Hubbard, Elbert and Alice
First Edition. 8vo, (8 x 6 inches). Exquisite binding by Harry Avery featuring innovative gilt-tooled repeating cover designs and inlaid squares as well as gorgeous handmade decorative onlaid paper doublures and free facing endsheets, wide dentelles. The binding is signed with Avery's "H.A." on lower rear dentelle, left side, and the Roycroft orb and cross mark is stamped to the dentelle at the center. There are only three Kinder bindings cited for this limitation (106 Copies), and initially priced at $100. The Book features a sepia frontispiece of each author after sketches by Otto Schneider. Two-page title spread, initials, and ornaments by Dard Hunter. "On a High Shelf," David Ogle OB-114-06 and the binding featured on a full-page in color,(pg 197). Fine condition.
Raile, Arthur Lyon [pseud. Warren, Edward P.]
First Edition. 8vo., approx. 4.75" x 7.5." 143pp. Exquisitely bound in light brown crushed morocco with an attractive all-over gilt and inlaid cover design consisting of a panel of gilt leaves, vines, and a pointillÈ border, with inlaid red and orange morocco flowers and green morocco dots, on both covers. Five bands to spine, with title and author in second compartment; remaining compartments with a gilt leaf and vine design. Wide turn-ins with rolled gilt borders and large fleurons at corners. The book features stunning and unusual handmade floral gilt stamped paper doublures and facing endsheets. All edges gilt, finely applied. Original olive green satin page marker intact. A beautiful and very well executed unsigned binding. but unfortunately unsigned. Some very light rubbing to edges of covers, spots of wear to lower right corner of front cover, along with narrow and nearly invisible loss to leather on top and bottom of front dentelles. A scarce title.Edward Perry Warren (1860-1928) was an art collector and member of the Uranian movement. This volume contains 86 poems, 31 of which had previously appeared in Itamos in 1903 (D'Arch Smith pp. 114-117).
Browning, Robert
First Edition. 8vo., approx. 4.5" x 7." Scarce first edition of Browning's five-act epic poem, his second book, bound in a magnificent Exhibition Binding (with Zaehnsdorf gilt stamped exhibition seal on rear satin doublure) in full deep burgundy crushed morocco by Zaehnsdorf, with an unusual and striking Grolieresque inlaid border design in brown and green, with the straps of color overlapping each other at random on the front cover, and just one portion of green (the remainder brown) on the rear cover-- a fascinating variation which was no doubt intended to convey personal craftsmanship. Filling in the negative space between the straps are gilt fleurons and dots; inlaid black border around the edges. Five bands to spine with title and author to inlaid black panel in second compartment, and inlaid border in brown with gilt fleuron to remaining compartments. Large turn-ins with inlaid bands of green morocco and small red & gilt flowers at corners. Ivory watered silk endpapers; top edge gilt. Fine condition. A very special Zaehsnsdorf binding, unique, with character and very pleasing to the eye. Scarce thus.
Offered here is a grab bag of 20 individual pieces of original art, various sizes and shapes, mostly pen and ink, and some very highly executed and described in brief below: Railway: three drawings for the book published by A.C. Black, ìPeeps at Great Railways; the North Eastern & Great Northern Railways,î by G.E. Mitton, A.C. Black, 1911, including two large artboard sheets (11 x 9 & 14 x 8 inches) with a total of seven drawings on each. All three have the A. & C. Black three-line purple stamp on verso, as well as the title of the book in pencil. Horses, ìHeyton Ride,î three pieces, high degree of accomplish, ìroach back,î vs. ìhollow back,î etc., mock-up pages (6 pagers total) for a book for children on drawing and painting, three gathered pages, each with typed text and opposite, drawings of chickens, childís head, and attractive watercolor (large size) of a German Shepherd; mix of 8 smaller sized pen and ink drawings by various artists (unsigned) of houses, interiors, fishing, town and country life, a large charcoal (15 x 10 inches) on artboard of woman gazing out of heavily draped window, with the following in pencil on verso: P. 113. ìLeslie got up, and looked out.î The entire grouping in very good or better condition, many are fine.
Stevenson, Robert Louis
First Edition. 8vo, (8 x 5 inches). Beautifully bound by Kinder in full dark green morocco with both covers featuring a stunning central design composed of inlaid light brown tulips on bending stems within a gilt-tooled spheroid space, highlighted with ruling and nailheads. The corners and spine show similar design motif. Wide dentelles with five gilt concentric ruled lines, light green silk moire doublures and endsheets. Side edges with double filet gilt ruling. Book features a frontispiece portrait of the author. Signed and numbered to limitation page, "#16, Elbert Hubbard, Illumined by Hattie Tehoonte." "On a High Shelf," by David Ogle, OB-071-02, pictured in full page on pg. 206). Fine condition. In original presentation box with paper label.
