Alec Soth Sleeping By The Mississippi (Signed)Second Edition

Sleeping by the Mississippi is the debut and masterpiece of Alec Soth, a member of Magnum Photos and a famous American photographer. Since its first publication in 2004, the book has been recognized as one of the most defining and landmark classic publications in the history of contemporary photography. The version with the artist's signature is very important in the collection circle.

The core and background of the work

The spirit of travel and wandering: The work comes from Alec Soth's several road trips along the Mississippi River. The image captures the often neglected margins known as the "third coast" of the United States. The Mississippi River in the book is not so much the subject of the shooting as the core visual structure that runs through the whole poetic narrative.

Vision and equipment: Alec Soth uses an extremely rigorous and bulky 8x10 large-frame camera to shoot. This way of shooting encourages him to establish a quiet, slow and deep relationship with the subject. The image is exquisite and rich in color, perfectly combining the traditional documentary style and profound lyrical poetry.

Loneliness and Longing: 46 extremely carefully selected photos are selected in the book. The picture is intertwined with various marginal characters, desolate scenery and detailed indoor space. The whole creates a complex atmosphere of loneliness, longing, religious redemption, crime and absurd dreams unique to the depths of the American soul.

The metaphor of bed: "Sleeping" in the English title echoes the key symbol that appears repeatedly in the book - "bed". From the bed in Charles Linbai's childhood residence to the messy beds in brothels, cheap hotels or houses, it metaphorizes the rest, escape and dreams of people's souls.

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Version and signature collection channel

This classic work is mainly divided into two major publication periods in the market, and the collection value and price of its signature version are different:

Published version Year of publication and features Signature form and collection pipeline

Steidl Original Version

(Editions 1 to 3) • The first edition was published in 2004 by Steidl, a top German publisher.

• The third edition was released in 2008.

• The first edition of the autograph book is extremely rare and precious. • Autograph on the title page: Soth autographed on the page.

• Pipeline: You can find the early rare Steidl signed version through the antique bookstore Jeff Hirsch Books, AbeBooks or eBay auction.

MACK reprint

(Current version) • From 2017, MACK, a top British publisher, took over the reprint.

• Includes 2 brand-new photos that are not included in the original Steidl. • Autographed photo page: The MACK signature version usually uses an independent image photo paper (Image Plate) printed with the artist's autograph and is beautifully pasted on the inner page of the back cover of the book.

• Pipeline: You can order the current signed version on the official website of MACK, the official store of Magnum or professional photography bookstores such as Photobookstore.nl.

MACK Special Limited Edition

(Special Edition) • Limited to 150 sets worldwide.

• Includes an exclusive bookcase (Slipcase) and a folding poster. • Signed original work: The book comes with a signed photo of art micro-spray (signed Print) by Alec Soth and handwritten number (1/150).

• Pipeline: You can negotiate and collect through the antique book dealer Kominek or the art institution Printed Matter.《Sleeping by the Mississippi》（沉睡在密西西比河畔）是馬格蘭攝影通訊社（Magnum Photos）成員、美國著名攝影師 Alec Soth 的處女作與代表作。自 2004 年首次出版以來，這本書已被公認為當代攝影書歷史上最具定義性與里程碑意義的經典出版物之一。帶有藝術家親筆簽名（Signed）的版本在收藏界極具分量。 [1, 2]

這本經典著作在市場上主要分為兩大出版時期，其簽名版本的收藏價值與價格各有不同：