[Aesop] L'Estrange, Sir Roger Kt.

Fables, of Aesop and other Eminent Mythologists: with Morals and Reflections

London: Printed for R. Sare, B. Took, M. Gillyflower, A & J Churchil, J. Hindmarsh, and G. Sawbridgd, 1694. Hard Cover. The Second edition, corrected and amended. Aesop's Fables was first printed in English by William Caxton in 1484. L'Estrange updated Caxton's version in 1692 and this is the second edition of L'Estrange's work. Includes a preface, the life of Aesop, and over 400 fables - 201 by Aesop and over 200 by other authors including Barlandus, Anianus, Abstemius, Poggius, and miscellaneous. After each fable, there is a moral and a reflection. Very good in contemporary full leather binding with gilt title label to spine. There are seven compartments and six raised bands on the spine. This book has been expertly rebacked. The end pages are modern and the remainder of the binding is contemporary. Wear to corners of boards and scuffing to boards. Pages 253 - 262 are stained although the text remains bright and is clearly ledgible. There are a few spots of scattered foxing throughout. Features two engraved frontis illustrations - one is a portrait of L'Estrange and one depicts a gathering of characters from the fables. There is a small loss to the corner of the frontis page; however, the illustration is not affected. Small burn mark to page 15 / 16. Aesop fables 1 - 201, Barlandus 202 - 214, Anianus 215 - 252, Abstemius 253 - 351, Poggius 352 - 373, Miscellany 374 - 383, Supplement. 476 pages. CHILD/052810. Very Good.

Beadle, J. H.

Western Wilds and the Men Who Redeem Them: An Authentic Narrative

Cinncinnati, Philadelphia, Chicago: Jones Brothers & Co. [1877]. Hard Cover. Unclear whether this is the true first edition. Copyright date is 1877 but there is no date on the title page. An account of seven years travel and adventures in the far west...An amazing narrative by Beadle, who traveled "to tell the exact truth about the country west of the Missippi." Fascinating details about every aspect of the trip, from the people they met, the weather, terrain, and much more. Bound in original reddish brown cloth with ornate black designs to front and back covers as well as spine. The title on the front board is black with a gilt background. Pictured in gilt is a man from the wild west as well as a cow and pig. Bumping and light chips to corners of boards and spine. Otherwise in very good condition. Interior pages show slight aging, and front and back hinges loose from the weight of the book. Black and white illustrations throughout and a fold-out color map of the Indian nations in the new world. Map is fine. 624 pages. AMHIST/070710. Very Good.

Blind, Mathilde

The Prophecy of St. Oran and Other Poems

London: 1881. Hard Cover. First Edition. Presentation copy, inscribed "with author's compliments." Poet, translator, and biographer, Mathilde Blind (1841 - 1896) was born in Germany and moved to London at an early age. She was a close friend of William Michael Rossetti and lived with painter Ford Madox Brown and his wife, Emma, for several years around the time that this book was written. There were rumors that Brown wished to marry Mathilde after Emma's death, but they never wed. A visit to Scotland inspired this poem which describes the mission of St. Columba to the Hebrides. Very good in original black cloth boards with faded gilt title to spine. The spine ends, joints, and corners are worn and the boards are bubbled. There is an article from The Times about St. Oran affixed to the front pastedown. The interior has a few pencil annotations, previous owners name in pen, and a few spots of foxing. Scarce. 135 pages. POE/062510. Very Good.

[Caliban Press] Shakespeare, William

The Tempest

Canton, NY: Caliban Press, 2001. 95 of 125 copies. The Tempest is generally thought to be Shakespeare's last play and is now considered one of his greatest. This beautiful edition was designed, printed, and bound by Mark McMurray at his Caliban Press, which was established by him in 1985. An announcement for the book states that this edition was inspired by a variety of sources, including the First Folio, the Bread & Puppet Theater of Vermont, John Coltrane's Ole, the film Black Orpheus, and Prospero's library. The text is taken chiefly from the First Folio edition of Shakespeare's works published in 1623. Except for the eight songs, the spelling has been modernized. The book is bound in handmade lavender paper covers with a purple morocco spine. A circle has been cut into the front cover and the title is printed underneath on light green paper. The book is printed using seven handmade and mould made papers from several different makers of handmade paper. The type is 14 point Dante, a type that was designed by Giovanni Marderstaag and first released in 1954. There are striking images found within this edition taken from a variety of found and historical sources including relief prints, collage, pochoir, and a volvelle. There is also a linocut by wood engraver Greg Lago. The book is housed in a handmade blue paper portfolio. The spine has a white title label, and the front cover has an image also used in the text. 119 pages. PRI/121010.

