Mezzotint Flower Print

Oda, Shigero, artist.
La Fleur [ color mezzotint print].
[1982].

Number 5 of 150 prints signed, numbered, and dated by the artist. Shigeru Oda is a well-known Japanese artist. Born in Osaka in 1933, Oda is known for his beautiful prints of flowers and plants against dark velvety backgrounds using the mezzotint intaglio print making process. The organic forms of blossoms and leaves stand out in luminous color against the deep black background. His designs are exquisitely printed with delicate shading and rich tones, creating jewel-like effects. This work is of three rich red flowers on their stems, with a small golden yellow moon and the shadows of a hilly landscape. In fine condition. Printed on white paper that frames the print image. Enclosed in an archival paper folder. Measures 8.25 x 11.75 inches. (#36470)

Price: $180

Wildfires and Climate Change -
Collection of 12 Call-to-Action Artists' Books
All Housed in a Custom-made Wooden Case

Lowdermilk, Susan; Donna Thomas; Peter Thomas; Andie Thrams.
Hope?
Eugene, OR; Santa Cruz and Coloma, CA: 2022.

Number 5 of 32 copies. A collaborative project about climate change and activism prompted by the catastrophic wildfires of 2020 and onward that burnt through the forests of Oregon and California, where all of the involved book artists reside. This resulting piece of 12 artists' books, which the artists refer to as a "reliquary" box includes artifacts such as a vial of ashes gathered from the remnants of the burnt forest. It was created "to bear witness to the devastation of western forests and grapple with the question of hope during this pivotal movement in the Anthropocene epoch."

The four artists involved gathered in 2019 during the Codex book fair to discuss creating this project, which was originally intended to focus on trees and forests. When they were able to meet again in 2021, after experiencing catastrophic wildfires near their homes, they hiked in Yosemite. On their hike they discussed broadening the scope of their project to "a more significant consideration of climate change," what can be done about it, what "hope" meant to each of the participants, and what information could be shared through the project. The group gathered research, specimens, and inspiration as they spent a week camping in the McKenzie River watershed area. They also met with Forest Service scientists, a forest management company, photographer, and an Emergency Manager responsible for responding to wildfires. Finally, they began designing their books and the reliquary box collaboratively, creating wood and linocut illustrations, making paper, setting type, and printing (artist statement).

The resulting books incorporate burnt wood gathered from the forest, ashes, hand made paper, painted wood, and more. A variety of structures are included such as: a scroll book, a flexagon, a coptic bound booklet, a folder with removable sheets, and an accordion with pop-ups. Techniques include: letterpress printing, gouache, watercolor, linocut, woodcut, photograms, relief prints, pressure prints, digital printing, and paper marbling. All of the books and artifacts are held in a wooden box along with a 40 page trade paperback book with artists statements by each of the four participants as well descriptions and pictures of all included books. The reliquary box was constructed by Taylor Millar with repurposed Douglas fir and locally sourced coast redwood from near Lagunitas, CA. It features a hand-stamped brass title label and an interior paper label with printed colophon. Fine. (#36473)

Price: $3,525 

An Immigrant's Journey - Embracing a New Identity
Created to Honor the Artist's Russian Mother (who never adjusted to her new life in Mexico)
On Handmade Paper in a Tortilla Box with Embroidered Mexican Cloth

Akhmadeeva, Ioulia.
My Tortillas for Valentina / Mis tortillas para Valentina / Moi tortillas dlya Valentiny.
Michoacán, México: Ioulia Akhmadeeva, 2014-2015.
Second edition, Number 3 of 5 copies, signed.

According to the artist: This book "is dedicated to my Russian mother Valentina, who died in 2001. The relationship with my mom was not easy, she died in Mexico in my home [from cancer], and she never liked the sweet smell of corn and tortillas - and I love it, as I love Mexico now. It is my country. [This book] presents the five stages of her life in the form of 5 'tortillas' - pages - that include her and her family's portraits in engravings by various techniques and [are] printed on handmade paper of jonote fiber."

