New York: The Grolier Club, 2019. Softcover. A catalog for an exhibition from the collection of Alan M. Klein, held at The Groler Club January 16 - February 23, 2019. This handsome book, designed by Jerry Kelly, offers a valuable picture of the lives and work of these two major American poets who were friends for over 40 years. Klein states that this catalog and the exhibition was his effort to reflect on the these important poets. It includes his essay plus that of scholars, along with the bibiliography of books, articles, and ephemera. Bound in blue paper covers with white titling to cover and spine. Save for a small nick to the top of the spine the binding is in near fine condition. Interior pages are also in about fine condition. Measures 6 x 9 inches. 249 pages. BOB/111623. Fine. More

Mission, B.C. Barbarian Press, 2023. Hardcover. One of 108 copies for sale. An additional 20 were hors commerce. This marvelous book is the 52nd book from the Barbarian Press. Its founders Crispin and Jan Elsted write: "We conceived this book as a celebration of our 50 years of marriage and our 45 years as Barbarians. It comprises fifty of our favourite love poems, reaching back to classical Greece and the Old Testament, and forward through the late Middle Ages, the renaissance, and the 18th and 19th centuries to the present day, by twenty-eight poets ranging from the writer(s) of The Song of Songs which is Solomon’s to lyrics by Sappho, to Chaucer, Spenser and Donne, Marvell, Clare, Christina Rossetti, Tennyson and Yeats, to contemporaries Jan Zwicky and Heather Simeney MacLeod, among many others – not forgetting the ubiquitous Anonymous, who contributes five. Eight of Shakespeare’s sonnets form a thematic spine throughout the book. We invited seven engravers who have illustrated our books over the years and have become part of our lives as friends and collaborators to contribute engravings to accompany poems of their choice: Richard Wagener engraved a stunning frontispiece block, while Abigail Rorer, Andy English, Simon Brett, Peter Lazarov, Walter Bachinski, and Graham Williams chose to illustrate poems that range from the Middle English to the contemporary. The type we have chosen for the book is Pastonchi, in its inaugural use here at the press – a graceful, elegant, but little-known face issued by Monotype in 1929, designed by the Italian poet Francesco Pastonchi with the typographer Eduardo Cotti to be used to print an edition of the Italian classics. We are fond of the face. Although it has never been widely used (especially in North America), and has occasionally been criticized by those who fail to respond to its openheartedness, we feel it is ideally suited to poetry, and are delighted to add it to our range of typefaces." The book was designed by Crispin Elsted, who also designed the patterned paper for the binding. Jan Elsted printed the text and the engravings. Apollonia Elsted printed many of the title lines and the cover papers. Bound in half crimson morocco with paper covers at The Mad Hatter Bookbinding Company. Printed on Zerkall ENR White Smooth paper. Each copy is housed in a crimson cloth slipcase with a portfolio containing a suite of seven proofs of the engravings used for the book. In fine condition. Measures 7.25 inches x 10.5 inches. 88 numbered pages + 8 unnumbered pages. PRI/091423. Fine. More

Bussum, Netherlands: C.A.J. van Dishoeck, [1921]. Softcover. One of 200 copies. Now scarce. This is a lovely small book in Dutch with a poem by well known writer P.C. Boutens. Pieter Cornelis Boutens (1870 – 1943) was a Dutch poet, classicist, and mystic. His debut as a poet was the Utrecht Student Almanac in 1891. His early work was inspired by the verses of Herman Gorter; later sources of inspiration were Plato, Sappho and the Bible. Boutens' style became based on the idea of achieving a "higher reality". In the course of 45 years, he published some 20 volumes of poetry, but also a large number of translations of Ancient Greek (i.a. Iliad and Odyssey), Persian, French, German and English poets. CAJ van Dishoeck was a Dutch publishing house that was founded in 1889 by the founder of the same name. Cornelis Anthonij Jacobus van Dishoeck (1863 – 1931) was a member of the Van Dishoeck family, which came from Zierikzee and was included in the Dutch Patriciaat .After his education and experiences in bookstores between 1880 and 1888 (including in Leipzig ), he settled in Leiden and started a publishing house there in 1889. In 1898 he moved it to Amsterdam and finally to Bussum in 1903 where he called his villa Zeelandia. In the Netherlands he published work by Johan de Meester , but also the famous Beatrijs by PC Boutens and other works by that poet, such as Alianora .Van Dishoeck's publications were known for their beautiful design. He also attracted artists such as Jan Toorop and Jan van Krimpen . He also chose well-known artists such as Edzard Koning and Willem Vaarzon Morel for the illustrations . Moreover, he often published luxury editions of his publications: on handmade or Japanese paper, bound in full parchment or full leather, often in small, but sometimes unknown editions [Wikipedia Dutch version]. The five striking black and white woodcuts ncluding title page) were done by Joan Collette (1889 – 1958). He was a Dutch engraver, graphic designer, illustrator, monumental artist, painter, glass painter, wall painter, draughtsman, manufacturer of mosaics and bookbinding designer. Bound in plain white paper wrappers with a dark blue cover with a printer device in red on the front cover. Very light signs of handling. Interior pages are clean and bright. Printed in black letter type with occasional blue Initials. Near fine condition. Measures 5 x 6.5 inches. Unpaginated. [18 pages] PRI/111523. Near Fine. More