Carroll, Lewis; John Tenniel (illustrator)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

London: Macmillan and Co, 1866 and 1872. Tenniel, John. Hard Cover. First published edition, first issue. Illustrated by John Tenniel with forty-two illustrations in volume one and fifty illustrations in volume two. Both volumes are bound in the original cloth with gilt titles to spines and circular gilt illustrations on both covers featuring Alice holding a pig, the Cheshire cat, the Red Queen, and the White Queen. Each volume has been expertly rebacked using the original boards, spines, and endpages with the repair visible in a few places along the spine ends and joints. There is minor fraying and wear to the spine ends, corners, and edges of the boards. The spine of Alice is darkened although the gilt title remains bright. There is minor rubbing and a few small spots of soiling to the boards of both volumes. There are two small dampstains on the rear board of Through the Looking-Glass, one of which effects the gilt illustration. There are a few bubbles under the cloth of Through the Looking Glass. The interior of Alice is lightly foxed and top margin is lightly browned. The verso of the front free endpage in Through the Looking Glass has remnants of glue where a bookplate was once adhered. The facing half title page is lightly browned as a result. Both volumes have a few light smudge marks and a few small spots of soiling. Alice has pale blue end pages and Through the Looking Glass has dark blue end pages. Full edges gilt. Both volumes are housed in a red cloth box with gilt titles of both volumes to the spine. The spine of the box is faded and the panels have minor rubbing and wear Very good condition. CHILD/122210. Very Good.

[Chester River Press] Conrad, Joseph; Marc Castelli (illustrator); Chad Pastomik and James Dissette (designers and printers)

Heart of Darkness

Chestertown, MD: Chester River Press, 2008. Marc Castelli. Hard Cover. 73 of 150 copies. Winner of the 2010 Carl Hertzog Award for book design! Fine in quarter navy blue goatskin with marbled paper covered boards and gilt title to spine. Beautifully printed in black (text), brown (illustrations), and deep red (headers). Includes many illustrations, some of which fold out by maritime artist Marc Castelli. Letterpress printed at Deepwood Press by Chad Pastomik and James Dissette using Hahnemuhle Biblio type. The books were bound by Jon Buller at his Bessenberg Bindery. Edited to conform to the 1921 Heinemann edition by Gerard Cataldo, William Frank, and Kathleen Jones. Housed in a blue cloth slipcase with paper title label to front panel. 100 pages. PRI/070810. Fine in fine slipcase.

[Clemente, Francesco]; Vincent Katz (essay and interview)

Life is Paradise. The Portraits of Francesco Clemente

New York: powerHouse Books, 1999. Hard Cover. Signed by the artist and author. First edition. The portraits of Italian painter Francesco Clemente (1952 - ) are qutie striking with references to expressionism and surrealism. This book includes over 100 portraits with subjects ranging from poets to artists to actors to friends and family. A few notable examples include Allan Ginsberg, Minnie Driver, Keith Haring, Fran Lebowitz, Gweneth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, and Robert Mapplethorp. All portraits were completed from 1980 - 1997 in various medias such as watercolor, oil on wood panel, pastels and more. Near fine in illustrated paper covered boards with red spine panel and yellow title to spine. Gentle bumping to corners, otherwise in fine condition. In very good plus matching jacket with short closed tear to the front panel and Rizzoli price sticker to the spine panel. 186 pages. ART/011111. Near fine in Very good plus dust jacket.

