Inscribed presentation copy. Inscribed to Hilary Gerrard, Ringo Starr's manager for over thirty years and a director of the Beatles company Apple Corps.: 'for Hilary / with very best wishes / Tom Phillips / LXXIII / copy no 57/70'.

A Humument began as a creative experiment inspired by William Burroughs' "cut-up" technique when, in 1966, Tom Phillips purchased a cheap Victorian novel, A Human Document by W. H. Mallock, and transformed it by altering and obscuring the original text, erasing parts of the text, painting, and collaging the pages.

First edition, presentation copy inscribed in the first volume, numbered 57/70 with the original edition of 100 crossed out below; 10 vols., publisher's different coloured paper-covered board folding boxes with printed title labels or titled by Phillips in pen, containing 370 single sheets (2 sheets numbered 173) (approx. 190 x 140 mm, 7½ x 5½ in) each signed in pencil on recto, 4pp Tetrad Press folio and 4pp title-page folio in first box; occasional fading and light rubbing to boxes, contents fine.