Products
Lives of the Hunted, Containing a True Account of the Doings of Five Quadrupeds & Three Birds, and, in the Elucidation of the same, Over 200 Drawings.
(New York): Charles Scribner's Sons, 1901. 360 pp. Approximately 5 1/2 x 8 1/2". Olive green boards, gilt-stamped and decorated title in gilt on cover and spine, stated 1st Impression, October 12, 1901, many illustrated pages and several full-page pictures, deckle edges, spine slightly faded, in near fine condition. No dust jacket.
A charming book that portrays legends and stories of various animals. These include Krag, the Kootenay Ram; A Street Troubadour: Being the Adventures of a Cock Sparrow; Johnny Bear; The Mother Teal and the Overland Route; Chink: The Development of a Pup; The Kangaroo Rat; Tito: The Story of the Coyote that Learned how; and Why the Chickadee Goes Crazy Once a Year.
Machine Gun Fire Control
Cleveland, OH: Edward C. McKay, 1917. 84 pp. plus advertisements. First Edition. Approximately 5 x 6 3/4". Black cloth stiff paper covers with some chipping and loss, some spotting to cover and faded title, owner signed on front-free endpaper, very few ink marks on the text, slightly musty smell, very good condition.
This text was written and the control rule designed in order to try and teach the difficult subject of the exterior ballistics of the machine gun and to simplify to a minimum the mathematical operations in the control of fire. (from the preface). Illustrated with many figures and diagrams.
Masses of St. Francis of Assisi and of St. Anne, Facsimile
Yorktown Heights, NY: Belser Incorporated, Publishers, 1988. 63 pp. Also described as Vat. Lat 11254 - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, this is a facsimile copy of the 16th century work by an unknown artist. Summary book approximately 4 1/8 x 5 3/4", 63 pages. First limited and numbered edition for the English-speaking market of 1000 copies, this being #101. Miniature book with leather binding and gilt decorations on the cover, measuring 1 x 1 1/2", 30 pages, is an exact reproduction of the original in terms of color/size/extent, housed in a silver case with necklace, all original packaging intact, all in fine condition.
The miniature book itself is very charming. It contains beautiful color pictures and ornamental designs as well as the masses by St. Francis of Assisi and St. Anne. St. Francis was best known for being humble and living a life close to that of Jesus Christ and the "F" on the outer locket is a tribute to his work. St. Anne was the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ and the "A" on the outer locket is a tribute to her work. The summary book was written by Dr. Robert Moynihan, a veteran Vatican analyst and the founder and editor-in-chief of "Inside the Vatican" magazine. A beautifully packaged and meaningful collection, showing only 1 holding for the English version in Worldcat.
Medea: Freely adapted from the Medea of Euripides
New York: Random House, 1946. 107 pp. Approximately 6 x 9 1/2". First Edition, first printing. Dust jacket has some darkening to the spine and sun fading on both covers, some chipped and rough edges with a missing small piece at the top of the spine, otherwise in very good condition; Orange paper over black cloth boards,copper lettering crisp on spine, Paul Elder & Co. Bookstore label on rear pastedown endpaper, first printing indicated by the missing word "least" on line 21 of p. 99, in near fine condition.
Medea is a Greek play by Euripides (first produced in 431 BC) that poet Robinson Jeffers has modernized. For instance, he replaces the Greek chorus by three women who represent women in their youth, middle age, and elder years. The play centers around a deeply flawed but strong and powerful heroine with themes of racism, sexism, political power, and justice. Robinson Jeffers (1887 - 1962) was an American poet best known for his work about the central California coast.
Medieval Labours
Sorbie, Scotland: Final Score, 2007. Approx. 2 x 2 5/8". LIMITED EDITION of 25 copies, this being #3. Brown cloth over boards with gilt-bordered paste-down label on cover, each copy individually illustrated using egg tempura paint on vellum with gold, signed on the colophon by both authors, in fine condition.