The pages include five moments from Valentina's life beginning with a photo etching portrait of her from when she was 5 years old and ending with her final (metaphoric) resting place, an image of a wall. This book, created to honor the artist's mother, is also an attempt to reconcile their at times difficult relationship and to incorporate the Mexican culture that she has grown to love, but that her mother never truly accepted. The pages are not paginated as the order of the pages is not important; however, the images of faces suggest an order. All of the images along with title pages and colophons in both English and Russian are housed in a circular box printed to look like a stack of fresh tortillas. The inside panels of the box are printed in Spanish with the title and colophon. The box is wrapped in a traditional embroidered Mexican tablecloth from Uruapan, Michoacan State. This second edition includes a detailed printed colophon and title page on white amante paper, which the first edition did not.

In this book Akhmadeeva compares the process of making paper with jonote pulp to the process of making tortillas with nixtamal dough: "The idea of kneading, preparing jonote pulp for hand-made paper, run[ing] it through the mill, has the same order and ritual preparation of dough for tortillas ... [The pages of my book are held] in the same [type of] container which is [used for] food, and is also a symbol of a [foreign] culture to the character in the book ... Tortillas are the most traditional Mexican food ... [They and the paper pages] are rough to the touch and light. Different techniques of intaglio produce diversity and the circular shape unifies [each page] in this container." Each page is printed on paper with pulp from the jonote tree, handmade by the artist. The images were printed using a variety of techniques including copper etchings, drypoint etchings, and photopolymer engravings. The box with serigraph text was produced by ALTERnativa Gráfica. 7 leaves [14 pages.] Size: Tablecloth: 18 x 20 inches; Box: about 7.5 inch diameter; Pages: about 6.5 inch diameter.

This book is held the Special Collections of Miami University,  Stanford University Libraries, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries), Center for the Book Arts (New York), Art Library Artist's Book Collection of University of North Carolina, and the Library of University of  New Mexico. Fine. (#36430)

Price: $1,200 

Protest of War in Ukraine -
Artist is of both Ukrainian and Russian descent

Akhmadeeva, Ioulia.
Stop War / Net Voyne!
City of Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico: ALTERnativa Ediciones, 2022.

Number 3 of 4 copies. A powerful and personal piece about the war in Ukraine. This artist's book juxtaposes a personal interpretation of the artist Ioulia Akhmadeeva's family history including her grandfather's involvement in WWII with the current war in Ukraine. Central to the book is a red velvet dress which was constructed from a bundle of velvet taken from Czechoslovakia as a war trophy by the artist's grandfather, a major in the Russian army (KGB) during WWII. The velvet was passed down in her family and was eventually made into a dress by the artist's mother - and was worn by all three of the artist's daughters. While not directly involved, the artist continues to feel guilt for her grandfather's actions in WWII, which are represented in this book by the red velvet dress.

The artist is of Russian and Ukrainian descent with much of her family still residing in Russia, so the war and political turmoil of the region are particularly poignant for her. In this work she compares the actions of her grandfather in WWII to the actions of Russian soldiers looting and bombing Ukraine. She shows this through images of her family, the symbolic dress, and fragments of images from WWII. In some images she has blacked out the face of grandfather, written a story about a Czech girl that could have received a velvet dress (rather than her own daughters), and has drawn bombs flying near her grandfather's Russian star of honor. Now a resident of Mexico, where she has lived for over thirty years, most of the text is in Spanish with some fragments in Russian.

The artist created this book as a work of resilience, penance, and protest. She states: "On February 24, 2022 at 6 in the morning my home country Russia started this massacre without announcing it, just like Adolf Hitler, who invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 at 4 in the morning. Women and children are killed, sister cities are under constant bombardment and utterly destroyed. Putin's propaganda of the last 20 years transforms and controls the minds of 70% of the people inside Russia, who support his war and geopolitical plans. The protests against the war of the other 30% who think, reason and are not afraid are punished, censorship does not allow publishing or sharing the truth... The responsibility is not individual. And the change will not come alone."

