Homage to Whitman's Leaves of Grass
Book Art Object

[Abstract Orange]
Whitman, Walt; Lauren Emeritz, book artist.
Leaves of Grass by Whitman: Abstract Orange Edition.
Washington DC: Abstract Orange, 2019.

Number 19 of 36 copies signed and numbered by the book artist. This book was published on May 31, 2019 in celebration of Walt Whitman's 200th birthday. The book artist writes: "The book explores ideas central to Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass including transcendentalism, or the inherent goodness of nature, and realism, depicting familiar things as they are. It captures both the complexity and simplicity of nature by juxtaposing dimensional paper grass texture and a quote about nature and wonder. The book is not a reprinting of all of Whitman’s words, but an art object that encapsulates the feeling of Whitman." Her evocative work is done as a box that opens like a traditional book. The inside front cover and back cover are covered with cream paper that includes quotes from Whitman along with his image. Inside of the box/book are several spiky rows of grass leaves crafted from green paper. The box is covered with green paper with the title, author and press name in a lighter shade of green. In fine condition. Measures 5.25 x 7.25 inches. (#37258)

Price: $650

Illustrated with Woodcuts of the Forest Canopy
In English and Dutch

[Anémona Editores]
Hans van de Waarsenburg, poems; Jan Hendrix, woodcuts; Peter Boreas, translations.
In.
Banholt, Mexico: Anémona Editores, 2015.

Number 44 of 53 copies. Signed by the illustrator. A finely printed book of poetry in Dutch with English translation on versos. Beautifully illustrated with foldout woodcuts of trees. Bound in black cloth boards with silver title and author to spine. Title letters are silkscreened on boards. Letterpress printed in Bembo type on Magnani vergata avorio paper with woodcuts printed on Hosho paper. A few small spots of foxing to Hosho paper, else pristine. Housed in a black stiff paper slipcase with silver emblem to front panel. Unpaginated. Size: about 11 x 7 inches.

Dutch artist Jan Hendrix (1949 - ) has lived and worked in Mexico for much of his adult life. His work can be found in collections worldwide including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Library of France, the FEMSA Collection. His has also exhibited around the world including Kenya, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia, Cuba, China, and Mexico.

Award winning Dutch poet Hans van de Waarsenburg (1943 - 2015) was a champion of poetry, heading multiple poetry organizations and events in the Netherlands throughout his lifetime. This collection was publishing in the year of his death. Fine. (#37816)

Price: $1,000

Finely Printed Arion Press Edition of Leaves of Grass
Deluxe Edition

[Arion Press]
Whitman, Walt; Helen Vendler, introduction.
Leaves of Grass.
San Francisco: Arion Press, 2014.

Number 85 of 250 deluxe copies numbered in Arabic, with fifteen copies numbered in Roman for complimentary distribution. This was the 100th publication of the Arion Press. It is one of the most elegant and collectible books issued by the Press. The origins of Arion Press reach back to 1919, when the brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn came to San Francisco from Indianapolis. The brothers established the Grabhorn Press, which became one of the foremost fine printing establishments in the United States from the early 1920s to the mid-1960s. They were proponents of what the great bookmaker Bruce Rogers called “allusive printing,” in which the selection of type, decoration, and page layout alluded to aspects of the books’ contents. When the Grabhorn Press closed in 1965, Robert Grabhorn partnered with Andrew Hoyem. Together, Grabhorn-Hoyem preserved and utilized the Grabhorn Press's vast and distinctive holdings of type and equipment. In 1974, Arion Press was officially formed and launched a series of limited-edition books, printed by letterpress and bound by hand. Many of them were illustrated by prominent artists; some were accompanied by separate editions of original prints. To this day, the list of Arion publications is characterized by its diversity, with titles that range from ancient literature to modern classics [From the Arion Press website].

The text for this exceptional book was taken from the 1855 first edition, which contained just a dozen poems, the first, later titled "Song of Myself," was so long that it took up half the pages. The introduction to this edition was written by noted poetry scholar Helen Vendler (who died earlier in 2024). The volume includes the preface to the 1855 edition, plus the text of a letter of praise of his poetry from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Whitman in 1855. There is also a reproduction of a well known image of Whitman at the age of 34, the year before the first edition was published. Bound in light brown wood boards with a green leather spine with gilt titling. The binding design is a tribute to the Grabhorn edition of 1978-79 in that the boards are wooden, with oak veneer stained yellow-tan, and the spine is goatskin, green for this volume. The types are Goudy Californian (designed for the University of California Press in 1938) for the text, and Trajan capitals, also by Frederic Goudy for initial letters and titling. The paper is handmade Langley, from the Barcham Green Mill in England with watermarks of the Press and the Mill. Accompanied by the prospectus, which includes a sample page from the volume. Housed in a green cloth covered slipcase. In fine condition. Measures 10 x 14 inches. 155 pages plus colophon. (#37486)

Price: $12,000

Collection of Natural Objects - found on the beach in Ireland
Miniature Book

Austin, Alice.
Beach Finds.
Philadelphia: Alice Austin, 2024.

Number 5 of 30 copies, signed by the artist. An accordion book with stiff paper covers and five inserted map folds containing linoleum cuts of natural objects found on the beach in Ireland. The objects include: limpet shells, fossil rocks, seaweed, a bird skull, and feathers. Printed on Mohawk text weight paper on a Vandercook press -with each linocut printed in a different color. Housed in a light grey archival box with paper title label to spine panel. Size: 2.25 x 2.85 inches. A miniature book that opens to 12 inches.

