Philadelphia: Luminice Press, 2017. Number 7 of 12 copies. 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 inventive and provocative book is one of philosophical investigations that begin with three statements: "The truth can be found by...; The truth can not be found by...; The truth can only be found by..." These statements are illustrated on three flaps inside the cover which opens to reveal 21 double-sided cards with terms that may be used to complete the investigations or initiate further debate. On the back of each statement is another statement: "Reason is the search for evidence to support a proposition; Belief is the reliance on a personal conviction; Truth is found only if what is found is true." Bound in French split goatskin laser-cut binder's boards. The wood onlays are laser cut and painted with ink and watercolor. The text is letterpress printed with hand-set type and polymer plates. Four different marbled papers from Alberto Valese are used. Measures nine inches on each side and two inches deep. In fine condition. Fine. More

New York: Russell Maret, 2022. Hardcover. 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. PRI/060222. Fine. More

New York: Wiley and Putnam, 1847. Hardcover. Fourth edition of this first American printing of Melville's recounting of his voyages in the South Seas. With the sequel "The Story of Toby" on pages 293-307. Expertly rebacked with modern leather spine over original navy blue cloth covered boards. Gilt title to spine. Paper repair to rear free endpaper. Minor wear to edges of boards. Dampstaining and foxing throughout. 307 pages with 23 pages of advertisements to rear. LIT/101119. Very Good -. More

New York: G.P. Putnam & Col, 1854-1855. Scarce. The first appearance of Israel Potter, Melville’s novel about the Revolutionary War, was published in six parts in Putnam’s Magazine between July 1854 - March 1855. It was published in book form in March 1855. Loosely based on a real person, Israel Potter recounts the life of a young American who fights in the Revolution, is captured at sea by the British Navy, and has a series of adventures in England involving King George III, Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, and Ethan Allen. The work ends sadly, with Potter exiled in poverty in England for fifty years, finally returning to America shortly before his death. The book was a commercial failure in its time but garnered critical appreciation. Volume IV also includes Melville’s “The Lightning-Rod Man.” Both volumes are bound in the original green cloth with embossed designs to covers and gilt titling to spine. Both volumes have a few light stains to the boards, bumped / worn corners, and rubbed cloth, with faded gilt design and titling to spines. Sunning to both spines and to edges of boards. Evidence of library marking to spines of both volumes, covered over partially. Gouge to rear board of Volume IV, not affecting interior and small tears to joint. Book cloth is worn along joints of both volumes with several small tears; although, the boards remain firmly attached. Chipping to spine ends of both volumes. Ownership stamp of D.F. Tillinghast to front and rear pastedowns of both volumes. Old book seller stamp to endpapers of Volume V. Interior pages clean and bright with age darkening to some pages. Overall in very good condition. Volume IV: 672 pages; Volume V: 668 pages. LIT/050418. More

Paris and Boston: The Napoleon Society, 1895. Hardcover. Edition de Grand Luxe, limited to 500 copies of which this is number 387. All volumes are bound to match in three quarter dark brown leather over marbled paper covered boards. The first sixteen volumes are titled "Napoleon" and numbered from 1 to 16 in gilt on the spines. The five volumes of Talleyrand are titled "Memoirs of Talleyrand" and numbered from 1 to 5 in gilt on the spines. Raised bands to spines of all volumes, some with small losses and chipping. Minor wear to edges, hinges, and corners of boards with some volumes having heavier wear and some cracking to leather along hinges. All boards remain firmly attached except for the front board of volume one in the Talleyrand portion. This board is present but detached. Sunning to spines and to edges of boards. Clean interiors overall with occasional small spots of browning / foxing / soiling. One volume of the Talleyrand portion has minor dampstaining to margins of a few early pages. All volumes have marbled endpapers and top edges gilt. Illustrated; each illustration has a captioned tissue guard. The pages in many volumes remain unopened. Each volume is about 300 pages. An attractive set. FRE/111319. Very Good. More

Maplewood, NJ: Olchef Press, 2020. Number 12 of 55 copies. Signed by the poet and signed and numbered by the book artist, Sydney Jean Reisen. Reisen studied at Rutgers and at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Her books can be found in several collections nationally including the Library of Congress, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Getty Institute. Poet John Yau (1950 - ) has published over 50 books of poetry, fiction, and art criticism. His first book of poetry was published in 1976. Since then, he has won acclaim for his poetry’s attentiveness to visual culture and linguistic surface. In poems that frequently pun, trope, and play with the English language [Poetry Foundation]. Catullus (c. 84 – c. 54 BC), was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote chiefly in the neoteric style of poetry, focusing on personal life rather than classical heroes. His surviving works are still read widely and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art [Wikipedia]. This lovely book marries Yau's evocative poem to Reisen's thoughtful and beautifully executed artist's book. She writes in her prospectus: "If Catullus is going to sail to China he better have a boat that floats. John Yau’s words take a poet to his destination, but words are impermanent. Printing, in particular letterpress, give words physicality, it forms and protects them. Printing creates text. It was the mission of this book to not impede the words’ journey by making sure the text was equally seaworthy. First, there needed to be a sea. The element of water was introduced by the flexible fibers of kozo paper. Kozo was the right substrate, but in turn it created problems of buoyancy. Another characteristic of the paper, transparency, sunk the text into a puddle. To open the route and keep the text afloat, a rig and a crew were implemented. The structure of the book, the materials, and printing techniques were developed to fill these roles. Once the text was secure on the surface, the book granted the text more liberties. It was able to rise and fall, fly and dive as it journeyed eastward. Hopefully the reader enjoys the ride more than Catullus. Nine poems are printed on Sekishu and color kozo from Hiromi Paper and stab bound in a shop-made muslin bookcloth to construct a fluid and strong book. The texts are set in cold metal Bembo in tandem with prints crafted with ornamental letterpress, wood and resingrave block, and pochoir. The applied colors are distemper inks derived from historic recipes for preindustrial wallpaper production." Housed in a black archival box with a white spine with black titling. In fine condition. Book measures 6 x 7 inches; Box is 7 x 8 inches. ARTB/092821. Fine. More