This book is a folio-sized collection of 8 unbound pages printed in blue ink with waterless lithography on jonote paper that was handmade by the artist. The title page, artist's statement, and colophon are silkscreened. Each set of pages can be arranged to form a complete image. A smaller (in size) digital edition was later created using these images and incorporating photographic images from the Ukrainian war. All pages are housed in a blue linen covered box with yellow title to front board and yellow ribbon to the interior. Text in Spanish with English translation available upon request. [16 pages.] This project was  a result of the art residency of the  ìace Foundation for Contemporary Art during March 2022, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was supported by the grant of the Mexican National System of Creators (SNCA) 2019-2022.

Copies of this book are held in the Special Collections of Stanford University Library and the Art Library Artist's Book Collection of University of North Carolina. Fine. (#36429)

Price: $2,500

A Unique Artists' Book -
Apocalyptic Visions of a Mechanized Society -
Each page is an original painting using a variety of media

Beck, Anne.
State.
Brooklyn, NY: Anne Beck, 2000.

Anne Beck is an interdisciplinary artist working collaboratively & independently in a wide variety of media from paper, print & book making to painting & textiles to social practice. Through her work, Anne explores the roles of amateur naturalist and lay surveyor of the current landscape – collecting specimens & recording data, cataloguing that which seems useful, and investigating further that which seems impermeable. This is all in the context of envisioning a sustainable path forward for herself and the planet, which is often a playful exercise in the face of absurd & complex circumstance. Anne lives & works in Northern California. She also a core member of The Printmakers Left, an international collective working together for over 20 years now on artist books, printed matter & installations. She is also half of the collaborative team behind The Rhinoceros Project exploring the communal & revolutionary power of sewing circles & hand papermaking.

This provocative work is a unique manuscript. It begins with whimsical pictures and apocalyptic visions of a high-tech synthetic mechanized culture and evolves into a loose social history and critique. The pages were originally painted in a studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn as individual paintings but then coalesced into this evocative book. The images are varied in design and image, and sometimes mysterious as there is no text. They were hand painted and drawn with casein, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, ink, graphite, and collaged intaglio on heavy watercolor paper. The endpapers are hand-made cotton rag paper. It is handsewn and casebound in found gray suede printed with a black outlined map of the American West. In fine condition. Measures 12.375 x 8,75 inches closed. 56 pages. (#36515)

Price: $5,900

A Letterpress Edition of Fisher's Classic Book on Oysters -
with humorous observations, recipes, anthropomorphic illustrations ...
AND - an oyster knife

[The Prototype Press]
Fisher, M.F.K.; Martin Mazorra (illustrator); Mark Sarigianis (printer).
Consider the Oyster.
"Tranquility" Southern MD: Prototype Press, 2021.

Number 13 of 50 copies. A finely printed edition of M.F.K. Fisher's culinary classic about oysters, originally printed in 1941. Head of the Prototype Press, Mark Sarigianis, first encountered Fisher's book at the Mills College Library in CA and was entranced. He says: "Even though it was written in 1941, I was immediately struck by the passionate 'foodie' sensibilities with which she waxed poetic about oysters. In fact, she made any modern writer of the subject seem incredibly boring. A serendipitous connection led me to be able to ask M.F.K. Fisher's daughter, Kennedy Golden, directly for her permission to print the work." Sarigianis hired Martin Mazorra, a Brooklyn based artist with work in collections around the U.S., to create engaging anthropomorphic linocuts to illustrate the text. His playful illustrations pair nicely with Fisher's often humorous observations, such as this one: "An oyster will taste like what the taster expects, which of course depends on the taster. Myself, since I was seventeen I have expected all oysters to be delicious, and with very few exceptions they have been. In the same way, some people wait, if they manage to swallow these shellfish at all, to gag more or less violently. And they gag" (page 28). In addition to recipes accompanied by witty observations and commentary, Fisher includes chapters on the life of an oyster, people who have died from eating them, flavors of oysters depending on region, the making of pearls, personal oyster anecdotes, possible aphrodisiac qualities of an oyster, appropriate drinks to accompany a meal of oysters, and more. 