Moscow: Emil Goozairow, 2023. 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, polymeric clay, and 3-D printing. He creates books that he describes as "pop up," “kinetic carousel," “liporello” or “3D origami.” He also writes fairy tales, stories and mystical scenes. This charming handmade edition of Lewis Carroll's well-known Christmas poem from a fairy to a child. Emil's delightful color illustrations are bound in a Jacob's ladder construction and can unfold on one side of each of the eight pages, while the text of the poem appears on the other. The book's covers have a three dimensional gilt 3-D printed star-shaped structure with a green background that evokes a Christmas tree. When closed the book fastens with a brown cord that attaches to a hook on one of the covers. A delightful Christmas memento from this inventive book artist. In fine condition. Measures about 1.5 x 1.5 inches when closed. ARTB/111923. More

[Easthampton, MA]: Cheloniidae Press, 1990. Hardcover. Number 221 of 100 (xxi/c) copies in the deluxe edition, signed and numbered by illustrator and book designer Alan James Robinson. There were also 26 copies bound in quarter leather. This magnificent book was undertaken by the press as a celebration of its tenth anniversary. It is one of the great achievements of Robinson's Cheloniidae Press, one of the most respected American private presses. Founded in 1979, the press went through several incarnations during its existence. The constant throughout was the artistry of Alan James Robinson, who became famed for his superlative wood engravings and etchings of animals, birds, the sea, and more. The original text for this edition was written by Arthur F. Kinney, who was then the Thomas W. Copland Professor of Literary History at the University of Massachusetts and an extensive publisher and lecturer on Shakespeare. From the prospectus: this book "focuses on popular bird and animal lore and the way Shakespeare turns it into lines of haunting and indelible beauty by describing the familiar and unfamiliar ideas about [many creatures] and by showing how Shakespeare used these [ideas] to shape character and plot in his plays....Shakespeare's imaginative use of observed detail and magical fantasies is matched by the intricate and mysterious wood engravings of Robinson." Beautifully bound by noted binders Claudia Cohen and Sarah Creighton in full rust morocco with the title stamped in gilt on the front panel within a blind rule at the outer edge of the covers, raised bands, and leather hinges. Illustrated with 54 wood engravings depicting the birds and beasts found in Shakespeare's plays and poems, plus two portraits of the Bard: one etching and one wood engraving. The book is accompanied by an additional suite of 56 signed and numbered prints from the illustrations. There is also an original watercolor of a Barnacle goose that is not known or called for in the prospectus. They are housed in a linen covered portfolio. The prospectus is also included. There are beautiful hand marbled endpapers by Faith Robinson. The book was printed on special Cheloniidae Rag paper carrying the press watermark that is the exact size of the First Folio of 1623. The type is Centaur and Arrighi set by M&H Type in San Francisco with additional hand composition by Arthur Larson. The book was letter press printed by master printer Harold Patrick McGrath. Housed in a custom clamshell box in near fine condition covered with beige linen with a brown leather spine label. The book is In fine condition. Book is 10.5 x 16 inches. Box is 11 x 17 inches. iv + 87 single fold pages. PRI/102423. Fine. More

