Essays by Breton, leader of the French Surrealists, that cover a broad spectrum of his interests including philosophical and literary topics as well as his arguments for the autonomy of art and poetry. Here are insights into his personal character, and his humor, obsessions and unique way of thought. Writings reflect on cinema, music and contain major statements on Surrealism. DW

Publisher: University of Nebraska
Hardback: 288 pages

Man Ray’s best-known works from 1920 to 1934, some created by experimental means. Arriving in Paris in 1921 and with his artistic vision rooted in Dada and Surrealism, the American photographer experimented with various techniques such as shooting through different fabrics and superimposing images. In his own words, “the removal of inculcated modes of presentation, resulting in an apparent artificiality of strangeness, is a confirmation of the free functioning of this automatism and is to be welcomed.” DW

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 128 pages
Illustrated

In 1931, the author opened the Julien Levy Gallery and a year later had the first Surrealist show in New York. In 1936, Levy’s Surrealism anthology introduced the movement to America’s readers and has been an enduring work. “Surrealism is not a rational, dogmatic and consequently static theory of art—hence from the Surrealist point of view, there can be no accurate definition or explanation. It is the purpose of this book to present such examples of Surrealism in illustration and translation—not to attempt a detailed explanation. It is only by familiarity with examples that one can reach that revolution in consciousness which is known as comprehension.” Surrealism deals with what Dali terms “the great vital constants” and attempts to explore the more-real-than-real world behind the Real. DW

Publisher: Da Capo
Paperback: 192 pages
Illustrated

By combining unrelated objects, thoughts, images and writings, surrealists create and find beauty—the more absurd and random the better. This book allows the reader to be a “hands-on” surrealist. An obvious must at parties—a functional, amusing and often humorous book on manipulating chance as an artform. DW

Publisher: Shambhala
Paperback: 165 pages
Illustrated

Eroticism and tragedy are the prevailing moods in this collage “novel” (all images, no text) by Max Ernst. Ernst was one of the founders of Dada in Zurich (he later became a Surrealist) and is recognized as one of the greatest of collage artists. A vague storyline emerges as page after page of bizarre imagery display many levels of emotion and angst through collage. The book, whose title means “week of kindness,” has seven chapters (one for every day of the week), each with a loose theme. The publisher suggests that Paul Eluard’s first “visible poem” could be the motto for the entire book: “I object to the love of readymade images in place of images to be made.” DW

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 208 pages
Illustrated

This book is nothing less than blasphemy. With Curtis Knight constantly reminding us he was in a band with Jimi Hendrix, he plods on to tell us that Jimi was a believer in UFOs and his life was constantly touched by the paranormal. Find out how Jimi’s life was saved by an “angelic-like being who arrived in a spaceship.” Knight also claims that Hendrix knew about a “race of beings living inside the inner earth,” yawn. The chapter titled “Attempted Ripoff of Jimi Hendrix” (yeah, Curtis) is complete with bimbos and nobody musicians kneeling by Jimi’s star on Hollywood Boulevard and a terrible double-exposure photo of his gravesite with supposedly strange spirit forms lurking nearby (snore). The only possible fact in this book is that they were in a band together at one point. Hilarious fiction. DW

Publisher: Inner Light
Paperback: 112 pages
Illustrated