Bound by the press in quarter white goatskin with handmade gray paper covered boards and silver title to spine. Clean and bright. Printed in Monotype Goudy Light with Windsor Elongated typeface for the blue headlines on custom paper from the Saint-Armand paper mill. The paper used for the binding and box were also produced by the Saint-Armand paper mill. Housed in a box covered in handmade white paper with a detachable magnetic lid. Issued with a custom oyster shucking knife, stamped with the title of the book and author, which can be used to assist with opening the lid of the box housing the book. 76 pages. Fine. (#36450)

Price: $1,500 

Miniature Globe with Maps

[Bo Press Miniature Books]
Pat Sweet.
Maps and Globe.
Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2022.

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. A beautiful terrestrial globe stands on a cherry wood base. The globe has granular antiqued brass circles at both poles and rests on an elaborate brass base of graduated crowns. The base has a drawer that contains six plates from Garners's Atlas de Geographie of 1865. The plates are backed with a French marbled paper of green and yellow. Size: 3 x 2 1/8 x 1 3/4 inches. Globe is 1 1/2 inches in diameter. In fine condition.  (#36468)

Price: $145 

Miniature Fancy Binding - on blank book

[Bo Press Miniature Books]
Pat Sweet.
Tiny Jeweled Book.
Riverside, CA: Bo Press Miniature Books, 2022.

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. Treasure bindings, or jeweled bindings, were produced for wealthy abbeys or princes using real gold and gems. Jeweled bindings were rare to begin with, and only a few remain intact. This miniature example used brass and glass to decorate its covers. The book is blank inside. The book is bound in a mottled gray and metallic gold paper with antique bronze decoration. Size: 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 inches. In fine condition. Unpaginated.  (#36461)

Price: $55 

Artists' Book - Honoring Emily Dickinson

[Abstract Orange]
Dickinson, Emily, Lauren Emeritz, book artist.
Hope.
Washington DC: Abstract Orange, 2021.

Number 9 of 10 copies of this inventive work by Lauren Emeritz in honor of Emily Dickinson. The artist's statement: "This book was based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson and released on her birthday, December 10th. The book started as visual interpretation of the words 'Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul' with a thing of feathers perched in a box." The simple construction mimics that of a case-bound book, with a spine and fore-edge but it is actually a box. The box is made of basswood and the spine is white birch wood veneer. A gentle wire clasp holds the book shut, but not locked shut. "Inside the box is "the thing with feathers. "The 'thing' is not a bird with a beak and feet, but a grouping of brightly colored orange feathers. They do not represent a specific bird, but rather a fictional idea of a thing with feathers. The feathers are made from cut paper that is scored to looks like feathers and held together by a simple wire. The cover is a bright, glowing yellow with the title in orange letterpress printed type, and a wooden “inlay” with the author's name. This represents that while the poem is by her and she was the inspiration for the piece, the piece is not just about her, but the idea of hope [artist's statement]." In fine condition. Measures 5.25 x 7.25 x 1 inches. (#36523)

Price: $450

Leaf from the Ship of Fools (c. 1520)

Brant, Sebastian; Jakob Locher, translator.
Leaf from Stultifera navis [Ship of Fools].
1520?

Sebastian Brant (1457 - 1521) was a humanist and satirical poet best known for his Das Narrenschiff (1494; The Ship of Fools), the most popular German literary work of the 15th century. Jakob Locher issued the Latin translation, Stultifera Navis, in 1497. Locher's fame was mainly based on his editing and translation of Sebastian Brant's Ship of Fools. It was reprinted several times.

This leaf is possibly from the 4th edition published in 1520. With text on verso and text and woodcut on recto. It is known that Albrecht Durer did many of the woodcuts for the original German edition but this illustration is unattributed. Pages are stained and browned. There are two pieces of white tape along the top margin of the first page. One seals a small closed tear. Measures 5 x 7.5 inches. About very good.  (#36505)

Price: $90

Bruce Rogers Proof Sheet of Durer's Treatise on Letters

[Bruce Rogers].
Proof Sheet from Durer's Of the Just Shaping of Letters.
(New York?): Grolier Club, 1917.

