Jack Hirschman, YOD, Trigram Press, London, 1966, ed. 200

the book with gold cover and its protective sleeve

It was quite by accident that I came across an online reference to this incredible screen printed book by Jack Hirschman (1933-2021). I knew Hirschman when I lived in San Francisco in the 1980s and I kept in contact with him after I left the Bay Area, even having a show of his Agitpropaganda posters and other works in my WC Gallery in 2013 [the wc gallery]  However, even though I knew he had been published in many different books I had never heard of YOD. 

I had no idea of what to expect when I ordered this book online, but when it came its presence was unmistakeable. The bookseller had wrapped it so carefully and in such a manner that you knew you were handling something precious. And so it turned out to be — the publication was adorned with a gold cover, and inside was the 35 page silkscreened accordion. YOD is the letter Y and also means hand in Hebrew.

Familiar with Hirschman's works I was surprised to see him exploring Kabbalistic themes and imagery so early in his career. But he makes them work across the two-page spreads that he's woven together with his distinctive handwriting that borders on calligraphy. I was taken aback because there's still a freshness to his linguistic and visual explorations, as well as his play with language and images across the panoramic space of the accordion's pages.

One thing should be noted however — while its formal classification would define it as an accordion, it really is more of a semi-accordion. Let me explain, each page has been folded in the middle, but the two edges of each page have been glued to the pages that come before and after this page. The fact that they are glued rather than folded really effects the experience of opening them up as in a traditional accordion. The two page spreads don't have the same flexibility as pages with folds and it makes them impossible to fully open, even creating a tension between the fold and the glued pages that creates a u-type shape to the pages. As the images below illustrate the work can still stand up as a piece in itself, but it does not have the broader panoramic qualities normally found with an accordion. Looking at the publication in the usual book format does not take away from the beauty of the work either.

Hirschman was living in London for some months when he created this work, and I love the way that the London Underground map has insinuated its way into the final pages of this accordion and how it provides a counterpoint to the much weightier issues being addressed in the body of the book. YOD is an important work and it's also worth noting that it was published the same year as Edward Ruscha's first accordion book "Every Building On the Sunset Strip." 

I would be interested if anyone had more detailed information about this work, please contact me!

35 single sided pages, individually 11.25" x 8.75" and when opened approximately 25ft 6.25"