Alice Austin has been awarded several artist residencies in Europe including a few in Ireland. This book was created after her most recent fellowship in 2023 at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo, Ireland.

"My approach to the book is often sculptural: the form presents the idea. Words, when used, reinforce the visual. My knowledge of different book forms has evolved over the years spent as a book conservator and teacher. I see myself as a keeper of craft, using this respect for a beautifully realized book, and combining it with a modern approach, to create a sensual object. In my work I am interested in the textures of different mark making - drawn or printed - the feel of the paper - the sound of the page - as it relates to the entire book" (artist statement).

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 Arts 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. Fine. (#37147)

Price: $200

Coastal Geometry of County Mayo, Ireland
Tunnel Book

Austin, Alice.
Optique.
Philadelphia: Alice Austin, 2016.

Number 9 of 16 copies, signed by the artist. A tunnel book inspired by the wild, west coast of County Mayo, Ireland, echoing the unique coastal geometry of angular cliffs, blowholes, seaweed and plants. This double-sided tunnel book also evokes a telescope, becoming an optical device. Looking through the opening, the eye sharpens its focus on an object at the other end. Housed in a blue paste paper covered box, printed with a linoleum cut image of seaweed. The interior contains a Celtic spiral design, which is viewed through the hole in the book. Size: 8 x 8 x 2 inches.

Alice Austin has been awarded several artist residencies in Europe including a few in Ireland. This book was created after her 2016 fellowship with the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo, Ireland.

"My approach to the book is often sculptural: the form presents the idea. Words, when used, reinforce the visual. My knowledge of different book forms has evolved over the years spent as a book conservator and teacher. I see myself as a keeper of craft, using this respect for a beautifully realized book, and combining it with a modern approach, to create a sensual object. In my work I am interested in the textures of different mark making - drawn or printed - the feel of the paper - the sound of the page - as it relates to the entire book" (artist statement). Fine. (#37647)

Price: $800

Homage to a Philadelphia Garden / History of a City Block in Philly

Austin, Alice.
To the Garden.
Philadelphia: Alice Austin, 2019.

Number 5 of 15 copies, signed by the artist. A short history of one city block in Philadelphia - 1000 Block of Washington Avenue - which began as Mr. Parker's botanic garden in 1820, then became Machpelah Cemetery in 1830, then a factory (which burnt down in 1993), and finally, in 1995, the Bel Arbor Community Garden. The text is poetically written by the artist and illustrated with a colorful array of linoleum prints of plants from the garden.

An accordion book bound in light green Twinrocker handmade paper with title to cover and linocut illustration wrapping around the binding. The text is hand-set in Cheltenham type and is printed on Somerset paper. Includes a pamphlet with linocut illustration of a maiden hair fern and computer printed text describing the history of the garden in more depth including the artist's personal involvement in starting it in 1995. Both items are housed in a grey archival box with paper title label to spine panel. Book: [12 pages], 9 x 9.75 x 1 inches. Pamphlet: [8 pages], 5.5 x 4.25 inches.

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 Arts 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. Fine. (#37149)

Price: $1,200

Homage to the Landscape of Colorado
Letterpress Printed with Handmade Paper

[Caliban Press and Floating World Press]
Whitman, Walt; Mark McMurray.
Spirit That Form'd This Scene.
Ogdensburg, NY: Caliban Press and Floating World Press, 2010 and 2023.

One of 40 copies bound in 2023 and signed by the printer, Mark McMurray. This poem by Whitman was inspired by the landscape of Colorado, which he visited in 1879. He described his train journey: "I am on the great Plains of Colorado....We ride and ride all day & it is nothing but plains - but I enjoy it all very much indeed....I have seen mountains just before sunset...I shall never forget it." He stayed in Denver for about four days, making side trips to various sites including the Platt River Canyon, after which he composed "Spirit." He was awestruck by the red Colorado sandstone that let him to compare his own poetry to the poetry of the landscape around him. The poem first appeared in the 1881 (7th) edition of Leaves of Grass [From the prospectus].

Printed in 2010 from 18-point Bodoni bold foundry type on machine made sage gray papers folded accordion style. Landscape images are made with torn paper strips in cream, red, blue, and black to form images of the topography of mountain ranges, with the poem's text printed below. Papers from La Papeterie St-Armand, Montreal. Bound in orange paper covers with marbled paper ornament affixed to the cover. Housed in a gray slipcase with multi-color dots and title label to cover. Accompanied by a sheet of paper describing Whitman's journey to Colorado and the printing details. In fine condition. Measures 5.5 x 6.25 inches, unfolds to 48 inches. Unpaginated [About 6 pages] (#37263)

Price: $250

Homage to Gardening
Unique Eco-Printed Artists' Book
Dutch Book Artist

[Double Dutch Design]
Merike van Zanten, book artist.
Garden Delight.
The Netherlands: Double Dutch Design.

This is an exquisite unique artist's book from the highly regarded book artist, Merike van Zanten. Merike focused on book arts, letterpress design and printing in the United States beginning in 2003 in the US, but re-established studio in The Netherlands around 2020. She has participated in numerous exhibitions, residencies, and workshops during her career. Her work can be found in a number of libraries, including the Bainbridge Museum of Art, The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination, Boston Atheneum, Stanford University, Baylor University and the University of Miami.  

