• Lavish retrospective of grotesque, occult and erotic images by forgotten Hollywood photographer William Mortensen.
• Reprints his five-part essay Venus and Vulcan, which began his storied battle with Ansel Adams.
• Mortensen's technical innovations inspired special effects before the development of digital manipulation.
• The book reproduces 120 images from Mortensen's repertoire, most of which are rare or entirely unpublished.
• Comes in a wave of renewed interest in Mortensen, whose work has been shown in recent exhibitions in New York and LA.