[Seattle]: Sea Pen Press, 1988. Hardcover. Number 97 of 100 copies. Signed by the author. Thomas Brush is an award winning Seattle poet who has written several books and for several distinguished journals. He tended bar for four years at a Seattle racetrack several years ago and found it an enchanted place that values possibilities and dreams. This influence is evident in the poems included in Even Money. This interesting production from the Sea Pen Press has a blue handmade light-and-shade watermarked paper covers that are sewn in a non-adhesive concertina fashion to the text. The orange and brown decorated endpapers were created by Neal Bonham of the press using colored paper pulps in a decorative technique that he developed. There are five linoleum cut illustrations by Suzanne Ferris that "capture the linear poetry of the thoroughbred world" (prospectus). The book also has images of racetrack betting tickets decorating the title page and colophon that were created by transferring Xerox images to linoleum. The text is printed in Monotype Janson and the title page is printed with Weiss Initial Series 2. The book is housed in a coarse tan linen covered clamshell box with blue borders and ticket images on the front cover. Both the book's binding and the case were designed and constructed by Judith L. Johnson. In fine condition. Book is 9 x 11.5 inches. Case measures 10.25 x 13 inches. Unpaginated [21 pages]. PRI/090717. Fine. More

Oldham, England: Incline Press, 2018. Hardcover. Number 28 of about 180 copies. This charming small book was printed as the Incline Press's annual birthday tribute to the poet Robert Burns. "As the 25th of January approaches each year, various Robert Burns' songs make their way to the front of the pile of CDs in the workshop. In 2018 our favourite has been Dick Gaughan's CD of Handful of Earth, which includes his tender rendition of 'Now Westlin Wind'. Robert Burns wrote the song in 1775 when he was a 16-year old schoolboy studying mathematics in Kirkoswald. In five lyrical eight-line verses, he manages to set out the four main themes which can be found throughout his subsequent work: a love of all nature; an abiding opposition to all forms of oppression; a keen appreciation of the meaning of hard work, especially farm labour; and a happy delight in being charmed by joy in other people. The illustrations we chose are from Thomas Bewick's engravings of the nine birds mentioned in the poem, taken from the two-volume British Birds, first published in 1797 (vol. 1) and 1804 (vol 2). Here printed from line blocks, they are reduced to quarter-size to suit our page, although the two vignettes are both the same size as the original tail-pieces" (from the press). Set in Eric Gill's Joanna type in 10 point roman and italic on Zerkall-Bütten paper. Hand bound at the press with covers in handmade and decorated paper from India. With a black cloth spine with paper title label. In fine condition. Measures 4 3/8 x 2 5/8 inches. Unpaginated [5 pages]. PRI/092118. Fine. More

Ogdensburg, NY: Caliban Press, 2017. Number 23 of 104 copies signed and numbered by the highly regarded book artist and printer Mark McMurray. This is a beautifully produced new edition of A Christmas Carol that captures the power of this timeless story through the inventive use of text, images, paper, type, and binding. McMurray writes in the prospectus: "We know the story, we know the characters, but the language of the text offers new rewards with each reading. This edition of Dickens' classic returns to the dark, sleep-deprived angst of the original complete text." The prospectus states that the text in this edition comes from the 1843 edition with minor corrections. Printed on a variety of handmade and mould-made papers including Zerkal Ingres and papers from La Papeterie-St. Armand. The text is printed entirely from metal and wood types, including monotype Bell plus many from the 19th century. There are wonderful images of the ghosts that visit Scrooge on that fateful night, and many other ornaments and designs throughout. They use various media including pochoir, collage, wood engraving, and relief blocks. Bound in black ribbed flexible covers with a red morocco leather spine with title in gilt on spine and inside a cutout on the front cover. Housed in a stiff black paper slipcase with a subtle chain design. Prospectus and errata slip inserted. In fine condition. 7.5 x 10.5 inches. 107 pages. PRI/010419. More

New York: The Center for Book Arts, 2007. Paperback. SIGNED BY THE OTHER. Number 25 of 100. Blue paper wrappers with black title to green title label on front wrapper and on spine. Pristine interior. Author's signature on rear page below colophon. 32 pages. PRI/012612. Fine in wraps. More

