New Arrivals
Olympe & Henriette
Sherman Oaks, CA: Joe D'Ambrosio, 1992. 24 pp. 6 1/4 x 9". LIMITED EDITION of 75 copies and 10 artist's proofs, this being #46, box binding with patterned floral cloth sides, a blue-grey cloth backstrip over a broad telescoping spine composed of five stepped planes, the central and highest of these surfaces with long vertical printed paper label, text printed on leaves with raised accordion portions, both raised and recessed portions with engraved illustrations, cloth inlays, or serigraphs, the recessed title page under a stretched netting meant to resemble opera hose, most of the leaves with decoratively cut curved and spiked edges, signed by the publisher on the colophon, accompanied by 9 pieces of ephemera, including a typed letter signed by D'Ambrosio regarding his upcoming book "Christus Apollo", a postcard announcing the BCC retrospective exhibition of D'Ambrosio works, a signed thank you letter regarding the purchase of "Olympe & Henriette", an invoice and pop-up prospectus for "Olypme & Henriette", a prospectus of "The Stars", an order form for "Only in America", a prospectus for "Oaxaca and the Saguaro Cactus", and a prospectus for "David", all in fine condition.
This story of two Parisian prostitutes by the obscure French satirist Villiers de L 'Isle-Adam (1838 - 1889) is printed on paper made by Madeleine Pestiaux. Joe D'Ambrosio (1934 - 2009) began designing books in 1969. His goal was to "create a visual environment for the written word". He lived in southern California for most of the 1980's and moved to Phoenix after the large San Fernando earthquake of 1989. He produced over 90 books but also created a variety of posters, bookplates, and did special projects, such as the design of the California State Library rotunda floor in Sacramento.
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.
Árpádok : I. Andrástól I. Gézáig (1046-1077)
Budapest: Pátria Nyomda, 1988. 433 pp. Approximately 1 1/2 x 1 3/4". LIMITED EDITION of 400-600 copies, this being #179. Brown leather with beautifully designed and colorful enamelled metal plaque edged in gilt decoration on front cover, title in gilt on spine, gilt decoration on back cover, decorative endpapers, 7 full-color illustrations and 4 tinted one with two folding diagrams, text in Hungarian, in fine condition.
This is volume 14 of the Kings of Hungary series. Only 3 Worldcat Holdings at this time.
04 in Transport
[Berkeley, CA]: never mind the press, 1990. Approximately 7 1/4 x 11 1/2". LIMITED EDITION of 30,all of them being #1 with different birdnames, this one being "Coot". Moriki paper covering wheeled box with paper label on cover and spine and cutout on front cover, in fine condition. Four stitched binding books from a series of habitats, printed between 1889 and 1990, on waxed masa paper with linocuts, handmade paper covers by Beth Herrick & Heather MacDuffie of Port & Starboard Press in Mt. Desert, Maine, signed on the box colophon by author, in fine conditon.
Book Artist Alisa Golden is well-known with many institutions holding her innovative material. She received a BFA in Printmaking with High Distinction in 1985 from California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC). The habitat books are subtitled as follows: A Feather is Cut to Resemble a Knife (woods), Filling a Hole (subwoods), People in Pieces (city), and Lite Screened Familiar (subcity). A beautifully created and written collection.
Catching a River: Delta, The Island, and The Dreamfish
[Berkeley, CA]: never mind the press, 1993. Approximately 4 x 6". LIMITED EDITION of 40, this being #35. Outer mesh envelope created to look like a fishing net of sorts with decorative tie ribbons, in fine condition. Three printed paper folding envelopes (made of cotton, flax and wild iris leaves), hand stitched with various themed embelishments such as miniature menu, map, message in a bottle, and fortune teller fish, creatively stitched with artistic cut-outs, in fine conditon.
Book Artist and author Alisa Golden is well-known with many institutions holding her innovative material. She received a BFA in Printmaking with High Distinction in 1985 from California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC). These books were part of an Art-by-Mail subscription, No. 2, in 1993.
Festival Figures
New York: United States Committee for UNICEF, 1973. Approximately 4 1/4 x 8 1/2". Illustrated color stiff paper booklets depicting children, which flip up at the wait to show a small booklet, black and white line drawings, two-sided so each booklet depicts two children, a few booklets have minor defects such as a small crease near the neck, a small stain near the face and a few tiny spots, otherwise in near fine condition.
Scarce little booklets produced by UNICEF, portraying children of 8 various countries: The Netherlands, Ghana, Algeria, Poland, Norway, India, Chile, and Japan. Barby and Glen Peterson are authors who have written for the Golden Series of children's books. Set is complete. Only one institutional holding.
Little Tales (4 volumes)
Guben & London: F. Fechner and A. & Joseph Myers & Co., [ca. 1861]. Approximately 2 x 3 1/4". Later printing. Four little volumes, each with a unique decorated cover which includes a textured piece of fake greenery pasted down, all four have a previous owner's name in ink on front free endpaper, all have some moderate wear, all have a beautiful colored frontispiece illustration and 3 of the volumes have another illustrated plate, in very good condition. (Welsh 2800, Spielman 152)
These miniature books were most likely printed in Germany for the English juvenile market. According to Spielman, Fenelon (1651 - 1715) was a famous French ecclesiastic who tutored Louis XIV's grandson, the Duke of Burgundy. It is no surprise then, that these little tales are moral and religious teachable moments for young children. The illustrations have "quite exceptional charm" and are beautifully colored.
London Almanack for the Year of Christ 1818
(London): (Printed for the Company of Stationers), 1818. Unpaginated. Approximately 1 1/4 x 2 1/4". Original red morocco slipcase with onlays in cream and green, gilt-tooled throughout, in fine condition; Pink outer wraps, most likely replacing a cover that usually matched the slipcase, first page called "Common Notes", all edges gilt, a good copy.
These miniature booklets have been published from the late 17th century until the Victorian era, and give monthly information for eclipses, phases of the moon, saints days, as well as lists of Royals and Lord Mayors, bank transfer days and other banking rates. In this copy, there is a folding view of the Royal Dramatic College.
The Principal Antique Patterns of Marbled Papers Made and Described by Anne Chambers with an Introduction by Bernard Middleton
Burford, Oxfordshire: The Cygnet Press, 1984. [44] pp. approx. 6 x 7 3/4". LIMITED EDITION of 250, this being #176. Blue paper over boards with title in black letters on spine, 14 marbled paper samples tipped in, some sun fading to spine, otherwise in near fine condition.
A short but informative introduction by Bernard Middleton on the history of paper marbling, this book is also very helpful in identifying some of the classic patterns such as Antique Spot, French Shell, Italian Shell, English Stormont, Gloster, Spanish, Peacock, and Stonemarble (or Turkish). The tipped in examples are brilliant and colorful and extremely beautiful.
Star of Ill-Omen
London: Hutchinson & Co., 1952. 320 pp. 5 1/4 x 7 1/2"; First edition; Inscribed by the author on title page, Illustrated dust jacket has really minor edge wear and slight rubbing, price of 12/6 net intact, nice and bright colors, in very good + condition; Black cloth over boards with crisp gilt lettering on spine, a few spots on fore edges, two pages with old newspaper imprint discoloring, otherwise a lovely copy in very good + condition.
Dennis Wheatley (1897 - 1977) was an English writer who wrote 65 novels from the 1930's through the 1960's, mostly thrillers, science fiction, and occult novels. It is said that one of his main characters, Gregory Sallust, was one of the inspiration's for the James Bond character by Ian Fleming. This book has it all: German scientists, Russian spies, beautiful women, atomic weapons, and flying saucers.