New Arrivals
The Forgotten Village: Life in a Mexican Village
New York: Viking Press, 1941. 143 pp. Approximately 7 x 10". First Edition with the words "First Published in May 1941" on copyright page. Coarse buckram cloth over boards with bright green illustration on front cover, top edges stained green, slight toning of paste-down endpapers, near fine condition. Very good pictorial dust jacket, a few short closed tears, original price of $2.50 present, some chipping and loss, some toning to back cover. (Goldstone & Payne A14a)
From the front dust jacket flap, "This is a story of the little pueblo of Santiago on the skirts of a hill in the mountains of Mexico. And this is the story of the boy Juan Diego and of his family and of his people, who live in the long moment when the past slips reluctantly into the future." Photographs from the motion picture throughout.
Gunner's Dawn
New York: The Derrydale Press, 1937. First Edition. Limited edition of 950, this being #78. Red simulated leather over boards with gilt decorations, some dulling to gilt, minor cover rubbing especially to spine edges, original signed etching as frontispiece, 5 color plates and 14 black and white plates with some tissue guards missing, a few pages unopened, gift inscription on front paste-down endpaper which also has a small amount of foxing, otherwise in very good condition.
Roland Clark (1874 - 1957) was an American artist who was best known for his painting and etchings of ducks. He was also an accomplished writer and combined these talents in sporting articles, short stories which were autobiographical in nature.
Sapphira and the Slave Girl
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1940. 295 pp. First Trade Edition. Dust jacket in very good condition with 1" tear on bottom of front cover, darkened spine and minor chips on top and bottom spine edges, some spotting and darkening to rear cover as well. Green cloth over boards with spine only a slight shade lighter and some sunning to top cover edges, orange and black labels on spine has some slight smudging, otherwise in near fine condition.
Willa Cather (1873 - 1947) was an American author, mostly of the frontier and pioneer experiences. This is Cather's final novel, one that was much heavier in tone and subject matter than her other novels. It portrays a family in Virginia in 1856 before the Civil War.
A Miniature Book, Tie, and Suspenders from the estate of Julian Edison
New York: Abrams and The Grolier Club, 2007. Miniature edition and exact facsimile of the larger book "Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures" by Bromer & Edison; Maroon silk tie with white/gold/red tiny books from His Favorite Tie Neckwear housed in original plastic box packaging; Navy silk suspenders with red/green/gold books and bronze clasps from Paul Stuart, made in England, all from the estate of Julian Edison, all in fine condition.
Julian Edison (1929 - 2017) was an internationally renowned miniature book collector and co-author with Anne. C Bromer of Bromer Booksellers. Julian was an influential support of Washing University Libraries in St. Louis and the Special Collections there has been renamed the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections.
Italia
Seattle, WA: Sam Garriott Antonacci, 2019. One-of-a-Kind Artist Book. Single sheet fold-out pasted down to rear endpaper which shows mosaic illustration of Italy in prismacolor and ink on Thai Unryu paper, 2 1/4 x 2", blue cloth over boards with illustrated front panel; housed in matching clamshell box with layered illustrated cover, completed with two more boxes with printed book details and label, all in fine condition.
According to Sam Garriott Antonacci: "I see many of my books as histories or small personal documents of people, places, or objects." This miniature book is a beautiful homage to Italy, done in the soft Tuscan colors you would expect representing the Italian countryside, with excellent detail paid to the craftsmanship of the enclosing boards and boxes. Sam primarily does one-of-a-kind and limited edition books, mainly miniatures. She was raised in the Ohio River Valley on a rural farm so solitude and nature inform her work. She went to the University of Indiana at Bloomington and art school in Seattle, where she settled when she wasn't traveling - a favorite pastime of hers that also greatly influences her work.
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.
I Love You
Munich: Waldmann and Pfitzner, 1952. Approximately 5 x 5 mm. Red leather binding with gilt decorations on covers, housed in a Plexiglass case with an inset magnifying glass, printed in 4-point type in nine languages: English, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish, in fine condition. (Bromer & Edison, P. 117)
This book was part of a 4 volume collection called "Die kleinsten Bücher der Welt" which translates to The Smallest Books in the World. These were commissioned by Walter Schatzki, a Jewish bookseller who settled in New York City in 1937 after fleeing Nazi Germany. He is sometimes attributed as the publisher. Schatzki became an authority on rare children's books and assembled one of the most famous catalogs of children's books ever created by an American bookseller.
The Wayward Bus
New York: Viking Press, 1947. 312 pp. Approximately 5 1/2 x 8 1/4". Pictorial jacket is in very good condition, with some wear, slight chipping of the spine, tape repairs to the inside of the jacket, original price of $2.75 intact. Dark reddish-orange cloth over boards with crisp lettering on cover and spine, blindstamp on front cover a lighter shade then the rest of the binding, top is not stained green and there is no book club dot so likely some variant of first printing, slight edge wear to covers especially along the bottom edges, stained on the upper page edge corners, otherwise in very good condition. (Goldstone & Payne A23a)
Originally thought to be one of Steinbeck's weaker novels, it was actually financially successful. The interesting thing about it is that no one single character in the book dominates. Rather, the viewpoint shifts from one character to another quite frequently, with access to the character's thoughts through an internal monologue. Adapted to film in 1957 to some success at the box office, it starred Jayne Mansfield, Joan Collins, Dan Dailey and Rick Jason.
The Short Reign of Pippin IV
New York: Viking Press, 1957. 188 pp. Approximately 5 1/4 x 8". First Edition, first state of dust jacket. Illustrated dust jacket in very good condition with minor edge wear, some rubbing, publisher's price of $3.00 on the front flap; Strawberry cloth over boards with heraldic blind-stamping, yellow spine with red printing but discolored/darkened slightly, top stain red, pages clean and bright, in very good condition. (Goldstone & Payne A36a)
Generally considered as one of Steinbeck's lesser books, this book did become popular enough to be a book-of-the-month selection. This is Steinbeck's only work of political satire and tells the story of an amateur astronomer, Pippin, who is proclaimed King of France. He spends most of his time trying to avoid any responsibilities and deal with hangers-on with inherited money. Much of the satire is clearly relatable to today's people and politics as well.
Odds Against
London: Michael Joseph, 1965. 256 pp. Approximately 6 1/4 x 9 1/4". 1st Edition, first printing. Illustrated dust jacket in very good + condition with minor edge wear and repair tape to inside cover near spine, slight rubbing to back cover, not price-clipped; Brown cloth over boards, crisp gilt title on spine, slight foxing of pages edges, otherwise in near fine condition.
Born Richard Stanley Francis (1920 - 2010), Dick Francis was a British crime writer whose novels were mostly centered on horse racing in England (he was a former steeplechase jockey himself). This book is Dick Francis' 5th book, with Sid Halley appearing for the first time as the private investigator. Edgar Award nominee.