Merike is an accomplished artist using eco printing techniques. Eco printing is a process whereby only natural materials are used such as leaves and flowers that transfer their pigments onto a substrate when subjected to heat and pressure. The process produces exceptionally beautiful designs and colors. This work, which she describes as an eco printed book displays the beauty of this technique, which creates various designs without the use of paints and ink.

Bound in purple silk covered boards with eco-printed images of leaves and flowers and hand-lettered title in black ink mounted in a brass label holder to front board. The interior consists of eco prints on office labels, Arches Aquarelle, and baking paper. The pages are interleaved with handmade abaca paper with embedded flowers. The flowers were then accentuated with a Japanese hold punch. Handwritten quotes relating to gardening are interspersed throughout the book. The quotes are by authors including James Russell Lowell, Horace Walpole, Emerson, Saadi, Hans Christian Andersen, and Alice Sebold. There are two flag book sections within the book. A lovely book in fine condition. A lovely book in fine condition. Measures 7.5 x 5.5 inches. Unpaginated [about 80 pages]  (#37869)

Price: $1,350

Homage to Gardening
Unique Eco-Printed Artists' Book
Dutch Book Artist

[Double Dutch Design]
Merike van Zanten, book artist.
Love's Truest Language.
The Netherlands: Double Dutch Design, 2024.

This is an exquisite unique artist's book from the highly regarded book artist, Merike van Zanten. Merike focused on book arts, letterpress design and printing in the United States beginning in 2003 in the US, but re-established studio in The Netherlands around 2020. She has participated in numerous exhibitions, residencies, and workshops during her career. Her work can be found in a number of libraries, including the Bainbridge Museum of Art, The Walker Library of the History of Human Imagination, Boston Atheneum, Stanford University, Baylor University and the University of Miami.

Merike is an accomplished artist using eco printing techniques. Eco printing is a process whereby only natural materials are used such as leaves and flowers that transfer their pigments onto a substrate when subjected to heat and pressure. The process produces exceptionally beautiful designs and colors. This work, which she describes as an eco printed book displays the beauty of this technique, which creates various designs without the use of paints and ink.

Bound in sheepskin covered boards with printed images of leaves and flowers and hand-lettered title in black ink to front board. The interior consists of eco prints on Arches Aquarelle and baking paper. Some of the prints have been embellished with gold leaf. Handwritten quotes relating to gardening are interspersed throughout the book. The quotes are by authors including Park Benjamin, Pablo Neruda, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Saadi, Aeschylus, and Lord Byron. A lovely book in fine condition. Measures about 8 x 6 inches. Unpaginated [26 pages]  (#37868)

Price: $1,350

Exploration of Landforms and How They Connect Us
Facsimile of a Unique Handsewn Artists' Book

Greenwood, Anne, book artist; Mauricio Rioseco Milano, text.
25 Shapes of Land.
Portland, OR: Anne Greenwood.

Number 29 of 50 copies, signed by the artist and author. This limited edition is a facsimile of a unique artists' book that was made from cotton Crinoline with naturally hand-dyed appliqued images, embroidery, machine-sewn text, and letterpress printed patterns.

According to the artist: "'Shapes of Land' was conceived of in 2018 while retracing my footsteps from where I was born in North Dakota, to travels with my husband to his home in Argentina, our time in-between in Central America and Mexico, to where we live in Oregon, as I embarked on a journey to the land of my Northern ancestry; all the time thinking about the land and how it connects us. The book contains a series of landforms: lake, plains, isthmus, plateau, meander, arch, hill and these images reside alongside the bilingual prose by Mauricio Rioseco Milano and together, we offer these imaginative portals for traveling in space and time."

An accordion book with black cloth covers titled in white on the front. It is printed on both sides as the original fabric book was translucent. Filled with winding text about the land and sparse landscapes created with embroided text and appliqued imagery. Printed and bound by Gary Robbins at Container Corps for distribution at a public soundscape event at the Alberta Green in North Portland on July 7th, 2024. Partial proceeds from the sale of this book will help fund the Jefferson High School Art program. Size: about 12 x 9 inches.

Anne Greenwood is a well-known artist who has exhibited widely and whose works can be found in museum and library collections around the country. She was born on the high Dakota Plains and was led to an art degree by her artist grandmother. In 1990 she moved to Portland, Oregon and began her career as an artist and horticulturalist. Anne’s artwork explores an interest in folk art and speaks of her kinship with the natural world and how this influences her connection to daily life. In 2002, Anne set up a textiles studio integrating handwork, book arts, and textiles into an interdisciplinary practice. From Anne's artist's statement: "My artistic practice navigates an infinite network of connections: narrating the simple and complex, physical and ephemeral, past and present, within the context of place, history, and transformation. I form relationships that expand and fortify admiration and reverence, leading to the discovery of new truths about the world around us." Fine. (#37842)

Price: $200

Homage to the Gannets of Cape St. Mary's
Deluxe Edition with Extra Suite of Prints and Original Silver Point Drawing

[Lone Oak Press]
Rorer, Abigail, book artist and wood engraver; Marnie Parsons and Bill Montevecchi, texts.
An Idea of Geometry: Celebrating the Gannets of Cape St. Mary's.
Petersham, MA: Lone Oak Press, 2017.

