A Feminist Novel Addressing Civil Rights and Gender Equality
Letterpress Printed with Photographic Illustrations

[Arion Press]
Connell, Evan S.; Mark Oppenheimer, introduction; Laurie Simmons, photographs.
Mrs. Bridge.
San Francisco: Arion Press, 2009.

Number 5 of 300 numbered copies for sale and 26 lettered copies for complimentary distribution. Evan Connell has signed, in pencil on the last page of text. Laurie Simmons has signed below her photograph on the last page. This was the eighty-fifth publication of the press, issued on the fiftieth anniversary of the novel's publication in 1959. The prospectus calls this book "a quiet masterpiece of mid-twentieth century fiction....Evan Connell (1924-2013) has long been considered the overlooked master of the American novel, with Mrs. Bridge and its companion, Mr. Bridge among the notable achievements of his early career." It goes on to say that "Connell's reputation has been a puzzle to his legions of admirers. A writer of talent and dedication who has published twenty books yet is nevertheless absent from the literary pantheon of his generation. According to Mark Oppenheimer, author of the introduction, this novel 'is probably the great feminist novel written by a man.' Of the 68 photographs in this book by well known photographer, Laurie Simmons, 34 are in black and white and 34 are in color. The illustrations are unexpectedly and creatively of domestic scenes with miniature furniture and small dolls representing Mrs. Bridge."

Bound in full yellow Iris cloth with color photographs by Simmons on the front and back covers and black title on the spine. Printed on Mohawk Superfine paper in Binny type. Designed and produced by Andrew Hoyem. Accompanied by the prospectus. In fine condition. Measures 8 x 10.5 inches. 274 numbered pages and 68 unnumbered pages for the photographs. Fine. (#37636)

Price: $400

A Feminist Classic Addressing Gender and Transgender Issues
Letterpress Printed with Photographic Illustrations

[Arion Press]
Woolf, Virginia; Diana Michener, photographer.
Orlando: A Biography.
San Francisco: Arion Press, 2005.

Number 284 of 400 numbered copies signed by the photographer. There were 26 lettered copies for complimentary distribution. This was the seventy-second publication of the Arion Press. It was first published by Virginia Woolf in 1928. "Inspired by the tumultuous family history of the aristocratic poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West, Woolf's lover and close friend, it is arguably one of her most popular novels; Orlando is a history of English literature in satiric form. The book describes the adventures of a poet who changes sex from man to woman and lives for centuries, meeting the key figures of English literary history. Considered a feminist classic, the book has been written about extensively by scholars of women's writing and gender and transgender studies" [Wikipedia].

It has been described as a funny, exuberant romp, and this fine press edition reflects the relative lightness of this Woolf title. Designed and produced by Press owner, Andrew Hoyem. Printed on Mohawk Superfine paper in Century Bold and Century Expanded types. The photographic illustrations were printed by offset lithography. The artist, Diana Michener uses stylized bird images throughout the book. She says in her artist's note that while she was photographing for Orlando she found a dead bird on the floor of her studio. This image became for her symbolic of Orlando's loss of innocence. There are twelve fold-outs that when opened reveal the striking photographs. Bound in pictorial color paper bird images, with gilt cloth panels adjacent to the images, with the title in white to front cover and spine. Housed in a paper covered slipcase with the same bird images, with gilt spine and top and bottom edges, with title in white to spine. In fine condition. Measures 10.25 x 13 inches. 160 pages plus index, artist's note, and colophon. (#37495)

Price: $500

A Novel Addressing Roles of Women in Marriage and Society / Marital Abuse
First Edition

Corelli, Marie.
The Murder of Delicia.
London: Skeffington and Son, 1896.

First Edition. British novelist, Marie Corelli (1855 - 1924), was a very popular author during her time, although she was often criticized, as many women authors then were, of being melodramatic. This book addresses the plight of a wealthy woman married to an abusive, arrogant aristocrat who takes great advantage of her kindness and finances. Appropriately, Corelli's introduction implores her readers to place greater value on women and their roles in marriage and society.

