War in the Ukraine - A Protest Book
Akhmadeeva, Ioulia.
Stop War / Net Voyne! (Postcard Edition).
City of Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico: ALTERnativa Ediciones, 2021.

Number 3 of 4 copies. A powerful and personal piece about the war in the Ukraine. This artist's book juxtaposes a personal interpretation of the artist Ioulia Akhmadeeva's family history including her grandfather's involvement in WWII with the current war in the Ukraine. Central to the book is a red velvet dress which was constructed from a bundle of velvet taken from Czechoslovakia as a war trophy by the artist's grandfather, a major in the Russian army during WWII. The velvet was passed down in her family and was eventually made into a dress by the artist's mother - and was worn by all three of the artist's daughters. While not directly involved, the artist continues to feel guilt for her grandfather's actions in WWII, which are represented in this book by the red velvet dress. The artist is of Russian and Ukrainian descent with much of her family still residing in Russia, so the war and political turmoil of the region are particularly poignant for her. In this work she compares the actions of her grandfather in WWII to the actions of Russian soldiers looting and bombing the Ukraine. She shows this through images of her family, the symbolic dress, and fragments of images from WWII alongside with current photographic images of the war in Ukraine. On different pages she has blacked out the face of her grandfather, written a story about a Czech girl that could have received a velvet dress (rather than her own daughters), and has drawn bombs flying near her grandfather's Russian star of honor. Now a resident of Mexico, where she has lived for over thirty years, most of the text is in Spanish.

The artist created this book as a work of resilience, penance, and protest. She states: "On February 24, 2022 at 6 in the morning my home country Russia started this massacre without announcing it, just like Adolf Hitler, who invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 at 4 in the morning. Women and children are killed, sister cities are under constant bombardment and utterly destroyed. Putin's propaganda of the last 20 years transforms and controls the minds of 70% of the people inside Russia, who support his war and geopolitical plans. The protests against the war of the other 30% who think, reason and are not afraid are punished, censorship does not allow publishing or sharing the truth... The responsibility is not individual. And the change will not come alone."

The book is a collection of 12 unbound postcard pages, a colophon, and a small velvet dress hand sewn by Diana Jaime at Alternativa editions based on a design by the book artist. All of the items are housed in a blue cloth covered clamshell box with yellow title to front board, bound in yellow ribbon, and magnetic closure. The dress can be affixed to the interior of the front panel of the box with a removable magnet. The postcards are inkjet printed on cotton paper, reproduced from color lithography prints by the artist and reproductions of photographic images of war taken from public domain social media sites. The verso of each postcard is printed with a title, imagery sources, and (like a typical postcard) lines to write an address with a box to affix a stamp. Text in Spanish with English translation available upon request. This project was  a result of the art residency of the  ìace Foundation for Contemporary Art during March 2022, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was supported by a grant from the Mexican National System of Creators (SNCA) 2019 - 2022.

This book is held in the Special Collections of Stanford University Library. Fine. (#36428)

Price: $700 

Islamic Talismanic Shirts

Aly, Islam.
Transpose [Tahawool].
Cairo: Islam Aly, 2021.

Number 7 of 40 copies, signed, numbered, and dated by the book artist. "Transpose" is a bilingual book in English and Arabic that investigates talismanic shirts. A talismanic shirt (or talisman shirt) is a textile talismanic object that is worn. Talismanic shirts are found throughout the Islamic world. The shirts may be inscribed with verses from Quran, names of Allah and of prophets and with numbers. They may carry images or symbols, e.g. astrological ones. The inscribed names are believed to be capable of offering protection and guidance to the wearer. Historically there were various uses for the talismanic shirts; they could be worn as a shield in battles, during illness, used as protective amulets, and produced for ceremonial purposes. They would have a distinctive vocabulary, a mixture of religious texts, sacred invocations, symbols, magic squares, and seal markings.

In this inventive work, there are seven symbolic replicas of talismanic shirts housed inside a cloth covered box. The "shirts" are actually small, intricate paper pamphlets that are sewn onto wooden dowels that hang from the top of the box, They are constructed from linen thread, book board, museum board, acrylic colors, and laser-cut handmade and Fabriano papers. The green cloth-covered box has a magnet closure and an orange cloth pull cut in the shape of a shirt. There are hand stenciled images and inkjet printed text on the interior of the box. It includes a quote from Virginia Woolf about wearing clothes: Box size: 9.5 x 8.7 x 2.7 closed, 9.5 x 18.25 x 2.7 opened. Pamphlet size: 7.5x 6.5.