Number xvii of xx copies of the deluxe edition, signed and numbered by the book artist. There were also two hundred copies in the regular edition. Abigail Rorer attended the Rhode Island School of Design concentrating on etching and lithography. After graduation she taught art in several schools for a few years until leaving to concentrate on pen and ink book illustrations and etchings. She had always been drawn to woodcuts and wood engraving through the work of the German Expressionists and Leonard Baskin. Although she had only done a few woodcuts in high school and none in college, she had a desire to learn wood engraving and was fortunate to have met the noted wood engraver Barry Moser through a mutual gallery. He very graciously explained how one wood engraves and the tools needed to make a print. She purchased the necessary materials and had at it. Learning the art of wood engraving is basically a case of practice, practice, practice and looking at the work of other engravers. In 1989 Abigail established The Lone Oak Press in Petersham, Massachusetts. The press publishes limited edition, letterpress printed books and broadsides illustrated with her relief engravings and etchings. All of the images are printed by Abigail from the original blocks and plates with many of the images being multi-block color engravings incorporating reduction printing and frequently having some hand coloring. The design of a number of the books and all of the bindings are collaborations with others more knowledgeable in those aspects of bookmaking. Abigail has also taken up the fine art of silverpoint drawing, a medieval art form.

[From the press website: "The idea for this book was conceived after a visit to Newfoundland and the famous gannet rookery at Cape St. Mary’s by wood engraver Abigail Rorer, proprietor of The Lone Oak Press. Abigail was taken by the beauty of the birds, so magnificent in their white plumage with black detailing, their fierce eyes and lethal bill and decided to illustrate and publish a small book honoring these incredible seabirds." The result is this beautiful book with Abigail's exquisite illustrations of these amazing birds. This deluxe edition has a special binding of the book with a white leather spine and a white leather circle with a bird image on the blue paper cover. The engravings and text are printed on Zerkall Book paper using Van Dijck and Goudy Open types. The engravings are multi-block with some hand-coloring. Amy Borezo of Shelter Bookworks designed the binding and bound the books. Housed in a blue cloth clamshell case with title label to spine, along with an extra suite of signed prints, and an original silverpoint drawing of gannets encased in a special folder. Each silverpoint drawing is different. In fine condition. Book measures 5.25 x 7 inches. Unpaginated [about 18 pages] (#37141)

Price: $700

Pochoir Illustrations of Flowers

[Luminice Press]
Herrick, Robert; Thomas Parker and Mary Agnes Williams, book artists.
Corinna's going a Maying.
Philadelphia: Luminice Press, 2019.

Number 3 of 10 copies, initialed on the colophon by the book artists. Book artist and printer Thomas Parker Williams began creating artists' books in 1998 while also painting. As of 2009 he has limited his art practice exclusively to artists' books. In that year he also began collaborating with his wife, photographer Mary Agnes Williams. In 2013 they started Luminice Press, incorporating letterpress printing into artists' books and broadsides. The artists' books draw on a range of conceptual sources in creating their books, including mathematics, music, literature, theology, philosophy, astronomy, natural sciences, and Eastern thought. Books by Williams or the Luminice Press may be found in over 50 public collections around the country.

This delightful book from the esteemed Luminice Press prints and illustrates a lovely short poem written by Robert Herrick in 1648. The poem extols the joys of living and loving despite knowing how short and ephemeral is life: "Come, let us goe (sic) while we are in our prime...We shall grow old apace, and die before we know our liberty." The poem is accompanied by bright and colorful illustrations of flowers and trees that bloom in the radiance of a May springtime. The book is printed on handmade paper, with the images in pochoir, hand-set text and letterpress printed. Bound in a soft cover paper with floral images on the covers and with green ribbons holding the spine closed. The book is housed in a softcover case with pink silkscreened hand-made paper in pink with floral designs. Mary Agnes developed the concept and design, and did the typesetting and printing. Thomas also developed the design, and did the illustrations, printing, and binding. In fine condition. Measures 7 x 7 inches. Unpaginated [10 pages]. (#37883)

Price: $400

A Relic Ceiba Tree in Costa Rica - historical, natural, and spiritual importance of a single tree
Limited Edition Artists' Book

[Marquand Editions]
Daily, Gretchen C.; Charles J. Katz, Jr., photographer; Ed Marquand and Edward Armstrong, book designers.
One Tree.
Seattle: Marquand Editions, [2017].

Number 23 of 25 numbered copies signed by the author and the photographer. In this remarkable edition, environmental scientist Gretchen C. Daily and photographer Charles J. Katz describe how one relic tree, the magnificent Ceiba pentandra in the village of Sabalito, Costa Rica carries physical and spiritual importance far out into the world. In poetic language interwoven with scientific fact, Daily also describes the historical and natural history of this tree and of the ceiba species in general. Katz's photographs of the tree and village amplify this message quietly yet forcefully. Gretchen Daily is the recipient of the Blue Planet Prize, the world's most prestigious award for environmental sustainability [Description from Marquand Editions].

This powerful artist's book by Daily and Katz is created in the form of text, 9 color photographs and a wood carving of the magnificent tree. The carved tree is folded down to fit into a semicircular insert box to be pulled out and detached from the container slipcase. It opens up to reveal the One Tree (attached to the lid by a string that lifts it upright as the lid is lowered). The tree is cut from 3 layers of plywood laminated together and attached tongue-in-groove to the center edge. The photographs and 2 letterpress printed booklets reside in a cut-out recess. beneath the folded tree. The indentation is also made of built up, laminated layers of plywood. The inside of the lid is illustrated with a watercolor print. The first booklet of 14 pages contains Daily's essay about the tree, with an additional signature by the author. The other supplementary booklet of 9 pages One tree / Gretchen C. Daily, Charles J. Katz Jr., contains the foreword by Charles J. Katz Jr., acknowledgments, and artist biographies. Accompanying the booklets are the nine numbered color photographs by Katz. The book is in a semicircular shape measuring 11.5 x 22.5 inches. It is housed in a rectangular slipcase. In fine condition. (#33249)

Price: $2,800

Mezzotint of a Flower

Oda. Shigero, artist.
La Fleur [ color mezzotint print].
[1982].

