The United States Constitution Series

Motto from the
title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution
and Government of Pennsylvania,
an anonymous book published in 1759, attributed to
Benjamin Franklin and Richard Jackson.
The quote is from a letter sent to the Governor by the
Assembly, November 11, 1755.
A 40" wide print is included with the edition, inkjet on
paper.
THE BILL OF RIGHTS
limited
edition set
An Edition of 25 7 Copies
of a Set of Ten Works by Richard Minsky
In 1993 Richard Minsky began working on
a series about The Bill of Rights. This set of ten
bookworks was first exhibited at the Louis K.
Meisel Gallery April 27 through June 1,
2002.
The works are not
available individually.
You can also view the
earlier unique objects, representing the
first, second, and eighth amendments. They are
unique works and are not included in this
edition. Scroll down to see the works in the
limited edition set.
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Originally
planned to be an edition of 25 sets, only seven
were completed when Minsky closed his New York
City studio, and that is the edition size. An
eighth set was nearly complete, and may be
finished in the future.
click
here to order a set
click here
to schedule an exhibition
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Read the review in The New York
Times
Read the Review in the
St.
Paul Pioneer Press
Read the Article in Fine Books &
Collections
The Bill of Rights edition is in the permanent
collections of
Yale
University
The Art Institute of Chicago
Amendment
I
Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a
redress of grievances.
Issued February 19, 2001
The First Amendment
Reliquary for the Ashes
of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses.
Upon publication the author
lost the freedoms of Press, Religion, Speech and
Assembly in some countries. The Fatwah issued on
Rushdie, and the book-burnings made headlines around
the world.
The fact that an ancient form of censorship exists
in the 21st century warrants the inclusion of this
book in the series. Not the book-burning kit of
the earlier unique work,
this is a new book-shaped
reliquary containing the burned book. Click the
burning book for another view. This is copy No. I,
and was burned on 01/01/01. On the left is the book
after the burning, before being placed in the
reliquary.
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Above: copy number I
click the image for more views
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Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the
security of a free state, the right of the people to keep
and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Issued
April 22, 2002
The Second Amendment
Gathering
Storm: America's Militia Threat
by
Morris Dees with James Corcoran
Morris Dees is the Chief Trial
Counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center. This
book documents the hate group roots of the
militia movement. Dees is intimately familiar
with the players. Militia spokesman and former
Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Louis Beam was
prosecuted by Dees when he led the KKK
intimidation of Vietnamese fishermen in Texas.
Dees' office was firebombed, and his commitment
to freedom has made him a target of racist
assassins. The front endpaper (detail, left: inkjet and gold leaf on
Rives BFK) is an image of the author as a target.
The halo is gold leaf, as in medieval and
Renaissance icons.
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This book has a substantial photo
section which includes William Pierce, leader of
the racist National Alliance and author of the
1978 novel The Turner Diaries (which
tells the "history" of the successful Aryan
Revolution and is believed to be the manual used
by Timothy McVeigh in planning the Oklahoma City
bombing). Other detailed players with photos are
John Trochmann, founder of the Militia of
Montana and Christian Identity's Pete Peters,
whose followers include the Army of Israel
militia. This sect believes the Aryans are the
true Jews and the people who call themselves
Jews are literally descended from Satan. They
consider this a Holy War.
The
Militia movement in the United States expanded
dramatically in the mid 1990's. Spurred by the
Randy Weaver incident at Ruby Ridge and the
catastrophe at Waco, fear of government abuse
led to militia organizations in every State.
Many militias then broke into small cells of
about five members, a strategy followed by the
Al Quaeda network.
Current
reports on hate groups and militias are online
at the Southern
Poverty Law Center.

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The
binding is camouflage leather foil stamped in
black with quotes from the text on the front and
back covers. The protective enclosure is
camouflage cotton cloth with the text of the
second amendment printed inkjet on khaki
cloth.
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Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in
any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of
war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Issued December 27, 2001
The Third Amendment
Seven Days in May
by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W.
Bailey, with a dvd of the film starring Burt
Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, directed by John
Frankenheimer, screenplay by Rod Serling.
The Third Amendment sets a clear
boundary on military authority. In this classic
story the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is
seeking to quarter himself in The White House.
Attaché Case: 12" x 14" x 4"
(closed). The text of the third amendment is
stamped in 23k gold on black board, in a recessed
panel inside the case cover. The book is bound in
blue calf with 23k gold title on spine. Inlaid
seal is lacquered inkjet on Rives BFK mounted on
2-ply museum board. Endpapers are blue Canson
Mi-Teintes.
click any picture to see more
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click any
picture to see more
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Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no
warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Issued March
13, 2002
The Fourth Amendment
Neuromancer
by William Gibson
The novel that introduced us to Cyberspace.
Every day there are more issues about
government searches of our emails, web habits,
and hard drives. You can read about the
implications at The Electronic Frontier
Foundation.
The
book was originally issued as a paperback in
1984 and received major awards for science
fiction writing. The binding is in limp black
leather, to preserve the soft feel of the
paperback. A shuriken (Ninja throwing star) is
on the cover, and is an image that appears
throughout the text. The pink slipcase has the
text of the fourth amendment hot-stamped in
hologram foil on one side. The hologram makes
the text appear as colored digital code from a
distance.
On
the other side of the case (Case is also the
name of the protagonist) is an embedded Network
Interface Card. In the novel, Case jacks into
the cyberspace network through a neural
interface.
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Click
on any photo to see larger images and more
views.