Islam Aly is an Egyptian-born book artist and teacher based in Cairo, who studied book arts and art education at the University of Iowa. His books explore the possibilities of historical bindings in contemporary book art practices They have appeared in international exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and in private and public collections including the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Library of Chile, Yale University, and Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In an artist's statement he writes: "When I make a historical book structure, I go through a learning process. I learn the history as well as the different physical aspects of the binding such as how a book form is constructed in a specific sequence. I learn about the use of different materials such as paper, wood, leather and dyes. I learn to make choices in selecting and replacing traditional materials that I don’t have access to. I use these different experiences to enhance my work in making artists’ books and to use historical and cultural references from these structures in the actual content. In essence, I wish to explore new ways to use the rich structures of historical books in contemporary artists’ book practice and incorporate contemporary content into strictly historical structures." In fine condition.  (#35557)

Price: $1,200 

Habitat Loss / Bird Watching

Austin, Alice.
Nesting.
Philadelphia: Alice Austin, 2022.

Number 4 of 15 copies, of which 7 copies were deluxe and 8 copies were standard. Signed and numbered by the artist. This deluxe edition is bound in tan goat parchment by Pergamena with yellow caterpillar stitched details. The standard edition was bound in handmade paper wrappers. A delightful collection of linoleum prints of birds and nests, ending with a poem remarking on habitat loss and the joys of birdwatching: "Due to habitat loss, there are 25 percent fewer birds since 1970. still, birds are nesting calling to each other. and a glimpse, through binoculars, wondrous, fleeing." Prints and handset type are printed on Rives BFK heavyweight paper. Housed in an archival grey corrugated clamshell box with paper label to spine. Alice Austin is a printmaker, book artist and painter living and working in Philadelphia. She has been on the faculty at the University of the Arts, teaching book structures, and has also taught workshops at the Center for Book Arts in New York, Ballinglen Foundation in Ireland, The Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice, and other institutions. She earned a BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and has been an active member of the Guild of Book Workers since 1998. She worked as a rare book and paper conservator for over 20 years at the Library Company of Philadelphia. Alice has also been awarded several artist residencies in Europe, and her work is widely held in private, public and special collections worldwide. Book Size: 8.25 x 7.75 x .75 inches. Box size: 8.5 x 8 x 1 inches. Fine. (#36229)

Price: $1,200 

Edgar A. Poe with Haunting Illustrations by Federico Castellon
Special Deluxe Edition - with extra suite of prints AND suite of erotic prints

[Aquarius Press]
Poe, Edgar A., illustrated by Federico Castellon.
The Mask of the Red Death. A Fantasy.
Baltimore: Aquarius Press, 1969.

This is a special deluxe edition of this stunning first book from the Aquarius Press, a then new Baltimore private press. The edition comprises the book and a separate portfolio of the 16 signed and numbered lithographs for the book as well as 6 additional unrelated erotic lithographs. The sixteen illustrations are numbered 47/80 copies and signed and numbered by Castellon. On the back of each are the letters AP for artist's proof. The six additional illustrations are signed by Castellon and numbered E/E. The book is Letter A of the ten copies reserved for the collaborators. Signed by the artist Federico Castellon.

The work appeared two years before the death of Spanish American artist and lithographer Castellon in 1971. Castellon, born in 1914, was a well known painter, sculptor, and printmaker who is best known for his graphic works that incorporated the influences of surrealism. The 16 evocative color lithographs he did for this book are both surreal and haunting. This beautiful work was designed by Bert Clarke and the text set in Monotype Walbaum and printed by Clarke & Way in New York City. The binding is by the Russell Rutter Company. Done under the editorial direction of John Ross and Jacob Landau. Both book and portfolio are bound in decorative light brown fabric and a black leather spine with titling in gilt. Housed in a custom black cloth covered clamshell box. In fine condition. Volumes measure 11.25 x 15 inches.  (#35743)

Price: $4,000 

Ashendene Press's Ecclesiasticus

[Ashendene Press].
The Wisdom of Jesus, The Son of Sirach, Commonly Called Ecclesiasticus.
Chelsea: Ashendene Press, 1932.

One of 328 copies on paper. There were also 25 copies printed on vellum. This magnificent book was one of the last issued by the Ashendene Press. The Ashendene Press was founded by St John Hornby (1867–1946). It operated from 1895 to 1915 in Chelsea, London and was revived after the war in 1920. The press closed in 1935. Its peers included the Kelmscott Press and the Doves Press. Hornby became friends with William Morris and Emery Walker, who helped inspire his work. These three presses were part of a "revival of fine printing" that focused on treating bookmaking as fine art. Ashendene books were carefully printed with large margins, and despite their lack of extravagant decoration, they were considered spectacular works of art. [Wikipedia] In the bibliography of the Press, its founder, St John Hornby stated that "in my humble judgment it is one of the most satisfactory of the books of the Press." In his history of the Ashendene Press, Colin Franklin writes on page 187: "qualities which separately had triumphed in many Ashendene volume were assembled as before the final curtain of an opera. Short chapters and sections showed the poetic setting of Subiaco which best suited that type....Red headings and shoulder notes, frequent and varied intervals assist the reading of a miraculous text."