Number 5 of 150 prints signed, numbered, and dated by the artist. Shigeru Oda is a well-known Japanese artist. Born in Osaka in 1933, Oda is known for his beautiful prints of flowers and plants against dark velvety backgrounds using the mezzotint intaglio print making process. The organic forms of blossoms and leaves stand out in luminous color against the deep black background. His designs are exquisitely printed with delicate shading and rich tones, creating jewel-like effects. This work is of three rich red flowers on their stems, with a small golden yellow moon and the shadows of a hilly landscape. In fine condition. Printed on white paper that frames the print image. Enclosed in an archival paper folder. . Measures 8.25 x 11.75 inches. Fine. (#36470)

Price: $180

Homage to Birds and Bird Calls - with companion volume on Corvids
Includes a bird call whistle
Letterpress Printed

[Pie in the Sky Press]
Chamlee, Rebecca, book artist.
Listen: notes From the field.
Simi Valley, CA: Pie in the Sky Press, [2024].

Number 11 of 25 copies signed by the book artist. Rebecca Chamlee is a book artist, printer, writer, and bookbinder who has published a number of innovatively designed, letterpress printed, limited-edition fine press and artist’s books under the imprint of Pie In The Sky Press since 1986. Her work is in prominent special and private collections throughout the U.S. and has been exhibited widely. As a self-taught naturalist and citizen scientist, Rebecca’s artist’s books examine the intersection of her artistic and scientific interests by collecting and cataloging the natural world. [from the artist's website].

This is an exceptionally interesting and engaging book from Chamlee's Press. In the prospectus she writes that she is an avid backyard bird watcher. "Away from home I'm more of a bird listener. I hear them everywhere." She describes her book as "a personal investigation into the sounds of birds; what the vocalizations mean and how they differ from bird to bird. Utilizing a 'sit spot' routine allowed the natural world to unfold before my eyes and ears in a way I'd never experienced in the years of exploring trails on foot in a nearby wildland park, In a comfortable spot in nature I sit, slow down and observe to discover the wonder in the moment." The book was printed in the winter and spring of 2023-2024 on a Vandercook Universal III power press using handset Deepdene and wood types on Zerkall text wove and Nideggen papers. It is case bound in orange cloth with a title label on the cover. It is accompanied by a companion volume, "Listen to the Corvids" with green paper covers, and both books are stored in a gray paper covered hinged box that also includes an Audubon bird call toy in a slot on the box that is under the book. The beautiful original photographs of various species of birds that illustrate both books were shot out Chamlee's studio window with a Nikon 850 with a 500mm telephoto lens and printed in four colors using photopolymer plates. Accompanied by the prospectus. In fine condition. Listen: notes from the field is 5 x 8 inches and has 72 pages; Listen to the Corvids measures 7.5 x 11 inches and has 12 pages. The box measures 7.75 x 11.25 x 2 inches. (#37870)

Price: $2,150

Homage to Nesting Birds in California - created during pandemic
Letterpress Printed Photographic Images

[Pie in the Sky Press]
Chamlee, Rebecca. book artist.
Dreams of Flight, The Nesting Season.
Simi Valley, CA: Pie in the Sky Press, 2022.

Number 8 of 30 copies, signed and numbered by the book artist. Rebecca Chamlee is a book artist, printer, writer, and bookbinder who has published innovatively designed, letterpress printed, limited-edition fine press, and artist’s books under the imprint of Pie In The Sky Press since 1986. Her work is in prominent special and private collections throughout the U.S. and has been exhibited widely. As a self-taught naturalist and citizen scientist, Rebecca’s artist’s books examine the intersection of her artistic and scientific interests by collecting and cataloging the natural world. Rebecca retired in 2023 as an associate professor at Otis College of Art and Design where she taught bookbinding, letterpress printing, and artist’s book classes and headed the Book Arts minor program for over 20 years [from the artist's website].

Chamlee writes about her book: "During the long months of isolation in 2020 and 2021, I began documenting the many birds that came to my backyard feeders and noted their unique behaviors. With a telephoto lens, I was able to record detailed and intimate images of my avian visitors. As often happens, the passion I felt for the birds grew into the idea for an artist’s book. Dreams of Flight, the nesting season is an interconnected story of three different species of birds that nested in my suburban yard during the spring nesting seasons of 2020–21. The book was created entirely at home. Printed in the colors of the birds on the Vandercook Universal III power press in the living room studio using Deepdene and 20th Century type with assorted wood type from the Pie in the Sky Press collection. The original images were captured through the window over the press with a Nikkor 200-500mm f5.6 lens mounted on a Nikon D850 camera and printed with photo polymer plates made by Boxcar Press." The blue binding with an abstract gilt image of a bird's wing is a flutter book structure, a type of accordion where the fore-edges of the pages are pasted together but the spine is not. A tan cloth magnetic spine supports the backbone of the book and can be removed for reading and display. Printed on cotton cloud paper that was handmade to order by Tom Balbo. The endsheets are Hahnemuhle Bugra. The text paper is Wa-Mix Kozo and Clairefontaine Simili Japon with sewn-in wings of cloud paper and colored Bugra to match the birds. The book is housed in a blue bookcloth-covered clamshell box and includes a suite of three prints printed in four colors on 320gsm Izumi paper, enclosed in handmade St. Armand Papeterie blue paper folder. The box is housed in a protective blue stiff paper clamshell box with a slightly smudged title label on the cover. In fine condition. Measures 6 x 10 x .75 inches. Box measures 8.75 x 10.75 x 1.5 inches. Unpaginated [24 pages]. (#37387)