Very good in original maroon cloth boards with gilt title to spine and front board. Slight roll to spine and minor wear to edges and spine ends. The end pages are browned with a small spot of soiling on the first two. Also, there are a few spots of foxing to the title page, there is an inscription from the previous owner on the half title page dated 1896, and there are occasional smudge marks throughout. A nice copy despite noted wear. 292 pages. Very Good. (#21368)

Price: $100

An Artists' Book on Reproductive Rights

Cummins, Maureen.
Foetus Envy.
Kingston, NY: Marueen Cummins, 2023.

Number 22 of 30 copies. Foetus Envy is a grim and satirical look at the present state of reproductive rights in this country. Conceived of and produced by Cummins, with typographical assistance from Kathleen McMillan, the book imagines an alarming new mental illness, “Foetus Envy,” which turns otherwise cheerful, angelic, and biologically fit wives into “Resistant Mothers,” women who do not wish to procreate and stubbornly refuse to accept the naturally superior powers, privileges, and legal protections of their unborn offspring.

Cummins references language from Aeschylus to fugitive slave laws to faux scientific texts to locate our present moment within a long history of reproductive control and coercion. The book is written in the style of eugenics texts published in the early-to-mid twentieth century by the now-infamous Eugenics Publishing Company. Cummins’s primary inspiration, from which she based her images, is the 1919 text, Sane Sex Life and Sane Sex Living, which reads more like a sex manual for men rather than the guide for married couples that it purports to be. In the quotes below from Sane Sex Life, so eerily like phrases heard on the Fox News channel, it’s not difficult to see the relationship between the eugenics movement of a century ago and the contemporary Christian right:

No two normal men can make a home! No two normal women can make a home! It takes a man and a woman to make a home! It takes father, mother and children to make the most perfect home. Make up your minds to have a most perfect home and do your utmost to reach that goal!

….all sane and intelligent men and women agree that anything even approaching infanticide is nothing short of a crime, and that abortion, except for the purpose of saving the life of the mother, is practically murder. 

In her re-created eugenics text, Cummins mimics the badgering, preachy style of Sane Sex Living, while making liberal use of “alternative facts” and sanctimonious, moralizing language. Similarly, the artist plays with her imagery: the Caduceus logo on the title page is made up of entwining sperm, not snakes; the pattern on the slipcase, which appears to depict sun rays, is, on closer inspection, a swarm of sperm rushing to impregnate an ovum. While these surface elements of Foetus Envy are playful enough, the mood of the book grows increasingly grave, culminating in one final, terrifying image, of a woman entrapped within a womb, the ultimate example of a Ro(l)e Reversal.

Foetus Envy was set in Bodoni Roman and printed letterpress onto Surface Gampi paper. Over one hundred silkscreen runs were required to print the accompanying images. Bound in faux leather with a gold-stamped title. The book is housed in a handsome cloth-covered slipcase. Size: 9.5 x 7 x 1 inches. 35 pages.

A note from Maureen about the book and proper handling: “Two things to note about the book: the paper that I used, Surface Gampi, handmade and imported from Japan, contains tiny bits of fiber;  these are natural and not imperfections in any way. Also, for ease of reading, and so that the accordion book lays flat, you may need to shift the text block on the right to meet the pages on the left. The final page is meant to remain under the flap until viewed.” Fine. (#37230)

Price: $2,400

An Artists' Book on the Subjugation of Women Through Domestic Roles
Language from Ibsen's "A Doll's House" Juxtaposed with Domestic Objects
Letterpress Printed

[Heirloom Press]
Ibsen, Henrik (text) Mauro, Melanie (printer and book artist).
Wagging His Finger at Her.
Penland School of Crafts, 2017.

Number 12 of 16 copies. Signed by the artist. An exploration of women's domestic roles in the late 19th century through the language of Henrik Ibsen's play, "A Doll's House" juxtaposed with pastel renderings of domestic objects. The text oscillates between a husband's dialogue to his wife and her inner dialogue, including: "Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again? ... They all think that I am incapable of anything really serious - that I have gone through nothing in this world of cares.... My little songbird must never do that again. A songbird must have a clean beak to chirp with - no false notes! ...."

