Blast

This is the book that shook the establishment. Full of gems; keeps one amused for hours. Note that this retrospectively became known as 'Blast 1' after Blast 2 was published.

A reprint has just been published (June 2009) by Thames and Hudson. It is a superb edition, authentic in size, weight and layout - and the price is right! The only departure from the original is the Foreword by Paul Edwards which is in itself a very useful introduction to Blast and the Vorticists. Now available from Amazon.co.uk.

You may be able to find the earlier reprint (1980's) by the Santa Barbara-based Black Sparrow Press at www.abebooks.co.uk, or other similar second-hand book websites though there is no real benefit over latest edition - at least not in quality. The Black Sparrow Press is now the Ginkho Press

Blast 2 (War Number)

More sober, as befits a War Number. Includes touching contributions about Gaudier-Brzeska, who had been killed at the front.

The older Black Sparrow press edition can still be found here and there.

Blasting & Bombardiering

An autobiography, written in the hungry years. Very informative from a historic perspective; written by the main man himself, but with the benefit of hindsight. Don't believe everything happened exactly as he has written it. Much insight about about the Vorticists, his role and what he thinks it may have achieved. Typically blunt opinions about his past friends (and enemies). There are also some priceless comments about the Futurists, and of Marinetti in particular. However, note that Vorticism is only a few chapters - it is also about his First World War experiences, as well as post-war life.

Vorticism and its Allies

A guide to the Hayward Gallery exhibition of 1974

A highly recommended large-format volume that was instrumental in bringing Vorticism to fore in the 1970's. It was through the positive feedback of this project that allowed Cork to work on the seminal guide to Vorticism (below). The plates show a good number of the exhibits shown at this important exhibition, some for the first time since before the Great War. Much material was uncovered specially for this exhibition, mainly by Cork himself.

Vorticism and Abstract Art in the First Machine Age (Two Volumes)

This is Cork's opus. It is a must for every serious Vorticist, but is unfortunately rather expensive to purchase. Contained in the two volumes is virtually an hour by hour account of its development through the pre- First Workd War years to the end, after the War had ended. It also covers in a final chapter, the influence it has had on 'modern' designers and artists (remember this book was written more than thirty years ago).

The book was published in the USA. The paper it was printed on was typically rather low quality, and some copies have not aged so gracefully.

Wyndham Lewis

This medium sized soft-back was produced for an exhibition in the City of Manchester Galleries.

Well produced, with details of his output. Vorticism is featured, but is not the main emphasis of the exhibition. For this reason it is very revealing to see the way Lewis's output changed in style and quality over the years. Some of his best work (apart from the Vorticism, of course) dates from the 1930's when he was reduced to painting the portraits of minor industrialists. His ability and sense of space shines through again and again. Includes contributions by Omar S. Pound, Cork and Sir John Rothenstein.

The Enemy - a Biography of Wyndham Lewis

An excellent, highly interesting general biography about this complex, highly controversial character, who for many years enjoyed the appellation of 'the Enemy'.

Well researched, this book covers his whole life story and has separate chapters about his early artistic activity in the area immediately relevant to Vorticism: - 'Ford & Pound - 1909 - 1912', 'Omega Workshops and the Rebel Art Centre, 1913 - 1914' and 'Vorticism and Blast - 1914'. The rest of the book covers other equally interesting chapters of his life. The author is sympathetic to his subject, and allows us to glimpse Lewis' motivation for his hatred of Bloomsbury, his ambivalent political sympathies in the 1930's, and his grumpy, depressed later years when he was blind and rather poorer than had any right to be.