Price: $1,250

Alone with the Earth - poems and drawings
In Spanish

Raquel Salgado, photographer; Mauricio Novelo, illustrator; Olga Orozco, poet.
A Solas con la Tierra [Alone with the Earth].
The Labyrinths, Chile / Mexico: Taller Laberinto, 2022.

A beautiful collaborative fabric book with perfect harmony in its edition and selection of material and color. It contains a moving poem about the earth by award winning Argentinian poet, Olga Orozco (1920 - 1999). It is illustrated with line drawings of a nude woman submersed in nature, based on photographs taken by Raquel Salgado. The drawings are by Mauricio Novelo.

Bound in black cloth with white silkscreened title and illustration to front cover. The text and illustrations within are also printed in silkscreen on white cloth pages. The fraying threads on the edges of each page reflect the handling of the book when reading it and are in constant transformation. This is purposeful to show the passage of time. The book is housed in a black cloth pouch. Size: about 8 x 5.75 inches. In fine condition. (#37827)

Price: $500

Ode to Sea Creatures in Salt Point State Park, Northern California

[Salt Point Press]
Wight, Gail, book artist.
Kingdom Aqueous.
Jenner, CA: Salt Point Press, 2024.

Number 5 of 24 copies signed and numbered by the artist. Salt Point Press is the imprint of Gail Wight. Her handmade books focus on the resilient yet precarious flora and fauna that live at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in the southern territories of the Pacific Northwest. They explore hybrid practices combining new mediums and technologies with the traditional craft of bookbinding. Wight works in experimental media focusing on issues of biology, the history of scientific theory and technology. She is a Professor Emerita at Stanford University, where she served as Director of Experimental Media Arts and Graduate Studies in Art Practice.

This striking book is comprised of photographs of wildlife in the tide pools at Salt Point State Park in northern California, taken over a period of twelve years, Kingdom Aqueous is an ode to the brilliant and resilient creatures who live in this wild interstitial zone at the brink of the sixth mass extinction. Printed full bleed, these images disclose the intense vibrancy and otherworldly architecture of life beneath these cold and stormy northern waters. The photographs have enlarged images that become abstractions. Its structure is in fact based on Kikuji Kawata's book Chizu (1965) with its rhythmic gatefolds and immersive photographic abstraction. Kingdom Aqueous is constructed of twelve doubled folios, each a gatefold. The full-bleed archival pigment prints are on Hiromi asuka papers. The book has handsewn headbands and gilding to the page edges. It is concertina bound in hardcover with vibrant images of starfish on the covers, with an orange cloth spine. Title and artist name on front cover in blue. A four page concertina fold is a separate 4-page pull-out that contains the colophon. In fine condition. Measures 5.25 x 7.5 x 1 inches. Unpaginated [104 pages]. (#37385)

Price: $750

Eco-printed Images of Leaves & Branches
Unique Artists' Book

Schiffman, Ellen, book artist.
Sunshine on Delighted Earth.
Weston, CT: Ellen Schiffman, 2022.

Ellen Schiffman has worked as a professional artist for over 30 years in her Connecticut studio. She is a multimedia artist working in a range of modalities including fiber art, collage, sculpture, photography, printing, cyanotype, eco printing and, most recently, book art. She often combines multiple media in a single piece. Throughout her career, she has been an avid explorer of both material and technique, often including found objects and everyday humble items in her pieces. Serendipity and surprise are hallmarks of her singular work. She has exhibited her work nationwide, including numerous museum shows and solo exhibits. She has received multiple awards for her work and has been featured in online and print publications, including several books. Her work reflects a fascination with texture, pattern, color, organic shapes, sculptural forms, the majesty of nature, and the beauty of imperfection.

The pandemic shut-down provided Ellen with an abundance of time to explore and experiment with some media that were new to her. She started making books during this time. She felt an immediate connection with the materials and the techniques of this compelling art form and found the process of making books a meditative balm for stressful times. Books have allowed her the opportunity to present her work in new and exciting ways. She celebrates the fact, unlike most other forms of art, the viewer gets to touch and interact with a book, thereby becoming an active participant in the process of the book becoming a meaningful piece of art. She frequently uses her books to present a body of related art work, while just as often she uses them as vehicles to capture the essence of memorable places, issues and moments in time. As the worst of the pandemic has subsided, Ellen has continued her book making journey, exhibiting her books in notable book art exhibits nationwide.

