yi Yin Wang, 2007 Photographs by Yi Yin Wang, Hiromi Iguchi and Will Farrow ‘I have always wanted to work on a project that is just fun, purely fun: a book about people and their everyday lives. I can’t recall the actual time or specific reason why this topic formed in my mind. It could be an influence from my childhood addiction to a comic book character called Doraemon - a faulty robot who solves every problem with wonderful gadgets in his pocket. I was the child who was always looking forward to seeing what Doraemon would take out of his pocket next - always so unexpected and amazing! It could also well be part of my curiosity towards others’ lives and possessions: an instinctive voyeuristic part of human nature.’ Book/bag with photographs of people, their bags and their contents with each person completing a form describing the various objects and their importance. DM for price and more info ✴️

Tape Delay by Charles Neal (1987) A book collecting transcriptions of Neal’s tape-recorded interviews with and other writings by key figures (Michael Gira, Genesis P-Orridge, Nick Cave, New Order, Lydia Lunch, Test Dept., etc.) working in sound and image experimentation during the eighties. It does not aim to be a ‘full expression of work done in the field’, instead asserting that its ‘first lesson is that nothing is ever so complete.’ ‘Compilations and collections of any kind usually reflect the comfort of familiarity and a hunger for certainties. The musicians, groups and artists who have contributed to this book will to some be well-known and to others unheard of — either way, we ask that you suspend any predetermined conclusions.’ Good condition, £50 ✴️

Cats! A Cuddly Cloth Book c. 1960s

Wohnpoeten (1984) Written by German film director and writer Wolfgang Ebert and featuring architecture by Niki de Saint Phalle, Robert Bruno, and Antti Lovag £40 + postage DM to purchase 🫧

Carved Honeycake Moulds by Piroska Weiner Published in 1964 A small, sweet book on hand-carved wooden moulds - some as old as the 15th century - used to bake honeycakes. Super hard to find. In good vintage condition, with scuffs and small tears to the dust jacket. 80 pages. £120 plus postage 🤎🤎🤎