This is a scarce proof sheet from the uncommon book done by the eminent Bruce Rogers for the Grolier Club in 1917 on Durer's treatise "Of the Just Shaping of Letters." There were fewer than 220 copies published. This sheet has the letters E through K, M through V, and X,Y, and Z. They display the exquisite designs and forms taken from Durer's sixteenth century treatise on the subject, with his precise instructions for each letter. Rogers drew the letters for this book. The sheet measures 12 x 17 inches and is uncreased. Save for a couple of small margin smudges the sheet is in fine condition. Fine. (#36476)

Price: $200

Leaf from Nuremberg Chronicles

Schedel, Hartmann; Georg Alt, translator.
Leaf from the Nuremberg Chronicles [Die Schedesche Weltchronik].
Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, ca. 1490s.

An incunabule leaf from the German edition of the Die Schedelsche Weltchronik, commonly refered to as the Nuremberg Chronicles. The German edition was published several months after the 1493 Latin edition in a smaller quantity. This secular giant parallels the Gutenberg Bible in craftsmanship. The Nuremberg Chronicle is an illustrated encyclopedia consisting of world historical accounts, as well as accounts told through biblical paraphrase. Subjects include human history in relation to the Bible, illustrated mythological creatures, and the histories of important Christian and secular cities from antiquity. Finished in 1493, it was originally written in Latin by Hartmann Schedel, and a German version was translated by Georg Alt. It is one of the best-documented early printed books—an incunabulum—and one of the first to successfully integrate illustrations and text.

This leaf is from page CCXXXIX (239) and is titled "Das Sechst Alter," or "The Sixth Age." There is a woodcut of a walled city on one side and of the Holy Roman Emperor Sigmund on the other. The letters on the pages are handcolored with red ink and the woodcuts with brown ink. The leaf is browned and has a stain in the lower margin of both sides. Still a nice copy of a page from this important early book. Measures 12 x 17 inches. Very Good. (#36503)

Price: $150 

Uncommon Golden Cockerel Press Item - with Eric Gill Engravings

[Golden Cockerel Press].
The Golden Cockerel Press. Spring 1930.
Lawrence: Golden Cockerel Press, 1930.

This scarce eight page publication from the press includes specimen pages from: The Four Gospels (with an engraving by Eric Gill and displaying for the first time their new 18 point type); Paradise Lost (with an engraving never used, by Robert Gibbings who is announced a the illustrator, though he only engraved the title page); and Canterbury Tales (engraved by Gill). There are also announcements for My One Hundredth Tale (published as The Hundredth Story); Maya; A Journey from the World to the Next; and Lucina sine Concubitu. With three engravings specially cut by Eric Ravilious. Printed on Kelmscott white laid hand-made paper with a watermark designed by Gill with white wove hand-made paper covers. Creasing and light browning to covers; Interior pages have light creasing to right margins otherwise fine. Loosely inserted are an announcement for an exhibition of art by Robert Gibbings, and a one sheet folded in two describing The Four Gospels and stating that the book will be ready in November. Publication measures 9.25 x 12.75 inches. [Cock-a-Hoop XXXII, p. 71-72]. Fine. (#36507)

Price: $300 

Papercut Illustrations for Baudelaire's Poem

Coron, Béatrice (book artist); Charles Baudelaire.
Obsession.
New York: Béatrice Coron, 2023.

Artist's Proof of 3 copies. A papercut book on black Arches paper featuring the poem "Obsession" by Baudelaire. Coron's papercut illustrations echo the lines from Baudelaire's poem, depicting a shadowy forest, the sea, the night sky filled with constellations, and a web of eyes (with the pupils hand drawn in white chalk). The poem is printed in metallic silver and gold in French. The two panels featuring a night forest are backed with a translucent handmade paper. This eight panel accordion fold book is housed in a black paper wrapper with metallic title to the front panel and a cord closure. The wrapper is handmade paper with mica inclusions. This AP has a different paper wrapper than the rest of the edition and the text is printed in a different color. Size (open): 7 x 44 inches; (closed): 7 x 6 inches.