Grey cloth boards with silhouette of a vessel to front board. Text and images are letterpress printed on cotton and Japanese papers. Size: 7 x 5 inches. Fine. (#34510)

Price: $275

A Feminist Reading of Literary Classics: The Scarlet Letter, Madame Bovary, and Crime and Punishment - giving a stronger voice to the female characters

Includes excerpts and marginal notes from Songwriters Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, and Annie Lennox; philosophers; authors; poets

References contemporary issues - Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter

[Intima Press]
Belloff, Mindy, book artist.
Hester. Emma. Sonia. Joni, Annie. Tracy: A Post-Modern Feminist Discourse.
New York: Intima Press, 2021.

Number 11 of 26 copies from the standard edition signed and numbered by the book artist. There were 6 deluxe copies. Artist and Master Printer, Mindy Belloff, specializes in fine book editions and custom letterpress. She has been creating art for over 35 years and printing letterpress since 1996. Her books are in numerous permanent collections. Her press is committed to traditions of high art and the by-hand craft of letterpress printing, fine artist's books, unique bindings, poetic broadside editions, and elegant designs and typography. Mindy Belloff's custom designs are a union of art historical traditions with modern technology and sensibilities.

Edition limited to 32: This fine edition is limited to 26 standard and 6 deluxe bindings. The volume is 300-pages, consisting of 75 folios folded into 19 signatures, with back endsheet printed letterpress. The text is digitally typeset in Adobe Jenson Pro with additional fonts (Lydian Cursive MT, Fine Gothic Medium, Luminari, Berliner, Berliner Fraktur, Garamond Premier Pro, and Goudy Text MT). The typography and page composi- tions were designed in Adobe InDesign over many hundreds of hours for more than 30 months. Image reproductions of artworks were painstakingly color-corrected in Adobe PhotoShop. A selection of drawings and photographs were manipulated in Adobe Illustrator. The text of the novels was digitally printed with archival pigmented inks on over 3,600 sheets, with an Epson Professional SureColor P600 inkjet printer. Most of the commentaries and calligrams were printed letterpress on a Vandercook Universal III Automatic Adjustable Bed Press (Uni III A/B), with a limited color palette of deep red, aqua blue, and grey inks. There are over 180 letterpress print runs. The pages are Crane's Lettra archival cotton rag text weight papers. The palette is limited, and the commentaries and page designs thoughtfully composed with reverence to the history of the book. The concept, designs, typography, research, artworks, and printing are by Mindy Belloff.

This splendid production from Mindy's Intima Press is a feminist reading of three literary classics: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” Gustave Flaubert’s “Madam Bovary,” and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.” The artist writes: "The volume gives voice to the main female characters, Hester Prynne, Emma Bovary, and Sonia Marmeladov, and presents multiple voices in dialogue. The subtitle, Joni. Annie. Tracy, highlights contemporary singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, and Tracy Chapman along with other favored musical artists including Janis Joplin, Etta James, Leon Russell, Paul Simon, Mary J. Blige, Laurie Anderson, and others, whose poetic lyrics provide commentary in the margins. Text of philosophers, writers, and poets such as Simone de Beauvoir, Virginia Woolf, Karen Horney, Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Kristeva, Rainer Maria Rilke, William Blake, and Arthur Rimbaud, are incorporated into brilliant typographical designs, deconstructing the original narratives. A selection of text is in Latin, French, and Russian." Mindy writes on her website that the book has additional references to contemporary issues including Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter protests. She further states: "The three sections are abridged and combined into one volume, reframed to create a critical dialog in the 21st-century. The resulting layered narrative recontextualizes the stories, bringing additional voices to the fore."

