A Vellum Leaf from 1530

Vellum Leaf from French Book of Hours.
ca. 1530.

An exquisite small leaf taken from a French Book of Hours from the early 16th century. Books of Hours were personal prayer books and were not only works of art, but cultural documents of their time. They were made of the finest materials, by the best artisans, for the small portion of the population that could both appreciate and afford them. The book's Latin text is printed in black, with horizontal gold ink ornaments at the end of each sentence. The text has a gold ink border with an ornamental bow at its bottom. The border and ornaments are highlighted with a thin line in red ink. There are fourteen initials in gold and black. There are thirteen two-initials and one of three lines. This leaf is for pages 161-162 of the book. It measures 2.5 x 4.25 inches. In fine condition with the outline of the initials from one page visible on the other page. Fine. (#36456)

Price: $600

French Poetry with Erotic Illustrations

Baudelaire, Charles; C.A.B. Bantzinger (illustrations).
Douze Poèmes: Les Fleurs du Mal (Twelve Poems: The Flowers of Evil).
La Haye: D.A. Daamen, 1939.

Number 221 of 500 copies. With full page erotic illustrations by Bantizinger, in a style similar to Matisse. In cream paper wrappers with black title to front wrapper. Tape repair to front wrapper near front joint. Chipping and browning to wrappers and spine panel. A few spots of soiling to wrappers. Clean, bright interior with full page (mostly erotic) illustrations for each of the 12 poems. IN FRENCH. Size: Thin folio. About 13.75 x 9.75 inches. Very Good. (#36387)

Price: $30 

Latin Bible from the Late 1600s

Biblia Sacra Vulgatae Editionis, Sixti V Pontificis Maximi jussu recognita atque edita, versiculis distincta.
Bambergae: Sumptibus Wolfgangi Mauritii Endteri, bibliop. 1693.

Printed by Wolfgang Mauritius Endter (? - 1723), a German printer and publisher residing in Nuremberg. Bound in contemporary tan pigskin with black title to spine, five raised bands, and blind stamped decoration to boards. Evidence of sticker removed from foot of spine. Lacks clasps, with wood from board partially exposed where clasps have been removed. Minor rubbing and wear to spine and boards. Expertly restored with Japanese paper added to both joints and colored to match binding. Japanese paper is also inserted along both hinges over a small edge of the original endpapers. Boards are solidly attached. Bookplate of F. Patritii Fischer to front pastedown and bookplate of Bibliothecam Conventus to verso of title page. Previous owner markings to half title page: "From Elijah Humphreys to the Rev William Croswell, May 19, 1835" and to top of title page "Carolus Gulielmus Bradley." Full page engraved title page illustrated by Corneli Nicola Schurtz with dampstaining to margins. Headpieces and illustrated initials. The title page is printed in red and black. Text printed in two columns. Short closed tears to edges of several pages including the margin of non-engraved title page. Minor soiling, mostly to margins and occasional spots of foxing. IN LATIN. + 509 pages / 522 pages including index. Very Good. (#36370)

Price: $400 

Obnoxious Angels - A Poem & Paper Cut Illustration

Coron, Béatrice (book artist); Mike Stern.
Angelphobia.
New York: Béatrice Coron, 2023.

Number 3 of 3 copies. A comical poem about angels with a papercut illustration on black Tyvek by Coron. Stern's poem reads:

"Whenever I think of angels, I get really angry.
I want to rip their halos off, kick them, bite them,
punch their pretty little faces
and pull the feathers out of their little wings, one by one.
Angels don't have to go to work, pay the bills,
or fill out forms and wait, for their names to be called.
They never feel too hot or too cold,
Don't sweat, itch, fart, go bald or get old.
It pisses me off!
I would be an angel too, if I had no problems."

Appropriately, Coron's illustration depicts angels playing music on clouds in the sky while humans toil beneath them on earth. The artist comments: "I read Mick Stern’s poem and had this image of a cloudy sky and a dreary hard day, while the angels had a party up in the sky. It made me smile and I had to cut it! I made the cover with eggshells as I was wondering if angels have wings, should have they shells too?"

The booklet is housed in a folder with cloth spine and boards decorated with mounted bits of broken eggshells that have been sanded flat by artist, creating an interesting pattern of spots. Printed title label to front board of folder and first page of booklet. A playful piece, typical of Coron's whimsical style. Size (open): 7 x 12 inches. Case: 7 x 6.5 inches.

