A Practical Guide to Collecting Jock Sturges Books
Jock Sturges has been publishing monographs and portfolio books since the early 1990s. If you're trying to build a collection or just need one specific title, you'll find that the market is split between gallery editions, university press runs, and out-of-print volumes that have moved into the resale market. The photography itself tends toward large-format black and white, mostly environmental nudes in natural settings, which means his books are typically printed on heavier paper stock than your average coffee table book. That affects both how they handle and how much they cost used. The most straightforward route depends on which era of work you want. His early work with Swan River Press and later collaborations with George Braziller and other publishers mean the titles shift around depending on the decade. I'd suggest starting with the publisher's website or their authorized gallery partners first. The Jock Sturges website maintains a current bibliography with links to available titles. For out-of-print editions, AbeBooks and ThriftBooks are usually reliable, though you need to watch for condition notes because these are large format books and the spines take a lot of damage in shipping. I ran into a specific problem once where I ordered a copy of Basking listed as "near fine" and it arrived with significant shelf wear on the front board and a softened spine. The listing photos didn't show the corner dents at all. My workaround was to switch to sellers who provide actual spine photographs rather than relying on stock images, and I started requesting condition reports in writing before purchasing. It adds about ten minutes to the transaction but saves you from dealing with returns.
The Major Titles and What They Cover
Sturges has published a substantial number of books over four decades. The core titles that collectors tend to look for include River Songs, Basking, The Garden, In the Country, Nature Morte, and Children of the Sea. Each one is tied to a specific exhibition or body of work. The earlier books from the 1990s are generally more sought after because they capture the period when his work first drew significant public attention and controversy. The more recent volumes tend to be larger format with more plates. One thing beginners miss is that many of these books have multiple editions. A 1998 edition and a 2004 reprint might have the same title but different pagination, different essay contributors, and noticeably different print quality. The paper stock alone can vary enough that a side-by-side comparison shows a real difference in how the images render. I learned this the hard way when I bought what I thought was the original print run of one of his earlier books and got the revised edition instead. The images looked flatter and the contrast wasn't as punchy. Always check the copyright page and ISBN before you buy, and cross-reference it against known edition information rather than trusting the seller's title alone.
Pricing and Availability Reality
Used copies of Sturges books range from around $20 for a well-read later edition up to $150 or more for first editions or limited runs in protective slip cases. New copies through gallery channels will typically run $60 to $120 depending on the title and format. The pricing is not consistent across platforms, and I've seen the same book listed at drastically different prices on different sites within the same week. The main bottleneck is that several of his key titles went out of print and are no longer being reproduced. That means the market is entirely secondary for those editions, and prices can fluctuate based on availability rather than demand alone. If you're looking for a specific out-of-print title, setting up alerts on AbeBooks or BookFinder will help you catch a copy before the price jumps. Another approach that sometimes works is contacting the galleries that represent Sturges directly, like the Linder Gallery or the venues associated with his exhibition history. They occasionally have old inventory or can put you on a notification list.
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What to Watch For
The most common issue with used Sturges books is binding separation. These are large, heavy books with wide margins, and the glue deteriorates over time especially if they've been stored in humid conditions. Before purchasing used, look for listings that mention the binding condition specifically. If the seller hasn't addressed it, ask. A book with a loose spine is still readable but it won't lay flat and the pages may become detached over time. Another consideration is that some of the books include essays by art critics and historians that are specific to their publication date. If you're collecting for research purposes rather than just the photographs, make sure you know which essays are included in which edition. A later reprint might drop certain texts or add new ones, which matters if you're building a reference library. Jock Sturges Books are worth the effort if you're working with large format photography or studying the fine art nude tradition, but the market requires some diligence. Check edition details, request condition photos for anything over $50, and don't assume that identical titles across sellers are the same print run. The books themselves are well made and hold up physically, but only if you get a copy that hasn't been poorly stored or handled. That's about it.
