On a snowy day in November 1972, a poor, badly crippled old man left his room on the third floor of a rooming house in Chicago for the last time. His name was Henry Darger. He had lived in this room for forty years. It was filthy, crammed with his possessions, mostly things found in the garbage. Henry never threw anything out. The room was filled, almost solid, with junk. He was now eighty years old and far too feeble to carry anything down the stairs. So he left everything behind. He had no need of his possessions. Anyway, ...
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On a snowy day in November 1972, a poor, badly crippled old man left his room on the third floor of a rooming house in Chicago for the last time. His name was Henry Darger. He had lived in this room for forty years. It was filthy, crammed with his possessions, mostly things found in the garbage. Henry never threw anything out. The room was filled, almost solid, with junk. He was now eighty years old and far too feeble to carry anything down the stairs. So he left everything behind. He had no need of his possessions. Anyway, he was going to an old folks home to die. When he left the room his life was over. His landlord asked him what he wanted done with his possessions. Henry is said to have replied, "You can have them, Mr. Leonard." At that moment the gift had no meaning. There was nothing in the room but garbage. Everything would have to be thrown out... When Darger's landlord, Nathan Lerner, assisted by a young student, David Berglund, began to clean out Henry's room they found some surprises: an eight volume autobiography, consisting of 5084 handwritten pages, entitled, The History of My Life which Henry had begun writing in 1963 after retiring. The short auto-biographical introduction to what is otherwise an enormous and utterly fantastic piece of imaginative fiction, provided some of the crucial pieces of evidence underlying the biographical reconstruction of Darger's life that form the first chapter of this book. Then, when the old trunks were opened, they made a far more spectacular discovery: a history of another world called, In The Realms of the Unreal in fifteen volumes, 15 145 type written pages, unquestionably the longest work of fiction ever written. In time the room alsoyielded the three huge bound volumes of illustrations for that work, several hundred pictures, many over twelve feet long and painted on both sides. By accident, the landlord had stumbled upon a concealed and secret life work, which no one had ever seen: Darger's alternate world.
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Add this copy of Henry Darger: in the Realms of the Unreal to cart. $529.45, very good condition, Sold by Vashon Island Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Vashon, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Delano Greenidge Editions.
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Seller's Description:
Color and b/w Illustrations. Very Good. No Dust Jacket. 4to-over 9¾"-12" Tall (oblong. In color pictorial boards, 4to(oblong), 720pp. Illustrated profusely. (inner hinges slightly loosened).
Add this copy of Henry Darger: in the Realms of the Unreal to cart. $691.00, very good condition, Sold by Half Moon Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Kingston, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Delano Greenidge Editions.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Covers and edges show some rubbing and scuffing as well as some faint scratches. Corners, especially those on the spine, show some denting, chipping and shelf wear.
Add this copy of Henry Darger in the Realms of the Unreal to cart. $757.00, very good condition, Sold by Last Exit Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Charlottesville, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Delano Greenridge Editions.
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Very Good. Hardcover. 4to. Delano Greenridge Editions, New York. 2002. 720 pgs. Illustrated with Color / Black and White Plates. First Edition/First Printing. Bound in paper covered illustrated boards. Boards have light shelf-wear present to the extremities. No ownership marks present. Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal is a generously illustrated book that represents the culmination of more than a decade of research into the enigmatic artist's life and work by world renowned outsider art expert John MacGregor. The long awaited monograph is MacGregor's first English-language publication on Henry Darger and the most comprehensive critical investigation of Darger's writings and illustrations available in any language. Henry Darger was born in Chicago in 1892. Shortly before his death in 1973, his landlord, Chicago artist Nathan Lerner, made a startling discovery in his tenant's room: the history of another world in fifteen volumes, In the Realms of the Unreal'at 15, 145 type-written pages, possibly the longest work of fiction ever written. In startlingly vivid detail, Darger's Realms recounted the role of seven sisters, known as the Vivian Girls, in a violent conflict over child enslavement on an unnamed planet. Amidst the refuse, Lerner also found three huge bound volumes of brightly colored illustrations for the work, many painted on both sides and some over twelve feet in length. In the decades since his death, Darger's alternate universe has attracted the intense interest of collectors, critics, and scholars around the world. His illustrations and writings have been the subject of major museum exhibitions in Europe and North America. EB; 1.98 x 12 x 9.34 Inches; 720 pages; Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal is a generously illustrated book that represents the culmination of more than a decade of research into the enigmatic artist's life and work by world renowned outsider art expert John MacGregor. The long awaited monograph is MacGregor's first English-language publication on Henry Darger and the most comprehensive critical investigation of Darger's writings and illustrations available in any language.
Add this copy of Henry Darger in the Realms of the Unreal to cart. $782.00, like new condition, Sold by Kulturas books west rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Delano Greenidge Editions.
Add this copy of Henry Darger: in the Realms of the Unreal to cart. $987.00, good condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Delano Greenidge Editions.
Add this copy of Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal to cart. $1,511.00, good condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Delano Greenridge Editions.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Small tape repairs top of cover at spine, else very good. Text is clean and unmarked with good binding. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade.