This beautiful book contains 13 illuminated illustrations accompanying each month of the year plus the title page. The text describes the work to be completed for each month in medieval times. For example, January described bread baking with a medieval recipe, while June talks of estate management. Only one OCLC holding at this time, from the collection of Muriel Underwood - a US Marine, member of the Caxton Club, longtime member of the Miniature Book Society and miniature book publisher herself.
Memories of an Illustrator
Sebastapol, CA: El Camino Real Press, 2015. 7 pp. Approximately 2 1/8 x 2 15/16". LIMITED EDITION of 150 copies. Blue leatherette with gilt title on cover, decorative endpapers, 8 cent U.S. unmetered postage stamp frontispiece, blue endpapers, bound by Mariana Blau and printed by Patrick Reagh, in near fine condition.
This sweet little book explains why Francis Weber had a penchant for using postage stamps to illustrate his miniature books. Informing and pretty, all at the same time.
Mine
New York: Pocket Books, 1990. 442 pp. 6 1/4 x 9 1/2". First Edition, first printing. Illustrated dust jacket with original price of $18.95, in fine condition; Red paper over boards and black cloth spine with silver lettering, slight foxing on top fore-edge, signed by the author on the title page, in near fine condition.
Robert McCammon (1952 - ), is a well-known fantasy/horror writer, having been a recipient of the Horror Writers of America, Inc.'s Bram Stoker Award and nominated for the 1988 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. This novel is about a woman who steals a baby, the mother who tries to hunt her down and an FBI man who also has a grudge to settle. From the jacket: "A novel of psychological terror and unrelenting suspense set against the backrop of America today".
Miniature Book Society Conclave XXI Keepsakes
Various: Various, 2003. Ten miniature keepsakes made in limited editions from various publishers, along with a unique drawstring bag, all produced as keepsakes for the 21st MBS Conclave, held in Toronto, Canada, in fine condition.
Keepsake items from some of the best miniature book presses in the trade. Included are the following: Bookplate by Darragh Hunter (signed), The Pelican by Gray Goose Press, The Longest Street in the World by Evron S. Collins, T'bull's Aaht by The Final Score (numbered), Beloved Books by The Bronte Press, Toronto by Kathy King & Janet King, A Quirky Thought for the Day by Bookarts Canberra (bound in leather), Because of Miriam by Frank & Jeanette Anderson, Miniature Books: A Counting Conundrum or Stymied Statistics, by Rare Book & Texana Collections of the University of North Texas Libraries, and a decorative cloth keepsake bag in American and Canadian flag motif by Margaret Challenger.
Moses Hayyim Luzzatto on Lovingkindness
Evanston, IL: Press of Ward Schori, 1987. 40 pp. Approximately 2 9/16 x 1 7/8". LIMITED EDITION of 225 copies. Brown blind-stamped leather with gilt title on cover and spine, endpapers with old Hebrew text, bound by Hugo Grummich, in near fine condition. (Bradbury, Schori 44)
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, also known as Moses Hayyim Luzzatto (1707 - 1746) was an Italian Jewish rabbi and philosopher. His writings showed his deep understanding of the Talmud and codes of Jewish law. After a brief biography, this lovely little book describes his reflections on lovingkindness.
Mountain Birds
London: Penguin Books, 1952. 31 pp. + 16 color plates. First edition. Approximately 5 x 7 1/4". Printed dust jacket with label title on cover and spine, rubbing to edges, in very good condition. Similarly patterned printed paper boards, Stanford Library withdrawal stamp on front free endpaper along with ink name on verso, otherwise in very good condition.
A beautifully done little book about the birds of the hills of Britain, with stunning full color plates. Robert Coombes is an ornithologist who describes the birds in terms the layman can easily understand and appreciate. The artist, George Lodge, is "especially renowned for his drawings of falcons and other birds of prey" per the dust jacket.