Three Types of Reading Ambiguity was the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration between musician Charles Bissell and contemporary artist Beth Campbell. The edition, which was sent to Esopus premium subscribers in November 2015—is a layered reflection on the differing meanings of “original” and “copy” in the visual arts and music—and a fascinating glimpse into the creative processes of Bissell and Campbell.

Both happen to be previous contributors to Esopus; In fact, Campbell opened the very first issue of Esopus with a drawing from her ongoing series, “My Potential Future Based on Present Circumstances,” which consists of elegant flow charts mapping out a dizzyingly wide range of outcomes resulting from a particular choice. Bissell, a member of the acclaimed indie band The Wrens, was interviewed along with a bandmate, Greg Whelan, in Esopus 3 about the intense, often torturous process making the Wrens’ landmark 2003 album, The Meadowlands.

For this limited edition, Bissell offered a longer, unique version of a track, “Three Types of Reading Ambiguity,” from a still-unreleased album by the band. The song is a transcendent exploration of the reckoning with mortality accompanying middle age. In the edition, that track takes up one side of a custom-designed audio cassette. Side B features a sonic interpretation of the song created by Campbell, whose sculptures and installations explore notions of copies and duplication. The edition also includes a new 17 x 30" “Potential Future” drawing, reproduced here as an archival lithographic print, related to the song and Campbell's collaboration with Bissell for the project, as well as a foldout poster featuring Bissell’s lyrics reproduced in their original format.