Satin, Claire Jeanine.
KCALB BOOK.
Dania Beach, FL: Claire Jeanine Satin, 2021.

One of three copies. An important artists' book from Claire Jeanine Satin, a well known book artist, sculptor and designer of public art installations. Satin's work has been extensively exhibited and collected in the United States and in Europe, including at The Library of Congress, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Getty (CA), MOMA, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Institute of Design (India). She has created more than 500 bookworks to date. She is known especially for her conceptual works influenced by the ideas of composer/visual artist John Cage, and the conversion of ordinary industrial materials into environmental constructions and book works of layered transparent mass. This work from Claire beautifully exemplifies this conceptual approach to creating her books. The KCALB BOOK is both intricate in its structure and compelling in its message about racial strife and justice. The book is comprised of five words taken from the word Black. The words are: Killing Corrupt Assault Lynch Brutal, and each chosen word is placed vertically and backward in the book and printed in black in various fonts on acetate pages. The words can be viewed individually or simultaneously as they may occur in real life. The clear acetate pages have applied red acetate pieces that are shaped like petals and refer to the blood spilled on the Pettus Bridge during the original demonstration led by the late civil rights leader John Lewis in 1965. The red "petals" also reference the tears shed when John Lewis’s body was carried over the bridge by a carriage during his funeral in 2020. Claire's book is both an homage to John Lewis and a stark reminder of how much more needs to be done to achieve civil rights and equality for all. The book includes jet beads and monofilaments that are two of Claire's signature designs in her work. She has signed and dated a small acetate tag attached to one of the monofilaments. In fine condition. Measures  8.5 x 12 inches. Held in a black gauze drawstring bag. Fine. (#35412)

Price: $1,200.00

Owen, Jan, calligrapher and book artist.
Remember the Ladies.
Belfast, ME: Jan Owen, 2025.

Softcover. This is a powerful and thought-provoking unique book by the noted calligrapher and book artist Jan Owen. It is focused on the ongoing and never-ending struggle for women's equality. In 2020, Jan created a book to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage. The text included words by Abigail Adams, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, the laws that evolved and about the slow but determined effort for voting rights. As this new book makes clear, the battle for women's rights is far from over. In a statement about this book, Jan writes: "When I was in school, history class was about dates, wars, and men with a few women hopefully mentioned. The 'founding mothers' were also important in maintaining their homes and farms, raising their children and with their ideas. I needed to learn and so began 'Remember the Ladies' from Abigail Adams up to the present day. It is now easy to digitally search so binary code was added and I cross-stitched, a craft of women, over it. I was not allowed to wear pants to school and it was embarrassing if your slip showed. Letting you see the back side of the cross stitch is a nod to changing times."

The text of this new work and its 2020 predecessor comprise excerpts from historical documents and writings relating to women's rights. Its title is from a line in a 1776 letter from Abigail Adams to her husband John.The text of this work includes quotes from Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Bette Davis, Shirley Chisholm, Nancy Pelosi, and Beyonce. Scores of women's names from the beginning of the U.S. as a country to current women are given in a two page list including everyone from Susan B. Anthony, Amy Coney Barratt, Clara Barton, Julia Child, Hillary Clinton, Amelia Earhart, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Friedan, Zora, Neale Hurston, Barbara Jordan, Maya Lin, Grandma Moses, Sacajawea, and Janet Yellen, to name just a few. In the same manner as Mending the Stars and Stripes, this work also uses assorted handmade papers that are rough, gaudy and fun. It is hand lettered in ink, and uses acrylic and thread on papers made by Hark Handmade paper, Tim Barrett, Katie McGregor, Kate Fairchild and Jan Owen herself. Bound in brown paper covers with gilt titling to front cover and a gilt designed ornamentation along the edges of the covers, with a cross stitched pattern in red thread. The title is cross stitched on the inside front and back covers. accompanied by two supplementary booklets that contains printed transcriptions of the text in the hand-lettered book. The book and its supplements are housed in a drop spine case covered in cream cloth with a red and gilt title label to front cover. The case is held closed by red thread ties.

