This is one of the many memorable images from the James Wedge Book published by Countdown Publications in 1972. Countdown was also the name of a boutique co-owned by the milliner turned image-maker James Wedge and his then girlfriend Pat Booth. She was later a model and muse for Allen Jones. It's Booth's torso on the hanger. Nice! Wedge went on to date Helen Mirren. And she played The Queen!!

To quote the introduction: "The twenty-one images of this book are the personal fantasies of James Wedge." Well, the book itself has been a personal fantasy of ours! So rare. It doesn't surface often enough: once or twice every five years or so. It is designed like a photo album with the images tipped-in on black pages and shiny black tissue between them like the paper that divides the trays in a chocolate box.

This is the cover of the book. Inauspicious. See a lot of the rather more auspicious contents here.

Self-published and pretty much handmade, the book was released in an edition of just 500. We have no.13.

This is a detail from Peaches and Dreams No.1. Our favourite image. Who hasn't dressed up a peach in a pair of miniature see-through knickers?

This is titled 'Self-portrait'. Art lovers will recognise Man Ray's 'rayograph' technique. IDEA Books fans will recognise Pat Booth naked...