This was an over three year project, with the concept, designs, typography, artworks, printing, and publishing all done by Mindy Belloff. The edition includes an Introduction, "No Text Stands Alone," written by Saul Ostrow, art critic and curator. There is an extensive appendix with over 50 bibliography listings to materials referenced in creating this work, over 50 lyric references used in the book, and an index of over 40 artworks reproduced in the book that were created by Mindy the artist at various times over her career. The book required 180 letterpress runs. It is digitally printed with archival pigmented inks on Crane's cotton rag text weight paper using various fonts. It is bound in in white letterpress printed covers, with an aqua blue Sokoto leather spine millimeter binding. Housed in a red cloth custom box with a unique middle opening showing the title, sewn and bound by Celine Lombardi. In fine condition. Measures 10.5 x 7.75 x 1.75 inches. 300 pages. (#36564)

Price: $7,500

Violence Against Women - Current Events & Statistics Juxtaposed with Shakespeare's Othello
A Miniature Dos-a-dos Book with Included Video Component
Letterpress Printed

[Intima Press]
Shakespeare, William; Mindy Beloff, book artist.
The Tragedy of Othello / The Tragedy of Desdemona.
New York: Intima Press, 2023.

One of 26 standard copies lettered A - Z. This is copy K, signed and lettered by the book artist. There are also 10 copies with deluxe bindings. This powerful and timely recent work from Mindy Belloff's Intima Press was four years in the making. It is a double-bound miniature pairing of Shakespeare's classic, The Tragedy of Othello, with The Tragedy of Desdemona, which has commentary and statistics compiled by Belloff. This approach magnifies the plight of abused women and also engages in dialogue with the text of Othello as cultural critique. The Desdemona tragedy highlights issues of patriarchy and gender bias throughout the centuries and gives voice to women who have been silenced. The book artist explores how Othello's intense jealousy and eventual murder of Desdemona parallels a modern Othello - the sports personality O.J. Simpson, who was accused of the double murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. Both are tragic stories of jealous rage, domestic violence, male dominance, and femicide. In Desdemona, closing arguments from the legal case and diary entries of the victim are revisited, along with excerpts from Ovid, Dostoevsky and Alice Walker, current news headlines, global statistics on femicide, the 1993 case of Lorena Bobbitt, and more.

The use of a dos à dos binding pairs Othello on one side with Desdemona on the other, sharing the same spine - that parallels Iago's description of marital conjoining as "the beast with two backs," with the two texts and various voices that are conjoined in dialogue, inseparable. This layered narrative continues with a cinematic video card that functions as a time capsule, with an opening montage of images from film and theater productions of Othello, news headlines of sensational stories from the mid-1990s, women's marches from the #MeToo movement, and Supreme Court ruling reversals among other stories. The video is 8:44 minutes.

Mindy Belloff is a noted book artist who designed, illustrated, printed and bound this highly inventive work, with a unique box with a magnetic side closure by Celine Lombardi. It is letterpress printed from photopolymer plates in two different shades of browns and reds, with the design of an "O" repeated on each page. The text of Othello is typeset in Adobe Luminari on Mohawk Superfine paper. Desdemona is typeset in Adobe Jenson Pro and printed on Johannot Arches papers. The binding is letterpress printed on paper covers commissioned from Saint-Armand Papeterie in Montreal with Suminagashi marbled edges. The engrossing film on the video card is 2 x 4 inches with volume and play/pause buttons with USB port. An accompanying letterpress printed accordion fold booklet lists the video credits. It is housed in one of two pull-out drawers in the custom box, with the second drawer holding a USB port. The beautiful custom box is covered in fine red cloth with a paper title label on top. A magnificent achievement in fine condition. Book measures 3 5/8 x 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches. The box measures 6.5 x 4 x 2.75 inches. Othello has 192 pages; Desdemona has 150 pages. Fine. (#37051)

Price: $2,250

An Artists' Book on Reproductive Rights

Kokin, Lisa.
Restricted Entry.
El Sobrante, CA: Lisa Kokin, 1992.

A unique artists' book. According to Kokin, 'Restricted Entry' is "a book made from a found passport about reproductive rights."

Created in 1992 during the landmark Supreme Court case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which threatened to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973), but ultimately modified the original ruling to allow states to forbid abortion after the point of fetal viability, except in instances that would risk the woman's health. The Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982, which was being challenged in this case, required a woman seeking an abortion to notify her spouse prior to the procedure, amongst other things. This portion of the law was deemed unconstitutional as it allowed men to have too much control over their wives and presented women with "undue burden." Thirty years later reproductive rights are still in question in the United States with Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion.

