Maastricht: C. Nypels Leiter-Nypels, 1925. Paperback. In Dutch. Uncommon. 1 of 100 copies. This catalog includes 97 entries plus a short supplement. The Museum Plantijn-Moretus is dedicated to book history and contains over 14,000 woodblocks. Printed by C. Nypels on the press of Leiter-Nypels in Maastricht in Erasmus Mediaeval type by S.H. de Roos. Bound in tan paper wrappers with orange illustration of a tree with lions to front wrappers. Wear and toning to spine. Wear to joints and edges of wrappers including a dampstain to the bottom edge of the rear wrapper and rubbing to front panel. Large split to middle of textblock, but pages remain bound and sewing intact. Clean and bright. 43 pages. Size: Small, thin octavo. BOB/022823. Very Good. More

Hamburg: Gesellschaft der Bücherfreunde / Poeschel & Trepte, 1930. Hardcover. Number 313 of 700 copies. The first number of this fine German periodical on typography, illustration, and private press work. Includes an article by De Roos on Dutch book work, with facsimilies and a bibliography. Most text is in German. Bound in the original brown cloth with brick red and gilt title labels to spine. Slight bow to boards. Split to textblock after the front free endpaper, but binding remains secure. Slight bump to lower page corners. Clean and bright. Bookplate to front pastedown of William P. Wreden. Size: 8.75 x 11 inches. 205 pages plus 24 pages of examples. BOB/020323. Very Good. More

Haarlem: 1929. Paperback. Modern binding of light blue paper wrappers titled by hand in black pen. Offsetting to first and last page of text with light spots of foxing throughout. Includes several speciment texts printed in different languages, pages of specimen type, and explanatory text in Dutch, French, German, and English. The type is difficult to read, as much of it originated in the late sixteenth century. 40 pages. BOB/012323. Very Good. More

Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, n.d. Hardcover. Pat Sweet writes: "The Augsburger Wunderzeichenbuch (“The Book of Wonders”) is one of the most spectacular discoveries in the field of Renaissance art in northern Europe. The manuscript was produced in the Swabian Imperial Free City of Augsburg sometime between 1545 and 1552. We do not know who commissioned the book, or who supplied the artwork. The book contains miracles: wondrous and mysterious singularities of nature, monstrous births, battles in heaven, rains of blood and meat, acts of God, double and triple suns and moons, and lots and lots of comets. At this time the sacred and the scientific were just beginning to move apart, and this is one of the beginnings of that massive shift. The beautiful, strange, and enigmatic illustrations are in supersaturated gouache and watercolor. Each illumination is captioned in a panel of German Gothic script. The manuscript dropped out of sight sometime in the 17th century and was only recently re-discovered in 2007. A fine modern edition is published by Taschen. I’ve tried to counter the small size of the prints by enlarging a wonderful detail of each picture on the verso. The book is bound in green and brown marbled paper and has two bands of antique bronze chain passing over the front and back of the binding. The title is on a raised rectangle in the front." Measures 2.25 x 3 inches. In fine condition. 145 pages. ARTB/032023. Fine. More

Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2022. Hardcover. Pat Sweet describes herself as creating illuminated miniature books of curiosity, humor, and delight. She creates both miniature (under 3 inches) and macro-miniature (under 1 inch) books. She designs, prints, and binds all of her books and builds (by hand) all of her sculptural items. This mysterious device is made of painted wood, brass, and paper-covered wooden beads depicting the earth and moon. The elaborate base has two levels, one supported by round wooden balls and the other by oval antiqued brass fittings. The earth and moon are suspended on brass circles which lie on a bed of gears and dials, but the parts aren’t movable. That, and the fact that the rotational paths of both bodies aren’t in the least realistic, make this a tool for a magician rather than a scientist. Size: 2 5/8 x 2 x 1 1/2 inches. In fine condition. ARTB/032023. Fine. More

Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2022. Hardcover. Pat Sweet describes herself as creating illuminated miniature books of curiosity, humor, and delight. She creates both miniature (under 3 inches) and macro-miniature (under 1 inch) books. She designs, prints, and binds all of her books and builds (by hand) all of her sculptural items. According to the artist: This is "a medieval version of Windows, allowing several books to be consulted at the same time. These rotating bookshelves came in two variations: vertical and horizontal. The horizontal ones were much easier to make and to use, taking up much less space while making it easier to consult several books at once." This miniature version is made of cherry with mahogany trim and antique brass accents, and a matching stool. It has two revolving turntables, the upper one smaller than the lower so that as many as ten books could be viewable by turning the wheels. There is a writing surface at the left with a sheet of an illuminated manuscript in progress, plus several scribe's tools: two inkwells with pens, a water container, a bottle of ink and a large chained volume with a brass closure. The two rotating wheels hold ten books, some fixed open and some with brass closures. All the books have blank pages. They are bound in paper copies of actual period bindings. Size: 2 3/4 inches (desk height); 6 inches (turntable with desk height); 7 inches wide x 3 3/8 deep. In fine condition. ARTB/032023. Fine. More

Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2010. Pat Sweet describes herself as creating illuminated miniature books of curiosity, humor, and delight. She creates both miniature (under 3 inches) and macro-miniature (under 1 inch) books. This book is from a small open edition. According to the book artist: This is a "book inside books inside a book inside a book-shaped box. This has been called the Droste effect, after their recursive advertisements. The book inside this book-shaped box is a collection of jacket designs for books that only exist inside real books: The Necronomicon, The Whole Art of Detection, If On A Winter's Night A Traveler. Each is presented as if hidden inside a hollow book, for yet another layer of un-reality. The title, of course, is from Magritte's famous painting of 'This is Not a Pipe'." Bound in cream paper with gold fleur-de-lis and title label pastedown on front cover. Housed in a brown paper covered slipcase with title label to the cover. Size: 2 1/4 x 1 7/8 x 5/8 inches. In fine condition. 78 pages. ARTB/032023. Fine. More

