Tyler, Richard Oviet. THE PLANETS. Uranian Press, New York, 1958. The Second Edition of 20, with the plates loose in a portfolio, and with each of them titled, inscribed "Ed 2," numbered "6/20, signed in pencil by Tyler, and bearing the emossed seal of the Uranian Press at the lower right (the First Edition, of 5 copies, was a bound set of the plates, signed on the Justification page by Tyler, but with the individual plates unsigned). Quarto, string-tied boards covered in white linen printed in black from woodblocks, endpapers printed in purple and red, paper folder enclosing 20 woodblock plates printed in colors. The portfolio 14 x 10 1/2 inches, the plates each about 12 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches. The whole in excellent condition except that the paper folder containing the plates is foxed. We have seen a copy of the bound edition, but the work seems to very rare in either iteration. The plates are as follows: Plate 1: Title "The Planets," Plate 2: "Sun," Plate 3: "The Sun ever generous force of his being in the flow of self strength striving," Plate 4: "Moon," Plate 5: "The moon of our emotions surrounding memory influenced reflections of pleasant remembrance," Plate 6: "Mercury," Plate 7: "Mercury messenger of mind influence most observant and discriminating reaches attracts resembles snake a tree a heavy ___??," Plate 8: "Venus," Plate 9: "Venus upon us as into us the longing of love rules existence," Plate 10: "Mars," Plate 11: Mars infinitely delicate degree of devotion leads to deeds against falsehood destruction for the sake of creation inalienable dream of passion," Plate 12: "Jupiter," Plate 13: Jupiter father of forgiveness and sustaining belief of plenty keep faith favorable and optimism omnipresent," Plate 14: "Saturn," Plate 15: "Last planet of limitation leads us through purification into silence," Plate 16: "Uranus," Plate 17: "Cause ruler of spirit inspired in matter unknown and omnipotent," Plate 18: "Neptune," Plate 19: "Neptune dissolution unity divinity," Plate 20: "The Planets." Richard Oviet Tyler, American 1926-1983, served in WWII, and studied at The Art Institute of Chicago. He established the Uranian Press in NYC on the Lower East Side. There he created and printed art books, pamphlets and broadsides, which he sold from a pushcart near Judson Church in the West Village. In 1974 he and his wife Dorothea Baer established the Uranian Phalanstery, a commune based on the ideas of the French philosopher Charles Fourier. The Philanstery served as a space in which artists could live, work, and create closely together. The Tylers were associated with Claes Oldenberg, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, Monroe Wheeler, and other in the course of their activities with the Philanstery.
