Washington DC: Abstract Orange Press, 2016. Hardcover. Number 14 of 20 copies signed and numbered by the book artist. Lauren Emeritz is a book artist, letterpress printer and graphic artist who founded and runs the Abstract Orange Press. She creates prints and books by hand using a Vandercook press and wood type, including type she designs and carves herself. Lauren holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Delaware. She is the President and Creative Director of Abstract Orange, a graphic design firm in Washington, DC, and a letterpress associate at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. This beautifully designed book is in the special collections at the Library of Congress. It is one of a series of books that Lauren has done using her handmade type to explore letters, numbers, and shapes. In this accordion style book she has printed her hand carved letters of the alphabet in a bold orange. There is one letter to a page. They have been carved our of linoblock, pine, basswood, and plywood. Printed on Lettra 220 paper and bound in orange Mulberry paper with debossed titles in gilded orange on front cover and spine. In fine condition. Measures 5.25 x 7 inches. ARTISTSB/082018. Fine. More

North Hill PA: Bird and Bull Press, 1982. Hardcover. Number 311 of 350 copies. Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966) was the son of famed actress Ellen Terry and stage designer Edward William Godwin. Gordon in turn became a well known actor, director, and stage designer. Early in his career as an actor, he also became interested in graphic design and wood cuts, studying under well-known artists of the day. This diary, written when he was sixty, recounts a difficult period in Craig's life, when he was experiencing health and money worries. As Franklin notes in his prologue, this was a low period for Craig and was also for Europe, as Hitler was rising in power. The text was composed in Baskerville types and printed on mouldmade Bugrbotton paper and bound in brown quarter leather by Gray Parrot. Red leather spine label with title, and boards in yellow and white striped paper. In fine condition. 154 pages. PRI/070711. Fine. More

Toronto: Cheshire Cat Press, 2018. Hardcover. Number 13 of 42 copies signed by the printers and the author of the introduction. This is a delightful new edition of Lewis Carroll's famous poem, The Hunting of the Snark. It was produced by a writer, artist, and book designer and printers who are ardent and well-known Carroll admirers. The Cheshire Press was formed by book designer and printer George Walker in 1991. The press began when he and two colleagues produced new editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Edward Wakeling, who wrote the introduction, is an internationally known authority on Carroll. In addition to writing a recent biography of him, Wakeling also created a comprehensive catalogue raisonne of over 1000 photographs taken by amateur photographer Carroll. Byron W. Sewell is a prolific illustrator, author and bibliographer of works associated with Lewis Carroll. For this edition of Snark, Sewell created new illustrations inspired by contemporary carte-de-visit photographs that were so popular in Victorian England. He has one for each character in the poem, adapting images from actual photographs. They are ideal depictions for this fantastic nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll, written when he was forty-four years old. Bound in maroon cloth with title in gilt to spine and on cover label. Handprinted in New Caledonia type on Bfk Rives Cream paper. The printing was completed by George Walker and Andy Malcolm, and the book design and layout were by Walker. An original print inscribed and signed by Sewell is inserted in a sleeve on the front pastedown. Housed in a slipcase in the same maroon cloth with gilt title on cover. In fine condition. 6.5 x 10 inches. 72 pages. PRI/010319. Fine. More

Portland, OR: Anne Greenwood, 2018. Number 28 of 30 of the regular edition, signed and numbered by the book artist. Vestiges was conceived in Iceland where Anne was an artist-in-residence in April and May 2018. This striking work includes folded, sewn, dyed, and printed crinoline cloth pieces accompanied by text. They beautifully capture the almost intangible nature of vestiges - things disappearing or no longer in existence by Diane Jacobs of the Scranton Press in Portland. The book's wrap-around cover is white crinoline. The book is printed with Weiss Italic type on Mohawk Superfine paper. The text is hand-written and authored by the artist as are the hand-dyed fabric manipulations (from the colophon). 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. She makes objects, installations, and works with her community. 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. I enter into inquiry-based community engagement through arts education, residency, public work, studio practice, and collaboration. " A lovely work in fine condition. ARTS/031419. Fine. More

