(London): Sadie Coles HQ, (1997). Paperback. Number 29 of 50 copies. Signed by both authors on title page in pencil. A collection of fifty love poems by English artists Thomson (1966) and Lowe (1967), who are known best for their humorous and sometimes offensive installations pieces. Their work often involves recreating elements from historical artworks by using everyday objects such as cigarettes or whiskey bottles to make statements about popular English culture. Fitting with their visual art, these poems are terse, crude, and very funny. They poke fun at the seriousness of the love poetry genre with verses like: "Tonight I want you more, than any other, it's crazy I know, after you left me for, me brother." The poems are printed in black ink on fine paper and are housed in a black paper covered box titled in silver on the front panel. Unpaginated. [51 pages.] ARTB/081914. Fine. More

London: Chapman and Hall, 1880. Hardcover. FIRST EDITION. Three volumes in the original cloth. This book was never reprinted in its original triple decker form (Sadleir). It is the last book of Trollope’s wonderful Palliser series. The six books of the series follow the lives of Plantagenet Palliser, later the Duke of Omnium, and his wife, Lady Glencora. She is one of Trollope’s most memorable characters, full of life and personality. The book is bound in dark blue-green cloth with block design on front cover, and spine with gilt title, author, and publisher. The bindings are in very good condition with some bumping to boards and spine edges. The interior pages are quite clean with the usual aging to the page margins. In Volume I the rear hinge is cracked, although the binding is otherwise tight. There is a diagonal tear across the top right of the first page of each volume, with a few words from the first four lines of the recto missing. Volumes II and III are tender but holding tight. Very nice except for the odd tears to the first page of each book. Volume I: 320 pages; Volume II: 327 pages; Volume III: 312 pages. This set may require an extra shipping fee. LIT/010913. Very Good. More

New York: Harper, 1916. Softcover. Rare in original wrappers, complete in seven parts published May-November 1916. The Mysterious Stranger is a novel attempted by the author Mark Twain. He worked on it intermittently from 1897 through 1908. Twain wrote multiple versions of the story; each involves a supernatural character called “Satan” or “No. 44”. All the versions remained unfinished. Harper’s Magazine serialized the work posthumously, basing it on the last version, called No. 44. It was the only one of his four versions of the book to have an actual ending. Despite this, it is considered debatable that it could be called finished. Each issue has a different pictorial cover, including a portrait of Twain on the May issue. Condition is generally very good, with chipping, bumping and creasing to various issues. Interiors clean and bright. “Withdrawn from Oregon State Library” stamp on front of three issues. LIT/091318. Very Good. More

Rockport, ME: Two Ponds Press, 2015. 2600 / 1560. Number 35 of 75 copies, signed and numbered by Joseph Goldyne. Joseph Goldyne was born in 1942 in Chicago, IL. He came to prominence as an artist on the West Coast. He has been credited as one of the artists responsible for the rebirth of monotype and monoprint as valuable approaches to art. He is also known for his artist's books, often done in collaboration with printer Peter Rutledge Koch. From the Prospectus: "Joseph Goldyne brought this project to our attention, and the Press was convinced that this little-known oratory by George Bernard Shaw deserved wider recognition, one that Goldyne thought a most unexpectedly wondrous and humorous introduction to Albert Einstein, perhaps the most transformative and towering figure of the twentieth century. Goldyne's own introduction, " An Introduction to an Introduction," speaks to his discovery of Shaw's speech, its presentation, Shaw's record of condemning anti-Semitism, and his public support for Einstein. The full text of Shaw's speech is reprinted, together with Einstein's response, delivered in German and printed here in English translation. Goldyne illustrates the volume with five drypoint etchings created especially for this publication. They pay tribute to the featured speakers as well as to the sense of the event." Beautifully bound in cream paper covered boards with gilt dotted rulings and ornament on front cover of circle with initials "S|E" in its center. Gray leather spine and trim along front edges, with gilt titling on spine. Printed in Monotype Bembo and Gill Sans types on paper handmade at the Velké Losiny mill in the Czech Republic. Letterpress printing by Arthur Larson at Horton Tank Graphics with additional hand composition by Rose Ku'ulealoha Wisotzky. Design and typography planned by Michael Russem Housed in a slipcase covered in dark red cloth with "S|E" symbol on spine. Accompanied by prospectus. A lovely book in fine condition. Measures 6.5 x 10 inches. 39 pages. PRI/112321. More

Paris: Draeger Freres, n.d. [1920s]. Stiff Boards. A charming advertising piece from the furriers Leroy & Schmid. There are four full page color illustrations and seven full page black and white photographs of women wearing sumptuous furs. The tipped in color illustrations are in a beautiful art deco style by Martin, Barbier, Drian, and Vincent. There are three text sections. The first was written by the writer and fencer Marcel Boulenger about an imaginary fur hunting expedition. The second is about wearing furs in winter, and the last is on miniatures of the 18th century. Each section is illustrated. Bound in stiff cream paper boards with reproduction of a miniature, title, and furrier name on front cover. Some soiling, bumping, and a few spots but in very good condition. Interior pages are bright and in very good condition save for a slight crease to the upper right page corners. An uncommon and delightful promotional publication from the early 20th century. Unpaginated. Very Good. More

