Moscow: Emil Goozairow, 2020. Number 3 of 6 copies signed by the book artist. Emil Goozairow is a Russian artist who paints and draws, produces movies, and creates exceptional miniature handmade books that are printed on rare types of paper and published in limited editions. His techniques create unique designs that often are made with natural materials alone or in combination with relief decorations made from metal or poymeric clay. He creates books that he describes as "pop up," “kinetic carousel," “liporello” or “3D origami.” He also writes fairy tales, stories and mystical scenes. His Hamlet's Soliloquy is a wonderful example of Emil's work. When each page is turned the the revealed pages pop open with Emil's beautiful illustrations and the soliloquy's text that are done in shades of brown. The covers are a reddish brown fabric with a polymer clay artistic design on the front cover. There are attached brown twine straps with a metal clasp to close the book. A wonderful and imaginative interpretation of this famous soliloquy. In fine condition. Measures 2.25 x 3 inches. Fine. More

Chicago: Sherwin Beach Press, 1993. Hardcover. Number 58 of 200 copies. This powerful and poignant book, written in 1983, and first published in the Chicago Reader, is the story of people living, or trying to live, on General Assistance, a now-discontinued Illinois program that was the last resort of those who did not qualify for other more ‘generous’ forms of welfare. Each person developed a personal strategy to circumvent the system and get by on the state allotment of $144 a month. Many turned to Marillac House, a settlement house on the West Side of Chicago, for emergency food and clothing. Author Bogira does a remarkable job of getting his subjects to tell their own stories. The book also contains four portraits by photographer Mike Tappin. The pictures reinforce the sense of dignity felt in the subjects’ words. Selected as one of 48 books exhibited in ‘Dressing the Text’ at the Art Museum of Santa Cruz County. Also selected as one of 44 books exhibited in the book design section of Felice Feliciano in Verona, Italy. Designed by Bob McCamant, hand set in Century Expanded by Jennifer Hughes and printed on Johannot paper by Jennifer Hughes and Martha Chiplis. The photographs were printed in duotone lithography by Rohner Printing of Chicago. Bound in grey soft cover paper wrappers. Signed by the designer. In fine condition. 24 pages, 12 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches. PRI/031620. Fine. More

Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, (1934). Paperback. SCARCE. Side stapled blue paper wrappers with black title to front wrapper. Minor fading to edges and a few spots of soiling to front wrapper. Interior is clean and bright. 40 pages. POL/012220. Very Good. More

Philadelphia and Baltimore: Fisher and Brother, (1861). Hardcover. A miniature book. Red cloth covered boards with heavily faded gilt title and decoration to front board. Soling to boards and wear to edges and corners. Crack to interior front hinge. Light soiling, occasional foxing, smudge marks, previous owner signature in pen, and occasional creases to corners. Includes 8 illustrations. Size: 3 x 2.25 inches. Still a cute book - and uncommon. 192 pages. REL/011020. Very Good. More

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1848. Hardcover. First American Edition. Includes illustrations by the author. Very good in the original reddish-brown cloth boards with gilt title to spine and front cover. Gilt vignette to front board. Cloth along the spine panel is heavily chipped, but somewhat repaired. Rubbing, wear, minor dampstaining, and fading to spine and edges of boards. Browning to illustrations and minor foxing throughout. 332 pages. LIT/032420. Very Good. More

Indian Head Park, IL: The Big Crank Press, 2018. Hardcover. One of 30 copies. David Anderson is a noted Chicago graphic designer with many honors and appointments over the several years of his career. He is now retired and has turned to his enthusiasm for producing fine letterpress printing by establishing The Big Crank Press. He writes about this work: "For 35 years I lived and worked in Oak Park, Illinois....While living there, things would happen - things that spoke to me in more than one way and persisted in my mind. This is the first of The Suburban Fables, an interpretation of my observations of those events and ideas." This book relates an incident where a crow is disturbed by the daylight ramblings of a raccoon, normally a nocturnal animal and what ensued. The story is told using striking and bold illustrations that fill their pages. Printed on Jannot 125 GSM and grey Rives B.F.K papers using Gill Sans MT Alt One type. Printed on a Vandercook 3 proof Press that Anderson found in an alley twenty-five years ago. Bound in brown cloth with silver title and author to spine and front cover. In fine condition. Measures 9.5 x 12.5 inches. Unpaginated [22 pages] PRI/021320. Fine. More

