London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1855 and 1858. Hardcover. Francois Arago (1786-1853) was an important French astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, who was also a politician for republican causes. For some years before his death, Arago spent much time revising his large collection of manuscripts with a view toward their definitive publication. This work mainly consists of the course of Lectures on Astronomy which he delivered annually at the Observatory of Paris over eighteen years. Each of the volumes is organized into sections that the author calls books with several chapters on the subject of that book, resulting in a comprehensive discourse on astronomy and related fields. The text is accompanied by numerous plates and hundreds of wood engravings. Bound in original green cloth bindings. Volume I has been rebacked. Gilt author, title, and volume number to spine. Corners bumped but very good. Interior pages and plates are also in very good condition. A very handsome set of this significant work. Volume I: 707 pages; Volume II: 846 pages including index. This set may require an extra shipping fee. SCI/07415. Very Good. More

London: J.M. Dent and Co., 1895. J.A. Symington. Hardcover. Scarce. A nice association copy, inscribed by the author: "Trix Fleming from her affectionate L. B. November 1900." Louisa Baldwin was one of the four MacDonald sisters, all of whom married notable men. Louisa married industrialist Alfred Baldwin and was the mother of prime minister Stanley Baldwin; Alice, the mother of Rudyard Kipling and Alice "Trix" MacDonald Kipling, married the sculptor Lockwood Kipling; Agnes married artist Edward Poynter; and Georgiana married Edward Burne-Jones. The recipient of this book "Trix" Kipling, later Fleming, was Rudyard's sister and Louisa's niece. This is one of many titles of fiction and poetry written by Louisa, many published with Mrs. Alfred Baldwin as the author. A poignant and insightful novel on love, marriage, and expectations. It begins with a happy marriage of a young couple. As time passes the man focuses increasingly on work leaving his wife feeling lonely, unhappy, and insecure. The expectations and disappointments of both husband and wife are explored, giving the reader an intimate look at married life during the late 1800s. Bound in publisher's dark blue cloth with gilt title and author to spine. Bumped, rubbed, light stains, and slightly cocked. Interior pages are very good with typical offsetting to free endpapers. With six illustrations by J. A. Symington. Very good condition despite binding flaws. 317 pages.LIT/033115. Very Good. More

San Francisco: Pomegranate ArtBooks, 1994. Hardcover. First Edition. Signed and inscribed by Lois Mailou Jones, dated October 7, 1995. African-American painter Lois Mailou Jones (1905 - 1998) is best known for her paintings of Martha's Vineyard, Paris, Haiti, and Africa. Illustrated with 130 full color reproductions. Very good in purple cloth boards with silver title to spine and front cover. Small indent / scuff mark to front cover. Small blue marking to fore-edge of text block (not a remainder mark). Slight scent of moth balls. In very good black illustrated dust jacket with yellow title to spine and front panels. Corresponding indent / scuff mark to front panel of jacket. Minor wear to jacket including rubbing to covers, a short closed tear along top edge of rear panel, minor wear to edges, and a small chip to edge of rear flap. Size: Large quarto. 142 pages. ART/092415. Very Good / Very Good. More

London: Grant Richards, 1900. Hardcover. First Edition. Presentation copy from Clodd, inscribed to the book's publisher Grant Richards, the nephew of Grant Allen. This memoir celebrates the life of Canadian science fiction author Charles Grant Blairfindle Allen (1848 - 1899). After teaching in grade school for several years, he became a professor of moral philosophy in Jamaica, where he developed his evolutionary system of philosophy. His literary career began with non-fiction essays on popular science, and he later went on to write nearly 30 fiction novels. He is considered to be a pioneer of the science fiction and detective fiction genres. Bound in original dark brown cloth boards with gilt title to spine. Minor sunning to spine, small chip to foot of spine, and a few spots to boards. Offsetting to endpapers, else clean. 222 pages. LIT/052115. Very Good. More

Basel: Romano Hänni, 2018. Hardcover. A set of three books in the Words Make the Infinite Finite series. Volume VII is limited to 290 copies, Volume VI is limited to 187 copies, and Volume V is limited to 86 copies. Swiss book artist and typographer Romano Hänni (1956 - ) has been experimenting with unusual compositions of letter forms and symbols since the early 1980s. His intricate 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 skills. Each of these books was hand composed and hand printed in black, red, yellow, and blue ink. All are accordion structures with stiff paper illustrated wrappers, which when removed, allow the twelve pages of the contents to be unfolded into one continuous strip. With a paper band closure for the folded book. Includes a four page supplement featuring the title of the work and the colophon in both English and German. A small set in a slipcase measuring about 3.25 inches wide by 5 inches tall by 1.25 inches thick. In fine condition. Unpaginated. PRI/112818. Fine. More