Dass, Dean

The Age of Partial Objects

2005. 18 of 25 copies. Dean Dass is a noted artist, printmaker, and book artist. There have been many exhibits of his work , which can be found in both public and private collections. He has taught at the University of Virginia since 1985. Until this book, all of his books over the past twenty years have been manuscripts and thus unique. The Age of Partial Objects is his first editioned book. He worked on it for 18 months in order to not compromise his ideas of what is a book. For him the tension between the unique and the reproducible is vital. According to his artist's statement, this book turns Melanie Klein's clinical term "partial objects" into a metaphor for an age consisting of fragments and fragmented knowledge. The result of his efforts is a stunning book that conveys mystery, the incomplete, and the melancoly of existence. On various papers, Dass used gouache, collage, pencil, inkjet, etching lithography, Xerox and Xerox transfer, and letterpress to create this book. Bound in grey and silver paper laminated on cotton with letter press text of title on cover. Quarto in fine condition. 150 pages. ArtistsBooks/110910. Fine.

de Balzac, Honore; Ernest Dowson (translator), Charles Conder (illustrator)

La Fille aux Yeux d'Or [The Girl with the Golden Eyes]

London: Leonard Smithers, 1896. Hard Cover. First Edition. Includes six illustrations engraved on wood by Charles Conder. Stonehill and others state that this is the rare primary binding; copies are more commonly found in blue cloth. Very good plus in original yellow cloth boards with black title to spine and front board. Minor bumping to spine ends and bottom corners of boards. Slight darkening to spine. A few spots of foxing to early and late pages, otherwise the interior is clean. Housed in a half-morocco slipcase with purple cloth boards. The case is titled in gilt with gilt decoration and raised bands. Some discoloration, light soiling, and minor rubbing to case. The Artist and the Book 62; Nelson Smithers 1896. 12; Stonehill 51. 107 pages. LIT/052110. Very Good Plus.

Dean, Corinne

Cocoanut Suite: Stories of the West Indies

Boston: Meador Publishing Company, [1944]. Hard Cover. A charming and humorous semi-autobiographical book of stories by an African-American writer who went to Puerto Rico to teach. The pieces recount her misconceptions before she arrived and various adventures during her stay. Bound in bright red cloth with gilt title and author to front cover and spine. Some slight bumping but in very good condition. Interior pages are clean and tightly bound. No dj. 102 pages. LIT/052710. Very Good.

Donaldson Smith, A.

Through Unknown African Countries: The First Expedition from Somaliland to Lake Lamu

New York: Edward Arnold, 1897. Hard Cover. SIGNED BY AUTHOR WITH TWO IMPORTANT LETTERS LAID IN. First Edition of Donaldson Smith's enthralling narrative describing his journey in 1894-95 through previously unexplored areas of Africa, ranging from the Gulf of Aden to the Indian Ocean. Donaldson Smith, an American doctor and amateur big game hunter undertook the trip to explore, to gather geological and natural specimens, and to shoot animals. He was accompanied by an English taxidermist, Edward Dodson, and his friend Fred Gillett. They were attended by a contingent of native men and animals. The book recounts their experiences in great detail, and is filled with black and white illustrations, some being photographs, from the journey. They include full page depictions of shootings and encounters with various tribes; and partial page pictures of animals, birds, and native artifacts; There are sic partially colored maps, five of which fold out. The maps are in pristine condition despite the fragility of the paper on which they are printed. Following the text are several appendices with notes on the several collections that were brought back. Donaldson Smith's signature is written on the front free end page. Laid in are two important and interesting letters about his journey. Both are written to "Tony" who may have been a fellow physician since Donaldson Smith thanks him for medications he received from him and took on the trip. The first letter was written March 22, 1900 from Africa while on his way back to England. He tells Tony that the medicines were a godsend and that all of the peronnel of his caravan arrived out of the Nile without any sickness except for two Indians who hid themselves and were never found. He continues "It will take me over three months to reach the coast but my travelling in the future will be in safe country with everything known ahead - very different from exploring. So I can breath a sigh of relief that my journey has been a successful 'tho hard one."He says that his collections were all safe, and included 18 elephants with very large tusks and lots of other sport. He talks about the arrangements made for transporting his collections out of Africa and the routes he is taking as he makes his way back. The second 4 page letter is written in London and is dated June 23, '00. It begins "Just back in London with a pleasant feeling that - I have done all I wanted in Africa, & no devils...around to pester the life out of me. I did have a rough time of it - but of the hardest parts [sic] of the show was getting in! I had finally to pick up what riffraff I could & make a bolt - from Hargeisa across the Hand." After another paragraph expressing relief that he made it back with everything accomplished, he then discusses his problems in dealing with the Royal Geological Society. He had a row with them because of the way they had treated his maps. He also took offense at the remarks of the President at his annual address where he said "his great desire was to see the country between the N. end of L. Rudolf & the Nile explored by Englishmen"! Donaldson Smith says that he feels much like taking all his results to American. "If I do so I know the President of the R.G.S. will injure me all he can...He says if he gives his results to the Society, he stands an excellent chance of the Gold Medal. He continues on to discuss the situation, and then closes the letter by sending his best to various friends. A subsequent New York Times article about the R.G.S. award ceremony states that Donaldson Smith received the Patron's medal, not the Gold. Responding to a toast in his honor, he said that he wasa glad if he had done anything to help friendly relations between the United States and Great Britain. Bound in orginal black cloth with gilt ruling and elephant illustration to front board along with author and title. Gilt title and author also on spine. In very good condition with corner that are bumped, and bottom edges are chipped and have some discoloring. Some tenderness to hinges but otherwise tight. Interior is in near fine condition with pages and illustrations that are bright and clean. 472 pages plus 4 pages of ads. TRAV/011011. Very Good.