The book is an altered passport from the 1960s with images of women, couples, reproductive systems, a hanger, and official looking stamps such as "property of United States of America", "Report to Local Authorities", "Liable for Prosecution", etc. It is housed inside of a girl's altered wooden jewelry box featuring a ballerina toy on a spring. The top of the box has been purposefully chipped, cracked, and worn. An image of a ballerina has been carved into the lid of the box and partially gouged away. The book is suspended within the red cloth lined box, resting on metal wires with a barb in the middle. The wires resembling hand-made devices used by women to perform self-abortions before they were legalized in the 1970s. The music box portion is no longer in working order, as was intentional by the artist. Book Size: about 6 x 3.75 inches. Unpaginated. [20 pages.] Box Size: about 7.5 x 5.5 x 3.5 inches.

Lisa is a noted book artist who also creates art with sewing and alterations, as well as with button work and assemblage. She also is known for acting as a mentor and coach to people in the arts. Since 2010 she has worked one-on-one with dozens of artists both locally and through Zoom. Her program is an outgrowth of many years of experience mentoring graduate students in colleges and universities. Her artists’ books can be found in a number of public collections. Near Fine. (#37513)

Price: $3,500

An Artists' Book on a Woman's Bodily Autonomy / Invasive Gynecological Procedures
Images of Gynecology Instruments and Diagrams Juxtaposed with WWII War Manual

Kokin, Lisa.
Surgical Strike: A Laywoman's Guide to Gynecology and War.
El Sobrante, CA: Lisa Kokin, 1991.

A unique artists' book. According to Kokin, Surgical Strike is "a mixed media book about the intersection of gynecology and war in which the images and text from the two subjects are interchanged. It was made in response to the Gulf War and to a misdiagnosed gynecological issue that led to some surgeries which would have probably been avoidable had [the] test results not been read inaccurately."

Due to the artist's exposure to the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) in the womb, she has also had to undergo frequent invasive gynecological examinations for many years. DES daughters have an increased risk for genital and breast cancer. These experiences caused the artist psychological trauma and physical pain, which contributed to the her association of gynecology with elements of warfare. In researching and locating images and text for this book the artist referred to a gynecology textbook and a WWII war manual. She found that the imagery in both books including the implements looked strikingly similar. The pages within interchange disturbing combinations of text and imagery from diagrams in these manuals.

The book is ring bound with metal covers that have been pierced on the front to spell out the title and to depict a cervix on the rear cover. The interior is printed on translucent vellum leaves which have been stitched together along the margins. It is housed in a vintage wooden box that once held gynecological slides, presumably for teaching purposes. The hand-written labels for the slides, indicating genital abnormalities, remain in the interior of the box. Kokin has added images of a cervix to the cover and an illustration of a bandage being applied to the interior of the box. Book Size: 7.5 x 6.5 inches. Unpaginated. [44 pages.] Box Size: 8.5 x 7.5 x 1.5 inches.

Lisa is a noted book artist who also creates art with sewing and alterations, as well as with button work and assemblage. She also is known for acting as a mentor and coach to people in the arts. Since 2010 she has worked one-on-one with dozens of artists both locally and through Zoom. Her program is an outgrowth of many years of experience mentoring graduate students in colleges and universities. Her artists’ books can be found in a number of public collections. Fine. (#37516)

Price: $4,800

An Artists' Book on Sex Workers in the U.S. - with statistics on assault, rape, and murder

Krause, Dorothy Simpson.
Ladies of the Night.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Viewpoint Editions, 2017.

Number 10 of 10 copies. Signed and numbered by the book artist. Dorothy Krause is a painter, collage artist and printmaker who incorporates digital mixed media into her art. Her work is exhibited regularly in galleries and museums and featured in numerous current periodicals and books. Krause is Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts College of Art where she founded the Computer Arts Center and a member of Digital Atelier®, an artists collaborative, with Bonny Lhotka and Karin Schminke. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and symposia and a consultant for manufacturers and distributors of products which may be used by fine artists.