London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1896. Laurence Housman. Hardcover. First Edition. A Presentation Copy, inscribed "To W.B. Blaikie with sincere regards from Laurence Housman Feb. 18th 1897." Blaikie was a master printer and the head of the Edinburgh firm of T. and A. Constable, which produced several of Housman's books. This was an early work by Housman (1865-1959), the renowned English writer, illustrator, and playwright. Each of these seven Christian fantasy tales for adults is preceded by a lovely engraving by Housman and followed the verse "inset." Housman also did the cover design, title-page, and initial letters. In original green publisher's cloth, with bumping, fading, and sunning to spine. Interior pages are very nice, with light browning to margins and deckled edges. In very good condition.138 pages plus five pages of review comments for two other Housman books. LIT/042414. Very Good. More

Berkeley: Codex Foundation, 2013. Hardcover. Book Art Object is primarily a record of the third biennial Codex Book Fair and Symposium: "The Fate of the Art," held at Berkeley, California, 2011. The event showcased contemporary artist books, fine press and fine art editions produced by the world's most esteemed printers, designers, book artists, and artisans. Showcases 300 books by 140 artists / printers and presents a selection of the papers delivered at the 2009 an 2011 symposium lectures including Paul van Capelleveen, Antoine Coron, Ron King, Juan Pascoe, and Richard Ovenden. Includes 1133 color images. New in white cloth boards with red title to front cover and spine. In new white dust jacket with red title to spine and front cover. 521 pages. BOB/022515. Fine / Fine. More

Oakland CA: Littoral Press, 2002. Hardcover. Number 6 of 125 copies. This is one of the ten copies from the Deluxe Edition that are signed on the colophon by sixteen of the seventeen contributors to this poetry and prose anthology (alas, not Frida Kahlo). They include Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhran, Claribel Cone, Martha Gies, Robert Hass. Steve Hellman, Marie Howe, Frida Kahlo, Vickie Karp, Stephen Kessler, Rachel Loden, Jane Miller, Janell Moon, Sharon Olds, Lisa Rappoport, Mark Salerno, Joseph Stroud, and Gary Young. Rappoport writes that this book "is dedicated to those we love with a blazing passion, to those we hope will burn in hell, and ideally, to the future separation of the two." She has been a book artist for almost twenty years and her books can be found in many institutional collections. This beautiful accordion book is bound in red and black Thai Unryl reversible paper with a black title label to front cover. Printed with handset Garamond type on Johannot paper with black and blood-red ink. Each volume has unique pastepaper endpapers. With title page drawing of a heart in flames by Bobbe Besold. The book is 11 x 7 folded and 18 feet long unfolded. In fine condition. Unpaginated. [25 pages] PRI/030915. Fine. More

[The Hague] a la Haye: Pierre de Hondt, 1758-1759. Hardcover. This remarkable "Historical Dictionary," offers critical and literary memoirs about the life and works of various distinguished persons, particularly in the republic of letters, This book was done as a complementary work to the famous early 18th century dictionary of Pierre Bayle. Prosper Marchand (1678-1756) was a Huguenot refugee who became a bookseller, bibliographer, and publisher in the Netherlands. Marchand died before the manuscript was complete, but he had commissioned his friend and executor, Jean Nicolas Sebastien Allamand, to review and publish it. Allamand spent four years putting Marchand's notes in order. They were mostly written on confused and scattered scraps of paper. In his introduction, Allamand describes all the pains he had to take to restore these notes and to supplement the omissions of Marchand. The result is this monumental bound folio with two painstakingly printed volumes on on seemingly everyone and everything literary. Printed in double columns with numerous shoulder footnotes on most pages. At the end of Volume II are an alphabetical list of articles, a table of subjects, and a catalog of books published by Pierre de Hondt. Bound in three quarter brown leather with decorated brown paper boards. Six raised bands to spine with brown leather title label in second compartment. Chipping and small tears to leather as well as to paper covers. Interior pages show light aging but are otherwise clean and bright. Offsetting on free endpapers from leather borders on pastedowns. Previous owner bookplate to front pastedowns and small stamp on title page of volume I "Holstein-Holsteinborg." In very good condition. Volume I: 330 pages plus publisher catalog; Volume II: 328 pages plus lists and publisher catalog. FRE/042415. Very Good. More

