Mirrorical is a new publishing imprint created by Tod Lippy, founder and editor of Esopus magazine and Esopus Books.

The word mirrorical comes from the French phrase renvoi miroirique (“mirrorical return”), which appears in Marcel Duchamp’s notes for The Green Box in 1934.*

Lippy, who has often acknowledged the influence of Duchamp on his own practice, founded Mirrorical to offer unexpected perspectives on never-before-published material from creators working across a broad range of disciplines, including art, film, literature, and music. By limiting production to one volume a year, Mirrorical will have the time, resources, and singular focus to offer books that will not only match but exceed the acclaimed editorial depth and high production quality of Esopus publications.

*”Mirrorical return” likely relates to Duchamp’s interest in the mathematical concept of a fourth dimension. The artist also employed the phrase in a 1942 interview both to characterize his return to New York after 20 years abroad and to explain his desire to revisit and reframe works, such as The Large Glass, he had created decades before. This approach in the last several decades of his life culminated in Étant donnés: 1° la chute d'eau / 2° le gaz d'éclairage, Duchamp’s final sculpture, unveiled to the public after his death in 1968.