The American Artist Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) has worked in a variety of media including painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, books and film, to produce art that is at once playful and profound. Based in Los Angeles since the late 1950s, he was influential in the development of Pop Art on the west coast, particularly through the production of a series of artists¿ books that continue to inspire younger generations of artists.

This book traces the development of Ruscha's work across five decades, exploring its engagement with Dada and Surrealism, Pop, the rise of conceptual art, photography, literature and cinema. It also focuses in detail on Ruscha's techniques - in particular his delicate drawings and prints using organic materials - and the process of making art as documented in his notbookss.