Coron describes her book work: "For the last 20 years, I have been exploring visual storytelling in artist books, paper cutting and public art. Collecting memories from individuals and communities, I stage narrative allegories in silhouette to create a dialogue with the viewer in playful fantasies. These visual chronicles record archetypal stories that transcend time and space. I have been fascinated by the relation of people to their space and the sense of belonging. Using papercutting where everything is cut from a single piece of Tyvek, the profusion of individual stories makes a coherent whole world." [From her website] Christina Favretto, Head of Special Collections at the University of Miami describes Coron's work in Coron's "artfragments" portfolio: "There is a palpable joy in the work of Béatrice Coron, the kind of joy we felt as children in unwrapping a particularly enticing holiday gift. But...for Béatrice the gift is a sheet of Tyvek...or paper, and the stories to be unearthed and unleashed within and through the medium." Fine. (#36435)

Price: $620 

Want Eternal Life and to Commune with the Dead?
This book may be for you (if you don't mind eating dead people ....)

Previously Sold Out - More Copies Are Now Available!

[Biting Dog Press]
Alhazred, Abdullah; Martin Llewellyn (translation and introduction); George Walker (design and layout).
Necronomicon: A Manual of Corpse Eating.
Toronto: Biting Dog Press, 2019.

1 of 35 copies, signed by the translator on the title page and the designer on the colophon. An examination of the "Necronomicon" - "a scientific diary of the putatively insane doctor known as Abdullah Alhazred. He was a scientist and an alchemist who believed cannibalistic funerary rites could both appease the spirits of the dead and access the divine" (page 13). It includes a fascinating discussion of previous translations, historical contextualization, medical and philosophical explanations behind Alhazred's practices, biographical facts about the doctor, and new translations of the five extracts. According to Alhazred, if performed using the correct rituals, ingestion of the dead could transfer their energy or life force, thus extending the life of the consumer. If true, perhaps he is still alive, wandering in the desert (or so this book suggests)! According to the colophon, this book is digitally printed on laid paper in Adobe Jenson Pro with Neue Kabel for captions and Junius Rough for chapter titles.

The first half of this edition was printed pre-Covid and the second half was just printed in 2023. Due to paper shortages, this second half has been printed on machine made paper. It includes an original woodcut made by George A. Walker, signed and numbered out of 42, inserted into a pocket on the front free endpaper. The book is bound in grey cloth boards with a black dust jacket titled in white on the spine and front panel. A pattern of grey skulls decorates the jacket. Includes color photographic illustrations that depict fragments from the original Necronomicon, a page from the Book of the Dead, and other historical sources. 37 pages. Fine. (#36448)

Price: $250 

A Celebration of Loved Ones Lost - through haunting altered photographs
Created by a Mexican Book Artist - with text in Spanish

Gonzalez, Antonio Guerra, book artist and author.
Los que no se han ido... (Those who have not left...).
Guerrero, Mexico: 2013.

Number 1 of 10 copies signed and dated by the artistic director, Joel Rendón. There were ten copies numbered one through ten, with six additional copies going to the participants. This haunting book produced in Mexico was a collaborative effort, with photography by Adónimo, text and design by Antonio Guerra, binding by Ana Laura Rubio, and silkscreen printing by Jorge Matias.

The book artist Antonio Guerra Gonzalez trained as an architect and also studied sculpture and graphics. In 2009 he began working in the book arts. His books are completely handmade in his workshop, either as unique pieces or in very limited series. They are impeccably produced and each one is signed and numbered.

This poignant poem in Spanish writes of the dead, saying they are not dead, and not just memories - and they cling to life as if there were no other. They walk among us, talk to us, and kiss us. The poem is accompanied by several pages of original old silver gelatin photographs of people posing for their portraits, but whose images have been altered with the addition of the heads and bones of skeletons. This was done by etching the bones on the negatives. The photographs are mounted on black paper using photo-corners. Each copy was made by hand with a full black leather binding with the title printed in silver on the cover. The interior black pages are heavy Canson Mi-Teintes paper. The fore-edges are coated with silver. The text uses the Handwriting-Dakota type face. A poignant production in fine condition. Measures 7.25 x 9.5 inches. Unpaginated [15 pages using the versos only].  (#36421)

Price: $2,500

Miniature Book Edition of Russian Folklore - Baba Yaga

[Bo Press Miniature Books]
Pat Sweet.
Baba Yaga.
Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2012.

Pat Sweet describes herself as creating illuminated miniature books of curiosity, humor, and delight. She creates both miniature (under 3 inches) and macro-miniature (under 1 inch) books. This book is from a small open edition.

According to the book artist: "Baba Yaga is a character from Russian/Slavic folklore. One of the most ambiguous of fairy tale characters, Baba Yaga is a uniquely Slavic folk figure. Her first appearance in literature came in 1755, in a Russian grammar book. She is most well-known from the story of Vasilisa the Beautiful, who is taken in by Baba Yaga after being abandoned in the forest by her evil stepmother. Baba Yaga is no fairy godmother. She takes Vasilisa in but works her harder then her stepmother did. In other tales, Baba Yaga appears as a benevolent mentor."