Dickens, Charles
First Edition. 8vo, (9 x 6 inches). David Ogle: OB-003-96, pictured full-page and color, on pg. 201. THE ONLY KNOWN SIGNED KINDER BINDING, with Kinder's monogram "LK," stamped to inside back cover on the lower dentelle, as well as Roycroft's "orb and cross mark" to side dentelle. The signature is a sort of cuneiform mark, "made from four sequential impressions of the same binder's tool, shaped like the parenthesis symbol. impressed in the order to form an approximation of the initials "LHK. This mark was first discovered in an inlaid full leather specimen of 'The Holly Tree,' (i.e. our copy) and no other examples of the mark are presently known. David Ogle ("On a High Shelf", pg 59). A striking Kinder binding in full light green crushed morocco with repeating gilt-tooled circle design motif highlighted by inlaid circles and squares (on end) in ochre and dark green morocco on both covers. Spine with similar, though linear, gilt and inlaid motif. #17 of 100 copies on Japan Vellum, Signed and Numbered by Hubbard. Colored title page and full-page border designs by Samuel Warner, prominent early Roycroft artist who designed Elbert Hubbard's first personal bookplate. Decidedly, a great rarity, and certainly a cornerstone to any serious Roycroft collection. Fine condition.
First Edition. Small 8vo, 7 x 4 1/2 inches. Publisher's smooth light green woven cloth with superb petal cover design by Will Bradley, gilt lettering on cover and spine. ASSOCIATION COPY, inscribed by Will Bradley to George Tilton, proprietor of Towle Silver (noted longstanding silversmith in Newberry, Massachusetts, with whom Bradley had designed illustrated catalogues: "To my friend Geo P Tilton Esq. with regards of Will Bradley March 4 '97 My first book." Bradley is referring here to his newly formed and founded Wayside Press, which printed the book in 1896, (the colophon at end so designating). Rubricated title page designed by Bradley. Superb light green decorated endpapers by Will Bradley, as well as each poem's title page, initial letter and Wayside Press's dandelion leaf colophon design. T.E.G, others untrimmed. A fine copy, almost never seen for this Bodley Head title. Will Bradley presentation copies are seldom seen, and even more scarce with important associations.
Third Printing, Published in the same year as the First Edition. 8vo. Original publishers maroon cloth with elaborate gilt-stamped cover and spine design consisting of all-over ivy on trellis, gilt lettering, by Frederic C. Gordon, who was the artist commissioned to design the front cover of Stephen Crane's "The Black Riders," published in 1895. Signed by Gordon, F.C.G., appearing on lower spine in gilt. Fully illustrated, with prospectus for the autograph edition laid-in. A pristine copy with absolutely no signs of wear, in the original purple paper covered two-part card box with printed paper label on cover denoting title, author publisher, etc. (box a bit worn at edges, otherwise very good). Illustrated with drawings and photographs throughout. A rare survival of a gorgeous Turn of the Century Art Nouveau gilt-stamped cover. Third Printing, Published in the same year as the First Edition.
First Edition. 8vo, (8 x 5 inches)/ Attractively bound by Harry Avery in full crushed turquoise Morocco featuring swirling gilt ruling ending in two large inlaid beige circles with stylized floral designs and nailheads, with similar pattering on spine. Superb dentelles with more lavish gilt nailhead designs, and Avery's trademark handmade paper doublures and endsheets. Signed in black stamping, "H.A." on rear lower dentelle, and Roycroft orb and cross on lateral dentelle. Title page, initials, and tailpieces designed by Dard Hunter. #67 of 100 Copies, Printed on Japan Vellum. Bookmakers, Ogle, pg. 196 illustrates one example "On a High Shelf," David Ogle OB-099-05, and the binding featured in color on pg. 196. A fine copy, with spine evenly sunned.
First Edition. 8vo, 8 x 6 inches. An incredible full modeled leather binding by Frederick Kranz (and executed by J. Juenke), one of the most impressive and unique of his style, which is quite renowned and sought-after. The binding features a deeply set dark background highlighting the gouged stylized design by Kranz of a tree rising and expanding to the edges and giving a metallic effect that is highlighted by circular blotches and coloration in light turquoise. The rear cover features another motif, without the tree design, but showing more of the gouged background. Spin with hand tooled longitudinal lettering in light turquoise. Light green silk moire doublures and front flyleaves. Number 48 from the edition of 102 printed by Roycroft. ìHead, Heart and Hand,î Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters, Via and Searl, pg. 34 illustrates a similar example. Near fine, with front hinge cracked along seam. Housed in handmade folding paper box with chemise and paper label.