London: Golden Cockerel Press, 1934. Hardcover. Number 64 of 300 copies, signed by both Enid Clay and Eric Gill. This book was published to be uniform with Clay's Sonnets and Verses, published by the press in 1925. From Roderick Cave's History of The Golden Cockerel Press: "Were it not for his sister Enid Clay, Eric Gill might not ever have been tempted to work with Robert Gibbings. Gibbings had approached Gill in late 1924 with an offer of work as an artist for his newly procured Golden Cockerel Press, but Gill refused on the ground that the press was not Catholic. Their acquaintance might have ended there, but as it happened Gill’s sister was in want of a publisher for her first book. Gibbings volunteered to take her on, and Gill was induced to be her illustrator. Following Gill’s temporary refusal, Enid Clay’s Sonnets and Verses (1925) became the first Golden Cockerel publication he was to illustrate. It was the beginning of a prolific seven-year partnership." This second book of Enid Clay's poetry is elegantly printed in Caslon O.F. type on Batchelor handmade paper with a hammer and anvil watermark. There are six wood engravings by Gill including the title page. Bound in green paper boards with a cream linen spine and paper spine label. Boards are faded along edges, as is frequently the case. Interior pages are clean and bright, with evidence of a bookseller ticket having been removed from the rear pastedown. The top edge is trimmed with the other edges untrimmed. A nice copy in very good condition. Measures 6 x 8.5 inches. 44 pages. See Gill Bibliography 293. PRI/090123. Very Good. More

New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1890. Hardcover. A quite scarce Victorian children's book illustrated by Maud Humphrey and with verse by Helen Gray Cone. Maud Humphrey (1868 – 1940) was a commercial illustrator, watercolorist, and suffragette from the United States. She was the mother of the actor Humphrey Bogart and frequently used her young son as a model. She won a Louis Prang and Company competition for Christmas card design and then began working for the New York publisher Frederick A. Stokes as an illustrator. From the 1890s through the 1920s, her work included child portraits, "illustrating calendars, greeting cards, postcards, fashion magazines, and more than 20 story books." Her artwork featuring children garnered the moniker the "Humphrey Baby." [Wikipedia] Helen Gray Cone (1859 – 1934) was a poet and professor of English literature. She spent her entire career at Hunter College in New York City. This delightful book features six charming chromolithograph illustrations of the tiny toddlers along with seven pages of line drawings to accompany the poems. Printed on recto only. Some light offsetting of chromolithographs to the blank pages and title page. Bound in color pictorial boards with a red cloth spine. Some light bumping and rubbing to corners and of boards and spine edges. Offsetting to front pastedown and free endpaper from a piece of paper. Very good plus condition and probably never touched by a child. Measures 11 x 14 inches. CHILD/091123. Very Good+. More

Philadelphia: The Janus Press, 1962-63. Softcover. Number 34 of 45 numbered copies, with an additional 7 proof copies. Signed by Jerome Kaplan the creator of the striking black and white woodcuts. The book is also inscribed by Kaplan on the title page in pencil "For Margaret and Perino - 12-64 Jerry." Claire Van Vliet is the renowned book artist who founded the Janus Press in 1955 and has produced groundbreaking innovations in the book arts field for more than six decades. She is also a prolific painter and printmaker. In 1989 Van Vliet was honored with a MacArthur fellowship, the first ever awarded to a book artist. In 2017 Van Vliet was recognized with the Frederic W. Goudy Award for typographic excellence. The press is known particularly for its limited editions of mainly contemporary poets with original images in paper and all the printmaking media. The press focuses on the form of the book being dictated by the content and that has led to the development of innovative book structures. Van Vliet donated her collection and archives to the Library of Congress in 1991. A very scarce copy of this early work issued by the Janus Press. A later version was printed in 1974 in an edition of 300 copies. This is handsomely produced, with Kaplan's nine woodcuts, except for the frontispiece, facing the text pages where the Spanish text is printed in black and the English translation immediately below in gray. Bound in brown paper covers with a stab binding. Minor spotting to half title and the margins of a couple of pages. Printed in Monotype Bembo on cream Okawara paper. Near fine condition. Measures 7 x 11.75 inches. Unpaginated [18 pages] PRI/102523. Near Fine. More

