Menthol Wars publication coincided with a window installation at Printed Matter's space on Lispenard Street in Manhattan. The book features ten short prose pieces. It is the first monographic publication in Prince's experimental narrative “War, Menthol, Pictures” trilogy, the first and rarest of Prince's artist book projects. The books in this trilogy represent early examples of appropriation both in their texts and their commercial-looking cover imagery.  

Richard Prince is an American painter and photographer best known for his use of appropriated imagery.  Taking photographs directly from consumer culture —advertising, entertainment, and social media—Prince explores ideas centered around authenticity and ownership, a controversial practice that has sparked debates around copyright, intellectual property, and theft within the art world.