Metaphors on Vision, Stan Brakhage. First Edition.

Stan Brakhage was one of the most important experimental filmmakers of the twentieth century. Born in Kansas City in 1933, he made his first film at the age of 19 while attending Dartmouth. He soon dropped out, living in San Francisco and then New York City, where he associated with a number of well-known artists, including Maya Deren and John Cage. His early films were met with derision, and he became severely depressed, living in near poverty and briefly considering suicide. By the 1960s his films began to attract much more recognition and critical appreciation, and he remained highly productive and well-respected until his death in 2003.

His films are very diverse, reflecting a non-narrative approach and employing a variety of techniques. He is noted for his expressiveness and lyricism, as well as a desire to seek out the universal in the particular, exploring themes of sexuality, mortality, and innocence. Metaphors on Vision was his first book, designed by fluxus artist George Maciunas, with an interview, text, and drawings by Brakhage. This is the first printing from 1963: