New Arrivals
Munkássakk (Worker's Chess)
Budapest, Hungary: Alföldi Nyomda, 1984. 160 pp. Approximately 1 3/4 x 2 1/2". Text in Hungarian. LIMITED EDITION of 400 copies, this being #2. Light brown leather over boards, Title in black on cover with chess board and knight piece illustration, seven black and white photographs, many chess diagrams, slight wear to cover, otherwise in near fine condition.
One of the best known printing houses in Budapest for the last 40 years, the Alföldi Printing House prints both large books and miniatures for both foreign and domestic markets. Their talent, inventiveness, and artistic ability were noted by Louis Bondy in his miniature book reference (p. 176).
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.
Christmas in the Olde Coaching Days
[Manteno, IL]: Bronte Press, 1989. Approximately 2 3/4 x 2 1/8", oblong. (22) pp. First Edition. LIMITED EDITION of 75 copies, this being #61. Decorated paper boards with printed labels, letterpress, hand-colored illustrations by the author, signed and numbered on the colophon by Pruchnicki, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Bronte Press 21)
Printing since 1981, Bronte Press miniatures are notable in that all of the illustrations are original works and are often hand-colored. This beautiful miniature tells a charming story of a coachman's adventures during the Christmas season.
Goethes Briefe an Charlotte von Stein. Herausgegeben von Jonas Fränkel. Kritische Gesamtausgabe. 3 Bände.
Jena, Germany: Eugen Diederichs, 1908. 3 volumes in German. Approximately 4 3/4 x 7 1/2". Red cloth over boards, gilt lettering and design stamped crisply on spine, top edges gilt, illustrated endpapers, ribbons intact, some minor rubbing and wear, 1 portrait, 2 facsimiles and 26 hand drawings by Goethe on mounted panels, in near fine condition.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) was a German writer and statesman. His writings were diverse and included poetry, prose, dramas, memoirs, criticisms, treatises on some sciences, letters, and an autobiography. A friend to the Duke of Save-Weimar, Goethe went to live in Weimar where he met Charlotte von Stein in 1776. She was an older, married woman but they had an intimate bond which lasted for ten years. Von Stein was a lady-in-waiting at the court in Weimar and a close friend to both Friedrich Schiller and von Goethe, whose work and life were strongly influenced by her. Geothe abruptly abandoned Charlotte without telling her anything and she was heartbroken although they eventually reconciled. This work of 3 volumes is separated into distinct time periods - Vol 1: 1776 - 1780, Vol 2: 1781 - 1784, Vol 3: 175-85 - 1826.
A History of the London Hospital
London: Edward Arnold, 1910. 292 pp. plus index and advertisements. 5 1/2 x 8 1/4". Later Edition. Green cloth over boards with gilt lettering and design on cover and spine, some wear to spine ends and slight corner bumping, front and rear hinges cracked, foxing primarily limited to end papers, frontispiece with tissue guard intact, black and white illustrations, 5 plans from 1752 to 1900s, in very good + condition.
Sir Ernest William Morris CBE (1866 - 1937), served as secretary and house governor of The London Hospital from 1903 - 1930. This detailed history describes the hospital starting from its foundation, the new Whitechapel site, the hospital management, a history of the Jewish wards, the medical school, and the administration of a modern hospital. The illustrations and plans help the reader visualize the hospital even more readily.
Stinger
New York: Pocket Books, 1987. 442 pp. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2". First Hard Cover Edition. Illustrated dust jacket with Book Club Edition on front flap, minor dark marks that are very subtle, some edge wear, otherwise in very good plus condition; Brown paper over boards with crisp golden lettering on spine, signed on the title page, slight foxing on top fore-edge, 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 two aliens arriving in a small Texas town - one is a refugee and the other is a bounty hunter, who uses replicants with silver claws for hands and razor blade teeth to help him - the stingers. This is the true first hardcover edition, which precedes the British edition, published by Kinnell.
Kerr & Co.'s Color List
New York: Kerr & Co., ca 1850. Approximately 4 1/2 x 7". Red cloth over boards, very rubbed and bare in spots, gilt title and design on front cover, blind stamped title and design on back cover, 45 still vibrant colored thread samples, in very good condition.
Thread manufacturer Clark & Co. was formed when J & J Clark & Co. and Kerr & Clark, of Paisley, Scotland, were amalgamated in 1865 as Clark & Co. This likely salesman's sample is scarce, with no copies found on the market or in Worldcat (as of 9/20).
The Pioneer History of Meigs County
Columbus, OH: Berlin Print Co., 1908. Approximately 5 1/2 x 8". Black cloth over boards, gilt lettering on cover and spine although very faded on spine, some ink and wear to front cover, overall edge wear and rubbing, ink writing on front free endpaper, frontispiece, many black and white plates, index, a few notes and fingerprints throughout some foxing, otherwise in very good condition.
Stillman Carter Larkin (1808 - 1891) was a member of the Meigs County Pioneer Society and they worked to collect and keep the history and stories of the early pioneer settlers of Meigs County, Ohio. With an excellent index, you can find biographies, name, photos of graveyards and homesteads, along with fascinating stories of these early settlers.
A Treatise on Venereal Disease
Philadephia: Blanchard and Lea, 1853. 520 pp. + 32 pages of advertising. Approx. 6 x 9 1/4". Brown cloth over boards with gilt title on spine and elaborate blind stamping on both covers and spine, some bubbling to the front cover, previous owner's name in ink on front paste-down endpaper, 8 black and white plates with illustrations, foxing to endpapers and page edges, spine ends show a little wear, some corner bumping, otherwise in very good + condition.
As noted on the title page, there were "copious additions by Dr. Philip Ricord, surgeon the the Hopital du Midi, Paris." This is a reprint of an edition by George Babington in 1837, along with the works of Hunter and Ricord. Topics include the origins/modes/forms of the Venereal Poison, Gonorrhea in Women and Men, Veneral Disease, Chancres, Buboes and more.
Steinbeck Ephemera from Salinas, CA First Day of Issue Commemorative Stamp Ceremony
Salinas, CA: Various, 1979. Tri-fold program titled "John Steinbeck. Pulitzer & Nobel Prize Novelist. 1902-1968", presented by Monterey Savings. Includes a biography, awards & honors, bibliography and commemorative stamp; Tri-fold brochure titled "John Stainbeck. 1902-1968", produced by the John Steinbeck Library; Folded card stock piece with photos, produced by the Valley Guild which owns and operates the John Steinbeck House; "Books about John Steinbeck", 8 stapled pages with books about Steinbeck and call numbers, produced by the Salinas Public Library; "Books - John Steinbeck", 6 stapled pages with books by Steinbeck and call numbers, produced by the Salinas Public Library; folded single sheet brochure from the John Steinbeck Foundation for the event; 2 more variants of the Steinbeck commemorative stamp on illustrated envelopes. All in fine condition.
A wonderful collection of ephemera items from the event at the Salinas Public Library for the First Day of Issue Commemorative John Steinbeck Stamp, with three stamps included. John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. (1902 - 1968), was a well-known American author, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning, "The Grapes of Wrath." Here is a collection of material that celebrates his life in an area he spent a lot of time in and drawing material from for his novels.