Coron describes her book work: "For the last 20 years, I have been exploring visual storytelling in artist books, paper cutting and public art. Collecting memories from individuals and communities, I stage narrative allegories in silhouette to create a dialogue with the viewer in playful fantasies. These visual chronicles record archetypal stories that transcend time and space. I have been fascinated by the relation of people to their space and the sense of belonging. Using papercutting where everything is cut from a single piece of Tyvek, the profusion of individual stories makes a coherent whole world." [From her website]

Cristina Favretto, Head of Special Collections at the University of Miami describes Coron's work in Coron's "artfragments" portfolio: "There is a palpable joy in the work of Béatrice Coron, the kind of joy we felt as children in unwrapping a particularly enticing holiday gift. But...for Béatrice the gift is a sheet of Tyvek...or paper, and the stories to be unearthed and unleashed within and through the medium." Fine. (#36434)

Price: $1,200 

History of Printmaking 

Humphreys, H. Noel.
A History of the Art of Printmaking from It's Invention to It's Wide-Spread Development in the Middle of the Sixteenth Century.
London: Bernard Quaritch, 1868.

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 facsimilies 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. Very Good. (#36356)

Price: $200 

The Reichskonkordat - between Vatican and Nazis
A Unique Artists' Book

Krause, Dorothy.
Concordat.
Fort Lauderdale: Dorothy Krause, 2018.

A unique artist's book from renowned book artist Dorothy (Dot) Krause. In her artist's statement she describes her work: "My work includes large scale mixed media pieces, artist books and book-like objects that bridge between these two forms. It embeds archetypal symbols and fragments of image and text in multiple layers of texture and meaning. It combines the humblest of materials, plaster, tar, wax and pigment, with the latest in technology to evoke the past and herald the future. My art-making is an integrated mode of inquiry that links concept and media in an ongoing dialogue - a visible means of exploring meaning. "

In a printed statement that accompanies this powerful work Krause writes: "A concordat is an agreement or treaty, especially one between the Vatican and a secular government relating to matters of mutual interest. The Reichskonkordat was a controversial treaty between the Vatican and the newly formed Nazi government. It was signed on July 20, 1933 by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, the Vatican Secretary of State who later became Pope Pius XII. The Concordat effectively removed the German Catholic Church from any opposition to Hitler and gave moral legitimacy to the Nazi regime. It seemed to promise that the Church could carry out its spiritual mission. However, violations of the treaty by the Nazi regime began almost immediately. Some have viewed the Concordant as a manifestation of the Pope's preference for dictatorships over democracies and disregard for German Jews. The Vatican insisted, however, that they approved the agreement simply to protect the Church. The Concordant remains in effect to this day."

In her book, Krause created compelling and disturbing images that reinforce the dismay and distress with which the west viewed this Concordant. Throughout, she juxtaposes religious images of wood and stone by the 16th century sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider with photographs from the exhibition "Fascination and Terror" at the Nuremberg Documentation Center. The frontispiece is a close-up view of Durer's Christ-like self-portrait of 1500 that has been modified with a swastika over the right eye with a mica circle as if a monocle. Images of 16th century sculptures of nuns are collaged on the red mono printed pages with red lines blotting out their eyes. Other images include that of a sculpture of a Pope with a red line across his eyes set against a map of Germany and central Europe. Hitler and the praying Virgin appear to be falling on the penultimate page. Perhaps the most disturbing page is that featuring various Nazi concentration camp badges worn by inmates. The book is on paper that has 26 hand painted, mono printed and collaged pages with mica overlays. It is in a drumleaf binding with a black leather cover cut from a vintage jacket. It is housed in a custom-made black box made by the artist. In fine condition. Measures 3.75 x 5.5 inches. Fine. (#36399)

Price: $2,200 

A Lovely Letterpress Book -
with gilt flourishes in attractive full leather binding

Ronsard, Pierre de.
Les Sonnets Pour Helene.
Paris and Maastricht: La Connaissance and Leiter-Nypels, 1924.

