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Portsmouth Plaza. The Cradle of San Francisco.
San Francisco: John Henry Nash, 1932. 464 pp. Approximately 7 1/2 x 10 3/4". First Edition. One of 1,000 unnumbered copies. Slipcase in fair condition with case cracked, tape repairs, original paper lable on spine; Vellum-backed marbled boards, some wear to board edges, gilt lettering on vellum, which is slightly dirty and peeling in a few places, interior is bright with no foxing, errata slip tipped in at rear, in very good+ condition.
A beautiful, privately printed book about the history of San Francisco with profuse illustrations by William Wilke (1879-1958), a San Francisco native. The author, Catherine Coffin Phillips (1874-1942) was an author as well as a printer, book collector and historian.
Prelude to Space
[New York]: Gnome Press, Inc., 1954. 191 pp. 5 1/2 x 8"; First American edition, first printing; Illustrated dust jacket by EMSH with some slight rubbing, original price of $2.50 intact, in very good condition; Blue boards with red lettering on spine, some foxing to page edges, age toning of paper throughout, some stains to front cover, a lovely copy in very good condition.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (1917 - 2008) was a British science fiction writer, among other things . Best known for his screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey, he was a lifelong advocate of space travel.
Printing Throughout the World
Salt Lake City, UT: R. T. Porte & Son Printers, 1929. 144 pp. Approximately 10 x 10". First Limited Edition of 483 copies, this being #67. SIGNED by discoverer, R. T. Porte. Marbled paper-covered boards, cream paper-covered spine with 12 tipped-in illustrations, deckle edges, some foxing to pastedowns, red mark on spine title, otherwise in near fine condition. Marbled slip case is broken and missing a side so is barely functional. Only including it as it is somewhat scare and may perhaps be reparable.
A travelogue of the author's discoveries in printing as practiced around the world in places including the Far East, Cuba, Hawaii, Japan, Korea, Peking, New Guinea, New Zealand, Java, India and Europe.
Private Ownership or Socialism
Philadelphia: Dorrance and Company, 1925. First Edition, Hardcover. Book Condition: Very Good. 218pp; Book has minimal wear to edges and spine, minor corner bumping, some shelfwear; some foxing to fore-edges; no dust jacket. Interesting chapter titles include: The Sixteenth Amendment - Unconstitutional; Taxation and the Courts; Representation of income in Corporate Control; Basis of Agreement Between Japan and United States.
Re-rooting
Lake City, CO: Ravenpress, 1997. [18] pp. Approximately 1 3/8 x 1 3/8". LIMITED EDITION of 26 copies, this being #26. Paper covered box with wood, shell and bone sculpture on lid in fine condition; miniature book has paper covered board with bone, seed, ribbon closure, 5 illustrations, laserprint on paste paper and chiri tissue, signed and numbered on the colophon by the publisher, in fine conditon.
The text is excerpted from Donna Jackson's poem Re-rooting, © 1991. Bailey says that this book references her own awareness of union with earth and questions the notion of ever leaving the natural world. Alicia Bailey began publishing under the Ravenpress imprint in 1996. Ravenpress publications are held in private, public and special collections worldwide. Bailey thinks of the artists' book works she creates as interactive sculptures realized in the form of the book. She works in a wide variety of materials, including those not often associated with the book form, thus necessitating structural re-design and innovations.
Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion. Compiled By Authority of the General Assembly Under Direction of the Adjutants-General.
New York: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company, 1889. 1071 pp. First Edition, quarter calf with burgundy cloth boards, gilt letters on spine with raised bands, minor rubbing to spine top and botton, some wear on bottom edges where heavy volume was pulled off shelf, interior slightly tanned but no marks, numbered black ink stamp "150" on bottom edge of pages. Overall, very good + condition. A very rare volume, still colorful and beautiful.
The New England state of Connecticut played a relatively small, but important role in the American Civil War, providing arms, equipment, money, supplies, and manpower for the Union Army, as well as the Union Navy. Several Connecticut politicians played significant roles in the Federal government and helped shape its policies during the war and the subsequent Reconstruction. This book is a must-have for a Civil War researcher in regards to the service personnel of Connecticut.
Reminiscence of a Missal
[Czechoslovakia]: Jan Vrtilek, [1990]. Approximately 3/4 x 1". Green cloth over boards for the clamshell case, blind-stamped design on front cover, black velvet interior with indentation for the miniature book, tipped in typed note describing this as a Christmas /New Year gift for 1990-1991; Red leather over boards with gilt decorations and borders to both covers and spine, all edges gilt, miniature blindstamp on the lower edge of the inner rear cover: J.V., in fine condition.
Scarce miniature edition, made from cut up leaves from old books, most likely an 18th century Roman Missal, complete with some ornaments.
![RNDM TXT [design binding]](http://thebooklair.com/cdn/shop/files/001732_4dd9b28b-1f03-4825-aee1-1c879a120126_grande.jpg?v=1740451309)
RNDM TXT [design binding]
Dallas, TX: Aredian Press, 2016. Approximately 2 x 3". First edition, LIMITED EDITION of 20 copies, this being #12. Design binding by Patrice Miller of Aredian Press, metallic cloth covered cell phone style case. Black alligator-patterned goat skin over boards, floral endpapers, signed and numbered by the author on the colophon, fine condition.
Here is a creative binding and miniature book that is designed to have the appearance of an old-fashioned looking address book. The contents are comprised of a series of text message reminders of an individual over several weeks; the reader as voyeur peeks at a slice of a life. Quite humorous. Very limited edition at 20 copies. Patrice Miller's work has found its way to private and university collections, in the states and abroad. Human foibles, nature’s panoply, and artistic cleverness cannot help but inform future work. She continues to bind, and rebind, in Dallas, Texas.
Role of Honour
London: Jonathan Cape and Hodder & Stoughton, 1984. Approximately 5 1/4 x ". Illustrated dust jacket by Trevor Scobie with author photo, original price of £7.95 intact, in fine condition; Black paper over boards with crisp, gilt lettering on spine, one flawed page printed by publisher that was not cut properly and folded in, otherwise beautifully bright and unmarked, in fine condition.
Base on the Ian Fleming character, this is Gardner's fourth James Bond book. The plot, from the jacket, involves a computer wizard, a mercenary army, and SPECTRE.
Samuel Adams, April 1, 1776
Salisbury, CT: Lime Rock Press, 1981. 25 pp. approx. 1 x 1". Printed with two bindings: one suede and the other cowhide. Brown leather with Adams' signature in gilt on the cover, marbled endpapers, housed in clear plastic case, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Lime Rock 9)
From the Great American Speeches series, this little book relays the rousing speech Adams gave to the citizens gathered at the State House in Philadelphia trying to galvanize them into action after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Lime Rock Press is the private press of Whitney North Seymour, Jr. and is run also by his wife and daughters who contribute photography, art, printing and binding. Samuel