Bound in bright orange vellum with four silk ties and gilt titling to spine. Slightest tiny wear to corners with original white vellum showing, otherwise fine. Printed on Batchelor paper in red and black with beautiful hand drawn initials in green and blue done by Graily Hewitt and his assistants Ida D. Henstock and Helen E. Hinkley. The colophon credits them along with H. Gage-Cole, the pressman, and and the compositor A.J. Fisk. Top edge is trimmed with the other edges uncut. Missing the original slipcase and nicely housed in a custom brown cloth box with gilt title to spine. A wonderful copy in fine to near fine condition. Measures 7.5 x 11.5 inches. 182 pages. Fine. (#36285)

Price: $5,200

Framed Beerbohm Caricature

Beerbohm, Max.
Original caricature of opening night at the Duke of York's Theatre.
[1897].

Original caricature done in ink on paper. The caricature celebrates the opening night of The Happy Life, a play by Louis N. Parker and Murray Carson, staged at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, in 1897. It depicts Parker (standing atop the Duke of York’s column), Carson, and Max (top hat and wasp-waisted coat) himself drinking champagne. Both Parker and Carson were important dramatists at the turn of the century; Beerbohm would later collaborate with Carson on a one-act “curtain-raiser” in 1914, The fly on the wheel. Inscribed “Best wishes in a great success. December 6 ’97” and signed “Max.” Unrecorded; not in Hart-Davis’s catalogue of Beerbohm’s caricatures. In near fine condition and nicely framed. 20 x 25.4 cm.  (#28895)

Price: $6,500 

Miniature Map File - with mini-globes

[Bo Press Miniature Books]
Pat Sweet.
Map and Globe File.
Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2022.

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. She designs, prints, and binds all of her books and builds (by hand) all of her sculptural items. This painted basswood cabinet holds a collection of antique maps and terrestrial and celestial globes on antique brass stands. The It holds four larger globes (approx. 3/4" to 1" in diameter) and four smaller globes (approx. 1/2" - 1/4" in diameter) on its shelves. The cubbyholes beneath contain a collection of seventeen rolled maps, and the drawers beneath hold seven more maps. The globes are removable. Size: 5 5/8 x 3 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches. In fine condition.  (#36466)

Price: $575 

Remembering the Dead - with altered photographs & poem 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 in what appears to be an old photo album. Each copy was made by hand with a full 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 

Hand-sewn - An Exploration of Tension - using thread

Hiebert, Helen, book artist.
Intensio.
Red Cliff, CO: Helen Hiebert Studio, 2021.

Number 7 of 25 copies. Helen Hiebert is a noted paper artist who constructs installations, sculptures, artists’ books and works in paper using handmade paper as her primary medium. She teaches, lectures and exhibits her work internationally and online, and is the author of the several how-to books about papermaking and papercrafts. She writes about this inventive and fascinating work: "My father was a physicist who studied how the universe began, and my mother has degrees in psychotherapy and divinity. My thoughts linger between them as I find myself comparing the tangible puzzles I explore in my work to the invisible physical properties my father researched and the emotional tensions my mother explored. Tension is a pulling force in physics. The strings within these pages cannot be pushed to form a definitive shape: when a page is closed, the thread – without tension – goes slack, lying in chaos between the folds. As you turn the page, extending it to 180 degrees, the single thread pulls taut, and the invisible property of tension creates beauty and order. Each of the eight string drawings is composed with a single piece of linen thread – one continuous line, ranging from six to sixteen feet in length – with one exception: two threads were used to create two parabolas in drawing 7. I constructed each drawing on a flat sheet of paper, punched a pierced pattern, and then stitched in and out of the holes across the scored centerfold – the axis of the page. Two surprisingly different drawings were created in tandem as the needle and thread moved from the front to the back of each page, and there is a sequence to the stitching that is not readily visible."

Hiebert designed this book and created all of the handmade paper in this book with a 90% cotton rag/10% abaca fiber blend. She composed the string drawings and stitched them with the assistance of Will Katauskas. The end sheets are machine stitched. Tom Leech printed the text at the Press at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe from polymer plates made by Boxcar Press. The typeface is Dante. Claudia Cohen bound and made the green cloth covered box with a white spine label. In fine condition. Box size: 9-1/4 x 6 x 1-1/4 inches. Book size closed is 8 3/8 x 5 3/8 inches. Fine. (#35586)

Price: $2,800

Publisher's Copy of the New York Stage - with notes from the author & letters - Deluxe quarto edition

Ireland, Joseph N.
Records of the New York Stage, From 1750 to 1860 Two Volumes.
New York: T.H. Morrell, 1866-1867.

