Gray softcover manual bound with white cloth tape; BROKEN MANUAL appears on spine as if written with a black marker; cover has printed title underlined with black marker and the 'Lester's' lightly written in pencil to the L of the title; authors' names printed at BC: Lester B. Morrison & Alec Soth; interior has green pages with typeface instructions interspersed with white pages containing Soth's photographs; some of the images are accompanied by descriptions that appear handwritten in pencil; many images of scenes that evoke loneliness and isolation, portraits of bearded man, burnt bus, old building, etc.; a few pages fold out; colophon on last page gives date as 2010; production and printing Steidl, Gottingen, Germany; back cover is a black-and-white image of man with face obscured along with stamps and bar code

Broken Manual, 2010

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Four years in the making, Alec Soth's artist's book, Broken Manual (2010), was designed as an underground guidebook for those hoping to escape their lives. Through image and word, Soth investigates places where people retreat from civilization. His photographs of hermits, monks, survivalists, and others living "off-grid" are accompanied by reflections written by Lester B. Morrison (pseudonym for Soth himself) that include such tips as disguising one's appearance and devising a new identity. Ultimately, the book offers a glimpse into Soth's private world, one in which he examines his own motivations, fears, and doubts.

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Details
Title
Broken Manual
Artist Life
born 1969
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2023.82.2
Catalogue Raisonne
Parr and Badger III: 228
Curator Approved

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Gray softcover manual bound with white cloth tape; BROKEN MANUAL appears on spine as if written with a black marker; cover has printed title underlined with black marker and the 'Lester's' lightly written in pencil to the L of the title; authors' names printed at BC: Lester B. Morrison & Alec Soth; interior has green pages with typeface instructions interspersed with white pages containing Soth's photographs; some of the images are accompanied by descriptions that appear handwritten in pencil; many images of scenes that evoke loneliness and isolation, portraits of bearded man, burnt bus, old building, etc.; a few pages fold out; colophon on last page gives date as 2010; production and printing Steidl, Gottingen, Germany; back cover is a black-and-white image of man with face obscured along with stamps and bar code
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