Beard, Mark (1956 - )
No. 5 of thirty copies printed on Arches paper at the Meriden Gravure Company. 35 linocuts pulled and assembled by Beard and Vincent FitzGerald. Bound by Gerard Charriere. Signed by Beard on limitation page. Oblong, 29.5 by 39 cm. Unpaginated, 36 leaves. Text on versos, brightly, even luridly, colored mounted prints on facing rectos. Some of the prints have fold-outs. with the appearance of crayon scrawls, and written in a child-like manner, although concerning the experiences and troubles of a young adult who moved to New York from Utah, and clearly autobiographic in nature. Beard is a versatile living artist who is known for painting, printing, sculpture and stage set designs. His artwork now hangs in many of the Western world's major museums, not to mention prominent commissions from major theaters and the like. Probably best known are his portraits of attractive men, rendered in a representational manner, and often with a homoerotic aura.
Holme, Charles, editor. Essays by Gabriel Mourey, Aymer Vallance, W. Fred, Chr. Ferdinand Morawe, F. Khnopff, and Georg Brochner.
A great overview of Art Nouveau design contemporaneous with the heyday of the style, and with designers such as Rene Lalique, Mucha, Georges Fouquet, Eugene Grasset, Boutet de Monvel, Georges de Feure, Charles MacIntosh, and a slew of women designers -- one might be surprised at how many women were among the ranks of recognized designers in the style. Was it a bias, though, that these women are not among the most recognizable names to us, as admittedly non-jewelry experts? Sections cover French, British, Austrian German, Belgian and Danish designs -- each nation is treated separately, in its own chapter, notwithstanding the international nature of the Art Nouveau style that didn't necessarily conform to national boundaries in how it was expressed. 4to. 29 by 22 cm. 123 plates, of which 17 are full color. Color prints are sometimes mounted, other times, on a glossy paper different from the rest of the leaves. The book has a complicated pagination and plate count, with each article beginning the pagination anew, and a few plate numbers skipped, but we believe the work is complete. So here is our pagination, admittedly eccentric in its rendering, as is the actual pagination of the book: 6, 7, [1], 36 plates, 4 of which are in color; 10, numbered plates up to 52, 11 of which are in color, but no Plate 1, and a second series of plates numbered up to 8; 4,1 color plate; 8, 8 plates, one of which is in color; 4, plates numbered 2 to 9 (we believe there wasn't a Plate 1); 3, [1], 8 plates. Green morocco spine with raised bands and gilt decoration and gilt lettering for title, etc. Without ads of the original issue. Some foxing of the early text leaves, including the title, but typical of the paper stock used by the Studio in its book publications. Otherwise, tight, clean -- a beautiful copy. ,
Deacon, L. N.
Wonderful amateur artwork, much of horses, hunting, dogs, foxhunting, shooting, but also ships, castles, rural manor houses, quaint churches, allegorical (mythological figures), farm animals, swans. The artwork captures the spirit of the English countryside and culture enjoyed by the squire-archy of the time, or our image of it, and by doing so, reinforces that that was indeed how things were for the privileged. 8vo. 24 by 20.5 cm. 19 heavy card leaves, containing 56 photos, mostly photos of family and/or friends, we would assume, but a few photo CVs of well-known or important figures of the day. Of the latter, most are religious leaders obscure to us now, but there is a photo of Edward VII and his consort, Alexandra, from well before he ascended the throne, a CV condolence print of Sir Edward Landseer, whose artwork was surely an inspiration to the artist in this album, with its abundance of loving canine portraits. There are also several views, as opposed to human portraits. These include images of natural surroundings, one with a man looking away from the camera. almost not noticeable, providing a sense of scale. Also a commercial photo of probably the High Street of a small village by the name of Shanklin, which is on the Isle of Wight and remains to this day a tourist draw. The photos of ordinary people, or people the album compiler surely knew and probably took the photos himself, are generally captioned, and so represented in multiple photos are people with the surname of Champion, Blackett, Whittaker, Freeman, Golding and Smith. Many of the photos obviously long predate 1895, based on the sitters' dress. The sitters are of all ages -- infant to seniors, and the photos are generally well composed, sometimes with the props that were common of Victorian photo studios -- fluted architectural columns, Jacobean furniture, etc. Many of the younger people look handsome, and the older, distinguished, in a manner that wouldn't be so easy to fake. A pencilled note in the front of the album indicates that the album relates to the village of Barming in Kent. We trust this is based on information given to a prior bookseller, but we have