One of 60 copies of the quarto edition. According to penciled notes on the free front endpaper of Volume I, this was the publisher's own copy, with occasional annotations throughout by the author. There are also two letters tipped in from the author to the publisher at page 100 of Volume I. This is a monumental history of New York City theatre by Joseph Ireland (1817-1898). Joseph Norton Ireland, one of the major early historians of the American theater, entered his father's business after graduating from high school in his native New York. Leaving the company in 1855 and retiring to Bridgeport, Connecticut, Ireland devoted the rest of his life to studying and writing about the stage. His history is organized chronologically by theatre season and then by theatre. It compiles a prodigious amount of information about every performance at the major New York theatres, its dates and its cast. He writes about how well the performances and the actors and actresses were received. In addition, Ireland offers detailed personal and professional information about the performers and other important theatrical figures of the time. His comments are entertaining as well as enlightening. He also provides interesting details about the exterior and interior appearance of the important theatres of the time. Ireland's occasional annotations to the text in Morrell's copies appear to be to update information about various performers for later editions of the book. Many are about the deaths of actors that occurred after the book was published. Others offer a more detailed biography, news of a marital separation, or a date correction.

Bound by Oldach & Co. in brown leather with spine with raised bands and gilt titling. Leather in corners and along spine is somewhat rubbed and scuffed, particularly on Volume II. Because of the volumes' size, the hinges are weak or partly cracked and have been reinforced with tape along the newer pastedowns and first free endpapers. Interior pages are clean and bright with slightest aging to margins. Overall in very good condition. Volume I: 663 pages; Volume II: 746 pages including index and list of subscribers. Measures 9.5 x 12 x 3 inches.  (#35425)

Price: $1,200 

Presentation Copy from Henry James to Lucy Clifford - First Edition

James, Henry.
Essays in London and Elsewhere.
London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1893.

First edition. An excellent association copy of one of James's major books of essays. It is his presentation copy to Lucy Clifford, “Mrs. Clifford from her friend & servant Henry James.” Henry James (1843-1916) was one of the most important writers in American letters as well as one of its most productive and influential. Lucy Clifford (1846-1921) was a British novelist and dramatist with a wide circle of literary friends, most notably Henry James. From their letters it is clear that she held a special place in his affections and was one of his closest friends and confidantes. (See “Bravest of women, finest of friends”: Henry James’s Letters to Lucy Clifford, ed. Marysa Demoor and Monty Chisholm, 1999). The essays include pieces on James Russell Lowell, Fanny Kemble, Gustave Flaubert, Henrk Ibsen, and Mrs. Humphrey Ward.

Bound in original beige cloth with gilt author and title to spine and front cover, and an Art Nouveau style decoration on front.Light rubbing, bumping, and three ink stains on front cover. Interior pages show slight aging to margins but are otherwise clean. A nice copy in very good condition. Housed in a cream cloth covered clamshell box with black and gilt title label to spine. 320 pages. Very Good. (#28900)

Price: $5,500

Kelmscott Press - in lovely full leather binding

[Kelmscott Press]
Caxton, William; H. Halliday Sparling, editor.
The History of Reynard the Foxe.
Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1892.

One of 300 copies of which 275 were to be sold by bookseller Bernard Quarritch. "This translation of Caxton's is one of the very best of his works as to style; and being translated from a kindred tongue is delightful as mere language. In its rude joviality, and simple and direct delineation of character, it is a thoroughly good representative of the famous ancient Beast Epic" -- William Morris, in a note for a catalogue issued by Bernard Quaritch (Peterson bibliography A10). The Caxton text was taken from his 1481 translation from the Dutch.

Beautifully bound in a later full dark brown morocco binding with raised bands, gilt rules, gilt frames, and lettering on front board. Interior is very clean with beautiful large, ornate woodcut title and exquisite woodcut ornamental borders and initials throughout. Printed in red and black on Flower paper,with the text in Troy type and the glossary in Chaucer type. This is the first Kelmscott title to have trimmed edges at Morris's request. Edges are very lightly darkened. Faint ownership signature on a free front endpaper. A superb Kelmscott Press edition in about fine condition. Small quarto. 163 pages. Fine. (#36151)

Price: $8,000 

Environmental Call to Action - Focus on Wildfires and Climate Change

Lowdermilk, Susan; Donna Thomas; Peter Thomas; Andie Thrams.
Hope?
Eugene, OR; Santa Cruz and Coloma, CA: 2022.