London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane, 1894. Hardcover. Scarce. One of 650 copies. Presentation copy from the publisher John Lane, inscribed in pencil to the Irish poet and novelist Katharine Tynan Hinkson: "Mrs. Hinkson with the publisher's regards." Presentation and association copies of the two books of the Rhymers' Club are extremely uncommon. The Rhymers' Club, founded in 1890 by the young William Butler Yeats and Ernest Rhys, was a group of London-based poets, Originally it was not much more than a dining club, meeting in pubs, Those who took part included Ernest Dowson, Lionel Johnson, Francis Thompson, Richard Le Gallienne, John Gray, John Davidson, Edwin J. Ellis, Victor Plarr, Selwyn Image, Lord Alfred Douglas, Arthur Cecil Hillier, John Todhunter, G.A. Greene, Arthur Symons, Ernest Radford, and Thomas William Rolleston. Oscar Wilde attended some meetings that were held in private homes. The group as a whole matched quite closely Yeats' retrospective idea of 'the tragic generation', destined for failure and in many cases early death. Along with the social element of the Rhymers' Club, they published two volumes of verse. The first, titled The Book of the Rhymers' Club was published by Elkin Mathews in 1892. The Second Book of the Rhymers' Club, with five poems by Yeats, appeared two years later in 1894, published by the recently merged Elkin Mathews and John Lane. They had print runs of 450 and 650 respectively. By the time Arthur Ransome wrote his Bohemia in London in 1907, the group had long passed into legend." Bound in original brown cloth with gilt title to spine. Light browning to margins of interior pages. With bookplates of writer J.G.E. Hopkins, culinary writer Helmut Lothar Ripperger, and collector Mark Samuels Lasner. Very good condition. POE/080715. Very Good. More

Paris: Chez Briand, Libraire, 1818. Hardcover. 5 volumes. Size: 16mo. Third edition, expanded. Illustrated with 36 engravings. Very good with brown leather spines and tips and marbled paper covered boards. The front cover of volume 1 is present but detached. Remaining hinges are fragile but holding. Marbled endpapers and page edges. The laid paper interiors are bright, although there is some light foxing. Engraved frontispiece and illustrations in each volume. In French. TRA/3113. Very Good. More

Toronto: George A. Walker, 2020. Number 22 of 35 copies signed and numbered by the book artist. An additional 10 hors commerce copies were made and lettered A–J. In this handsome pictorial biography, noted wood engraver George A. Walker celebrates the life of Mary Pickford (1892-1979), a silent film star whose groundbreaking contributions to the motion picture industry earned her the title ‘Queen of the Movies’. Toronto-born Gladys Louise Smith, who would later come to be known as Mary Pickford, first burst onto the silent-film scene at the tender age of 17. But Pickford was more than just ‘the girl with the curls’. In addition to her acting career—a brilliant success that spanned 52 features—Pickford also helped establish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as United Artists studio. In this edition Walker tells the story of Pickford’s life in a sequential narrative not unlike the silent films of old, complete with inter-titles. The 87 black-and-white wood engravings recall the monochromatic media of Pickford’s films, and echo the experience of interpreting stories visually. The number 87 was Pickford’s age when she died and the number 35 (copies of the limited edition) refers to the 35mm film on which silent movies were shot. The engravings are hand printed on 250 gsm Revere Felt mouldmade paper created at the 600 year old Cartiere Magnani mill in Italy. The book is beautifully bound in blue Asahi silk cloth and is housed in a protective clamshell box with a drawer that contains ephemera from Pickford's career. The ephemera included with this copy include a limited edition engraving that was featured in the book; two small and one larger photograph of Pickford; two postcards of Pickford's birthplace in Toronto and her Beverly Hills home when she was married to actor Douglas Fairbanks; a postcard sized copy of a Pickford movie poster; and an early 20th century Charlie Chaplin film cell. The book features hand marbled end leaves and bevelled cover boards with a wood engraving print sunk into the cover. In fine condition. Book size: 6.25 X 7.5 X 1.75 inches. Unpaginated(160 pages printed recto). PRI/071122. More

Risbury, England: Whittington Press, 2007. Hardcover. Number 21 of 70 copies of the deluxe edition. There were 750 total copies printed including 680 copies of the regular edition. This is one of the special copies of the annual publication of Matrix, one of the foremost publications on the book arts during its 36 year existence. Sadly, Matrix 36, published in 2020, was the last annual edition of the Matrix series. After 36 years, Whittington Press owners, John and Rose Randle, decided to discontinue producing this fine annual on the book arts for printers and bibliophiles that compiled articles, illustrations, paper and typography samples and book reviews. This issue includes a number of articles by such well-known bibliophiles and book artists as Gaylord Schanilec, Abigail Rorer, John Randle, Sebastian Carter, and William Peterson. Interspersed throughout are photographs, printing samples, and illustrations. Inserted in a back pocket is the prospectus for this volume. Quarter bound in yellow Oasis leather with black, gray, and orange marbled boards. Letterpress printed in a number of types including Joanna, Goudy Modern, Times Roman and Poliphilus, and Centaur types on Somerville Laid and Hahnemühle papers. The deluxe copy includes a separate mauve paper covered folder holding two large linocuts by John Smith and Andrew Anderson. Both volume and folder are housed in a mauve stiff board slipcase. In fine condition. Volumes measure 8 x 11 inches. BOB/102621. Fine. More

