John Olsen. My complete graphics 1957 – 1979 (deluxe edition with original signed etching)

Introduction by Lou Klepac. Melbourne: Australian Galleries and Gryphon Books, 1980. Folio, gilt-decorated full calf in illustrated dustjacket, 248pp., pale foxing to preliminaries, illustrated throughout, with an original signed John Olsen etching ‘Owl & train’ tipped in at rear. The deluxe edition, limited to 100 copies signed by Olsen with an original etching. This is copy number 65.

My complete graphics was successfully released late in 1980, but not before a major disagreement between Olsen, publisher Richard Griffin and Australian Galleries where the book was launched at an earlier exhibition. Dissatisfaction with the quality of product (advance copies of which actually arrived late on the night of the launch) saw Griffin pull the book from sale, and pulp the entire edition. Only a handful of copies escaped this fate.The book was then reprinted and issued in a standard edition and deluxe edition with signed etching.