Amberwood Press, Inc. ~ New York
(Nava Atlas)

Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife
By Nava Atlas
New Paltz, New York: Amberwood Press, Inc., 2007. Edition of 100.

5.5 x 8.5"; 36 pages. Laser and offset. Spiral bound.

Nava Atlas: "Dedicated to all my friends who have endured divorce, and others who may yet need to do so."

Using the format of a 1950's cookbook, Secret Recipes is a witty, incisive look at modern marriage and divorce. Its three sections — Recipes for Accommodation, Recipes for Trouble, and Recipes for Disaster — combine photographs of comfort food with a corresponding recipe, which is actually a description of the universally difficult aspects of relationships: Gender Role Casserole; Guilt Soup; Beans n' Weenies of Sexual Tension; Soufflé of Fallen Expectations…. If you don't laugh, you've never been there; if you cry, you're still there; if you laugh until you cry, you're probably better off now.
$45 (A few copies remaining)

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Sluts & Studs
By Nava Atlas
New Paltz, New York: Amberwood Press, Inc., 2007. Edition of 5.

6.5 x 14"; 20 pages. Flag structure. Illustrated paper-covered boards with quarter book cloth. Archival inkjet-printed pages.

Nava Atlas: "Sluts & Studs looks at the language of sexuality, and the contrasts between the female and male terminology via dictionary definitions. Most of the terms for men who are sexually prolific are most often either positive, or at worst, imply a certain naughtiness, while the terms for women are uniformly negative, signifying promiscuity, lack of morality, and prostitution. While this may not be exactly surprising seeing these terms in the context of iconic 1950s style imagery is a gentle yet jarring reminder that despite the so called 'sexual revolution' the language of sexuality has not much changed, and is still largely a throwback to attitudes of the past."
$450

Tomcats & Trollops
By Nava Atlas
New Paltz, New York: Amberwood Press, Inc., 2007. Edition of 5.

6.5 x 14"; 19 pages. Flag structure. Illustrated paper-covered boards with quarter cloth. Archival inkjet-printed pages.

Nava Atlas: "This book is a variation on Sluts & Studs, with the vintage images showing amorous couples instead of the single male/female images of the previous book, but using the same language and dictionary definitions. This makes the question all the more poignant; if each half of the couple is enjoying their pairing, why, then, is the language applied to them different?"
$450