CALDER: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY WITH PICTURES [1967]

Allen Lane The Penguin Press | London, 1967 | Hardcover, 286pp | 220 x 270 mm | First UK Edition

🎡 Art that Moves—and So Does the Man Behind It.

Step right up to the kinetic circus of Alexander Calder’s life—told in his own words, in his own wonderfully weird way, and paired with a visual buffet of archival delights. This isn’t just a book; it’s a peek behind the curtain of the man who turned wire, whimsy, and gravity into high art. Peppered with photographs, sketches, and snapshots of Calder’s mobiles-in-motion and life-on-the-go.

Printed by Allen Lane in 1967 when Penguin had a thing for sophistication, this UK first edition feels like a crisp martini in hardcover form. Original cloth binding stamped in black and yellow, housed in the iconic dust jacket designed with just the right amount of swagger. Features printed endpapers, a generous mix of black-and-white and colour illustrations, and that satisfying mid-century weight only a 1960s art hardback can deliver. A tactile treat with visual punch.

A must for art lovers, mid-century mischief-makers, and anyone who believes the best stories are told by the artists themselves—with receipts.

Very good vintage condition: Clean, bright and tightly bound copy. Slight surface and edgewear to jacket, but nothing that would bother Calder—or you.