Minneapolis: Indulgence Press, 2011. One of 20 copies. Arthur & Barbara is a portrait of art critic/philosopher Arthur Danto and artist Barbara Westman as seen reflected in the space of their New York City apartment on Riverside Drive. This book embodies their life and work in symbolic forms of thoughtful play. Arthur & Barbara is a collection of simple objects, images and “games” referring to both Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise and to Fluxus Collections. The box contains laser-etched glass with a plan view of the apartment. Beneath the glass, separated spaces hold a DVD with images of Arthur, Barbara and their apartment, a hand-bound codex filled with photographic illustrations and brief text, a glass block laser-etched with an illustration by Barbara Westman, two chairs, handmade dice, and a spinner. A drawer holds a folio of letters written by Sean Scully, Shirin Neshat and Barbara Westman, and an introduction by David Carrier. A fascinating way of documenting the lives and personalities of this interesting couple. In fine condition. Size: 13 x 12 x 7 inches. PRI/041111. Fine. More

Barcelona: Printed at The Folio Club for Sandra March, 2014. Hardcover. Number 83 of 100 copies signed and numbered by Sandra March. Text in Spanish, Catalan, and English. March is a talented young book and installation artist. With this work she draws a metaphorical, graphic, and auditory journey captured by words, illustrations, and sound. Thus the contents comprise the book, two posters, and a CD. She writes that this project has a scientific basis with a therapeutic and artistic impulse, starting on a subconscious level after losing both her sister and her father from heart diseases. The journey goes from a symbolic loss of the heart until its restoration, through a tour of the beautiful and varied morphology of the cardiac systems of thirty-one different animals and the sounds of their heartbeats. The heartbeat sounds are from a jellyfish, starfish, black widow spider, giant tortoise, Nile crocodile, frog, parakeet, and human being among many others There were a number of contributors to this project, including the biologist Francesc Uribe Porta, sound engineer Vicente Rosati, and illustrator Raquel Bullon. Bound in a white cardboard CD case, with posters attached to the back cover by a pink elastic band and CD held on the middle fold of the case. In fine condition. 58 pages. PRI/042715. Fine. More

Bronx, NY: Plotzing Press, 2003. Hardcover. Number 21 of 35 copies. A graduate from SUNY College, Tammy Wofsey now lives and works in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx, New York. She studied with Antonio Frasoni and printed at Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking workshop before establishing her own studio. Her work has been exhibited around the world and is held in several institutional collections including Yale University, the Library of Congress, and Duke University. She has won several awards including the BRIO Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts. Her beautifully constructed books often address such societal issues as war, climate change, and with this book, the food we eat. She writes: "Mankind is now at the helm of deciding what the future will be with the food we eat. The animals eating junk food represent the global problems created by genetic engineering and monoculture farming. The wild animals in this book are smart enough not to consume our creations. Once set in motion there will be no way to revert the changes corporations are making to our food chain. The animals leave the colorful junk food for the natural world leaving behind the question only the future will tell, what will be the color of regret?" The book is an accordion-fold with the pages unfolding to reveal Tammy's etched and watercolor images of animals and plants. They are printed on Coventry Medium paper with the text in Times New Roman. The cream color boards are covered with a cream dust jacket with delicate dry point illustrations of plants on the front and back flaps. The book is housed in a bright hand painted Japanese Paper Box with hand made paper, by Dieu Donne. The book measures 6 x 6 inches. The box measures 6.25 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches. In fine condition. Unpaginated [56 pages]. Fine. More