Number 5 of 32 copies. A collaborative project about climate change and activism prompted by the catastrophic wildfires of 2020 and onward that burnt through the forests of Oregon and California, where all of the involved book artists reside. This resulting piece of 12 artists' books, which the artists refer to as a "reliquary" box includes artifacts such as a vial of ashes gathered from the remnants of the burnt forest. It was created "to bear witness to the devastation of western forests and grapple with the question of hope during this pivotal movement in the Anthropocene epoch." The four artists involved gathered in 2019 during the Codex book fair to discuss creating this project, which was originally intended to focus on trees and forests. When they were able to meet again in 2021, after experiencing catastrophic wildfires near their homes, they hiked in Yosemite. On their hike they discussed broadening the scope of their project to "a more significant consideration of climate change," what can be done about it, what "hope" meant to each of the participants, and what information could be shared through the project. The group gathered research, specimens, and inspiration as they spent a week camping in the McKenzie River watershed area. They also met with Forest Service scientists, a forest management company, photographer, and an Emergency Manager responsible for responding to wildfires. Finally, they began designing their books and the reliquary box collaboratively, creating wood and linocut illustrations, making paper, setting type, and printing (artist statement).

The resulting books incorporate burnt wood gathered from the forest, ashes, hand made paper, painted wood, and more. A variety of structures are included such as: a scroll book, a flexagon, a coptic bound booklet, a folder with removable sheets, and an accordion with pop-ups. Techniques include: letterpress printing, gouache, watercolor, linocut, woodcut, photograms, relief prints, pressure prints, digital printing, and paper marbling. All of the books and artifacts are held in a wooden box along with a 40 page trade paperback book with artists statements by each of the four participants as well descriptions and pictures of all included books. The reliquary box was constructed by Taylor Millar with repurposed Douglas fir and locally sourced coast redwood from near Lagunitas, CA. It features a hand-stamped brass title label and an interior paper label with printed colophon. Fine. (#36473)

Price: $3,525 

Bibliography of the Ninja Press - with specimens

Maret, Russell, printer, book artist and afterword; Nina Schneider, bibliographic descriptions; Carolee Campbell, commentary; Harry Reese, foreword; Annie Schlechter, photography.
Dispatches From The Lizard Brain: A Descriptive Bibliography of Ninja Press.
New York: Russell Maret, 2022.

Number 37 of 102 copies, signed by the authors and craftspeople involved in making the book. This is one of the 77 numbered copies that includes tip-ins of original material. This magnificent production documents the life and work of Carolee Campbell, founder of Ninja Press and one of the country's most noted book artists. The foreword and afterword beautifully describe Campbell's ethos as an artist and bookmaker that has informed her work since she began making books in 1984. Russell Maret writes of her: "It takes a special kind of person to know that what one is working on is not ready to be discussed. It takes someone...who unhurriedly allows her books to germinate in her lizard brain until they are ready to be dispatched into the world. With each new book Carolee teaches the rest of us how it should be done - not how to make books like hers , but like her, to make books the way the books want to be made."

The extensive annotated bibliography of the works produced by the press includes books, broadsides, commissions and collaborations, ephemera, and writing, reviews, criticism. The annotations include comments by Carolee on the making of each book or broadside. There is also a section describing the Ninja Press type collection and an index. There are beautiful vintage paper tip-ins throughout of papers used, and pages from some of the books and broadsides. Accompanied by a booklet reprinting two essays by Carolee. Dispatches from the Lizard Brain was designed and edited by Russell Maret, and printed by him and Sarah Moody. The primary text face, Carolee, was designed by Maret and printed from photopolymer plates on Twinrocker Handmade Paper. The titles are set by Felix Titling. The cover design was design was adapted from an ornament by Campbell. The blue green binding with a leather spine was designed and executed by Amy Borezo at Shelter Bookworks. The book is housed in a handsome brownish orange cloth covered portfolio with a white title label. In fine condition. Folio measuring 15 x 9 inches. 128 pages.  Fine. (#35604)

Price: $4,000

Presentation Copy from George Meredith - to good friend, F. Maxse
First Edition

Meredith, George.
Farina: A Legend of Cologne.
London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1857.

First Edition of author's second novel. RARE INSCRIBED COPY: "F. Maxse/ from his friend/ GM." George Meredith (1828-1909) was an important author and poet of the Victorian era. He was a friend to many major figures of his time including William and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Robert Louis Stevenson, and J.M. Barrie. This book is inscribed to Frederick Augustus Maxse, his dearest friend, who was a hero of the Crimean War. Meredith's book, Beauchamp's Career, was based on the political career of Maxse. In his bibliography of Victorian fiction, Michael Sadleir described Farina as scarce, saying "few Victorian fictions are more seldom seen than [this and three others]."

