Telex Iran, 1984

Special limited edition, one of 70 case-bound and boxed copies. Issued with one of two signed prints in an edition of 35 copies each, this copy with ‘Men Walking on Wall’ (27/70). Case-bound in black cloth, stamped in white, original stiff wrappers bound in, in black box, with matching white embossing. Fine copy, as new.

Telex Iran is a monumental work of photojournalism by Gilles Peress , who travelled to Iran in 1979 to document the tumultuous climate of political upheaval and virulent anti-American sentiment thriving. Peress was present during the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran, which turned this from an objective journalistic project into an intensely personal experience. His attempts to see beyond the Western media’s portrayal of the Iranians as insane fanatics led to photographs that “do little to describe another people and place, but go a long way toward measuring the distance separating perceptions and cultures” (from Telex Iran). This beautifully designed book was described by Cornell Capa as “a book of brilliant visual nervousness between covers” (quoted in 101 Books).