The Xeroxed Book is based on Carl Andre, Robert Barry, Douglas Huebler, Joseph Kosuth, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris, Lawrence Weiner – an artists book published by Seth Siegelaub and John Wendler in 1969 that is more commonly known as The Xerox Book. The Xerox Book was conceived as an exhibition in book form: Siegelaub invited the seven titular artists to submit 25-page projects designed to be reproduced by the then-new technology of the photocopy. However, photocopying proved too expensive at the time, and the book was printed on a traditional offset press.
The Xeroxed Book is a photocopied edition of the Xerox Book. Being photocopied, The Xeroxed Book is perhaps closer to Siegelaub’s intent than the original book. However, as a second-generation copy, The Xeroxed Book displays the limitations of photocopying as a reproductive technology. Dust, page edges, distortions, and other familiar Xerox artifacts appear on every page, becoming as much a part of the reading experience as the original artists’ projects.