Baily, Florence

Gleanings From the Fields of Life: An Old Year Reverie. With Chromolithograph Plates

Philadelphia: Porter and Coates, 1882. Hard Cover. Folio, bound in modern maroon cloth with gilt lettering. 10 chromolithograph plates. Foxing throughout, including to plates; some dampstaining to upper corners of pages; early blank page has owner inscription and has been torn out and taped in place again. Illustrated Books. ILL1/6211. Good.

[Beardsley, Aubrey]

The Pay of the Pied Piper. Reprinted from the 1888 Xmas Entertainment (program of the Brighton Grammar School).

[Brighton?]: n.p. [1898?]. Aubrey Beardsley. Wraps. Scarce. Eleven reproductions of illustrations for The Pay of the Pied Piper: A Legend of Hamelin Town, which originally appeared in the program for the Brighton Grammar School Entertainment, at the Dome on Wednesday, December 19, 1888. The illustrations were described as "Original Etchings by A.V. Beardsley, A Present Boy." In addition to providing the illustrations, Beardsley was a member of the cast (see Lasner, 5 and 5a). This set of loose reproductions in brown wraps was from the collection of the Beardsley scholar Rainsforth Armitage Walker. In a manuscript note inserted in his copy, Walker described this as a "special paper re-issue." He says in his note that "I do not recall this mentioned anywhere but in an Evans sale catalogue...in 1919." The illustrations are mounted on brown stiff paper. In near fine condition. Unpaginated. ART/043013. Near Fine in Wraps.

Bedier, Joseph; Robert Engels, illustrator

Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut

Paris: L'Edition d'Art H. Piazza, 1914. Robert Engels. 1/2 leather. Number 80 of 525 copies. A lavishly illustrated French language edition of the classic medieval love story of Tristan et Iseut, illustrated by Engels with a darker "Nordic" ambiance to splendid results. Bound in half brown leather over polished wooden boards. Five raised bands and blind-stamped ornamental designs to the leather. Original soft covers and spine bound in. In near fine condition. 199 pages. FRE/032913. Near Fine.

Calvino, Italo; Sergio Samek Ludovici

Tarots: The Visconti Pack in Bergamo and New York

Milan: Franco Maria Ricci, 1975. Hard Cover. Number 566 of 3000 copies, signed by Franco Maria Ricci. Folio. The book contains a novel by Calvino titled Le Chateau des destins croises or The Castle of Crossed Destines in which several weary travelers communicate by using tarot cards. Through the cards, they tell each other about their odd journeys, love affairs, deceptions, battles, and more. The book also includes an essay by Sergio Samek Ludovici on the Visconti-Sforza tarot card, with a list of the cards, their current locations, and full color reproductions of each card. The Visconti-Sforza tarot deck is composed of about 15 incomplete decks in various locations around the world. The deck dates from the 15th century and is one of oldest in existence. Each card is lavishly decorated and has greatly influenced the design and interpretation of modern tarot decks. Near fine in black cloth boards with gilt title to spine and front board. Two glossy full color illustrations of tarot cards are pasted onto the front board. The interior is printed on blue handmade paper made by Pietro Miliani mills at Fabriano. Housed in a very good black cloth covered box with minor wear to the edges and light scuffing. The book has a strong musty odor, else in fine condition. 161 pages. Very Good.

Carroll, Lewis; Harry Furniss (illustrator)

Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded

London: Macmillan and Co, 1889. Harry Furniss. Hard Cover. Two volume set in box. Includes a laid in advertisement from Carroll about the poor quality of the 60th thousand issue of Through the Looking Glass. Each volume contains 46 illustrations by Harry Furniss. This is a charming story set in Victorian England with two main plots; one is set in the real world and the other is set in a fantasy world. Both volumes are bound in the original red cloth with gilt titles to the spines, gilt rules to the edges of the boards, and gilt devices to the boards. Both volumes have full edges gilt and black endpages. The spine of the first volume is browned with chips and minor fraying to the spine ends. There are a few light spots of soiling, a few scuff marks, and a small bump to the covers of this volume as well. Both hinges are starting, the spine is lightly rolled, there is minor foxing to the last few pages, and a previous owner has inscribed the half title page in pen dated from the late nineteenth century. The second volume is noticeably brighter and cleaner than the first - probably due to the remnants of the original jacket which still protect it. It is lightly browned along the head of the spine and has some rubbing / light wear on the spine. The covers are bright and clean with a few small bubbles under the bookcloth. The title page and frontis are browned due to the tissue guard, but otherwise the interior is very clean with a tight binding. This volume does have the front and rear panels of the original jacket along with a portion of the spine. The jacket which was originally blue has browned considerably. The spine portion of the jacket which had the title is no longer present; however, the original price sticker of "8/6 Net" is still adhered to the bottom edge of the spine panel. Both volumes are housed in a red cloth box. The box is worn along the edges and the bottom joint is beginning to split. Volume 1 has 400 pages plus 4 pages of ads and Volume 2 has 423 pages plus 5 pages of ads. CHILD/121710. Very Good.

