Menthol Wars: Richard Prince

Richard Prince – Menthol Wars
2009 Reprint | Fulton Ryder, New York | Staple-Bound Artist’s Book

Originally self-published in 1983, Menthol Wars is one of Richard Prince’s earliest and most iconic artist’s books—a cult classic that captures the raw conceptual energy of the Pictures Generation. This 2009 reprint, issued by Prince’s own imprint Fulton Ryder, faithfully reproduces the original’s slim, zine-like format and enigmatic text-based layout.

Spanning 32 pages, Menthol Wars unfolds as a surreal and fragmented anti-narrative. Prince mixes absurdist short prose, poetic repetition, and advertising clichés into a pseudo-autobiographical meditation on fame, desire, and image culture. This edition preserves the irreverent spirit of the original while offering a rare opportunity for collectors and readers to access one of the foundational texts of Prince’s practice.

• Artist: Richard Prince

• Title: Menthol Wars

• Publisher: Fulton Ryder, New York

• Year: 2009 (Reprint of 1983 original)

• Format: Softcover, staple-bound

• Pages: 32

• Dimensions: Approx. 8.5 x 5.5 inches

• Edition: Limited reprint (exact number not stated)

• Status: Out of Print

A witty, cryptic, and culturally sharp publication, Menthol Wars remains a cornerstone in Prince’s bookmaking legacy—an essential collectible for fans of conceptual art, appropriation, and the subversive edge of 1980s visual culture.