East Aurora, NY: The Roycrofters, 1905. Number 19 of 100 copies printed on Japan vellum. Signed and numbered by the Roycrofters founder, Elbert Hubbard. He also inscribed the book: "To Margaret Scott, Royal Roycrofter, with all kind wishes from her Uncle Elbert Hubbard." Margaret Scott Oliver, née Scott (1879-1930) was an actress and playwright who also wrote poetry. She settled with her family in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, which had been founded as an Arts & Crafts community that was perhaps modeled after the Utopia in William Morris's News From Nowhere. Margaret was not Elbert Hubbard's niece, but she was an early pupil of Hubbard's and lived in the Hubbard home while becoming proficient in making and marketing Roycroft products. She was then put in charge of the Roycroft shop in Philadelphia, the first established outside of East Aurora (Poet Lore, Volume 27 1916). Her Arts & Crafts bookplate with her maiden name Margaret Hunter Scott is affixed to front pastedown. A nice association. This special edition of Wilde's classic poem was bound in three quarter red leather patterned paper boards and endpapers. Five raised bands to spine with title, author and date and floral deslgn in gilt in the compartments. Printed in Cheltenham type with the initial letter of each stanza in orange with gold highlight. In fine condition. Measures 5.75 x 7.5 inches. Unpaginated [57 pages]. More

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1927. Hardcover. Includes 174 line drawing illustrations by Kemble. Quarto. Yellow cloth boards with black title to spine and front cover. Minor soiling to spine and boards with minor wear to corners and edges. Rolled spine. Light cockle to bottom edges of some pages, but no visible dampstain. Clean interior. 366 pages. CHILD/011320. Very Good. More

Philadelphia: Penn Publishing Company, 1906. Hardcover. Uncommon. A fascinating collection of epitaphs arranged by unconcious humor, deliberate humor, conjugal, derogatory, occupational, puns, children and infants, pathetic, brief, etc. Green cloth boards with faded white title to spine and green decoration to front cover. Chipping to white title on front cover and rubbing to boards. Minor wear to corners and edges. Browning to endpaper, else clean. 168 pages. POE/112719. Very Good. More

Nairobi: The New Kenya Party. Paperback. SCARCE. No date, circa 1960s. 8vo. Green side stapled paper wrappers with white title to front wrapper. Rubbing to exterior. Interior is clean and bright. 23 pages. AFR/012020. Very Good. More

Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1928. Hardcover. 8vo. Exlibris with writting in pen to top corner of front free end paper and stamp to title page. No other library markings. Minor rubbing to boards and endpages and minor bumping to spine ends and corners. Minor yellowing to edges of pages and crease to bottom corner of about 20 pages. Else is clean and bright. Index, 1204 pages. EDU/012020. Very Good. More

Rockport, MA and Naples, FL: Twin Lights Publishers, Inc and Youngtown Books, (2002). Hardcover. 4to. Very good in black paper covered boards with gilt title to spine. Light foxing to title page. Else is clean and bright with beautiful full color illustrations throughout. Black illustrated dust jacket with white and yellow title to front panel and to spine.128 pages. MD/112019. Very Good+ / Very Good+. More

New York: n.p, circa 1991-1992. Hardcover. A unique mysterious and deeply personal artist's book by an unknown man mourning the loss of the love of his life. The author has filled this work with his poetry, profile images of Nefertiti, collage, applied color and designs and more. The texts and images are mounted and framed on multi-colored matte boards. Bound in black cloth covered boards painted with swaths of orange color with title in purple on front cover. This fascinating book on love and grief measures 10.75 x 13.25 x 2.75 inches. It is heavy in both emotion and actual weight (extra shipping required). In fine condition. ARTBOOK/022520. Fine. More