New From Callum James Books: A Carnal Medium

We are delighted to be able to announce a book that has been a long time in the making has now been published.

A Carnal Medium: Fin-de-siecle Essays on the Photographic Nude

Edited by James Downs

Paperback, 144pp, ISBN: 978-0957450103

The final decade of the nineteenth century possesses a power to intrigue and fascinate that seems only to grow with time. More than a mere decade, the 1890s continues to inspire works of both fiction and non-fiction. It is a period known by many names - fin-de-siècle, Decadent Nineties, the Beardsley Years, the Yellow Decade, even the Naughty Nineties - and populated by a coterie of literary and artistic icons whose work captured the spirit of the passing age. Despite a number of important developments in photography during this time, the subject has tended to be treated in isolation from this surrounding culture. The seven essays in this book on the subject of nude photography were published in The Studio, The Photogram or the Photographic Times between June 1893 and September 1898, and although their focus is on practical photography, the three authors make frequent allusions - veiled or explicit - to the wider world of arts and letters. A scholarly introduction by James Downs clearly shows how these essays formed part of a larger conversation about aesthetics, sexuality and representation in art at the turn of the last century.

The collection of texts includes a reprint of Joseph Gleeson White's long meditation on the photographic nude in The Studio and included reproductions of photographs by Baron von Gloeden, which was the first time he had his work published in the UK. There are also photos by Baron Corvo as well as by the other authors, Robert Hobart Cust and James Rooth, and others, all of which are reproduced from the original publications in this current title.

You may purchase a copy on your regional Amazon site or your local bookseller will be able to order a copy from their wholesaler using the ISBN number above, however, for the moment, you can order a copy direct from us at the publisher's price of 6.99GBP + postage (UK=2.00GBP; EU=3.50GBP; Everywhere else=5.00GBP). You can pay through paypal, using the email address callum@callumjamesbooks.com: you do not need a Paypal account to use it to pay by credit/debit card. If you would like to pay by sterling cheque, please email for details of where to send to. 

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