London: J. Barnard & Son, no date, circa 1860. Hardcover. Includes: Heraldry, and Heraldic Painting: with a Complete Elucidation of the Laws, Usages, and Practice of Heraldry; and a Dictionary of Its Charges, Figures, and Language by Clifford, W.H.; J.C. Whimper (editor and illustrator). London: J. Barnard & Son, no date. 4 pages of ads, color frontis, 56 pages plus 8 pages of ads. A Manual of Illumination on Paper and Vellum by Bradley, J.W. and T.G. Goodwin. Revised and illustrated by J.J. Laing. London: Windsor & Newton, no date. Nineteenth Edition. 100 pages plus "index of illustrations" plates. A Guide to Animal Drawing for the Use of Landscape Painters by Charles H. Weingall. London: George Rowney & Co., 1868. Seventh edition. 50 pages plus plates of animals (horses, cows, deer, geese, rabbits, dogs, a cat, and more). All works have been trimmed and bound together in an "Emerson Binder" with internal clips and threaded needles intact. The boards are three-quarter black leather over pebbled black cloth. Gilt title, author, and volume on spine read: "Illumination Etc., IV, Kurtz." Presumably this was one of many works bound in a similar style by the previous owner, Charles M. Kurtz of New York. His bookplate, penned name, and stamp of gold skull and crossbones with - perhaps fraternity symbols? of Phi Delta Kappa surrounding it - on the front pastedown. His name also appears on preliminary leaves of several of the bound in books, along with different addresses and dates. A few sheets of lined notebook paper proceed the books. A hand written table of contents is present on the first page. Even toning to interior. Offsetting from leather turn-ins to to first and last few pages. Clean and bright overall. All pages including plates have been trimmed, in some cases affecting the edges of images or plate numbers. Chipping to cormers of several pages. Chalres McMeen Kurtz (1855 - 1909) was an American art critic, author, and museum curator. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City when he was using these books (based on the date of 1876 being written on the verso of the frontis of the heraldry book). Kurtz was involved with several major art exhibitions including the World's Columbian Exposition and Paris Exposition of 1900. ART/032323. Very Good. More

Phaidon Press Inc., 2001. Hard Cover. 4to. "This is a narrative of the Bible as an artefact - an account of how it has changed, evolved and survived during its extraordinary journey through history ... The story begins in the age of illuminated manuscripts" and continues through the invention of printing into modern times (dust jacket). Red paper covered boards with gilt title to spine. Clean, tight interior. Filled with illustrations, many of which are in full color. Tan dust jacket with black spine panel and white title to spine. Sunning to edge of front panel of jacket. Price sticker to front flap of jacket. 352 pages. BOB/020923. Fine / Very Good. More

New York: Hacker Art Books, 1979. Hardcover. 8vo. Illustrated yellow cloth boards with black and gilt title labels to spines. Light wear and rubbing to spines and edges of boards. Foxing to fore-edges of textblocks. Clean, bright interiors with diagrams and photographic illustrations. A few spots of soiling to top edges of textblocks. Vol. I, 251 pages plus plates; Vol. II, 406 pages. An excellent historical reference; also an excellent reference for book binding techniques BOB/020223. Very Good. More

New York: The Typophiles, 1976. Hardcover. Bound in dark blue cloth backed patterned orange paper covered boards with gilt title to spine and black initials to front board. Clean, bright interior with full color frontispiece facsimilie. In original glassine with several chips to the edges. 54 pages. BOB/012323. Very Good. More

Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1940. Hardcover. Number 256 of 300 copies signed and numbered by the author. Frederic W. Goudy, (1865 - 1947), was a renowned American printer and typographer who designed more than 100 typefaces that are outstanding for their strength and beauty. In his preface Goudy writes: "Typologia presents more or less graphically my work in type design and describes my own methods of type production.Of course it does more than that; for who, once having begun a book, can resist its own invitations - to quote, to comment, to ponder and amplify." Fittingly, Goudy designed a new type for the exclusive use of the University - University of California Old Style - first used in this book. Bound in parchment paper boards with leather spine with raised bands and title in gilt as well as to the front cover. Parchment covered boards are soiled and stained. Front cover slightly bowed. Leather spine is rubbed but still attractive. Marbled endpapers. Some spotting to free endpapers but interior pages are clean and bright with light browning to edges. Housed in a brown cloth covered slipcase. Very good condition. Measures 7.25 x 10.75 inches. 170 pages. Very Good. More

London: Bernard Quaritch, 1868. Hardcover. Second Issue. Preceded by a short account of the Origin of the Alphabet, and of the successive methods of recording events before the invention of printing. Includes chapters on ancient writing methods, the earliest Roman records, manuscript and block books from the middle ages, the origin (in the West) of moveable type, Gutenberg, Fust and Schoiffher, the printing press in Italy and South of Europe, Printing in France, Printing in Flanders and Holland, Spain and Portugal, the advent of the press in England, illustrations of the art of printing, and more. Illustrated with 100 fac-similies in photolithography, all plates are present but are not bound in numerical order. Bound in three-quarter brown leather over grey pebbled cloth covered boards with gilt title to spine. Ex-library with an embossed stamp to the title page and a sticker to the spine. Wear and rubbing to joines, edges of boards, and corners. Bumping to corners. Large scuff to rear board. Marbled endpapers and top edge gilt. Previous owner's signature in pen to front free endpaper. Clean and bright overall with toning to margins, occasional spots of foxing, and occasional smudge marks to margins. Folio. 216 pages plus plates. BOB/020623. Very Good. More