On her website Jan states: "I was born in New York City, grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York and loved to draw and read as a child. Now I live in Belfast on the coast of Maine with long winters to write and beautiful summers. I walk to the beach to watch the sun rise and the tide come in. My day begins with brushstrokes to music, on to lettering and then to the words. My first books were long, hanging accordion fold books, large pieces that could be seen all at once and then folded away. I played string bass with a symphony orchestra for many years and the music always kept moving forward. I wanted my art to be still and include brush strokes and layers of words all visible at once. I like planning the pacing and arrangement of pages, words and images." She also writes: "The page is silent until I mark it, a line is abstract until I make a letter. The letters become words; ideas, poems and history. In this transitional age of digital communication we still need touch and movement, metaphor and music. The hand, eye and brain work together turning the pages of a book. I write with brushes and metal dip pens using inks and acrylic. The words might be layered like a palimpsest, weaving added for touch, colors and patterns for the eyes and binary code for transliteration. I choose texts by various authors and more often now, add how the words resonate with me as marginalia." This new work is in fine condition. It measures 11.5 x 18 inches closed and 19 x 23 inches open. Unpaginated. Fine. (#38160)

Price: $3,000.00

Williams, Mary Agnes and Thomas, book artists.
American Progression.
Philadelphia: Luminice Press, 2024.

Hardcover. Number 3 of 12 copies, signed by the book artists. Thomas and Mary Agnes describe this interesting and introspective book about the state of America as follows: "In images and text, our artist book ‘American Progression’ encapsulates the sources of deep fissures in this country: white supremacy, the legacy of slavery, the constant influx of immigrants. And yet, there is progression beyond the fear and hate that separate Americans, as many find community and joy together, and share hope for the future."

The following offers excerpts from the text that capture the realities of both inequality and despair that exist, juxtaposed with the hope and affirmation that also define America today: “In 1950, 89.5% of Americans identified as white . . . By 2050, whites will be a minority (47%) . . . Many on the right bitterly resent losing privilege and power . . . . . They remember the easy days before civil rights . . . When an ordinary white man was always better and smarter . . . When the sheriff looked the other way . . . . Desperate to hold on, they search for a leader who will raise them up again, a savior who will take control and lead them back to the white promised land. …For hundreds of years African slaves were submerged in American soil: endless brutality in endless fields of cotton, rice, tobacco, sugar cane . . . .. Unlike Africans, Latino families have been desperate to escape their homes for a better, safer place, risking everything to migrate north . . . Poverty, injustice and hate are realities in America . . . Despite it all, people still find joy and see hope for the future . . . Black, brown, white . . . We can dance!”

The book is constructed as a double-sided accordion. It is printed on Stonehenge Polar White papers. The cover is multi-colored pochoir using 50 stencils on paper over board. Illustrations on six panels with oil based inks over flood coats. Pochoir using 50 stencils. Letterpress printed from polymer plates. In a black slipcase with mylar insert that allows the brightly colored cover to be seen. Concept, design, illustrations, pochoir, printing, binding by Thomas Parker Williams. Original text, text layout, printing by Mary Agnes Williams. A thought-provoking work in fine condition Measures 12.25 x 4.25 x .5 inches. Unpaginated [12 pages]. Fine. (#37884)

Price: $1,200.00

Emeritz, Lauren, book artist.
Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Washington DC: Abstract Orange, 2024.

Softcover. Number 8 of 20 copies signed and numbered by the book artist. Lauren Emeritz is a book artist, letterpress printer and graphic artist who founded and runs Abstract Orange. She creates prints and books by hand using a Vandercook press and wood type, including type she designs and carves herself. Lauren holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Delaware. She is the President and Creative Director of Abstract Orange, a graphic design firm in Washington, DC, and a letterpress associate at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. Her work can be found in many institutional and private collections.

This is another powerful work by Lauren in which she addresses social and political issues and events. It is based on the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964. The book has a series of 10 sheets of brown cardboard paper, each with text from provisions of the Act printed in green from hand-carved wood letters of the alphabet. The texts include "equal access to public accommodations," "access to public education," "expand civil rights commission," "equal employment opportunities, " and more. The ten sheets are housed in a bright green paper folder with the title printed in darker green on the cover and a velcro closure. In fine condition. Measures 7 x 11 inches. Fine. (#37882)

Price: $1,200.00

Covell, Anne.
The Record.
La Mesa, CA: Anne Covell, 2017.

Hardcover. One of 60 copies. "On January 20th, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. That same day, the official White House website (whitehouse.gov) began the digital transition to archive and replace Obama’s policies with those of the new administration. Immediately, people began to notice that key issues such as health care, education, and immigration were nowhere to be found. Keyword searches for terms such as “climate change,” “LGBT,” and “civil rights” all returned 404 errors. Even more conspicuously, the Spanish-language version and the disabled-accessible version of the site were no longer available.

Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library that has been archiving webpages since 1996, captured 167 snapshots of whitehouse.gov that day. This book records the last snapshots taken of Obama’s policies before they came down, the 404 errors that followed, as well as the Internet Archive timestamps for when the information was last available and when it disappeared" (Anne Covell).

The first layer of this accordion book reveals text from webpages from whitehouse.gov covering topics like "equal pay", "criminal justice", "climate change", "disabilities", etc. from the Obama era. Each of these pages has a tab at the top edge, which the reader can pull down to reveal the content (or lack thereof) of the same page from the day of Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017. The contrast is startling. Government webpages once filled with useful, empowering information, were eradicated in a single day. Covell fills these blank spaces with the haunting outlines of book-like shapes to represent a lost library and consequently imparting a feeling of emptiness and loss of hope. The Record presents a powerful visualization of the turmoil that the Trump administration has imposed since its first day in office.

Bound in black and white paper wrappers with title to front cover. Letterpress printed accordion on Masa paper with sumi wash and hand brayering. Housed in grey cardstock case with red twine legal closure to rear. 

Anne Covell's work can be found in collections across the world including Columbia University, San Francisco MOMA, RIT, the National Library of Chile, and Yale. She makes paper as well as books and teaches book arts workshops. Her work often address interactions between humans and nature. According to her artists' statement: "I am interested in the human capacity to physically shape environment, to make claim to earth that must inherently be shared, and the subtle, observable ways nature adapts and responds. Through this lens, I attempt create beauty from perceivably ugly acts as an entry for exploring complex human response to transience and decay." Size: 6.5 x 4.25 x .25 inches (closed); 13 x 42.5 x .25 inches (open). Fine. (#34509)

Price: $500.00

Zangwill, Israel.
Without Prejudice.
London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1896.

Hardcover. FIRST EDITION. Jewish author and political activist, Israel Zangwill (1864 - 1926), was passionate about campaigning for the oppressed. Many of his works address womens suffrage, pacifism, Zionism, and Jewish emancipation. He was a strong believer of assimilitation and is best known for his influencial novel "Children of the Ghetto: A Study of a Peculiar People" (1892) which was later released as a play titled "The Melting Pot" (1908). Zangwill is credited with coining the term "melting pot" to describe the fusion of various cultures and ethnicities (OCEL 1097).

This is a rare volume of literary essays and travel accounts. Most of the selections were originally printed in "Pall Mall Magazine." This "book covers a wide range of topics, including politics, social issues, literature, and culture. Zangwill's writing is characterized by his sharp wit, incisive commentary, and progressive views on issues such as women's rights, immigration, and racial equality. The essays in 'Without Prejudice' are both thought-provoking and entertaining, offering a glimpse into the intellectual climate of the time and the challenges facing society as it grappled with the rapid changes of the modern era. Zangwill's work remains relevant today as a testament to the power of critical thinking and the importance of speaking out against injustice" (online review).

In original blue cloth boards with gilt title to spine and front board. A few spots of foxing to interior, most notably on the endpapers. Bookplate of book collector, Mark Samuels Lasner, to front pastedown. An attractive copy of this scarce book. 384 pages. Very Good. (#21515)

Price: $125.00

Madison, Charles A.
Critics & Crusaders.
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1947-48.

Hardcover. Charles Allan Madison (1895-1985) was a publishing executive and author of several books on labor, liberal and progressive leaders, publishing history and Jewish topics. Born in Kiev, he emigrated to the United States in 1906 and graduated from Harvard University in 1922. He first worked with the American Book Company (1922-1924) and then moved to Henry Holt and Company where he remained for the next 38 years. [From the Syracuse University Libraries, which has a special collection of Madison's manuscripts.] Critics and Crusaders has an obvious point-of-view in favor of liberal and reformist leaders. The title page included a quote from Emerson, "What is man born for but to be a Reformer, a Re-maker of what man has made, a renouncer of lies, a restorer of truth and good..." The dedication is "To those who cherish freedom, practice equality, and seek justice." Contains sections on the abolitionists (William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, Wendell Phillips); the Utopians (Margaret Fuller, Albert Brisbane, Edward Bellamy); the Anarchists (Henry David Thoreau, Benjamin Tucker, Emma Goldman); the Dissident Economists (Henry George, Brooks Adams, Thorstein Veblen); the Militant Liberals (John Peter Altgeld, Lincoln Steffens, Randolph Bourne); and the Socialists (Daniel De Leon, Eugene Debs, John Reed). This is an all-star cast of names. Presented immediately after World War II, this is an unapologetic presentation of liberal views, many of which are out of favor in much of the world today. Madison followed with another book focusing on liberalism in 1961, Leaders and Liberals in 20th Century America. Octavo. Pink/flesh cloth covered board with decorative blue embossing on front cover and title in blue to spine. Front and rear boards are slightly faded; with considerable sunning to spine. Pages are yellowed but clean. 534 pages.Very Good. (#1083)

Price: $25.00