London: John Parker & Son, 1854 and 1856. Hardcover. First Editions. Inscribed by the author, “With the author’s compliments” in first volume. The Angel of the House became extremely popular in its time, and the title became a Victorian phrase used to describe the ideal wife/woman. Patmore wrote this about his wife, Emily, whom he thought was perfect. John Everett Millais painted her portrait and used the same title as the book. After the first book there were three subsequent installments. This and the first installment formed a coherent poem. The later two were a separate poem inspired by the first. Bound in original rippled brown cloth with paper spine labels. Rubbed and bumped, and tears to The Espousals label. Interior pages generally very good. Pastedown to first volume stained and has remains of a bookplate. Second volume has a light ink inscription on pastedown and a pencil drawing and signature on the free front endpaper. Volume I: 191 pages; Volume II: 182 pages plus 16 page publisher catalog. This set may require an extra shipping fee. LIT/040912. Very Good. More

London: Charles Hirsch, 1896. Hardcover. First Edition of an uncommon work. A curious book, it was one of two legitimate novels published by Charles Hirsch, a London bookseller and publisher known for distributing clandestine works. William Platt was a peculiar 1890s writer whose works concerned the role of the sexes and often leaned toward the risque. In keeping with this, the cover has an illustration in gilt of a nude woman reading a book. In original green cloth, somewhat rubbed and bumped. Interior pages have browning to margins, offsetting to free endpapers with chip to rear free endpaper. Still a nice copy in very good condition. 222 pages plus ad for music by William Platt and 16 pages of reviews of Platt's Men, Women, and Chance. LIT/032513. Very Good. More

Philadelphia: George R. Graham & Co., 1846. Hardcover. Includes Poe's “Marginalia,” fifth on pages 116-118, eighth on pages 245-248, and ninth on pages 311-313 - installments of the full series. Also contains the first printing of Poe’s essay, “The Philosophy of Composition,” on pages 163-167. Both volumes are bound together in three-quarter brown pebbled leather with green marbled paper covered boards and gilt title to spine with five raised bands. Rubbing and wear to hinges, edges, and corners. Scuffing to boards and losses to paper on both boards. One inch chip to leather along head of spine. Foxing throughout, mostly to margins and offsetting from some plates. All twelve fashion plates are present. Dampstaining to margins of most pages and to rear board. A few splits to interior. 284 pages in Volume 28; 320 pages in Volume 29. PER/060822. Very Good. More

New York: Derby and Miller, 1864. Hardcover. Campaign biographies from the 1864 election. These were originally issued in paper wrappers. Bound in three quarter leather over marbled paper covered boards with gilt title, authors, and date to spine. Raised bands and gilt rules to spine. Binding is signed by Tickeman and Co. Minor rubbing to boards and minor wear to edges, bands, and corners. Top edge gilt with marbled endpapers. Foxing to interior, mostly to first few pages and to margins. Bookplate of Judd Stewart with the motto "Verdad es Verde" and a portrait of Lincoln to front pastedown. Penned gift inscription from Stewart to front endpaper. Includes advertisements but not the original wrappers. Attractive and well preserved. 136 plus 8 pages of ads to rear and 2 pages of ads to front. PRES/062322. Very Good. More

London: Grant Richards, [1898]. Original Illustrations. Scarce. 750 copies printed. These are the disbound pages from English Portraits, with seventeen of Will Rothenstein’s twenty-four lithographs of well-known persons of his day, along with a page of complimentary comments about each person. Rothenstein (1872-1945) was famous for his portraits, and painted Albert Einstein, T.S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, W.B. Yeats, and Oscar Wilde among many others. Both his painted works and his prints display his great sensitivity and artistic mastery. He was also a friend to many prominent figures of his day, including Max Beerbohm, Joseph Conrad, and H.G. Wells. This group from English Portraits are as follows: Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon, Sir Frederick Pollock, Thomas Hardy, Sir F. Seymour Haden, William Archer, The Right Rev. Dr. Creighton, The Marchioness of Granby (Violet Lindsay), The Right Hon. W.E.H. Lecky, John Singer Sargent, Arthur Wing Pinero, William Ernest Henley, Sidney Colvin, George Bernard Shaw, Alice Meynell (2 copies), Grant Allen, and Henry James. Each leaf measures 10 x 14.5 inches. The title page and table of contents page are also included. Some browning, closed tears, and light chipping, particularly to the page margins, but the lithographs are generally in quite nice condition. ART/011712. Very Good. More

Dania Beach, FL: Claire Jeanine Satin, 2020. A unique artists' book from Claire Jeanine Satin, a well known book artist, sculptor and designer of public art installations. Satin's work has been extensively exhibited and collected in the United States and in Europe, including at The Library of Congress, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Getty (CA), MOMA, and The Victoria and Albert Museum. She is known especially for her conceptual works in uenced by the ideas of her friend and mentor the composer/visual artist John Cage, and the conversion of ordinary industrial materials into environmental constructions and book works of layered transparent mass. This is one of a series of lovely unique works by Satin, each signed by her. Each book is created with Cordenons paper, a fine paper that has been manufactured in Italy since 1630. This book uses various papers, strips from maps, sequins, crystals, and monofilament to create precise and inventive designs on the cover and each page. In a white gauze bag. In fine condition. Measures 5 x 7 inches. Unpaginated [8 pages]. ARTISTSB/032521. Fine. More