Written as it was by an early dadaist, this book is as much a historical record of the movement as it is a primary source. As an artist, and an actual participant in the movement, Richter understands dada from the inside-out; he "gets it" in a way that the art historian or art critic cannot.This book is a wonderful combination of autobiography, art theory, on-the-scene reportage, gossip column, and investigative reconstruction of the life and times of dada from someone who there--or near-there, or in contact with someone who was.Richter's account of dada has no doubt been a text that subsequent accounts have leaned on for facts. But Richter gives more than just the names, dates, and places--he conveys something of the spirit of dada, but does so with a certain critical detachment, the result of the passing of decades and his own orderly turn of mind.He writes, too, of Breton and the surrealists, who co-opted much of the best of what dada had been, while imposing upon it an unfortunate hierarchy of superstructure and orthodoxy of viewpoint. In this, as in all else, Richter does an admirable job of trying to maintain his objectivity, but he doesn't--nor should he have--completely suppressed his own judgments, including his rather scathing view of pop art and neo-dada, so-called.Generously illustrated (mostly in black-and-white), filled with lively anecdotes and vivid portrayals of memorable characters, such as Schwitters, this is quite simply a must-have book for those interested in dada. And the more interested you are in dada, the more you must have it.Both dada and this book.