Sunshine on Delighted Earth is an eco-printed books made during the pandemic. Eco-printing is a multi-step technique where either live or preserved plants are processed in such a way that they yield both their image and their colors onto paper, fabric and other substrates. The process is serendipitous, with resultant images that can be crisp and realistic, amorphous and dreamlike, brightly colored or muted." Ellen's book includes 8 lovely eco printed images of leaves and branches in muted colors of yellow, green, and brown. They are mounted on sheets of cream paper and presented in concertina form. Found twigs and raffia ties separate the images in the mountain and valley folds of the book, serving as stilts to hold the book open for display on a shelf. Bound in textured brown covers which enhance with the overall earthiness of the book. An eco-print and title label appear on the front cover. Rustic fabric ties close the book. In fine condition measures. 5 x 12.5 inches. Unpaginated. (#37361)

Price: $550

Miniature Book
Celebration of Springtime - poem & illustrations

Schwartzott, Carol, book artist; Robert Loveman, text.
April Rain.
Niagara Falls, NY: Carol Schwartzott, [1994].

Numbered 384 of 500 copies initialed and signed by the book artist. Carol Schwartzott has been creating artists' books for over twenty-five years. Her work appears in many museums,and private collections including the libraries of the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

This lovely miniature book is one in a series of four miniature books that the artist referred to as "The Seasons." This is the Spring book. Like the others in the series, the books are printed offset. However, each book had something handmade about it. April Rain has some illustrations that are painted in color, and it has die-cut windows. The accompanying text is a poem by Robert Loveman (1864-1923). Loveman's poem "The Rain Song" (also known as "April Rain") became very well known and was anthologized in many books of verse. It later inspired the Al Jolson song "April Showers." The book was designed and bound by Schwartzott. In addition to the two hand-painted flower spreads, the end papers are also handpainted. It is an accordion fold book with paper wraps with flower petals and white ribbon ties. Measures 2.8 x 2.8 inches. Unpaginated. Very Good condition. (#37681)

Price: $50

Homage to Monet's Garden Paradise - Giverny
Argentinian Calligrapher

Soria, Marina.
Giverny III.
Argentina: Marina Soria, 2022.

One of 9 copies. Part of a series inspired by a visit to Monet's gardens in Giverny. Each book represents a different season in the year and a different time of day, much like Monet's famous paintings of his gardens. Silkscreen printing of poetry on Canson and Fabriano green colored papers featuring a poem in Spanish by the artist written using an experimental alphabet. Handcolored with soft pastels and embellished with a pop-up bridge and collaged papers. Binding and pop-up created by Diego Ismael. In blue paper dust jacket, which can be removed to open and display the book fully. The original Spanish as well as the English translation are printed on a paper enclosure within the box.

The English translation of Soria's poem "Monet's water lilies pond" follows:
There is something that cannot be described.
An indecipherable language.
Something that is only emotion, silence, mystery, mirage.
Where is up? Where is down? If all is reflection!
Where is life, separated by a thick layer of water lilies?
Where does the time of the seasons stop? if the music of colors and sounds Is it reality or a dream?

Original text in Spanish by the author, “El estanque de ninfeìas de Monet”
Hay algo que no se puede describir.
Un lenguaje indescifrable.
Algo que solo es emocioìn, silencio, misterio, espejismo.
Donde estaì el arriba y el abajo?, si todo se refleja!
Donde la vida, separada por una espesa capa de nenuìfares?
Doìnde se detiene el tiempo de las estaciones? si la muìsica de los colores y sonidos es infinita. Es realidad o es un sueño?

Size: 11 x 6 inches, closed.

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. In fine condition. (#37799)

Price: $750

Shell Collecting - with 56 shell engravings
Introduction by Edgar Allan Poe

[Wiesedruck]
Horowitz, Sarah, etching and design; Edgar Allan Poe, essay.
CONCHYLIORUM: On Investigating Shells and Collecting.
Washington: Wiesedruck, 2020.

Number 31 of 40 copies, including five sold out deluxe copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. Poe's introduction to "The Conchologist's First Book: Or a System of Testaceous Malachology" is presented within along with forty-one etchings of fifty-six shells by artist Sarah Horowitz. She writes about this exquisite book on her website: " I received two large cardboard boxes of individually wrapped shells eight years ago after the death of my paternal grandmother. Each shell was in a cellophane bag, stapled shut with a fortune-­cookie-­sized strip of paper on which was typed the Latin name and origin of the shell. My grandparents had purchased the shells in the Philippines where they lived in the late 1960s. Their house was a veritable cabinet of curiosities which was magical to me. I am engrossed by collections, particularly those of complex organic objects, and by the books that document these collections. This book is as much about the history of collecting and the act of recreating my grandparents’ collection, as it is about shells.

This text by Edgar Allan Poe was written as an introduction to The Conchologist’s First Book, first published in 1839 and adapted from Thomas Wyatt’s Manual of Conchology. It was intended to be a cheaper, more concise version of Wyatt’s book for use in schools. Poe was paid to have his name on the title page in order to help sales, but he also wrote an original preface and introduction, and edited and re-­organized the text. Poe had an interest in shells from time spent on the South Carolina coast while in the US Navy, and considered the study of shells to be one of the most important branches of natural history. Wyatt’s original text borrowed much material from The Conchologist’s Textbook by naturalist Thomas Brown who derived his work from the writings of Jean-­Baptiste Lamarck and Carl Linnaeus."