First Edition. 8vo, (7 x 4 inches). Magnificently bound by The Roycroft Bindery, and likely by Louis Kinder, a commissioned work, with a special bound-in page at the end (on same paper the book was printed on), stating; ìSo here endeth ëSonnets to a Wife,í as written by Ernest McGaffey: Published by William Marion reedy and issued by the Mirror Press, which is in St. Louis, Missouri, in MCM. Rebound for Harrison N. Hiles by the Roycrofters at their shop in East Aurora, Erie, County, New York, in March of the year MCMIII.î To fill out this wonderful, one-of-a kind offering, the author McGaffey has signed, dated and inscribed the front flyleaf, ìErnest McGaffey, Written for Cecile McGaffey, and inscribed herein for Harrison N. Hiles of Canton, Ohio, February 1903, with the authorís regards.î The author also pens a handwritten sonnet that was mistakenly left out of this copy, entitled ìReincarnation.î The book is in fine condition. Most scarce and wonderful.
ca. 1930. Two large tissue-covered sheets on "Goodalls Bristol Board," with their crowned stamps. 15 x 12 inches. The first has "Examples of Exercises in Layout Design," calligraphed at top, followed by "Mass & Line, Simple use of Angle, etc. 6 design elements, with shapes filled in with black pink. Some outside ruling in pencil, instructions on tissue guard. The second is a striking illustrative depiction of what could be an advertising poster. Two central designs on pasted in, the first being a stylized waiter, carrying a drink, and the other an elongated automobile in highly expressive deco style, with "SIMPLICITY MOTORS in art deco font. Both very good.
First Edition. 8vo, (8 x 6 inches). Three-quarter dark brown crushed morocco, marbled boards, attractive gilt spine. #82 of 100 Copies, Printed on Japan Vellum. This book contains Hubbard's essay on California poet Joaquin Miller, and a critical study by James, both admiring tributes to Miller. Illustrated with tipped-in halftone photos of Hubbard, James, and others. Fine condition. "On a High Shelf," David Ogle, OB-082-03.
First Edition. 8vo, (6 x 4 3/4 inches). Full suede with pressed suede title space, gilt lettering, green silk, moire silk pastedowns. One of only two copies, with limitation page: ìOf this edition only two copies were printed of which this is ìNo. oneî (in red ink). Contains Samuel Warnerís ìinverted-Lî floral printed title page border. ìPrattís ëWailí is a humorous poem on domestic hazards of book collecting. Prior to the recent discovery of ìA Myth (1907),î a closely related title with striking similarities to this volume, little was known about Pratt or his poem. There is now reason to speculate that these two titles were in some way associated with Grant Woodís art colony at Stone City, Iowa, to which copies of both title have been traced. Pratt may have written both poems, commissioned their production by Roycrofters, and presented them as gifts to some unknown person in Iowa, perhaps to an ancestor or relative of a Stone City Resident.î Ogle, David, ìOn a High Shelf, pg 220, OB-136-08. The Stone City colony is discussed in Darrell Garwoodís ìArtist in Iowa,î 1944. Near fine. Of great rarity.
Offered here is an original autograph presentation on a single card, by the Lady Kathleen Scott, widow of Robert Falcon Scott, famed Antarctic explorer, along with a black and white photo (modern) composed by Robert Falcon Scott with his wife Kathleen, and the two mounted onto black construction paper. The card is signed by Kathleen Scott as "Kathleen Hilton Young, formerly Lady Scott" with the addition "Very glad to send you the autographs you want 5/4/25." Lady Edith Agnes Kathleen Scott, Baroness Kennett, (1878-1947) was a renowned British sculptor who, throughout her life, remained a traditional sculptor and worked independently of contemporary artistic developments such as modernism and abstraction. Described by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "the most significant and prolific British women sculptor before Barbara Hepworth,î while her traditional style of sculpture and her hostility to the abstract work of Henry Moore, and others, contributed toward a subsequent lack of recognition for her artistic career. Interestingly, from a Turn of the Century point of view, Kathleen Bruce, before her marriage, posed in several paintings for the rising artist Charles Shannon (who later collaborated with Charles Ricketts for 50 years). In her posthumous memoir, Kathleen relates this anecdote regarding Shannon: ìHe suggested taking me home. I had not been going home; I had been going to dine in Soho with a gentle Academician, Charles Shannon, who was painting me. But without a second's hesitation I threw over my dining companion and announced myself ready to be taken home.î She posed for Shannon for nearly a year, until he left London. ìAlthough this beautiful painter was thirty-eight, I was the first woman he had ever loved. I loved his work so deeply that we had become devoted friends. He painted portrait after portrait of me, and had success with them.î Fine condition.