Ellis, Richard

Book Illustration: A Survey of its History & Development Shown by the Work of Various Artists, Together with Critical Comments.

Kingsport, TN: The Kingsport Press, 1952. Hard Cover. First Edition. SIGNED BY CLARE LEIGHTON, LYND WARD, AND FRITZ EICHENBERG. The contents of this book originally were published once a month as a series on book illustration in Publishers' Weekly. Because of many requests, the series was published in book format. According to the publisher's note, this book was not for sale, but distributed to those requesting a copy and to their many friends in the publishing, bookmaking, and others interested in the book arts. The series begins with medieval manuscripts and Renaissance books, and includes well known artists ranging from Durer,Hogarth, Blake, Cruickshank, Dore, Burne-Jones, Crane, Pyle; to Parrish, Beardsley, Dulac, Kent, Gill, and De Angeli. One page is devoted to each artist. Ward, Leighton, and Eisenberg signed the page on his/her work. A b&w illustration accompanies each artist. Bound in original black cloth backed orange cloth, with gilt title to spine. Minor wear and bumping to corners, otherwise near fine. 76 pages. BOB/111810. Near Fine.

[Fleece Press] Yorke, Malcolm

Today I Worked Well - the Picture Fell Off the Brush: The Artistry of Leslie Cole

England: The Fleece Press, 2010. Hard Cover. 1 of 500 copies. The artist Leslie Cole, who trained under Bawden and Ravilious at the Royal College of Art in the 1930s, produced some of the finest wartiime paintings when appointed an Official War Artist, his watercolors being particularly fine, many in a Ravilious influenced style. Cole travelled through Germany (recording the scenes of horrific trauma at Belsen a week after its liberation), France, Malta and the Far East, where he recorded the action in Borneo and Singapore, a theatre of the war largely forgotten by Europeans today. Cole’s work was the equal of any other war artist, and yet he was unable, for personal or other reasons, to maintain the momentum after the war, when he seems to have slid very slowly downhill, and his early promise was unfulfilled.The book also writes of Cole’s wife Brenda . She had a very colorful teenage history, being the chief prosecution witness for the Church of England when they prosecuted the Rector of Stiffkey for importuning young girls. She disguised this past very ably through her life, even changing her name, and may not even have told her husband. Her true identity was revealed to friends before she died. This handsome work was designed and type set by Simon Lawrence, the publisher. Bound in quarter dark blue cloth with beautiful blue marbled paper made by Louise Brockman for the front and rear covers. . Printed in Miller display type. Over 130 illustrations of Cole's works and photographs of him and his wife.198 pages including index. PRI/011311. Fine.