Number 308 of 380 copies. Printed to honor the 400 year anniversary of the birth of the author, Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585). Bound in full tan leather boards with gilt title to spine and blind stamped devices to both boards. Rubbing and chipping to leather along hinges, corners, and edges of boards. The leather along both hinges is starting to crack, but the boards remain firmly attached and the cords remain unbroken. Gilt decoration to dentelles. Marbled endpapers with top edge gilt. Printed on fine paper in Erasmus-Mediaeval type with initial letters and decorations by S.H. de Roos. With a lovely color frontispiece engraving. Gilt flourish to title page. Printed in black, red, and blue inks. The original blue paper wrappers are bound in. Clean and bright aside from penned gift inscription to front free endpaper, offsetting to title page, and browning to top margins of two facing interior pages - likely due to a laid in bookmark that has since been removed. A beautiful printing of these classic sonnets. 183 pages. Very Good. (#36482)

Price: $90 

Introduction to Bibliography (in German) - 1795

Denis, Michael [Johann Nepomuk Cosmas].
Einleitung in die Bücherkunde. Erster Theil Bibliographie [Introduction to Bibliography].
Wien (Vienna): Ben Johann Thomas Edlen von Trattnern, 1795. 

Zwente verbesserte Ausgabe (second revised edition). This is the first volume only of a two volume work. Johann Nepomuk Cosmas Michael Denis (1729 - 1800) was an Austrian author, poet, and the curator for the Vienna Court Library. He was also a Catholic Priest, Jesuit, and an entomologist who studied moths and butterflies. This work is presented in three parts discussing the history of the book through early Christianity, through the Renaissance, and finally through the mid/late 1700s including the book trade.

Deaccession stamp from Harvard Library embossed to rear endpaper along with a black ink ownership stamp. The black ownership stamp appears in the margins of several internal pages as well. In modern binding, which appears to have been added after the book was deaccessioned as there are no library markings, of three quarter tan leather over marbled paper covered boards with black and gilt title to spine, which reads: "R. Denis / Bücher / Kunde" Minor wear and rubbing to edges of boards, corners, and raised bands. Replica pastepaper endpapers with a few small spots where the surface has lifted on rear endpapers (likely from glue). These replica papers reproduce a circular pencil marking that was found on the original. The title page is printed in red and black. Head and tail pieces throughout. Occasional spots of soiling to interior including smudge marks and ink spots. Dampstaining to top margin in gutter to most pages. The stain is small and light in most of the book, but covers a larger area of the page (about 2 x 3 inches) on later pages. The stain does not affect legibility. The folding chart at the rear has additional creases, a few tears, dampstaining, and minor foxing. Lacks additional engraved plate. IN GERMAN. Attractive binding. 293 pages with one folded engraved chart to rear. Very Good. (#36363)

Price: $100 

Endangered Monarch Butterfly - A Pop-Up Book

Shattuck, Carolyn, book artist; Emily Dickinson, poem.
Wings.
Rutland, VT: Carolyn Shattuck, [2021].

Number 2 of 5 copies, signed and numbered by the book artist. Carolyn Shattuck is a noted printmaker, using monotype, dry point, painting, stencils and mixed media. In addition to her printmaking skills, Shattuck is architectural in the way she executes the intricate constructions for her artist's books, which highlight her interest in social and environmental causes. She exhibits her work nationally in numerous juried exhibitions and has received many awards. Her books have been collected by a number of special collections libraries at universities throughout the country. Shattuck is interested in endangered species and bringing their plight to the forefront.

