Facsimile of book of photographs originally published in 1962. "The only autonomous collection of Jack Smith's photographs to appear during his lifetime, 'The Beautiful Book' comprises 19 hand-tipped black-and-white contact prints (2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches), originally published in an edition of 200 copies. The photographs were produced mainly during the course of extended shooting sessions in Smith's Lower East Side apartment. Most date from the winter of 1962, although a few are earlier including the final 'signature' photograph, a portrait of the artist on the steps beneath the Brooklyn Bridge taken by filmmaker Ken Jacobs. Nearly half the photographs feature the artist Marian Zazeela, who provided the design for the book's silk-screened cover. Smith and his associates assembled the books during the late spring and early summer of 1962, before shooting began on 'Flaming Creatures.' The 2001 'Beautiful Book' is a true facsimile produced by Granary Books in collaboration with the Plaster Foundation, Inc. New Prints have been made from the original negatives and hand-tipped onto Canford Buttercup Paper." -- publisher's statement.