been unable as yet to learn more about the families represented based on this tidbit of information. One full page pen-and-ink drawing,on the first page (with no window to place a photo) entitled "After the Battle", depicted a lone living horse, all tacked up but no rider in sight, the corpse of a horse and other devastation in the background. Afterward, the artwork is entirely in the margins, but this is scarcely a limitation, as the margins are generally quite large, and about half of the artwork is of an elaborate scene, with action or movement suggested, a narrative suggested. We, though, are most smitten with the unadorned portraits of dogs, all rendered with superb detail, personality and mood vividly communicated. A few of the foxhunting drawings are captioned, telling a bit of a story and naming the parties as well. Similar in spirit are a few of the horse head depictions. This type of photo album, with the decoration of the margins as was done here, is far from unique during the Victorian era, as art was embraced by the ever larger class of prosperous people with leisure time. Setting apart this particular example is the fine quality of the resulting artwork, its cohesiveness, with a cumulative power that transcends any of the individual drawings. The artist signed two of the drawings -- the first with his surname spelled out, the last one as well, with just his initials, and in both he wrote the date, July 1895. From this we would assume that he did all the artwork in that compressed period of time. There can be no question that he did it all, as there is no deviation in terms of style. Condition: Minor rubbing of the binding. Light foxing, intermingled with age toning, throughout, but neither a distraction or a subtraction from the artwork, and far from disconcerting, in our view. Clasp of brass clasp is missing. Full Leather. Boards are of pressed calf. Spine is suede. Brass clasp pieces, without clasp
Cutler, Thomas W. (designed by)
Quintessential English, mostly domestic country architecture, of Tudor, half timber, fieldstone structures. Many of the homes have a rambling, understated quality, but more modest homes, also evocative and lovely, also included, as well as a variety of other types of buildings, including churches, gatehouses, schools, etc. Oblong, 19by 27 cm. 17 pp. Followed by 43 plates. Plates with accompanying leaves of caption and usually further explanation one or two pages in length. A few plates share a single caption/explanation leaf. These 43 plates generally show a house exterior elevation and a blueprint of the floor plan, with sometimes a separate plate for the floor plan. At end is an additional leaf with an illustration of a key used by the Prince of Wales in opening a hospital designed by Cutler. Vellum has a considerable amount of soiling/darkening. Repairs on lower spine and hinges, evident internally with discreet tape by hinge, front and rear endpapers. Some staining of endpapers, with FFEP having small chips and a few creases. Title page moderated soiled. Other than age toning, the rest of the leaves are generally clean.
Thompson, Kay (1909-1998). Hilary Knight (1926 - )
A beautiful unused journal book, with the exception of the inscription written by Kay Thompson, author of the classic Eloise books and legendary chanteuse, vocal coach and actress, to the illustrator of the Eloise series, Hilary Knight. The inscription, written in an orange flair in bold, semi-neat, lettering, half block, semi-cursive, reads: "For Dear Dear Hil with love from Rona and ME Kay". There is no punctuation. The inscription strongly suggests that Thompson, who had become reclusive in her later years, remained close to her much younger illustrator, who as the writing of this description, is still alive at 97 years of age. 4to 26 by 18.5 cm. About 2.5 cm thick. We haven't counted the leaves, but we would estimate about 100 blank leaves. Thompson (1909-1998) Cartoleria Zampini, one of the finest of Italian paper shops, is still in business, although it no longer has a location in central Rome, and we think it may no longer have a retail store. Regardless, it traces its roots back to 1815. N.d., circa 1990, perhaps a bit earlier, since that would have meant Thompson had visited Rome in her nineties. Based on the small Zampini stamp, which we have assumed marks the front of the book, the inscription is written upside down on the rear free endpaper, not that it really matters in a blank journal book. The book is intended to evoke the Renaissance aesthetic, with its thick leather, and its paper pastedown with a elaborate foliate and dragon pattern. The background color of the paper is the same red as the leather and thus the paper almost reads as of the same material. The off-white paper is thick, with deckled edges. Watermarked is Extra Gelatina. The box, and its lid, are of a thick card and thus quite sturdy. The Journal and its box are like new, and other than the flamboyant inscription, unused. Half Thick Morocco. Paper pastedown on boards. Lidded box, with same paper pastedown throughout exterior.
