A couple of months ago, I posted about The Reader, a book by Reader. Reader is one of my favorite writers, and also one of the most reclusive writers. Not that I would know exactly how reclusive, I’ve never met the guy. But that’s the rumor, and before this, I’d never heard of him doing a book or a zine or print or original artwork for indoors or anything like that. So when The Reader came out, I immediately picked up a copy. While I could tell from some photos online that this would not be your typical graffiti book, I had no idea how far removed it would be from Subway Art and the like. The Reader has just one photo of Reader’s graffiti. Instead, it is full of collages and stickers.
A mix of (I think) his own words and appropriated texts, The Reader sets out a unique worldview. If Reader is a modern hermit, The Reader is his manifesto. While I can’t say I agree with everything in The Reader, I loved reading the book and found it hard to put down. This isn’t an art book, although it is definitely a work of art. The Reader is a crash-course in a certain philosophy.
The Reader is available online for $18. Also, since the book came out, Reader has also released what I think is his first screenprint.
Photos by Operation Madman