Liberty, WI: The Heavy Duty Press, 2018. Softcover. Number 8 of 26 copies. This charming and beautifully printed book is a fitting tribute to the art of fine printing. It reprints an article by master printer Stan Nelson that originally appeared in Parenthesis in 1999. The article described the pleasurable steps and details of typesetting and hand printing. Stan wrote that the essence of fine printing "is really the marriage of the right paper, excellent presswork, perfect type, and good typography." The Heavy Duty Press has produced a book that fulfills Stan's criteria for fine printing. The text is printed on both translucent and opaque sheets that allow the words on separate pages to show through and continue the flow of sentences. Interspersed are designs showing snow through a window. Tipped in is a small facsimile of a letter sent by Stan to Mike Koppa in 1998 about printing. Printed in 10 pt. Century Old Style type on Zerkall Laid and Classic Crest papers on a Vandercook press. The book is hand bound and inserted into one-of-a-kind covers, constructed without adhesive, featuring designs taken from the Specimen Book and Catalogue of the American Type Founders Company. In fine condition. Measures 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Unpaginated. PRI/050719. Fine. More

[Toronto]: George A. Walker, [2015]. Hardcover. Copy A of ten lettered copies done for private distribution. Signed by George Walker, Justin Trudeau, George Elliott Clarke, and Tom Smart. This book was originally a limited edition of 15 signed and numbered copies. A stunning book and fitting tribute to its subject, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who was one of Canada’s most charismatic - and polarizing - politicians. His tenures as Prime Minister during the 1970s and 80s were marked by conflict and crisis but also by a sense of nationalism, the development of multiculturalism and Canadian pride. He is known for invoking the War Measures Act in response to FLQ terrorism during the October Crisis; for introducing the Official Languages Act to improve the position of francophones in Canada; and, perhaps most memorably, for the patriation of the Canadian constitution and the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Trudeau: La Vie en Rose pays tribute to the life and career of this influential Canadian. In a series of eighty wood engravings, George Walker documents Trudeau’s political achievements, events of cultural significance and famous friends while also capturing Trudeau’s confidence, passion and irreverence. Presented without captions and open to interpretation in any language, it is a testament to the multilingual culture of Canada and a celebration of the man whose political legacy has had a profound influence on the definition of Canadian culture. Trudeau’s influence has now been mirrored by his son Justin Trudeau, the also charismatic current Prime Minister of Canada. He wrote a moving tribute to his father, included here, taken from his eulogy at his father’s 2000 funeral. Also included is an eighty item chronology that corresponds to the engravings. The engravings are hand printed on 250 Rising Stonehenge 100% rag archival paper with text and headings in Bembo and Bernhard types. It is bound in full red leather with title in gilt to spine and a rose in gilt to front cover. It is housed in a clamshell in quarter red leather and beige cloth covers. An engraving of Trudeau is inset on the front cover. In fine condition. Book size: 6.25 X 8” X 2.5 inches. Unpaginated. [232 pages printed recto] PRI/110716. Fine. More

Washington DC: Na'ama Zussman, 2015. Hardcover. Number 7 of 12 copies. A beautifully conceived and produced book from Na'ama Zussman, a powerful new book artist originally from Israel. She describes her book: "A Survey of a World scrutinizes interactions between map and territory, along with memory and reality, whether of the surveyor herself - the creator of this artist's book - or of other people. It surveys and seeks to capture the doubt in the role of the surveyor, and the inevitable immersion in this role. A Survey of a World portrays the endeavour of grasping the moment ahead of the impression of the territory, when doubt turns into representation." Na'ama's exquisite images are interwoven with her evocative text as she ponders interactions, memory, and reality. Bound in brown Cialux book cloth, with a goatskin leather spine. The images throughout the book were created through the screen printing process and are done on lovely Thai Kozo paper. The text is composed in Meta Capitals and Constantia. The book is housed in a surveyor's bag made out of grey cashmere, with a leather string. The colophon is in a pocket on the back of the bag. 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Unpaginated. ARTISTS/081915. Fine. More