Bound in the original apple-green cloth. It has been professionally recased. The binding is rubbed and soiled but still very nice (According to Sadleir, the binding was both unusual and easily soiled.) Interior pages are clean and bright. Includes July 1857 publisher's catalog. With bookplate of the noted book collector, H. Bradley Martin. Housed in a green cloth clamshell box with paper title and author label to spine. An exceptional association copy in the extremely scarce original cloth. 244 pages plus 16 page publisher catalog. Very Good. (#26421)

Price: $3,900 

Poignant Handwritten Letter from William Morris - to close friend Aglaia Coronio

Morris, William.
Autograph Letter to Aglaia Coronio.
[London]: n.p., [1873].

This is a particularly personal letter from the great 19th century artist, writer, designer, and Socialist William Morris. Morris wrote this four-page letter to Aglaia Coronio in 1873 when he was thirty-nine years old [See Kelvin's Collected Letters of William Morris, Volume I, letter 183]. Aglaia Coronio (1834 - 1906), was a British embroiderer, bookbinder, art collector and patron of the arts. She was a close confidante of Morris, particularly during the 1870s, and also a personal friend of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Morris wrote to Aglaia frequently, both at home and on his travels. He also visited her periodically. Their close personal relationship allowed Morris to turn to her to ease his distress over his wife Jane’s affair with Gabriel Rossetti. This letter was written during the height of Jane and Rossetti’s affair, but Morris betrayed little of the delicacy or discomfort of the situation in it. Even though Aglaia was a close friend and confidante, Morris was circumspect about his situation. He does not attribute his low spirits to his wife’s affair or the presence of Rossetti at his home, Kelmscott. He writes in this letter that he is very dull and uncheerful, but assures Aglaia that she should not be "alarmed for any domestic tragedy; nothing has happened to tell of and my dullness comes all out of my own heart." Much of the remainder of the letter discusses his move in London from Queen Square to a house on the Turnham Green road. He writes about the specifics of the move and its advantages, about being able to see his children soon, and about his Icelandic translations and the possibility of an Icelandic voyage later in the year. He says that he hadn't been able to write poetry and that it was no use trying to force it, and that the translations were amusing and exciting enough for the while. He ends by writing that he hopes that in her next letter to him that she will say that she is coming back. He closes with "your affectionate William Morris."

The letter is written on a bi-fold that opens to 8 x10.5 inches. It is partly split along the middle fold. Unfortunately, a previous owner saw fit to use seven small cellophane tape pieces along the edges to repair small tears or reinforce the paper. They have discolored the paper surrounding the pieces and and a few words of text. Despite this the letter is still quite legible and nice. Housed in an archival paper folder. Very Good. (#35989)

Price: $4,500 

Celebration of Mt. Hood (in Oregon) & Native People - with solar printing, silkscreen, and eco-prints

[Scantron Press]
Jacobs, Diane, book artist.
Owed to the Mountain.
Portland OR: Scantron Press, 2021.

Number 15 of 32 copies signed by the artist. There was also an 8 copy sculptural three-dimension mountain edition with the fine printed book beneath the mountain, and 250 digital copies. Diane Jacobs writes: "Owed to The Mountain cultivates a powerful story that inspires knowing a place deeply, sharing Indigenous wisdom, and building a community that turns its love for a mountain into action. Mt. Hood has the 6th largest carbon stores of all National Forests in the country! By galvanizing a movement that advocates for the US Forest Service management plan to be updated, Mt Hood can be celebrated and treated as a living ecosystem and increase its climate resilience. Through this project’s research, interviews, and by spending time on the mountain, I understand how important it is that we protect clean drinking water, promote wildlife habitat restoration, support forest maturation, and prioritize the vision and cultural traditions of Native communities, including the practice of controlled burns. We owe it to the Mountain." She continues: "Etchings of animal ink drawings in various colorful ecosystems and habitats appear among the text, documenting the changing seasons. The stories weave multiple Native voices that underscore the value of friendship, reciprocity, interdependence, and cooperation."