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Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or
otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or
indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the
land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual
service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any
person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in
jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any
criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process
of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use,
without just compensation.
Issued May 24, 2000
The Fifth Amendment
BRANCHES
by
Mitch Cullin
illustrated by Ryuzo Kikushima
Written
in the first person as the story of a Sheriff in
Texas who is judge, jury and executioner.
Each copy
of the book has 9mm bullet holes shot through
the cover, a Sheriff badge, and the title is
affixed as a name badge. This edition of
Branches includes color prints of the 16
illustrations, tipped in over the black and
white reproductions in the book. You can also
see more details of
the binding and illustrations.
The
Fifth Amendment version of this edition is
available only to the subscribers of The
Bill of Rights series, and includes a box
made of the same uniform fabric as the book,
with a black leather holster bearing the foil
stamped text of The Fifth Amendment sewn to the
cover.
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Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall
enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an
impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime
shall have been committed, which district shall have been
previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the
nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with
the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for
obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance
of counsel for his defense.
Issued September 13, 2001
The Sixth Amendment
The
Run of His Life : The People v. O.J. Simpson
by Jeffrey Toobin
This
was the most public trial in history, with many
questions about the jury, witnesses and defense
counsel. It occupied the television networks day
and night. Before the trial began, the author
wrote in The New Yorker that the defense would
play the "race card" and claim Mark Fuhrman was a
racist who was framing Simpson because he was
black.
This
binding is black leather, with doublures (inside
cover) and hinge of the same leather. A black
leather glove is on the cover, and acrylic paint.
The title is foil stamped in P. T. Barnum, a
typeface chosen because of the circus-like
environment of the trial. The endpaper (inset)
represents "The Race Card."
Click
on any photo to see larger images.
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click any picture to see more
The
prosecution made a major error by having the
accused try on the bloodstained black leather
glove, which had shrunk, with an additional latex
glove to prevent biocontamination. Simpson made a
show of not being able to get it on. The defense
line was "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit."
Right:
close-up detail of "The Race Card" on the
endpaper. It represents the defendant trying on
the glove, holding a big knife (rather than the
traditional sword), with blood dripping from the
lower knife.
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AmendmentVII
In suits at common law, where the value in
controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial
by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury,
shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United
States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Issued April
10, 2002
The Seventh Amendment
The Litigation
Explosion:
What Happened When America Unleashed the
Lawsuit
by Walter K. Olson
In 1789 twenty dollars went a
long way. Since the 1970's "civil" lawsuits have
flooded the judicial system. Now a multibillion
dollar business, the litigation industry
proceeds on flimsy pretexts, preceding a search
for evidence.
The spine of the binding is gold
leather with the title foil stamped in silver
(neither is the genuine metal). The gold and
silver make it hard to decipher. The covers
appear to be a collage of $20 bills, but closer
examination reveals them to be artificial as
well. Jackson has been replaced by James
Madison, whose signature replaces that of the
Secretary of the Treasury, and whose title reads
Father of the Bill of Rights. The text of
the Seventh Amendment is superimposed on the
treasury seal, and there are several other
changes.
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The slipcase is covered with
court calendar listings from the New York Law
Journal. On any day you may find 20 broadside
pages listing lawsuits in New York. It is coated
with two layers of ultraviolet filter acrylic.
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Below: Three details of the cover
art.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor
excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual
punishments inflicted.
Issued March 1 ,
2002
The Eighth Amendment
Forlorn Hope: The
Prison Reform Movement
by Larry E. Sullivan
During the 1990's the drive
toward prison reform reversed. Prison
libraries were closed, chain gangs and
striped uniforms came back, and prison
populations increased. The book is bound in
stripes with the word "CONVICT" on the back
cover, printed inkjet on canvas, and is
chained to a miniature jail cell of painted
wood.
click on any photo
to see larger images.
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Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain
rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others
retained by the people.
Issued October 15,
2000
The Ninth Amendment
The Right to
Privacy
by Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy
We all assume we have a right to privacy, but
every day that right seems to diminish. From
our personal data on the internet to
telemarketing at dinnertime, we are barraged.
And that's just the tip of it. This book
identifies many serious legal issues
surrounding privacy considerations.
When people become
public figures the violation of privacy
becomes extreme. Occasionally those of us not
in the public eye are reminded just how
dangerous and invasive the thirst for
vicarious living can be. The binding is an
inkjet print on canvas of Princess Diana, with
tabloid headlines on the back cover and
endpapers with photos of her wrecked car. It
comes in a velour lined black cloth box with
the text of the ninth amendment printed on a
Fabriano Roma label.
If you want to read the book, click
to order The
Right to Privacy online as a paperback.
This link also will bring up other books on
the privacy issue.
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click a picture to see
larger images
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Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are
reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
Issued July 31, 2001
The Tenth Amendment
USSC No. 00-949
by The Supreme Court of
The United States of America
This is the decision of the Supreme
Court in the landmark case that determined the
outcome of the 2000 election, Bush vs. Gore. This ruling, overturning a
decision of the Florida Supreme Court, is
arguably the most significant Federal
intervention in states' rights in modern
history. The edition was designed by Minsky
using the texts of Justices concurring and
dissenting opinions. It is printed by photocopy
from the output of the Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file
downloaded by Minsky from the Supreme Court
website the day it was issued, December 12,
2000. The paper is Southworth 100% cotton
fiber paper. The binding is in classic law book
style of full leather with raised bands. Red and
black leather labels have the title in 23k gold
and the roman numeral "X", in a cloth slipcase
with the text of the tenth amendment inset in
gold on black board.
Normally we see the red label on
top and the black one on the bottom, so there
seems to be something subtly wrong. The title is
also somewhat uneven and not exactly on the
level. So at the same time as this volume looks
like a classic law book from a distance, close
inspection reveals this contemporary
interpretation to be disturbing and somewhat
crooked.
Click any image to see
more pictures
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Click here for
links to educational and other resources about the Bill
of Rights
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