[Cheloniidae Press] Browne, Sir Thomas; Alan James Robinson (illustrator and printer); Jan van Dorsten (introduction)

Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Of Unicornes Hornes

Cheloniidae Press, 1984. Hard Cover. This is the artists' proof X from an edition of 60 copies of the Deluxe Edition with extra suite of prints. There were 225 copies in the standard edition. Signed by the artist on the colophon, beneath each print within the book, and on each print included with the extra suite of prints. Includes fifteen wood engravings and one etching by Alan James Robinson, a master printer and artist who established the Cheloniidae Press, later called The Press of the Sea Turtle. The text used for this edition was first published in 1650, “corrected and much enlarged by the author.” English author Sir Thomas Browne (1605 - 1682) was fascinated with the natural world. In this text he describes a variety of horned animals and ponders the varying medicinal value of their horns. His text has been beautifully printed and illustrated by Robinson with unicorns, horned beetles, a walrus, a narwhal, and more. The book is bound in white paper covered boards with vellum spine titled in gilt. Two of the illustrations are printed in blue ink along with one opening initial; the remaining illustrations and text are printed in black. This deluxe edition is issued with 15 loose plates, which include all of the wood engravings and the one etching printed in the book plus one additional image of a unicorn. Each is signed and numbered by the artist. The extra suite of plates is contained in a cloth portfolio which matches the box. The book and portfolio are housed in an off-white cloth covered clamshell box with vellum spine title in gold. The emblem of the Cheloniidae Press, a sea turtle, is also stamped in gold along with the date at the foot of the spine on the box. The box shows light wear along the edges and corners and there are a few light smudge marks to panels. The prospectus featuring signed unicorn illustration is included. The book and portfolio are In fine condition and the box is in near fine condition. Unpaginated. [60 pages]. Fine in Near Fine Box.

Cowper, William

The Diverting History of John Gilpin

New York: George Routledge and Sons, n.d., (late 19th-century). Hard Cover. Vg/oblong quarto/color illus. plates by H. Rosa/light wear to boards Illustrated Books. LIT1/2042. Very Good.

Debussy, Claude; Andre Halle, illustrator

La Boite a Joujoux. Ballet pour Enfants

Paris: Durand et Cie, 1913. Andre Helle. Boards. A charming copy of Debussy's ballet score (piano reduction only) for La Boite a Joujoux, with delightful color pochoire illustrations by Andre Helle. The ballet was inspired by Debussy's daughter and her toys and toybox. This was one of Debussy's final works, and the ballet was in fact not staged until after his death, with costumes and decor by Helle. Published in hardbound and softbound editions, this copy has been recased in tan paper-covered boards with Helle's illustrated title affixed to front cover. The original paper covers are bound in. In very good plus condition with a few small closed tears on the lower margin of a few pages, and some pages partially separated from binding. 10 x 13 inches. 48 pages. MUS/040513. Very Good+.

[Eric Fraser] Backemeyer, Sylvia

Eric Fraser. Designer and Illustrator

London: Lund Humphries Publishers, 1998. Hard Cover. Fine in maroon cloth boards with white title to spine. Filled with illustrations some of which are in full color. Fine white dust jacket with black title to spine and front panels. Index, 151 pages. CHILD/093010. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket.

Gilpin, William M.A.

Observations on the Western Parts of England Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty. To Which are Added, A Few Remarks on the Picturesque Beauties of the Isle of Wight [WITH FORE-EDGE PAINTING]

London: T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, 1798. Leather Bound. Gilpin's book is based upon his travels in the 1770s. Two editions of the book were published in 1798, this being a small quarto with eighteen aquatint plates by Gilpin's nephew, William Sawrey Gilpin done from his uncle's drawings. This copy is further adorned with a fore-edge painting of a church spire in the mid-distance above a small town viewed across a foreground of green, with three horses and riders and a man, woman, and child. Bound in green morocco with decorative rules and six compartments with the gilt title on spine and all edges gilt. The leather covers show some wear at the edges and the spine has faded to a nut-brown. The striking endpapers are marbled with gilt dentelles and bearing the armorial bookplate of the Rt. Hon. Lord Gray. In very good condition. 360 pages. TRA/040813. Very Good.

[Incline Press] Alan Powers, Barry Kitts, Ronald Maddox; Eric Ravilious (illustrator)

In Place of Toothpaste: Eric Ravilious and the Revival of Water-colour Painting in England

Oldham, England: Incline Press, 2004. Hard Cover. 35 of 250 copies. Contains three essays about the English watercolor painter Eric Ravilious (1903 - 1942). He was an official war artist during World War II and died during a rescue mission near Iceland. Bound in quarter blue cloth with printed paper covered boards and gilt title label to spine. The top corners of both boards are bumped, else this is a fine copy. Illustrated with five tipped in color plates of Ravilious's paintings, a facsimilie of a letter, and several decorations which Ravilious designed for the Dent Everyman series. An attractive book. 32 pages. PRI/010512. Near Fine.

[Indulgence Press] Lo Ch'ing; Thomas Rose, foreword and photographs

Secrets

Minneapolis: Indulgence Press, 2012. Portfolio. Number 7 of 10 copies. Signed and numbered by poet Lo Ch'ing and artist Thomas Rose. A stunning production from the noted Indulgence Press. This is one of several books produced in collaboration by Wilber "Chip" Schilling, owner of the Indulgence Press, and author-artist Thomas Rose. In this book they created a beautiful and mysterious work that combines Rose's haunting photographs with the poetry of Lo Ch'ing, a noted modern poet from China. In his foreword, Rose states that "art deals with primary intention and those aspects of objects and space that are unavailable to logic." His images are constructed from various sources including shadows and reflections. They are illusions, reflections in glass. "Lo Ch'ing's poems give these images...depth and richness." The pairings of the photographs and poems are open-ended and ambiguous, allowing for conjecture as to how the images and text meet. The eight photographic prints are originals by Rose, and the interpretive poems were written by Lo Ch'ing for this book, with his orginal brushwork and translations. They were printed letterpress from plates by Wilber Schilling. Each image is printed color on a fine woven paper with a light and semi-transparent sheet on top of it with the poem in Chinese and English along with the striking black brushwork. The elephant folio sized sheets are housed in a green and black cloth portfolio with diagonal boards that fasten with a peg. An exceptional work in fine condition. Unpaginated. PRI/121312. Fine.