Title: The Xeroxed Book
Artist: Eric Doeringer
Publisher: self-published
Format: 185 pages, bound photocopies, 8.5 x 11 inches, edition of 250
ISBN: none
The Xeroxed Book is based on Carl Andre, Robert Barry, Douglas Huebler, Joseph Kosuth, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, Lawrence Weiner – an artists’ book published by Seth Siegelaub and John Wendler in 1969 that is more commonly known as The Xerox Book. It was conceived as an exhibition in book form: Siegelaub invited the seven titular artists to submit 25-page projects designed to be reproduced by the then-new technology of the photocopy. However, photocopying proved too expensive at the time, and the book was printed on a traditional offset press.
The Xeroxed Book is a photocopied edition of The Xerox Book. Being photocopied, this edition is perhaps closer to Siegelaub’s intent than the original book. However, as a second-generation copy, The Xeroxed Book displays the limitations of photocopying as a reproductive technology. Dust, page edges, distortions, and other familiar Xerox artifacts appear on every page, becoming as much a part of the reading experience as the original artists’ projects.