Edward Ruscha (American, b. 1937), Twentysix Gasoline Stations

Edward Ruscha. TWENTYSIX GASOLINE STATIONS. Alhambra, CA: The Cunningham Press, 1969. Stated third edition. One of 3000 unnumbered copies. Paperback. Plain-printed white wraps with red lettering on cover and spine, in glassine dust jacket. [48]pp. with (26) b&w photos of gas stations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Engberg B1.

7 1/16 x 5 1/2 in.

Private Collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Twentysix Gasoline Stations, first published in 1963, was Ruscha's first artists' book, and one of his most important. It presents photographs of some of the gas stations he saw when he drove on Rte. 66 between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. He first traveled this well-known highway in 1956, and the imagery he saw along the way had a major impact on his art, with the gas station in particular making a frequent appearance in his paintings, drawings, and prints.

Wraps with extremely light edge wear and one corner lightly bumped; spine with minor dent, fading to lettering, and slight rubbing to ends; faint spotting on edges and spine; internally extremely clean; glassine dj with hints of toning, mild edge wear, front flap with corner fold, and a few small tears. A wonderful example; overall very good or better.