This is a powerful book about prostitution with striking altered photographs of twin performance artists, Abigail and Emily Taylor, depicting ladies of the night. Their color photographs appear on the front pages of this accordion structure book.They are printed in glossy inks against a black glossy background. The text on the back of Ladies has a long list of facts about prostitution, which can be divided into three categories: street, brothel, or escort prostitution. The text goes on to provide disturbing facts about the treatment of prostitutes working in the US, such as statistics about how often they are physically assaulted, raped, arrested, and murdered. According to this book "prostitution in the US is estimated to generate $14 billion a year, more than drugs and guns combined."

The book was printed at Roland DGA, with the text pages done on their VersaUV LEC-330 and the aluminum box in which the book is housed done on their LEF-300, a flatbed printer with white and gloss inks. The box's cover has one of the glossy images from the book on its top cover. Size: 57 inches when open and 9.5 x 11.5 when closed. The aluminum box measures 10 x 12 x .5 inches. In fine condition. [12 pages] (#37028)

Price: $750

A Cautionary Tale for Girls of All Ages - about abusive relationships
An Artists' Book with Imagery from Little Red Riding Hood

Krause, Dorothy Simpson.
Little Red: A Cautionary Tale for Girls of All Ages.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Dorothy Krause, 2007.

Number 15 of 26 copies. Numbered and signed by the book artist. This book was inspired by a Little Red Riding Hood doll that the artist had as a child. "When Little Red is turned upside down, the wolf, in grandmother's clothing, is revealed under her skirts. A long lost music box, embedded in her back, played 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.'" Includes text from the poem "Silver and Gold" by Ellen Steiber (1994). The featured wood engraving is by Gustav Dore (1869).

Fine in red cloth boards with black title and illustration printed on front cover. The book is accordion bound and printed in black and red. Unpaginated (6 pages). Fine. (#37245)

Price: $450

An Artists' Book on Iraqi Mother and Child Suicide Bombers

Krause, Dorothy Simpson (words, images, and construction); Jan Doucette, Mary Taylor, & Richard Krause (photographers).
Vengeance is Mine.
ViewPoint Editions, 2003.

Variant edition of 20 copies. Signed by the artist. Part of the series body and soul, which began with photographs of twin performance artists, Emily and Abigail Taylor. The text, "conceived in deception, precious cargo, stalked by hate, sacrificed to a vengeful god," refers to mothers whose children are sacrificed. In particular the artist is referencing Iraqi mother and child suicide bombers — a practice that seems to still continue.

Accordion bound in a lead cover with Art Noveau style metal lily decoration affixed to the front and satin ribbon closure. The lead cover symbolizes danger while also being aesthetically pleasing and the lily represents life. Printed on Epson black fine art paper with FF Beowolf Erick van Blokland, Just van Rossum typeface. Measures 4.5" x 4.5" closed and 4.5" x 45" open. Unpaginated [10 pages]. Fine. (#36592)

Price: $800

The Loss of Rights in America - Reproductive Rights, Clean Air, Voting, Etc.

[Luminice Press]
Williams, Thomas Parker and Mary Agnes Williams.
American River.
Philadelphia: Luminice Press, 2022.

Number 11 of 12 copies. In this powerful new book from the Luminice Press, Thomas and Mary Agnes Williams present a scathing indictment of the erosion of democracy in the United States. The preface states:

"In America, we are losing our freedoms, one by one.
Clean Air – the freedom to breathe air not polluted with toxins Safety – the freedom to live without fear of deadly guns
Women’s Autonomy – the freedom to control their own bodies
Voting – the freedom to participate in our democracy
We are losing America."