Orange leather spine with decorative printed paper covered boards and gray leather title label to spine. Housed in a cloth covered box with matching paper covered edges. Letterpress printed by Arthur Larson of Horton Tank Graphics on Phoenix paper made specifically for this project by Gangolf Ulbricht in Berlin, Germany. Identification pages are printed on Kaji Natural paper. Housed in a gray cloth slipcase. Binding and slipcase by Claudia Cohen. Measures 6.5 x 9 inches. Unpaginated. Fine. (#37244)

Price: $3,500

Wildflowers of Washington State
Limited Edition with Engravings

[Wiesedruck]
Horowitz, Sarah, etching and design; Tim McNutty, essay.
Wildflowers.
Peshastin, Washington: Wiesedruck, 2016.

Number 37 of 40 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This book includes a collection of plants native to Chelan County in central Washington State, documented by Horowitz during daily walks in the region. The artist sought guidance in choosing flowers iconic to this region from local botanists and naturalists of the Washington Native Plant Society. A sample of flowers chosen include: Mule's ears, Glacier lily, Oregon anemone, Cat's ear lily, and Henderson's shooting star. McNutty's essay: "Gestures of Stone and Water: A Natural History of the Wenatchee Watershed" was composed for the Wenatchee River Watershed Art project in 2002, and is reprinted here with permission.

Following is an excerpt from McNutty's essay: "The craggy, windswept summit of Mount Stuart in Washington’s central Cascades feels like the top of the world. Granite walls plunge into glaciers and snowfields, and surrounding peaks fall away in a dizzying whirl. When the wind eases, the rush of meltwater streams thunders softly in canyons far below. For the Wenatchee watershed—nearly a million acres of converging ridges and flashing river canyons—9,415-foot Mount Stuart is the top of the world. From there, nearly fifty miles north to Chiwawa Mountain and half that distance southeast to Mission Ridge, a spectacular jumble of snowy peaks and ridges spills east in a grand gesture from Cascade crest to sagebrush steppe.”

Green leather spine titled in gilt with green pastepaper covered boards featuring a gilt wildflower to cover. Includes 23 plates drawn, etched, printed, and hand-colored by the artist. The text was letterpress printed by Art Larson onto hand-made paper by Katie MacGregor. Bound by Claudia Cohen. Housed in a tan cloth covered box with dark green leather title label to spine panel and green pasted-paper covered edges. Unpaginated. Box size: about 9 x 12 inches.

Sarah Horowitz has been awarded multiple grants and has held residencies at several arts centers including ArtBellwald in Switzerland. She taught printmaking at Portland State University for over ten years and was a member of Atelier Mars printmaking workshop during her time in Portland. Her press is named for the Wiese stream that runs through her grandparents backyard near Basel, Switzerland. Much of her work is printed on a Charles Brand Press once owned by Leonard Baskin. Her work is held in private and institutional collections across the U.S. Fine. (#36231)

Price: $3,200

Creation - cultural myths and molecular activity
Unique Hand Painted Artists' Book

Williams, Thomas Parker, book artist.
12.
Philadelphia: Thomas Parker Williams, 2021.

A unique artist's book from noted artist Thomas Parker Williams. It is part of the series "Wordless - Painted and Drawn that Narratives," which Williams conceived, designed, illustrated, bound and for which he constructed the cases. Thomas Parker Williams began creating artists' books in 1998 while also painting. As of 2009 he has limited his art practice exclusively to artists' books. In that year he also began collaborating with his wife, photographer Mary Agnes Williams. In 2013 they started Luminice Press, incorporating letterpress printing into artists' books and broadsides. The artists' books draw on a range of conceptual sources in creating their books, including mathematics, music, literature, theology, philosophy, astronomy, natural sciences, and Eastern thought. He often creates videos and composes music to accompany his books that may be found on his website (www.thomasparkerwilliams.com). Books by Williams or the Luminice Press may be found in over 70 public collections around the country including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Williams describes his book in an artist's statement: "12 is a visual essay with an original music composition that explores creation from realistic representations of original cultural myths to abstract representations of molecular activity leading back to the singularity that created the Big Bang."

This fascinating book is 12 sided, with 12 movable panels on cold press watercolor paper with tear resistant paper hinges. The panels are 10 x 10 inches. The book opens to 31 inches in diameter. The panels are painted and drawn on each side with dry pigments in alkyd medium, oil based enamels, acrylic inks, watercolors, and colored pencil. The book is housed in a custom case with a hand-painted design that measures 10.5 x 10.5 x .75 inches. In fine condition. (#35563)

Price: $3,000

A Meditation on Life Cycles - focusing on a crow's life
Unique Hand-Painted Artists' Book

Williams, Thomas Parker, book artist.
Journey.
Philadelphia: Thomas Parker Williams, 2022.

A unique artist's book from noted artist Thomas Parker Williams. It is part of the series "Wordless - Painted and Drawn Narratives," which Williams conceived, designed, illustrated, bound and for which he constructed the cases.

Williams describes this fascinating work in an artist's statement: "Journey is a meditation on a life cycle from birth to death, followed by a new generation, that is expressed two ways. Pen and wash drawings of birds on one side - crows were the model - and abstract paintings, done in dry pigments and enamel, on the reverse side. The painting backgrounds progress from light to dark and the drawings follow the bird's progress from birth, through trials, to death, with a new generation flying away." The work comprises 14 attached panels that are each 7.25" square. There are the 14 bird drawings on one side and 14 paintings on the other side. They are done on Twinrocker handmade and Strathmore 400 series papers. The case is constructed in wood and Davey board, with linen Washi paper and acrylic with a magnetic closure. The work is 8.75 x 8.5 x 1.0 inches in its case. A stunning work in fine condition. (#35558)

Price: $5,000