I AM THE FIRST CONSCIOUSNESS OF CHAOS collects the key "noirs" -- lithographs, etchings and charcoals -- of Odilon Redon, perhaps the most enigmatic and esoteric figure in the artistic lineage that leads directly from Symbolism to Surrealism. Never previously available in a single trade volume, the majority of Redon's noirs -- over 250 illustrations -- are finally collated here, along with illuminating excerpts from the decadent texts which inspired...