Bound in green-on-green striped paper with a spine of wood-textured brown paper. Brass trim to both boards with paper title label to front cover. Size: 2 1/2 x 1 3/8 inches. In fine condition. 50 pages.  (#36465)

Price: $75 

Miniature Earth & Moon

[Bo Press Miniature Books]
Pat Sweet.
Earth and Moon.
Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2022.

This mysterious device is made of painted wood, brass, and paper-covered wooden beads depicting the earth and moon. The elaborate base has two levels, one supported by round wooden balls and the other by oval antiqued brass fittings. The earth and moon are suspended on brass circles which lie on a bed of gears and dials, but the parts aren’t movable. That, and the fact that the rotational paths of both bodies aren’t in the least realistic, make this a tool for a magician rather than a scientist. Size: 2 5/8 x 2 x 1 1/2 inches. In fine condition.  (#36467)

Price: $195 

First Edition of Second Folio - Ben Jonson's Collected Works

Johnson, Ben [Jonson].
The Magnetick Lady or, Humors Reconcild. A Comedy; A Tale of a Tub; The Sad Shepherd: or a Tale of Robin-Hood.
London: [Richard Meighan], 1640.

First edition, from the second Johnson folio of his collected works, published posthumously. English playwright and poet Ben Johnson (1572 - 1634) is best known for his satirical plays and is thought of as the most important playwright after Shakespeare during the time of King James I. Includes three comedies bound together: The Magnetick Lady or Humors Reconcild, A Tale of a Tub, The Sad Shepherd: or A Tale of Robin-Hood. Each work has separate title pages; however, the pagination is continuous.

Bound in later three quarter tan leather over marbled paper covered boards with dark brown leather and gilt title label to spine. The label reads: "Ben Johnson Plays 1640 - 1." This book has been professionally restored with a modern leather spine and modern endpapers. The boards and title label are original to the 19th century binding. Heavy rubbing to boards and wear to edges and corners. Even toning to pages, dampstaining to top gutter, top margin, and some text of most pages (very light on early pages and darker on later pages), and occasional spots of foxing. Penned ownership signature to first title page, dated 1883. Multiple misprints including year on first title page and several page numbers, as is common with books from this period. 155 pages. Very Good. (#36346)

Price: $1,000 

New Edition of Alice - with extra illustrations - by George Walker

[Cheshire Cat Press]
Carroll, Lewis; Joseph Brabant (preface); Alberto Manguel (introduction); Andy Malcolm (foreword); illustrations by George A. Walker.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Toronto: Cheshire Cat Press, (2023).

Signed in pencil on title page by George Walker with a Cheshire Cat hand drawn illustration. "The Cheshire Cat Press has finally made this unique artwork, with Carroll's original text, available once again - this time with extra illustrations not present in the previous editions. Walker's engravings are playful, surreal and downright provocative as ever, offering a new and darkly energetic interpretation of this time-honored, masterpiece" (jacket). This new edition is a redesigned version of the Porcupine Press edition printed in the late 1980s.

Bound in red cloth boards with gilt title to spine. Red ribbon bookmark bound in. Pristine. In yellow dust jacket with red title to spine and front panels. Includes about 100 woodcuts by George Walker. 140 pages. Fine / Fine. (#36400)

Price: $175 

A Parody of Carroll's Hunting of the Snark -
about an expedition to cure infectious diseases

Written by Medical Doctors During the Quarantine

[Cheshire Cat Press]
Tannenbaum, Alison; Catherine Richards, introduction; illustrations and endnote by George A. Walker.
The Hunting of the Snark: A Decimation, in Nine Zoonoses.
Toronto: Cheshire Cat Press, 2023.

Number 19 of 42 copies. Signed by Tannenbaum, Richards, Malcolm, and Walker. Quarto. A parody of Lewis Carroll's "Hunting of the Snark", written during the COVID-19 quarantine, that involves an expedition to cure infectious diseases by procuring a tissue sample from the elusive Snark, which is said to have immunity to all germs. Unfortunately, all but one of the crew members takes ill and dies from one of the diseases they set out to cure. Includes the Snark Map and a table of diseased crew members.

The author of the introduction, which discusses infectious diseases during Carroll's lifetime is Catherine Anne Richards (1963). She is a retired English pediatric surgeon with a passion for Carrollinia. The author of this parody, Alison Crane Tannenbaum (1946), is a neurobiologist that spent most of her career in biomedical research at the National Institute of Health.