Cheloniidae Press, 1984. Hard Cover. Number 19 of 60 copies for the Deluxe Edition with an extra suite of prints. Signed and numbered by the book artist. There were 225 copies in the standard edition. This beautiful book is in a unique custom binding designed and executed by Robert Wu at his studio in Toronto in 2018. Robert is an exceptionally talented Taiwanese-Canadian designer bookbinder and paper marbler from Toronto, where he has lived since 2006. He began binding books in the 1990s and studied with several master binders. His splendid bindings can be found in public and private collections in Canada and the United States and he has received several awards. His specialization is in the grand tradition of French Art binding - Reliure d'Art. His eight years of architectural training is evident in the quality of his designs and the precision of his execution. The deluxe edition includes a suite of signed and numbered wood engravings and one etching by Alan James Robinson, a master printer and artist who established the Cheloniidae Press, later called The Press of the Sea Turtle, in 1979. The text used for this edition was first published in 1650, “corrected and much enlarged by the author.” English author Sir Thomas Browne (1605 - 1682) was fascinated with the natural world. In this text he describes a variety of horned animals and ponders the varying medicinal value of their horns. His text has been beautifully printed and illustrated by Robinson with unicorns, horned beetles, a walrus, a narwhal, and more. Robert's imaginative and marvelous binding is in red leather with a black spine label with title in silver. The red leather binding is stamped with the title in white, black, and blind running vertically from top to bottom of both covers. The front cover has an elaborately embossed white leather inlay with a faux ivory oval ornament with an illustrated narwhale horn. The rear cover has the same inlay with a portrait of Thomas Browne in the faux ivory. Marbled endpapers from Robert's studio with his binder's seal on the rear pastedown. Printed in Van Dijck Monotype on obsolete Whatman Paper, Blue White Laid. The book, prospectus, and suite of loose plates are housed in a custom clamshell box covered in beige linen. In fine condition. Unpaginated. [56 pages] ARTB/092118. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2016. 3 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a whale and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Moby Dick!" Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2016. 3 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a unicorn and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Unicorns!" Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. 3 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a cat and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Black Cat!" This broadside references Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story "The Black Cat." Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. 1 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of Alice with the hookah smoking caterpillar and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Alice in Wonderland!" This broadside references Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland." Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. 1 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a Tom and Huck and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Tom and Huck!" This broadside references Mark Twain's novel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on on archival Cranes Lettra paper. TAKING PRE-ORDERS NOW. THIS WILL BE AVAILABLE THE FALL OF 2018. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. 1 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of the ancient mariner on his ship and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Ancient mariner!" This broadside references Coleridge's famous poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 1982. Hardcover. UNIQUE COPY WITH A SET OF THE 26 ORIGINAL PENCIL DRAWINGS BY ALAN JAMES ROBINSON. There were 300 copies of this book published; 200 were regular copies, 50 were deluxe copies with quarter leather binding and 50 others bound in full leather. The deluxe editions were issued with a set of proofs of the wood engravings and a set of proofs of the line-cut initials, with a large calligraphic manuscript initial beneath each image. The wood engraving proofs are lettered and signed by Robinson, and the line-cut proofs are signed both by Robinson and the calligrapher, Elizabeth Curtis. This copy shows some variation from the copies described in the prospectus. The colophon has been signed and numbered VI of L and internally seems to be a straightforward copy of the deluxe full leather edition. The binding varies somewhat from that pictured in the prospectus but uses many of the same elements. Also, the chemise is thicker that the regular chemise because it contains the 26 pencil drawings. This may have been a special copy prepared by Robinson for a particular subscriber/collector. This wonderful abecedary illustrates each letter of the alphabet with a masterful wood engraving by Robinson. Each animal is described at the bottom of its page in texts chosen primarily from the earliest first-hand accounts of the animal depicted. The descriptions are printed in red. The printed source of each text is identified, and at the end of the book there is a detailed and useful bibliography of these sources. A page with a small, different illustration of the animal precedes each animal’s page, with the calligraphic letter written in red by Curtis. The animals depicted are often wondrous and strange, and some, such as the basilisk, may never have actually existed. This is a two volume folio (including a chemise containing an additional suite of illustrations, and the group of original pencil drawings). The bound volume is in full red morocco, done by David Bourbeau of the Thistle Bindery. The covers have a large central, slightly sunken panel, with the title in red and black and with a Sea Turtle device blocked in blind (Cheloniidae is the name for a species of sea turtles). The proofs contained in the chemise are unbound as issued within the original red morocco-backed, linen cloth covered boards. Both volumes are housed in a red morocco-backed cloth covered box, with the spine lettered and dated in gilt and a small Sea Turtle device in blind. “The blocks were cut by the artist at the Cheloniidae Press & printed by Harold P. McGrath in the summer of 1982.... Mackenzie-Harris set the types in monotype with some hand-setting by Arthur Larson. The text was compiled and annotated by Laurie Block. The hand calligraphy is by Betsy Curtis. The paper is Rives lightweight” (from the colophon). The 8-page prospectus is laid in. A remarkable production from this press. In fine condition. PRI/020112. Fine. More

Toronto: Cheshire Cat Press, 1991. Hardcover. Number 36 of 177 copies. Around 1982, Walker, Poole, and Brambant founded the Cheshire Cat Press. They spent six years working on their well received edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1988. George Walker's wood engravings were so admired that the Press decided to publish a book that would be devoted entirely to his engravings. This is that book, which is divided into three parts.: In the first part the 96 illustrations featured in Wonderland are reproduced by chapter in the story's order. The second part, Alice's Misadventures, has engravings that were not used in 1988 along with the reasons why. The last part reproduces some of Walker's preliminary sketches for Wonderland. The introduction describes the procedures the three used in deciding upon each of the illustrations used in Wonderland. Bound in red cloth with gilt titling to spine. Red and gold marbled endpapers. Printed with Century Schoolbook and Hadriano & Hadriano types on Noranda Recycled Antique paper. The drawings were reproduced from Polymer plates. In fine condition. PRI/011019. Fine. More