The play, "The Last of the Dandies", by Clyde Fitch, was a vehicle for actor/director Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who played the Count d'Orsay (1801-1852), one of the most talked-about dandies of his day, with his equivocal relations with the Blessington family especially a source of endless gossip in both London and Paris. Among other things, he had close friendships with such figures as Lord Byron and the young Benjamin D'Israeli. Besides famous for being famous, though, d'Orsay was a gifted amateur artist. Fitch (1865-1909), the author of the play, was the most successful American playwright of his day, and was himself known as a dandy, thus in this play undoubtedly writing from a well of personal knowledge of the type. The costume designs here include one for "Snipp", the tailor, played by Compton Coutts, an evening dress -- tails, white gloves, waistcoat, ruffled shirt -- to have been worn by five characters, and a second evening "get up", which includes a cape and top hat, worn by two of the play's characters. Besides Tree, the London production included in its cast a young Claude Rains. We do not know why the artist or costume designer responsible for the artwork was, but we can say, they are more or less fully realized paintings, full or three quarter body portraits, with facial expression enough to suggest an attitude of the particular characters. Details such as hands are given a more cursory treatment. All three paintings are on mid-weight card stock, with each leaf measuring 30mby 23.5 cm. There is a film of soil on the cards, much of which can be erased if one is so motivated -- we did test this -- and a few spots that will not so easily come off.
A truly extraordinary piece of outsider art, brightly colored and almost like a textured patchwork of faces that from afar might appear as a piece of abstract art but from closer, is a highly detailed collage of caricatures of people, real and fictional. Measuring 130 by 112 cm, or 51 by 45 inches, the resulting piece was constructed by taping together 24 sheets of glossy paper, as evident on the back of the painting. The artwork brings to mind the iconic Beatles record jacket for Seageant Pepper's Band, which might well have inspired the artist, although the Beatles themselves are nowhere in sight here. This also has a considerably larger group, with more emphasis on television personalities and characters. Thus we find the Simpsons, Fat Albert and Bob Barker, of the Price is Right. Hollywood stars include Groucho Marx and the Brat Pack (Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, etc.). But both movieland and TV shows are more reflected in characters, such as a Moses, Indians, a knight in armor, and many superheroes -- we don't know whether all of these are based on specific characters or they are imagined versions of such characters. Probably a little of both, we think. While we find no trace of the Beatles, we do see the Alice Cooper band in their full Goth make-up. There's a Hitler and an Osama bin Laden, whose grips on popular consciousness is outsized, however repugnant they were as people. Anthropomorphic animals aren't slighted, and livening the visuals further are props such as a game show roulette wheel. A clutch of average people look mesmerized as they look out from 3D glasses. As to the message of this wonderful hodgepodge, we can't really know. It seems to both celebrate and deride the culture that has thrown together all these types, and to suggest as well that they are all from the same cauldron of modern life. There is also the obvious blurring of the real and fictional, a facet of the modern American mind that has become the hackneyed stuff of sociological commentary. Regardless, few onlookers at this piece of art we believe would be immune from its magnetic quality, as they puzzle about who this or that figure is intended to be. Condition: some rumpling of the paper. The artwork is folded like a large map. If and when someone wishes to frame it, as it deserves to be those fold lines will be diminished over time, needless to say. Small tack holes where the picture was once pierced to hang it up.
