New Arrivals
The Tramp Printer
San Diego, CA: Ash Ranch Press, 1987. 36 pp. Approximately 1 1/8 x 1 1/4". LIMITED EDITION of 126 copies, this being #21. Dark blue leather with stamped green ink and blue foil decorations on both covers, letterpress, illustrated by Don Hildreth, printed in blue ink up through the title page, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Ash Ranch Press #3)
A prince of the road, the king of vagabonds, the tramp printer -- all these titles for a man who dropped in occasionally at a print shop and helped out and then hit the road again. A fond memory story in a beautiful little binding.
Small Rain Upon the Tender Herb
London: Religious Tract Society, [1860]. 1 x 1 1/4". [128 pp.]. Maroon morocco with gilt rulings to covers and spine, text block pulling away from binding but complete, all edges gilt, later edition, inked name and date on front free endpaper, in very good condition. (Welsh 6440, Bondy 126-7)
Printed originally ca. 1830, this sweet little religious book contains short Bible extracts for every day of the year, including February 29th. A very popular publication which was reprinted for about 60 years, yet surprisingly are a little scarce in good condition. This one printed by Spottiswoode & Co.
Bones: A Nameless Detective Mystery
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985. 5 3/4 x 8 1/4". 196 pp. Illustrated dust jacket with some creasing and wear at the edges, in very good + condition; Black cloth over boards with silver lettering on spine, in near fine condition.
Bill Pronzini, winner of the Best Novel of 1981, awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America for his novel "Hoodwink", Pronzini lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, as does his nameless detective. Bones is a mystery about a dead man's reasons for suicide and end up involving a figid wife, a ruthless lawyer, a bitter ex-wife, and a beligerant taxidermist turned landlord (according to the dust jacket flap). Full of deceit, intrigue and murder, it's an exciting mystery.
The Bookman's Wake
New York: Scribner, 1995. 6 1/4 x 9 1/2". 351 pp. First edition; Illustrated dust jacket in near-fine condition; Tan cloth over maroon boards with red lettering on spine, signed by the author on the title page with date of "4-12-95", binding a little loose in the spine, otherwise in near-fine condition.
This is the author's second book and the second time with the Cliff Janeway character. It involves a mysterious and rare Edgar Allan Poe book that someone might kill for and probably did.
10-lb Penalty
London: Michael Joseph, 1997. 6 x 9 1/2". 272 pp. First edition; Pictorial dust jacket in fine condition; Black cloth over boards with gilt stamped lettering on spine, signed by the author on the title page, in fine condition.
In Dick Francis' 36th novel, Benedit Juliard is an amateur jockey whose father has political ambitions which end up embroiling them both in lies and treachery. 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).
The Treasure Cave: A Book of New Prose and Verse
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1928. 7 3/4 x 10". Red cloth over boards with black stamped lettering and design, bookstore stamp on inside free endpaper, various illustrators with Daphne Jerrold being the most prominant, both black and white illustrations and tipped-in color illustrations, no dust jacket, corners bumped and a little worn, otherwise in very good condition.
A collection of stories and poems from the time, mostly romantic in nature. The Treasure Cave contains a nice mix of male and female authors, with Rafael Sabatini being perhaps the most well-known.
Dracula
Parsippany, NJ: Unicorn Publishing House, 1985. 8 1/4 x 10 1/4". Black cloth over boards with red and gilt stamped lettering and illustrated color cover plate, illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt, entry form laid in for voting on future titles for the publisher, no dust jacket as issued, in fine condition.
Set from the original 1897 edition from the personal cellection of Germaine Hildebrandt, this book is the classic creation of the myth of Dracula. Beautifully illustrated throughout with many black and white and full-color illustrations.
Trouble with Trolls
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1992. Approximately 9 1/4 x 11 1/4". Illustrated dust jacket in fine condition; Illustrated paper over boards, inscribed by author on title page, a few small water marks on title page, in near fine condition.
Beautiful picture book, from Jan Brett, an American write and illustrator. A Scandanavian tale about a girl named Treva who tries to keep the Trolls on Mount Baldy from stealing her dog. Lovely to find a first edition, first printing, and signed copy.
The Book of Birds: The First Work Presenting in Full Color All the Major Species of the United States and Canada, Volumes I and II
Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 1937. 356 and 374 pp. Approximately 7 x 10 1/4". No dust jacket; Green cloth over boards with gilt design and lettering on cover and spine (which has faded somewhat), gift inscription on free endpaper on volume 2, illustrated map endpapers, profusely illustrated with color plates, drawings and photos, previous owner's address label on inside paste-down endpaper, otherwise, in very good + condition.
Volume 1 containing diving birds, ocean birds, swimmers, wading birds, wild fowl, birds of prey, game birds, shore birds, marsh dwellers, birds of the northern seas. Volume 2 containing owls, woodpeckers, flycatchers, crows, jays, orioles, creepers, thrushes, swallows, tanagers, wrens, warblers, hummingbirds, finches, sparrows. Very heavy, may require additional shipping.
The Burglar in the Library
New York: Dutton, 1997. 342 pp. 6 1/4 x 9 1/4"; First Edition. Pictorial dust jacket in fine condition; Black cloth over black paper boards with crisp gilt lettering on spine, author inscribed on title page, in fine condition.
A delightful mystery with the scenario from the flap describing, "What do you get when you combine an English-style inn, a group of snowbound guests, and a dead body in the library". A fun bibliographic whodunit.