Born in Southern California, Diane grew up surf fishing, creating potions, and drawing incessantly. At age 12, she and her family traveled to Japan, planting the seed for a lifelong interest in cross-cultural understanding. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she discovered her deep connection to forests, feminist thinking, and social justice—her work continues to be informed by the cross-pollination of these elements. She received her MFA in printmaking from San Francisco State University in 1996. After finishing her degree, she was awarded a James D. Phelan Award in printmaking (1997) and a Kala Art Institute Fellowship (1997). In 1999, she was granted a Women’s Studio Workshop Artist Book Residency. In 2000, Jacobs received a prestigious Artadia award. Since moving to Portland, OR in 2002 Jacobs has received numerous awards, grants, and residencies . Her prints, sculptural work, and artist books are in The Portland Art Museum, The Getty Research Institute Library, SFMOMA, the De Young Fine Arts Museum, The New York Public Library, the Library of Congress, Savannah College of Art and Design, University of Alberta, University of Chicago Library, University of Miami, Yale, Stanford, and Reed College among others.

The materials and printmaking techniques for this fine press edition include: solar etching plates developed from the artist's Sumi ink animal drawings. End sheets were made ecoprinting plants found on Mr. Hood. The animal etchings, the centerfold monoprint, and the green/blue silkscreen printed book cloth were printed at Atelier Meridian. Backgrounds were created by pressure printing and reduction woodcuts; the stories were handset in Weiss type and letterpress printed at the artist's studio. Book pages are Zerkall paper, end pages are Rives lightweight, and the beaver and river otter etchings were printed on mulberry paper and adhered to the inside covers [from the colophon]. The book is enclosed in a green paper portfolio with a light green title label to the cover. A stunning achievement in fine condition. Measures 13.5 x 13 x .25 inches closed. Unpaginated [ 36 pages] (#36437)

Price: $3,000 

Dictionary of Terms by Criminals in 19th Century India - "Thugs" - with details on investigations and arrests

[Sleeman, Sir William Henry].
Ramaseeana, or a Vocabulary of the Peculiar Language Used by the Thugs, with an introduction and appendix, descriptive of the system pursued by that fraternity and of the measures which have been adopted by the Supreme Government of India for its suppression.
Calcutta: G.H. Huttmann, Military Orphan Press, 1836.

First edition. Sir William Henry "Thuggee" Sleeman (1788 - 1856) sailed to India to work for the East India Company early in life. He fought in the Gorkha War, remained in India, and joined a British campaign to investigate and prosecute "the Thugs" in Central India. "The Thugs" were a group of people notorious for befriending travelers, then robbing and murdering them. Sleeman spent most of his military career studying and apprehending thugs. This book collects correspondence between Sleeman and various informants, depositions, accounts of crimes committed and arrests, observations about the Thugs, lists of Thug families, and a list of Thug vocabulary with definitions. Bound in blue cloth covered boards.

Professionally rebacked using the original spine and boards. Spine has faded to tan and boards are dark blue. Original paper title label to spine. Some soiling and rubbing to spine and boards. Wear and fraying to corners and edges of boards. Light dampstain to top and bottom margins of some pages. Sporadic foxing and occasional pencil markings. Includes three fold-out genealogies, some with short closed tears. 270 pages plus 514 pages of appendices. Very Good. (#35766)

Price: $2,000 

Unique Calligraphic Work - on flower watching cherry tree blooms - during Covid-19 quarantine

Soria, Marina.
Pink Hanami / Hanami Rosado.
Buenos Aires: Marina Soria, 2021.

A beautiful unique book by renowned calligrapher and book artist Marina Soria featuring her poem "Pink Hanami." Hanami literally translates from Japanese to the expression "flower watching" and is an annual celebration of Sakura and springtime. People gather around cherry blossom trees with family and friends to enjoy delicious drinks and food under the beautiful pink trees, often with the petals gently snowing from the branches when in full bloom. Ms. Soria writes: "In the middle of this Covid quarantine the Japanese gardens are still closed to the public. The sakura trees (cherry trees) keep doing their thing, blossoming, and I peek on them through the bushes." This is a pop-up book with the poem's text in original Spanish calligraphic script. This is an excerpt from the English translation:    "She has flourished in the Spring And has lived her whole existence Just for this moment Sublime and evanescent"   Done in pink and brown watercolor and walnut ink on Rives BFK paper. This sculptural book can be held in place with tabs on the back, which hook together to display the name of the artist. The calligraphy for this book plays with the concept of negative space to create letter forms including abstract designs created with shapes representing the space within letters. Bound with brown Amate paper with a wrapper in the same paper. Housed in a plexiglass box. Accompanied by a card with the books description and the text of the poem, signed by the artist. In fine condition. Size: 57 x 28 cm. 