The book's text juxtaposes the intent of four congressional acts that guaranteed American protections - clean air, gun control, reproductive rights, and voting rights - with text from the recent Supreme Court opinions that overturned or restricted these protections. The accordion structure of the book offers the text on one side of the pages with the other side offering six panels with striking abstract color illustrations of disappearing water representing democracy's erosion. Bound in a blue and black paper covered boards with a black Washi linen spine. The text is letterpress printed from polymer plates. The six illustrations are original images hand printed on folded panels with 41 pochoir mylar stencils. The book measures 7.25 x 9.25 inches. The illustrated panels are 7 x 17.75 inches unfolded and open to 106.5 inches. In fine condition. (#37695)

Price: $1,500

Sexism, Sexual Harassment, Gender, and Misogyny in Shakespeare's Comedies
A dos-a-dos Artists' Book - letterpress printed
One side is a slice book allowing the reader to change genders and costumes of characters

Martin, Emily, book artist; William Shakespeare.
Funny Peculiar Funny Ha Ha.
Iowa City: Emily Martin, 2017.

Number 8 of 25 copies signed and numbered by Emily Martin. Martin earned an MFA degree in painting, from the University of Iowa in 1979 and made her first artist’s books at that time. Martin joined the faculty of the University of Iowa Center for the Book in 1998 where she teaches artists books, paper engineering, and traditional bookbinding classes. Martin makes limited edition artists books first as the Naughty Dog Press, now using her name only. She has produced over fifty artist’s books, often using movable and/or sculptural paper engineering techniques. Martin’s books are included in public and private collections throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Meermanno Museum, The Hague, Netherlands; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago; the Tate Britain, London, England, the Library of Congress and others.

This is an inventive and thoughtful yet playful book from Martin. From the book artist: "This book is the result of my extended study of Shakespeare’s comedies. I find the comedies individually to be enjoyable but there is a sameness to many of the plots that allows me to mix them up in my head. So much mistaken identity, gender confusion and various other contrivances while romping their way to a fifth act wedding or two. Even more problematic are the decidedly unfunny themes that are common in many of these same comedies such as hypocrisy, sexual harassment, intolerance, sexism, misogyny, and anti-Semitism. I struggled for a long time to integrate all these ideas. I finally realized that what I needed to do was to address each aspect separately, thus a dos a do book. Each side has its own focus and treatment. The characters are the same in both books. They are printed using the P22 Blox which are a set of modular shapes that can be interchanged to change the body’s posture and gestures. The P22 Blox allows the presentation of the characters as interchangeable as well. "

Funny Peculiar is a drum leaf book and presents selected lines from five plays delivered by characters on a stage set. Funny Ha Ha is a slice book allowing the viewer to mix and match the costumes and gender of the characters in a variety of postures. Funny Peculiar is letterpress printed on an SP15 Vandercook proof press using hand-set type and P22 Blox combined with rubbings, ink washes, and collagraphs to make the images. Printed on Domestic Etch paper with gray Pescia end sheets. Funny Ha Ha is printed letterpress on an SP15 Vandercook proof press using hand-set type combined with relief printing using P22 Blox, collagraphs, and polymer plates from Boxcar Press to make the images. Printed on white Pescia paper with gray Pescia end sheets. Bound in a modified dos a do binding to hold the sewn text block slice book on one side and the drum leaf text block on the other side. The hard covers are covered with Arrestox book cloth and three vivid colored cotton papers color-matched and custom made by Katie MacGregor. Funded in part by a grant from the College Book Art Association. Housed in a clamshell box covered in Japanese linen cloth. The box has light bumping to corners and tiny loss of fabric along top edge. In near fine condition. Measures 12 x 10 x 1 inches. Box is 13 x 11 inches. (#36904)

Price: $2,200

Stigma of Names or Epithets Used to Describe Women - Slut, Mistress, Trollop, Wife, etc.
Letterpress with Giclee Prints of Original Paintings

[MOB of Two]
Sara Press and Tiana Krähn.
An Arrangement.
Sebastopol and Penngrove, CA: MOB of Two, 2024.