Bound in red cloth boards with leatherette title label to front cover and gilt title to spine. Printed in New Caledonia type on Velin BFK Rives paper by George Walker and Andy Malcolm. With wood engravings by Walker, made from end grain end grain maple wood. The engravings of each crew member are underprinted with engravings based on photographs of viruses, which were provided by the author. Housed in slipcase covered in same cloth as book with gilt titling to cover and spine. In fine condition. 54 pages. (#36438)

Price: $550 

Doves Press Leaf from Paradise Lost

[Doves Press]
Milton, John.
Paradise Lost [Original Leaf].
London: Doves Press, 1902 - 1905.

A lovely example of the fine printing of the famed Doves Press. This leaf, printed on paper, has pages 105-106 from the third book of Milton's Paradise Lost. These are in fact the last two pages of that book. Page 105 begins with the text "The works of God, thereby to glorifie/The great Work-Maister, leads to no excess/That reaches blame..." Printed in black ink with Book 3 in red in the margins. Slight tear to bottom edge of margin, otherwise fine. (#36474)

Price: $100 

Kelmscott Press Leaves from Hand and Soul

[Kelmscott Press]
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel.
Two Kelmscott Press leaves from Hand and Soul.
[Hammersmith]: [Kelmscott Press], [1895].

This is a bifold signature of pages 1-2 and 15-16 for Kelmscott Press edition of this charming work. Rossetti wrote Hand and Soul in 1849 for the short lived journal, the Germ. It was not republished until it appeared in the Fortnightly Review in 1870. This work was selected by the Kelmscott Press as something small that could be printed and then sold at a modest cost in the U.S.(see Peterson bibliography, pages 91-93). There were 225 paper copies in England and 300 paper copies done for publisher Way and Williams in America. The first text leaf has a beautifully illustrated border and a six line initial letter "B". Printed in red and black in Golden type on Flower paper. Other than a minor tear to the outer margin of the first text leaf the leaves are in very good condition. Size: 16 mo. Very Good. (#36472)

Price: $150 

Deluxe Edition - in full leather binding
Artists' Book Call to Action - to Protect the Environment

[Viewpoint Editions]
Krause, Dorothy, book artist.
Losing Ground.
Marshfield Hills, MA: Viewpoint Editions, 2008.

Number 1 of 6 copies in the deluxe edition signed and numbered by the book artist. There were also 100 regular copies. This is a powerful artist's book that Dorothy Krause created to explore the intersections of traditional and digital media. In her artist's statement she writes: "In its content, Losing Ground is an eloquent plea for awareness of our role as stewards of the environment. Using images from my prior work spanning more than a decade and text from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it combines traditional processes and print-on-demand technology to share its important message."

Perhaps even more notable is a page with text from the Bible book of Malachi: "Behold the day commeth that shall burn as an oven." The collaged images are for the most part in the hot shades of orange and seem to visualize the earth as if it were in the midst of some ghastly chemical fire. An image on one page of a clock superimposed on the head of a piece of classical statuary, dotted line through the blank eyes, with a backdrop of an aerial map of arid agricultural fields makes the message clear without a word.

This deluxe edition was bound by Harcourt Bindery in aubergine Nigerian goatskin with an embossed 8 x 8 inch copper title plate inset into a debossed area on the cover. The inset was manipulated by the artist with acid washing. The title is blind-stamped in the center of the copper plate. The text pages were printed on an HP Indigo 5500 press and were then manipulated by Krause with graphite, metallic pigments, and gold and silver leaf. The paper used was Mohawk Options 65 cover made from 100% post consumer content with renewable wind power. The font used for the text was appropriately named "Dirty Ego." Housed in a custom rust colored clamshell box. In fine condition. The book measures 12 x 12.25 inches. Unpaginated [40 pages] (#36419)

Price: $2,500 

Sendak Illustrations
First Edition of English Translation of This Popular Czech Novel

Tesnohlidek, Rudolf; Maurice Sendak (illustrations); Tatiana Firkusny, Maritza Morgan, and Robert T. Jones (translators); Robert T. Jones (afterword).
The Cunning Little Vixen.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985.

First Edition. A Czech novel first published as a newspaper serial. "Tesnohlidek's many-layered story of tangled human and animal relationships juxtaposes a world of not-so-innocent animals, living out brief lives in brutal harmony, with another world of longer-lived humans, who are no less brutal, scarcely more intelligent, and a good deal less happy. Deftly posed between poetry and farce ..." (jacket). Despite its popularity, this is the first English translation. Bound in dark green cloth boards with gilt title to spine. Clean except for soiling to bottom of fore-edge of textblock. In tan illustrated jacket with dark brown title to spine and front panels. Jacket is price-clipped and faded along spine panel. Light wear to edges of jacket. 186 pages. Very Good / Very Good. (#36402)

Price: $40