Hall, Radclyffe. Commentary by Havelock Ellis. Introduction by Morris L. Ernst
Signed by Hall, a special edition celebrating her victory over censorship in the U.S. courts. This is No. 14 of 225 copies issued in the edition, and one of the copies, numbered 1 to 23, that wasn't offered for sale. A list of many distinguished writers who supported the fight against censorship. The edition had a specially designed title page by S. A. Jacobs and it used Van Gelder handmade paper. xxiv, 233, [4]. 234-506 pp. Condition: Spine silver lettering and decoration has some fading, and many small specks of loss which might be labeled rubbing. Some insignificant soiling here and there on the boards. Interior-wise, tight and clean, and we would deem this overall a beautiful, and well-preserved copy Hardcover. Half cloth. Paper pastedown on boards.
Ritter, Abraham
A few names still well-remembered, with accounts of many now a distant memory, from what had been the largest city in the United States until the late 18th Century. 8vo. 23.5 by 16 cm. 223 pp. 20 plates, half of which are portraits, with tinted background, and the other half are maps or diagrams of streets. These diagrams in most instances have indications of the owners of storefronts. Two of the maps are folding, expanding by their width. The widest, with three folds, doesn't name proprietors of stores but has pleasant drawings of the buildings, although these drawings have a generic quality, like Monopoly buildings, and thus aren't reliable as a visual source of the actual appearance of the riverfront at the time. Although this was privately printed, as indicated by its being published by the Author, there is a substantial subscription list, almost six pages long, at the end. Howes R321. Condition: erosion of cloth at spine extremities. Tearing along joints, repaired, but still apparent where there was tear. Corners rubbed and other typical symptoms of shelfwear. Slight cocking of text block -- front board overhangs over rear board. Foxing, generally light and other than along page edges, quite occasional -- we don't think the foxing and other soiling, and/or age toning, is going to be disconcerting to most.
Timlin, William M.
A futuristic journey that was from its very conception sweetly moored in the misty past! 4to. 31 by 24 cm. 48 pp and 48 tipped-in (or mounted) color plates. The singular story and its illustrations are truly sui generis; the fabulous concoction of fantasy rendered here draws equally from both the text and illustrations. Condition: Short closed tear, upper spine extremity. Touches of soiling on vellum spine, but the vellum overall is bright and comes off as clean. Neatly written short ink gift inscription dated 1928 on FFEP. Within green leaves, upon which text and plates are mounted, has age toning around edges, manifest in light browning. DJ with a few chips, the largest being the rear upper edge, yet the most conspicuous being by the upper spine extremity. Also chipped by lower extremity. All chips have jagged, or irregular edges. Rear with a few crinkle lines and one dime-sized stain. The DJ now protected from further decay by mylar and white backing. We rate the DJ merely Good because of these chips, but if considering only the front cover, it would come out better.
Lemaire, Louis, Architecte
N.d., but 1937, based on BNF dating. Folio, 39 by 29 cm. Title leaf, unpaginated six page text describing plates and a table list of those plates, followed by 70 plates. Plates present mostly modest or middle class suburban and/or vacation homes, some modernist, but most often with a modernist take on a more traditional style. Gables and steep angles characterize many of the examples, but not all. Floor plans included in all the designs, sometimes on the same page as the drawing of the elevation(s), sometimes as a separate plate(s). Title and text gathering stapled. Otherwise, plates are all loose single leaves, as issued. Scarce -- only holdings listed on OCLC First Search at BNF, Minnesota and Canadian Centre. None in commerce on the date of this listing. Condition: light wear, insignificant soiling. Ribbon tie mostly gone. Portfolio. Cloth spine. Paper pastedown on boards. Ribbon tie, now mostly perished.
Genolini, Angelo
4to. 31 by 24. iii, [1], 170, [2] pp., followed by 35 tavole, or plates, illustrated the marks associated with the various centers of Italian majolica production -- Urbino, Pesaro, Giubbio, etc. Half-title with title printed in red, frontis of full color chromolithographic vignette, title page with red, gilt and blue decoration, lettering. Ex-library copy, evident in buckram binding, which is sturdy and not obnoxiously ex-library, an ornamental bookplate of the New York Sociey Library, and a few stampings of "Withdrawn" and the like, none too obtrusive. Frontis leaf with archival tape repair along side, a few leaves with small corner chips -- this includes title leaf. Some leaves with creasing by joints. Age toning throughout, as per the paper stock used. Otherwise, clean and tight.