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Marina Soria is a seasoned artist and educator with degrees in Fine Arts and Graphic Design. Not content to just immerse herself in learning calligraphy at international conferences, and through courses with renown calligraphers, she studied Eastern principles of Beauty in sumi-e (Japanese painting). She distilled and blended these principles with her rich experience and background in the fine arts, typography and graphic arts, employing unique approaches and techniques. She has also dabbled in the textile arts, creating a metaphor for weaving; letters as stitches and text as if it were a textile. Her works, vibrating with a love for nature and exploding with life and color, can be found in calligraphy collections in museums, universities, and libraries in the U.S., Europe, and South America. Marina has received numerous national and international awards, and has been featured widely in calligraphic arts publications. A prolific artist, experimental calligrapher, book artist, and educator, her goal is to mingle diverse disciplines to challenge the limits of conceptual art and technique. Fine. (#35861)

Price: $3,600

September 11th - in Woodcuts - with a focus on little moments of humanity rather than the attack itself
Special Edition on Yuki Gampi paper, letterpress printed

Walker, George.
Book of Hours: A Wordless Novel Told in 99 Wood Engravings.
Toronto: George Walker, 2008.

Number 9 of 11 copies in this special second edition, limited and signed. The Book of Hours pays tribute in a series of 99 engraved prints to those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on 9/11. “Although international politics is often central to discussions of 9/11, Book of Hours focus on innocent life lost adds emotional urgency to the issue of who and what is responsible ... [It] is called Book of Hours because it is an exploration, condemnation, and celebration of our culture’s devotion to time, and the way our regimented routines can reassure and also stifle us” (George Walker, preface).

The visual narrative begins several hours before the attack - capturing the normal routines of American life. The timeline continues through the fall of the towers up to several days after the attacks, showing disruption to routines and the emotional impact on everyone as life went on.  The book is printed on Yuki Gampi paper from the original wood blocks. Bound in handmade bright orange paper wrappers with paper label to front wrapper. Housed in a custom made wooden box with paper title label to front panel. The box comes with a folding wooden display stand. Clean and bright in fine condition. Engraved, printed, and bound by George A. Walker. 189 pages. Fine. (#35791)

Price: $8,000

Unique Artists' Book - based on Yeat's poem "Byzantium"

Yeats, William Butler; Barry McCallion, book artist.
Byzantium.
East Hampton, NY: Barry McCallion, 2020.

Signed and dated by the book artist on the colophon. This is a striking unique work by noted book artist Barry McCallion. Mr. McCallion has had a lengthy career in the book arts following his graduation from Columbia and move to the west coast for a period of time. His work can be found in many institutional and private collections. His career has been documented in a fine article by Mark Segal in the East Hampton Star in 2013: “A Springs Artist’s Creative Odyssey." In the article, Segal also writes extensively about Mr. McCallion’s "astonishingly beautiful and utterly unique books," saying "they use an impressive range of materials and techniques. … It’s difficult to do justice to the variety and complexity of the books in words or in photographs. They are ideally experienced by hefting and opening the boxes and exploring the contents in what becomes a very personal exploration of an artwork.” In this complex artist's book, Mr. McCallion explores and illustrates this famous poem by William Butler Yeats. "Byzantium" is Irish poet Yeats's meditation on the relationship between mortality and immortality, the physical world and the spiritual world, and humanity and art.

The artist writes in his colophon: "Opposites fascinated Yeats - all things antithetical: material, immaterial, changing and changeless, profane and sacred. Byzantium offers the reader Yeats's vision of the complex workings of the flesh and the spirit. In the poem, the great cathedral gong presides, tolling midnight over two worlds: the disdained world of everyday, messy with 'complexities of mire or blood,' and the gold-glittering city of Byzantium, where souls come to be purged."

Each page of the book has a line of the poem. Mr. McCallion says that in an attempt to better integrate words and pictures, he cut the words apart and arranged them irregularly on the page. The book is made on Richard de Bas cream wove paper. Brushed India ink colors provide a platform for the work's various drawings, collages, and acrylic paintings. Page edges are untrimmed. The book was bound by Joelle Webber of Mermaid Bindery in dark red cloth with a black image of a dolphin affixed to the cover. Housed in a beige cloth covered clamshell box with a large title label to spine. In fine condition. Book measures 6.75 x 10.25 inches; box measures 7.5- x 11 inches. 40 pages.  Fine. (#36312)

Price: $4,000

Life's Journey - cut into steel

Coron, Béatrice, book artist.
Concepts & Perceptions.
New York: Béatrice Coron, 2003.

Number 3 of 10 copies. This unusual work from Coron comprises four laser cut stainless steel panels with human figures and words such as "existence and evidence" and "conscience and motion" cut from the steel. With a fifth panel as the work's cover. The book can be read as a French or English book as the words are the same in both languages. According to Coron: "It's about life's journey and covers the four angles of being alive, having conscience of it, struggling with what we have, and letting it go in acceptance." Housed in a gray cloth covered box. Size: 11 x 10.5 x 1.5 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] Fine. (#35266)

Price: $1,200