Bath: Old School Press, 2001. Hardcover. Number 131 of 230 copies signed by the poet and illustrator. From the press: "For the fifth title in our series of the work of contemporary British poets, we were fortunate to have the opportunity of printing an extended four-part poem by Poet Laureate emeritus Andrew Motion. He was England's Poet Laureate from 1999-2009. Writing of his work, Motion says 'A Long Story assembled itself over several years into a loose sequence of four sections, none of them rhymed, and all are written in a very loose, rambling rhythm. I began with the wish to identify certain memories in my childhood which I've always considered to be 'spots of time' - ie, moments which have a self-contained interest and drama - and ended up with scenes which anticipate (even predict) certain moods and attitudes I have as an adult. 'To complement Motion's narrative style, we turned once more to leading wood-engraver Simon Brett, whose ability to tell a story in a single sinewy image we greatly admire, and who cut four wood-engravings for the book.'' For this elegant book, the text was hand-set in 14pt Fournier italic and printed on 170gsm Magnani mould-made paper. Brett's engravings were printed from the wood onto dampened paper. The book was bound by Rachel and Richard James. It is quarter-bound with yellow cloth on the spine, with a rich dark green hand-made paper from the Larroque mill covering the boards, black Canson end-papers, and the title embossed in gold on the front cover. In fine condition. Measures 8 x 11 inches. Unpaginated [44 pages] PRI/082823. Fine. More

Moscow: Emil Goozairow, 2023. A small, unnumbered edition. Goozairow is a Russian artist who paints and draws, produces movies, and creates exceptional 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, polymeric clay, or 3-D printing. He creates books that he describes as "pop up," “kinetic carousel," “liporello,” or “3D origami.” He also writes fairy tales, stories and mystical scenes. This eight sided star-shaped tower book is bound as a do-si-do with text in English on one side and text in Russian on the other. Both covers are 3-D printed, hand-painted sculptures in black and bronze, the top being a tower shape and bottom a geometric base with four legs. This intricate sculptural miniature book is held closed with brown braided cord straps that criss-cross under the base and loop around a short spire. The interior is filled with charming fantastical illustrations of a wizard, witch (Baba-Yaga), princess, palace, cat, and more. In fine condition. Measures about 5 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches. ARTB/112923. Fine. More

London: T. Bensley, 1795. Hardcover. Scarce. This edition is printed in Greek and Latin. Bion ( onos) was an ancient Greek bucolic poet from Smyrna, probably active at the end of the second or beginning of the first century BC. He is named in the Suda as one of three canonical bucolic poets alongside Theocritus and Moschus. One long poem about Adonis and seventeen shorter fragments of his poetry survive. Moschus (Moschou) was an ancient Greek bucolic poet and student of the Alexandrian grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace. He was born at Syracuse and flourished about 150 BC. Aside from his poetry, he was known for his grammatical work, nothing of which survives. Theocritus (early third century BCE), born in Syracuse and also active on Cos and at Alexandria, was the inventor of the bucolic genre. Like his contemporary Callimachus, Theocritus was a learned poet who followed the aesthetic, developed a generation earlier by Philitas of Cos (LCL 508), of refashioning traditional literary forms in original ways through tightly organized and highly polished work on a small scale (thus the traditional generic title Idylls: “little forms”)[Wikipedia]. The editor, George Hamilton Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (1784-1860), was a writer on Greek classical architecture and a future British Prime Minister. The book was described as: "A beautiful and correct edition, by the late Gilbert Wakefield, and printed with great care and delicacy by Bensley, but without accents, for which omission it has been much censured, and for which reason it never sold. The work is commended by foreign critics." [Thomas Frognall Dibdin] Bound in red leather with a faded spine with rubbing to gilt titling. Bumping and soiling to covers. All edges gilt. Red dentelles with gilt ornament design. Hinges are slightly cracked but text block is firm. Browning and spotting to front and particularly the rear endpapers with darker browning along margins of hinges. Tear to front free endpaper.Text pages are generally clean with light aging to margins. Very good condition. Measures 6.5 x 9.5 inches. Pages: (8) + 33 + (82). POE/072123. Very Good. More