Blackstone, William
First and/or very early editions of arguably the most significance publication ever in English and Common Law jurisprudence. 4to. 29 by 23 cm. Vol. 1: iv, [4], 485, [1], viii pp. Vol. 2: [8], 520, xix pp. Vol. 3: [8], 455, [1], xxvii pp. Vol. 4: [8], 436, vii, [1], [37] pp. With eight page supplement at end of Volume I. Volume II contains the Table of Consanguinity and the Table of Descents. With contemporary binding, quarter vellum, original paper pastedown on boards, paper title labels on spine. Primary issue is the Second Volume has dampstain running throughout, generally light, never affecting text, but certainly a visual blight. Some pages have internal tearing by the dampstain -- not closed tears -- probably from the separating of the pages that at the time were sticking together. Again, this doesn't affect the text and the tearing, or the issue, should not get worse assuming normal handling of the book. Scattered light foxing. The binding of this volume also has blackening and roughness almost certainly from the same exposure to water. Please view our photos and request additional photos to get a true sense of the issue. Otherwise, the leaves of the other volumes have what we would regard as the expected level of light soiling and/or foxing, and thus do not pose a serious issue. Bindings have stains, rubbing, some tearing, but remain overall a positive aspect of the set, as they are still solid, attractive, and most importantly, contemporary with the issuance of the volumes. Quarter Vellum. Paper pastedown on boards Vol. 1 and 2: Third Editions. Vols. 3 and 4: First Editions.
Russell, Irwin
Scarce first edition of this piece of minstrelry-like literature, unquestionably Rascist in its mockery and condescension of black dialect and culture but also, as the case with black face and minstrel tradition, offering some nuance inasmuch as it is some ways admiring and respectful of what it is making fun of. Four copies of this Denver imprint's version found on OCLC First Search, and an anthology of Russell's work issued by Scribner's the same year, with a single copy of that found. Oblong, 17.5 by 21.5 cm. Unpaginated, eight leaves, plus a tissue guard in the front and one in the back. Title, copyright page, 13 pages of text and illustration, last page blank except for Carson-Harper emblem. Depending on how you count -- whether an illustration is separate from others on a page can be a matter of opinion -- after the front cover and title vignettes, 21 illustrations or so, including two full page, three others that are fully realized illustrations, and the balance line drawings or smaller vignettes that are interspersed in the text or beside the text. Irwin Russell (1853-1879) was a poet from Mississippi known for portrayal of plantation black people
Hendrix, L.,dessinateur. J. Nisot, most senior official tied to the project and presumably author of the brief text. J. Lauwers, hydrographe -- probably the chief manager of the project.
56 maps of the Congo River, printed with a photolithographic process akin to the later Xerox, and coming off virtually as manuscript, with everything passing plausibly as inked drawing and inked handwriting. And we would add, there are not infrequently inked corrections and details added such that this could be deemed semi-manuscript. Scaled at 1/50,000 or 1 mm equals 50 meters. Also with 17 flood charts, which show historic flood patterns. Maps are dated 1917, but there is a note on the title page suggesting this atlas was actually issued the following year. Folio, 38 by 29 cm. In all, 75 double-paged numbered sheets. Maps and charts are therefore about 37 by 54 cm, oblong. Besides the 56 maps and 17 charts, two of the sheets contain text. First, the sheet with the title, a list of the individuals heading various aspects of the project, and a legend key listing the symbols and what they stand for in the maps, and a second sheet entitled "Avertissement", which describes the mapping project at hand). Maps generally show a section of the river, which often is winding and dotted with many islands. Forests along the bank are denoted with swiggles suggestive of trees. Condition: cloth binding fairly heavily stained. Spine with several tears. Slight shake to binding. Map numbered 75 is loose. Scattered light soiling on the leaves.
Heine, Heinrich. Illustrated by Julius Pascin (1885-1930)
8vo. 23.5 by 16.5 cm. 94 pp. 83, [2] pp. The cover has a partly colored illustration by Pascin. Otherwise,illustrations within are b/w line drawings. The satirical Heine novel, first published in 1833, actually was the inspiration for Wagner's "Der Fliegende Hollander" or "The Flying Dutchman". Pascin was born in Bulgaria, was active in Paris for much of his career, although becoming an American citizen and working in the U.S. as well. The illustrations in this book have a deliberately naive quality, almost as if done by a child. Condition: Repair to spine tear. Cover pastedown age toned. Small corner chip of front board, an edge ding, rear cover. Interior is tight and clean genrally.
