Birmingham, UK: Hudson & Son, 1880. Hardcover. Number 198 of 200 copies signed by Bragge. Privately printed. Very scarce edition of this extensive bibliography of books and objects related to tobacco and smoking. It is a chronological list of 409 titles of books, and a classified catalogue of about 13,000 objects connected with the use of tobacco - an ethnographic collection of pipes, snuff mills and snuff rasps, snuff bottles, fire strikers, tinder boxes, and more. William Bragge (1823 – 1884)[] was an English civil engineer, antiquarian and author. He established a museum and art gallery and collected a notably comprehensive library of the literature on tobacco, in all its forms and almost all languages, with pamphlets, engravings and other publications filling 17 large volumes.The original and revised volumes of his catalogues constitute the earliest specialist bibliography in the English language. In 1880, Bragge published this revised bibliography of tobacco, Bibliotheca Nicotiana [Wikipedia]. Bound in three quarter dark red leather with marbled paper boards. Spine with six compartments with titling and gilt ornaments. Front cover is partially detached. Leather is rubbed, worn, and abraded. Rear hinge tender. Front free endpaper detached. Tears to bottom margins of first few pages not affecting text. Text is otherwise clean and in very good condition. Quarto. 248 pages plus rear table of contents. BOB/083021. Very Good. More

London: Archibald Constable & Co, 1909. Hardcover. Cyril Davenport (1848-1941) was a bookbinder and author who wrote extensively on the history of bookbinding. He also wrote on topics as diverse as jewelry design, architecture, heraldry, the English royal regalia, mezzotints and other types of illustrative reproduction. This book by Davenport was owned by Thomas Parkin, who apparently organized a series of lectures by him on some of his areas of expertise, including one on heraldry. Tipped in are several articles from 1914 from the Hastings and St. Leonards Observer reporting on the talks. Tipped in is a note from Davenport to Parkin about an upcoming visit. Another note from an unidentified correspondent to Parkin cancels a visit and asks about one of Davenport's books about bindings. Tipped in the rear of the book is a 1910 copy of the Journal of the Royal Society of the Arts that includes the text of a Davenport lecture on miniatures. Bound in maroon cloth that is bumped with signs of handling and with a faded spine. Interior pages are clean and bright. Illustrated throughout with black and white images of the book stamps. Very good. Small octavo. 451 pages, BOB/040521. Very Good. More

Basel: Romano Hänni, 2021. Hardcover. Number 24 of the 54 copies of the standard edition. There are 10 additional copies of the deluxe edition. Each copy of the book comes with a pamphlet with photos of the manufacturing process and a soft cover book with Romano's explanation of this new work. Swiss book artist and typographer Romano Hänni (1956 - ) has been experimenting with unusual compositions of letter forms and symbols since the early 1980s. His designs can seem somewhat whimsical but often are reactions to society, politics, and traumatic events. Creating things manually with the participation of all of the senses is very important to him. A master of visual poetry, he enjoys teaching to pass on his knowledge and skill. In this book, Romano states that he is reprinting the original text of the Iti Amotytoma Muxum that arrived in England from Utopia in 1535. The book was purportedly soon "lost in the darkness of history" until 2019, when it was revealed to be in the Vatican Secret Archives. The book artist says that he was able to get possession of the book for a few weeks. Although not able to translate the mysterious lost language of Utopia, he was able to recreate the harmonious overall impression of the book with its deliberately used proportions and its classical and elementary typography. According to his book of explanation, Romano created this work in response to his own ethical, moral, and political beliefs about our modern world. The book is an intriguing production that beautifully displays his mastery of symbols and letter forms. It was hand set in lead type with brass lines and letterpress printed in black and four-colors. There were approximately 52 printing forms. The book is bound in green linen with gilt titling to front cover. It is housed in a grey paper covered slipcase along with the pamphlet of photos. In fine condition. Measures 5 x 7.5 inches. Book: 56 pages; Explanation volume: 23 pages. ARTB/090321. Fine. More