Peshastin, Washington: Wiesedruck, 2022. Hardcover. Number 22 of 40 copies signed by the artist. This artist’s book is of the story ‘Baba Yaga’, the Slavic folkloric witch who lives in a house on chicken legs and flies around in a mortar driven by a pestle. The book artist Sarah Horowitz states: "I am melding the imaginary world of one of my favorite childhood stories with my botanical occupation. Plants weave through the etchings, guiding the story with their meanings- invasive, prickly and toxic plants begin the story with discord." This retelling was based on the folktale originally recorded by Aleksandr Afanas’ev and translated by W.R.S. Ralston. Bound in blue illustrated paper covered boards over yellow leather spine titled in black. It is illustrated by Horowitz with hand colored etchings. The text is set in Maiola, inspired by early Czech typography and designed by Veronika Burian of TypeTogether. Graphic designer Joshua Berger (Plazm) contributed to and edited the typography and layout. Arthur Larson of Horton Tank Graphics printed the text on Zerkall paper with polymer plates made by Boxcar Press. The book was bound and boxed by Carolina Veenstra with assistance by David Myhre and Sarah Horowitz. Size: 11.375 x 8 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. PRI/090123. Fine. More

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. 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 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. ARTISTSB/050322. Fine. More

DC: Windhorse Press, 2013. Hardcover. Number 7 of 7 copies. "In my book 'Florentine Pages', I want to take the reader through the streets of Florence in the same manner as taking journey through the book. The entire experience of walking through the streets of Florence is akin to flipping pages of a book. The text is a narrow black passage leading to a colorful illustration, represented by fountains, cathedrals and towers, just beyond the corner. The city is a live version of the book that the reader doesn’t read but live in. The city of Florence itself parallels the structure of a basic codex book form. While the exteriors of buildings represent dark gray color with some yellow from street illumination during evening hours, there is a different life inside of the buildings. The same happens with the cover and interior of the book, which are usually quite different. The codex book form includes photographic images of Florence, which I took during my trip, combining with woodcuts and manuscript, as well as letterpress" (artist statement). The text, which winds around the negative space between her illustrations, features Tatiana’s observations about Florence. It is handwritten in both English and Russian, and is printed lithographically. She supplements her personal experiences with letterpress printed quotes about the city by famous Italians such as Dante Alighieri, Bruscaccio da Rovezzano, Michaelangelo. (These quotes are in English only.) Each copy is bound a little differently. This book is bound in red cloth with dark red leather spine and woodcut illustration inset to the front cover. The silk headbands are handsewn. The images and text are printed from a combination of lithographic pronto-plates, woodcuts, letterpress, and polymer plates. Unpaginated. [48 pages.] Born in Moscow, Tatiana has been interested in books and bookmaking since her childhood. She holds degrees from the Moscow University of Printing, the University of Maryland, and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Her work is in collections nationwide and she has recently won an award for traditional illustration. She currently resides in Takoma Park, Maryland with her family. Fine. More

Toronto: Studio Robert Wu, 2021. A unique pop-up book by Robert Wu, a noted bookbinder, paper marbler and stationer residing in Toronto. Robert trained at the American Academy of Bookbinding (AAB) in Colorado with Monique Lallier and at the Canadian Bookbinders and Bookartists Guild (CBBAG) in Toronto. He was the recipient of the first ever Tini Miura scholarship for the study of fine binding at the AAB. His work has been included in numerous exhibitions and can be found in several notable collections including Harvard University. He has also become well-known for his mastery of marbling paper. Marbling is an ancient art of floating colors onto a bath of liquid gelatin and using combs and rakes to manipulate the colors into patterns. His unique designs are each done by hand. As a stationer and paper artist, Robert creates intricate pop-up structures inspired by his love of Victorian art, decoration, and sentiment. This charming work was created as a ornately decorated box that is affixed to a stand of a floral stiff paper, with a gilt die-cut ornamental center. The box has a lid with lovely diecut flowers,a butterfly and a paper ribbon handle with which to open the box. An attached tag handwritten by Robert has the title and author. When the lid is lifted, the sides of the box open up to reveal a confection of small color paper flowers with gilt and glass bead centers. Sitting atop the middle flower is a small brown origami snail. The box's four sides comprise two connected panels - the inner panels are decorated with Robert's marbled papers and various die-cut leaves, a bee, and a butterfly. The outer panels have the handwritten text of Longfellow's sweet poem. In fine condition. Box measures 3.5 inches square. The floral stand is 5 inches square. ARTB/010223. Fine. More