Vade, J.J. [Jean Joseph]; L'Ecluse
Lovely early copy of Vade's "poissard" songs, poems, dialogues, etc. 12mo. 216 pp. With five copper engraved plates, one of which is a frontis portrait of Vade, the other four, street scenes. Vade invented the poissard genre, which reveled in the more vulgar vernacular of literally, the fish-wife, and sought to dignify the lives, joys and trials of more common people. Minor soiling scattered. Light wear to contemporary red morocco. Hardcover. Marbled paper pastedown on boards and spine.
Fun crepe paper with eight nursery rhyme vignettes and the like, including a Humpty Dumpty, the cow who jumped over the moon, the cat and the fiddle, Mother Goose herself riding a goose through the air, etc. N.d., circa 1930, probably from the 1920s. The patterns in total are 18 inches, or a foot and a half, wide, and are repeated, meaning that there are 11 full repeats, and a partial repeat. Other than a flattening corner dog ear, and perhaps a few short and inconspicuous tears and the like, the paper is in fine condition, the whole 10 foot stretch intact, and the outer envelope or sleeve is all present. The edges, top and bottom, have some roughness, and besides this, there are a few closed tears and light to moderate soiling, but it seems to us, one will probably never encounter this in better condition, if at all. Light Card "Envelope" or Sleeve
Shakespeare, William. Augustin Daly, author off prefatory "An Additional Word", and publisher, organizer, of edition. Introduction by William Winter.
A landmark production of "Taming of the Shrew", with a stellar cast of the day, with actors whose names still resonate among knowing theater buffs -- Ada Rehan, Otis Skinner, John Drew (a Barrymore ancestor), not to mention Augustin Daly. This is as far as we know, a special copy because of the number of photo plates, all signed by the actors. 8vo. 24.5 by 15.5 cm. 75 pp. Plus photo plates of actors, not part of pagination, all signed, 24 in all, and one photo plate of stage set. The principal actors, such as Ada Rehan, are subject of several of the photos each. The photos are obviously posed, but most of them seek to capture the actor in movement as if the photo were taken during the actual performance. Daly (1838-1899) was a giant in American theater. He was someone who wore many hats in the theater world. Above all else, he was arguably the first proper American stage director. But in addition to this, he had his own company, was a playwright, actor, and drama critic. Brown morocco rubbed along joints, and considerable edgewear. A few raw spots or abrasions on morocco corners. Frontis photo has some looseness, and hinge exposed between it and title. Leaves age toned, and scattered light soiling. Half Morocco. Marbled Paper Pastedown on boards.
Thorough and diverse toy catalogue -- mostly, but not entirely, toys, but also children's books, stationery, and an assortment of other products -- and one that captures perfectly the child's world of the day, and featuring many a toy that one can now find at flea markets and antique stores where often they are misdescribed or under-described. In other words, this has value as a reference for anyone interested in this corner of material culture. Folio, 30 by 25 cm. 1a-12a, 1- 56 pp. Plus several supplemental booklets, catalogues, order sheet. One four page or folded sheet insert for Mentmore pens is in full color. Other inserts are for the publisher Dean and for Raphael Tuck, both major publishers of children's books. Some of the products in the catalogue are not for children. These include shaving and smoking accessories, some cutlery, lamps and other decor. But most of the catalogue is of toys specifically for children, or things that could be used by either children or adults. British-made toys and products are most definitely emphasized, and the British origin is highlighted, but among the dizzying array of items on offer, there are toys incorporating Disney characters -- Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. -- whose popularity could not be willed away. From what we can gather, Kleiner was in business into the 1990s, meaning that it had lasted a hair over a century from its inception. Cover has some soiling, and small corner chips. Pulp paper leaves, which are the vast majority, are predictably heavily age toned. But otherwise, this is about as nice a copy as one can hope to find of such a catalogue.