London: Remington & Co., 1879. Hardcover. First Edition. This was Moore's second publication, and apart from a broadside of which only one copy is known, this is by far the rarest of his books. No copy has appeared at auction in the past decade. George Moore (1852-1933) was an Irish novelist, poet, critic, and dramatist who is often regarded as the first great modern Irish novelist. This play was done in collaboration with French dramatist Bernard Lopez, who had ignited Moore's interest in drama when they were fellow residents at the Hotel de Russie in Paris. Moore made the suggestion to collaborate after the failure of his first work, Flowers of Passion. The result was this, a five act verse tragedy that was never produced. It was considered at the time almost unreadable because of its poor verse and wooden characters. In later years Moore had very little regard for this early effort and never considered its reissue in any of the collected editions of his work. Bound in original blindstamped black cloth with gilt title and authors to front cover and title to spine. In Edwin Gilcher's bibliography of Moore he describes this as the "Theater (?) impression, slightly larger in size, repaged and without prefatory matter presumably...issued to send to theater managers in an effort to secure a production." Corners lightly bumped and small piece missing from top on spine. Interior pages are very nice. Ownership signature of Henry Knight on title page and bookplate of Rosita de Texada. In very good condition. Housed in a green silk folding case. 139 pages. DRA/080315. Very Good. More

[London]: [1869]. Rare. This is a single leaf, with the poem dated "D.G.R. 1859" below the text. The sonnet was printed as part of the proof process for Rossetti's Poems, published in April 1870. Rossetti decided not to include the poem after all because of its erotic nature and reference to prostitution. Thus the poem was written in 1859 but not published until 1904, many years after Rossetti's death. William Michael Rossetti, in his Bibliography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1904) considers this as a separate item of importance. There are only four copies in Worldcat (Lilly, Princeton, Texas, and Huntington). Two tiny chips on right side of page else in very good condition. Although there is no evidence with this item of its provenance, it is supposedly from the collection of William E. Fredeman, the Pre-Raphaelite bibliographer and collector. PRERAPH/120114. Very Good. More

Chicago: Sherwin Beach Press, 2008. Hardcover. Number 18 of 50 copies. Signed by the author and the bookmakers. With numerous family photographs provided by Nina Sandlin. Lee Sandlin (1956-2014) was an award winning journalist and essayist. This is his story of the extraordinary life and bewildering illness of Sandlin's father-in-law, Russian immigrant Nick Cherniavsky (1924-2007), who grew up in China. "The defining event of Nick’s life happened before he was born. The Russian Revolution was one of those vast historical calamities that most Americans have been spared: it was a time when people who never thought of themselves as political, who never thought they’d have to choose sides about anything, were forced to make political choices that could easily cost them their homes, their families, and their lives. This was how it was for Nick’s parents." This beautiful book iwas designed by Martha Chiplis, set in Monotype Ehrhardt by Winifred and Michael Bixler, and printed by Martha Chiplis on handmade Twinrocker Taupe paper. Photoetchings from family photographs are printed on Hosho, inset into the book in debossed panels. A map of Nick's lifetime of travel, drawn by Deborah Reade, serves as the front endpaper. Trisha Hammer has designed and executed a hidden crossed-structure binding in Nigerian goatskin with endpapers of Japanese silk, housed in a silk drawstring bag. An impressive production In fine condition. 9 1/2 x 11 x 2 inches. 100 pages. PRI/072115. Fine. More

Washington DC: 2012-2013. Hardcover. Limited to 7 copies. These three fascinating volumes comprise the Non-Boundaries Series. They document a project undertaken by Zussman in which a group of people was asked to categorize a list of forty-two interactions between memory and reality into three to five categories. The book artist states: "This project has been a physical fulfillment of the question of whether there is any conscious common ground to the way we categorize unfamiliar phenomena and interactions that haven't been categorized for us in advance." The first volume provides the categories representing each participant's grouping and categorization of the interactions. In the second volume, participants were asked to map up to five interactions from the same list, using Euclidean geometric tools of a dot and a line. The third volume uses Jeremy Bentham's circular structure, the Panopticon to explore the interactions between memory and reality from the first two volumes. Each volume is bound in white laminate covers with the title printed in black on the cover. In fine condition. 8 x 10 inches, Unpaginated. This set may require an extra shipping fee. ARTISTSBOOK/081315. Fine. More