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Patti Smith Returns to Ground Zero (Hand Signed by Patti Smith), from the Gotham Book Mart collection, 1998

Patti Smith Returns to Ground Zero (Hand Signed by Patti Smith), from the Gotham Book Mart collection, 1998

Patti Smith

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Description

Patti Smith Returns to Ground Zero

(Hand Signed by Patti Smith), from the Gotham Book Mart collection, 1998

Magazine on broadsheet (Hand signed in ink by Patti Smith)

14 × 11 inches

Unframed

Signed in ink on the cover

In retrospect, the title of the cover story of this 1998 magazine "Patti Smith Returns to Ground Zero" is eery, if not prescient, as it was published three years before the term 'Ground Zero' would be forever associated with the site of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. It's jarring and unnerving to see this title, as "Ground Zero" would never have been used post-9/11 to refer simply to a metaphorical square one, or first principles; today, the term refers to an actual geographical location with no other secondary meaning. The article itself is fascinating, and the title is a conversation piece.
What else has changed? In 1998, Goldmine Magazine for record collector & music memorabilia magazine was produced on newsprint in a tabloid format. In recents years, it had a radical overhaul, complete with more color photography and more interviews, and these days the format is a large full-color, glossy magazine - no longer on the old broadsheet, like this 1998 publication featuring Patti Smith on the cover. Vintage, historic anachronistic, collectible, and coveted - this hand signed magazine is a must have for any serious fan of Patti Smith. Provenance is superb as it was acquired from the sale of the collection of Edward Gorey and Gotham Book Mart. The Gotham Book Mart was a famous Midtown Manhattan bookstore and cultural landmark that operated from 1920 to 2007. The business was located first in a small basement space on West 45th Street near the Theater District, then moved to 51 West 47th Street, then spent many years at 41 West 47th Street within the Diamond District in Manhattan, New York City, before finally moving to 16 East 46th Street. Beyond merely selling books, the store virtually played as a literary salon, hosting meetings of the Finnegans Wake Society, the James Joyce Society, poetry and author readings, art exhibits, and more. It was known for its distinctive sign above the door which read, "Wise Men Fish Here" (sign created by artist John Held Jr.). The store specialized in poetry, literature, books about theater, art, music and dance. It sold both new books as well as out-of-print and rare books. It published books by Andy Warhol, and a slew of celebrities and literary figures were associated with this venerated place. The bulk of the collection was donated to the University of Pennsylvania.