New Arrivals
Opening a Shell (Shell Book 5)
Lake City, CO: Ravenpress, 2001. Approximately 2 7/8 x 2 7/8". LIMITED EDITION of 15 copies, this being #8. Outer box has mustard cloth and maroon illustrated and textured paper along with title label on spine, in fine condition; inside of box has five hanging cowry shells suspended from the top of the box with attached handing text, laser printed on unryu tissue, illustrated on the back of the inner box, visible only by moving the hanging objects, numbered and signed on the inside box spine by the publisher, in fine condition.
Pushing beyond typical erotic content, this box-style book explores auto-erotic sensations from a female perspective. 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 redesign and innovations.
Belladonna
Aurora, CO: Ravenpress, 2005. Approximately 1 3/8 x 1 3/8". LIMITED EDITION of 25 copies, this being #9. Cosmetics case, with printed foil label, slightly worn with small bits of foil missing, in very good condition; Three accordion miniature books have polymer clay covers with laser print transfer, illustrated, numbered and signed on the colophon on the back of the case by the publisher, in fine condition.
Created as part of a series using cosmetic tools and containers as structure, this piece contributes to an ongoing commentary on the harms of the cosmetic industry. Three accordion books detail various aspects of the Belladonna plant (Deadly Nightshade). This plant, although toxic, has been used medicinally and as an aid to beauty as its ingestion enlarges the pupils of the eye (a look that indicates sexual arousal and is known as 'bedroom eyes'). 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 redesign and innovations.
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.
Nasty Nancy & Her Cat, A Horrid ABC Book
New York: Mermaid Press, 1962. Approximately 1 7/8 x 2 3/8". (16) pp. Cream printed paper boards with decorations and title in red on front cover and spine, blue slipcase, letterpress, scarce, all in fine condition. (Bradbury, Mermaid Press 1)
The one and only book by this publisher, published at the beginning of the miniature book renaissance in the United States during the early sixties (Bradbury p147), it is a macabre ABC book describing all of the ways in which Nasty Nancy torments her cat (i.e. Jerked it, Kicked it, Licked it.) Luckily, the story ends happily with Kitty living with a much kinder owner the next lifetime it has.
L'Emploi du Temps ou les Enfans Modeles
Paris: chez Marcilly, ca. 1830. Approximately 1 15/16 x 2 3/4". 128 pp. Pale pink embossed paper boards, no slipcase, script title on front cover, engraved vignette on back cover and title page, 7 plates, some minor spotting, in French, fine condition. (Welsh 2637)
A beautiful scarce book about moral tales for children, published by leading Parisian publisher Marcilly, responsible for many of the most beautiful children's books of the period.
Frederick Law Olmsted at Biltmore
Dallas, TX: Aredian Press, 2023. Approximately 3 x 2 3/4", oblong. LIMITED EDITION of 10 copies, this being #9. Design binding by Patrice Miller of Aredian Press. Green photographic paper cover with green leather quarter bound, extra endpapers on special paper, stamp frontispiece, colophon and limitation which is, signed and numbered by the publisher, illustrations, in fine condition. Beautifully structured and well-written biography.
Frederick Law Olmsted (1922 - 1903) was an American landscape architect, as well as a public administrator, social critic, and journalist. He was famous for co-designing many well known parks such as New York's Central Park, Brooklyn's Prospect Park, as well as the campuses of Wellesley College, Smith College, Stanford University and the University of Chicago. Olmsted not only designed the landscape architecture of the Biltmore for George Vanderbilt II, but he designed the Biltmore Village to replicate the working estates of Europe. He was an important early conservationist and he encouraged the full use of naturally occurring features of any given space.
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.
Book Poems
Berlin: Siegfried Spengler, 2005. 3/4 x 1"; 62 pages. Red cloth over boards, gilt title and decorations on cover and spine, slight loss of gilt on spine, previous owner's bookplate on verson of ffep, pink endpapers, frontispiece, housed in red paper slipcase, in very good plus condition.
A small collection of poems about books by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), which include In a Library, A Book, and Unto my Books.
ABC of Birds
Freeville, New York: Lilliput Press, 2020. Limited edition of 25 including 5 deluxe (already sold) in cabinet of curiosity format. 2 x 3 x 1.5" miniature book, flutter construction; 30 pp., digitally printed with pigmented inks, 26 Individual collages with text on reverse side, 28 pocket pages (collages plus title page and colophon) with inserts, signed and numbered by the artist, all in fine condition.
A lovely little abcedarium, cleverly constructed and beautifully illustrated throughout. Note that the species of bird does not necessarily coincide with the alphabet page it is on.
Holy Bible. New Testament.
Tokyo: Japan Bible Society, 1982. Black leather cover with blind stamped title and decorations, 27 x 34 mm, 409 pp., printed by photo offset at Toppan Printing Co., miniature bookplate and bookstore labels present, Japanese text, slipped into in a gold metal case with with red and gold cross decoration and chain. All housed in a red velveteen box with magnifying glass and brochure. Limited to 1,000 copies. The complete package, including original manufacturer's packaing box, all beautifully executed and in fine condition.
The Toppan Printing Company in Japan has long been printers of the world's smallest books with many Guiness Book World Record holders.
![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.