Number 5 of 20 copies. According to the book artists: "Trollop, slut, floozy, strumpet. These epithets describe a woman who trades on her charms. Missus, girlfriend, beloved, betrothed. These might also describe a woman who trades on her charms. Many sexual relationships have a transactional element, regardless of whether true feeling is present. Financial support is just one of the needs that can be met in such an exchange. Where does one draw the line between what is criminal and what is celebrated? Why does a contract for permanency elevate the arrangement? This book presents a series of portraits on increasingly shabby walls. Reduction prints, sequence and carefully chosen titles point out language’s power to confer respectability. Once named, a relationship takes its position on the spectrum of morality. We reject the stigma placed on women outside of marriage who choose to use their own bodies as currency. We acknowledge the many different circumstances in which one might encounter or offer Love for Sale"

Bound in black velvet backed boards covered in maroon brocade cloth. An oval cutout reveals an illustration of a nude woman. Each page shows portrait of a woman juxtaposed with a label such as slut, floozy, mistress, wife, etc. The background of each portrait shows various states of decaying wallpaper to reflect the connotation of each epithet. An indirect reference to the classic short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in which a confined woman slowly goes mad. Printed with letterpress, monotype, and linoleum reduction prints. Includes inserted giclee prints of eleven original paintings. Size: 5.5 x 9.5 inches. Fine. (#37278)

Price: $1,800

Suffrage March in 1917 - an article in this issue of Vogue Magazine

Unknown.
VOGUE. Volume 50. Number 11. December 1, 1917.
New York: Vogue, 1917.

Side-stapled paper magazine with bright, clean pages including many full page advertisements. Most of the magazine is printed in black and white; however, there are a few full color advertisements. The wrappers are no longer present and there is minor chipping to the edges of the first and last few pages.

Printed during WWI in New York with articles on fashion, New York society, a suffrage march, and more. Special features include: Bazaars Sans Banalities, Let Us Build Ships, The Wisdom of a Trapper of Furs, The Story of Hero Land and the Forty Charities, and The Piquant Pets of Yesteryear. Additional articles include New York Clothes Itself in Dignity; Sombre Clothes and Cheerful Hats, Says Paris; The Charm of Elderly Women; Three Temperamental Tea-gowns; The Fastidious Woman Demans Dainty Lingerie; Vogue Pattern Service; Representative Women March in the Suffrage Parade, Mrs. Gilbert L. Lucas, Four Society Weddings Take Place in New York Society, Mr. Joseph D. Grant's Garden at Burlingame, and more. About 200 pages. Size: 9.75 x12.75 inches. Very Good - in wraps. (#37009)

Price: $175

Women in the Workplace - studies from 1989 on women's rights, safety issues specific to women, PMS in the workplace, relevant court cases, etc.

Unknown.
Working Women's Health Concerns: A Gender at Risk? A BNA Special Report.
Washington DC: The Bureau of National Affairs, 1989.

SCARCE. Published 1989, this book includes fascinating data on women in the workplace in including women's rights, safety issues in the workplace specific to women, stress factors affecting women, PMS in the workplace, relevant court cases, and clinical case studies. At the time of publication the top female-dominated occupations by percentage of total workforce (based on data from 1987) were: secretaries, Pre-K and K teachers, dental assistants, receptionists, dental hygenists, licensed practical nurses, child care workers, teachers aides, dressmakers, typists, book keepers, and telephone operators.

According to the introduction: "More women face increasing dangers from workplace health hazards than ever before. That's the basic conclusion of this BNA special report. According to exclusive BNA interview with leaders of national women's organizations, stress is the most serious hazard faced by working women, followed by Video Display Terminal (VDT) related aliments and chemical reproductive hazards. Several women's organizations cite the rigors of balancing work and family demands as the major stress culprit. A number of women's representatives predict that the Bush Administration will devote the same amount of attention to the issue of working women's health as the Reagan Administration - not very much ... No one can say as a sweeping generalization that working women are 'a gender at risk.' But, there is, as they say in the law, a 'clear and present danger.' As we head into the 1990s, the issue will be of paramount concern to both men and women."

White and yellow illustrated paper wrappers with black title to front wrapper and to spine. Minor creasing and rubbing to wrappers. 267 pages + about 150 pages of appendix. Very Good+. (#31067)

Price: $45