This vibrant production addresses the endangerment of the Monarch butterfly. She writes in this work: "The migrating monarch was added to the 'red list' of threatened species and categorized as endangered...Scientists blame the population decline on habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide and herbicide use." The colorful butterfly images she has created of the Monarch is accompanied by a poem by Emily Dickinson titled "The Butterfly's Day." The book is bound in black paper covers with colorful scribbles as a design. It is structured as a carousel by which the covers can be placed back to back and the book is then self-standing. The butterflies pop up as the book is opened and the pages turned.The four Monarchs are constructed with black Lama Li paper and transparent film. They appear to rest on pink flowers. With blue ribbon ties. The book is housed in a black slipcase with a white title label on the front. In fine condition. Measures 7.5 x 6 x 1.5 inches.  (#36521)

Price: $400 

Connection of Music, Pictograms, and the Planets
Limited and Letterpress Printed on Handmade Paper

Walker, George A. and Nicolas Stirling.
Acrophony: Symbol and Sound.
Toronto: George A. Walker, 1991.

Number 27 of 50 copies. (The included CD was produced in a limitation of 300 copies.) An interesting artists' book that combines a finely printed limited edition book with a musical CD created by the book artist specifically for this project. According to George Walker: "Using a unique invented musical hieroglyphic language derived from ancient symbols; 'Acrophony' is a work concerned with pictograms, language, colour, and notation. It consists of a boxed [and bound] set of sheets letterpress printed with symbols interpreted musically on a compact disc. The CD itself is original music composed by George Walker and Nicolas Stirling and relates directly to the Acrophonal scores included in the book." The music was composed and recorded over five weeks during the summer of 1991 at the Strange Nursery Studio in Toronto. It features piano, strings, percussion, leaves, vocals, trumpets, flugelhorns, guitar, and more. In addition to cryptic pictograms and symbols (that have a key to aid in interpretation), the text of the book discusses the sound as it relates to existence, biology, nature, and the heavens. The music is composed based around glyphs of the seven planets, with textual references to Pythagoras of Samos (560 - 480 BC) and his 'Doctrine of the ethos.' A fascinating exploration of sound.

The book features a piano hinge binding with five wooden dowels along the spine. The cover features a linocut print by Walker and the title of the book. It is printed in Baskerville and Bodoni Book typefaces on handmade paper produced at St. Armand by hand on a Vandercook SP15 proof press. The book includes linocut and woodcut illustrations by Walker with the assistance of Stirling. The book and CD are housed in a grey paper covered box with red and black title and illustration to spine and front panels. The interior of the box has a vacuum formed sculptural plastic insert that holds the CD in place. [16 pages.] Fine. (#36501)

Price: $1,000 

Pop-Up Book Art Object

Wu, Robert, artist; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet.
On Kindness.
Toronto: Studio Robert Wu, 2021.

A unique pop-up book by Robert Wu, a noted bookbinder, paper marbler and stationer residing in Toronto. Robert trained at the American Academy of Bookbinding (AAB) in Colorado with Monique Lallier and at the Canadian Bookbinders and Bookartists Guild (CBBAG) in Toronto. He was the recipient of the first ever Tini Miura scholarship for the study of fine binding at the AAB. His work has been included in numerous exhibitions and can be found in several notable collections including Harvard University. He has also become well-known for his mastery of marbling paper. 

As a stationer and paper artist, Robert creates intricate pop-up structures inspired by his love of Victorian art, decoration, and sentiment. This charming work was created as a ornately decorated box that is affixed to a stand of a floral stiff paper, with a gilt die-cut ornamental center. The box has a lid with lovely diecut flowers,a butterfly and a paper ribbon handle with which to open the box. An attached tag handwritten by Robert has the title and author. When the lid is lifted, the sides of the box open up to reveal a confection of small color paper flowers with gilt and glass bead centers. Sitting atop the middle flower is a small brown origami snail. The box's four sides comprise two connected panels - the inner panels are decorated with Robert's marbled papers and various die-cut leaves, a bee, and a butterfly. The outer panels have the handwritten text of Longfellow's sweet poem. In fine condition. Box measures 3.5 inches square. The floral stand is 5 inches square. Fine. (#36420)

Price: $375