New Arrivals
Trois Fables de La Fontaine (Three Fables by La Fontaine)
Pasadena: Karen Dawson, 1965. 21 pp. Approx. 1 1/16 x 1 7/16". Vellum covers with title in gilt on spine, in French, letterpress by William Cheney, illustrations by Guillaume du Chenais, slight wear in that the book remains open and covers are slightly bent; otherwise in near-fine condition. (Bradbury, Dawson 22)
The three fables in this book are La Cigale et la fourmi (The Grasshopper and the Ant), Le Corbeau et le Renard (The Fox and the Crow), and Le Renard et les Raisins (The Fox and the Grapes). Karen Dawson is the daughter of Glen and Mary Helen Dawson of the well-known Dawson's Book Shop in Los Angeles. Glen Dawson published his first miniature book in 1949 and both of his daughters published book as well.
Artificial Anaesthesia and Anaesthetics
New York: William Wood & Company, 1881. 338 pp. Approximately 6 x 9". Brown cloth over boards with stamped black and gilt decoration and lettering on spine and cover, worn at spine ends, slight corner bumping, foxing throughout, some engraved illustrations, many charts, helpful index, in very good + condition.
This is Volume 17 of Wood's Library of Standard Medical Authors. It gives the history of anaesthesia, what substances can comprise anaesthetics, and anaesthesia by rapid respiration with lots of case studies (both human and animal), some of which included numbness, vomiting, and death.
Faerie Tale
New York: Hill House, 1988. 421 pp. Approximately 6 1/4 x 9 1/2". Deluxe Limited First Edition of 500 copies, this being #75. Illustrated dust jacket in fine condition with minor edge wear; Red cloth over boards with gilt decoration and lettering on spine, inscribed on the limitation page by the author Feist, the interior illustrator Lela Dowling, and the jacket artist Don Maitz, in fine condition, all housed in red cloth slipcase which has a minor amount of wear.
Raymond E. Feist (1945 - ) is an American author of fantasy fiction, best known for his series of novels called The Riftwar Cycle. Starting with beautiful cover art by Don Maitz, the supernatural thriller follows the Hastings family, whose move back to their hometown brings them into the conflict of the compact between the Faerie world and human world. A bestseller that still entertains, and haunts, to this day.
More Than Human
New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, 1953. 233 pp. Approximately 5 1/4 x 8". First edition, first printing. Illustrated dusk jacket in very good condition with some stains on the inside, previous tape repairs, some chipping and creasing, price clipped. Red paper over boards black fabric on spine with white lettering, some age toning, in near fine condition.
Theodore Sturgeon (1918 - 1985), born Edward Hamilton Waldo, was an American fiction author, whose genre mainly included fantasy, science fiction and horror. This novel was the winner of the 1954 International Fantasy Award for Best Novel, which is about 6 people with strange powers who are able to come together and act as one.
Zsolnay: Ceramics Factory, Pecs
Budapest, Hungary: Helikon Kiado, 1997. 175 pp. Approximately 2 x 3". Decorated porcelain cover over green velvet boards with gilt title on spine, yellow slipcase, all edges gilt, profuse colored photographs, slight crack to porcelain cover, otherwise all in near fine condition. Text is in English.
This cute little book contains the history of the state-owned Zsolnay factory with many examples of their eclectic collection of art nouveau, art deco, and stylized folk art.
Watchers
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2007. 352 pp. Approximately 6 1/2 x 9 1/2". Illustrated jacket in very good condition with some rubbing, a tiny tear to the top of the back cover, some minor edgewear, not price clipped. Black paper over boards with black cloth spine that has crisp gilt lettering, full number line from 1 to 10, signed on the half-title page "To Diane -- Woof! Arf! Wuf-wuf!. Woooooof. Dean Koontz. 2/19/98." the Diane in this case refers to Diane Peterson, also known as "The Book Lady" - a well-known antiquarian book dealer in the California Bay Area, in fine condition.
Dean Ray Koontz (1945 - ) is an American author who writes primarily suspense thrillers with elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery. He has sold over 450 million copies of his books. This story is credited as being one of the better known books to have established him as a best-selling author. It was loosely adapted into film in 1988 starring Corey Haim, Michael Ironside, Barbara Williams and Lala Sloatman.
A Darkness at Sethanon
Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1986. 426 pp. Approximately 5 1/2 x 8 1/2". Illustrated dust jacket crisp and clean with only minor wear, unclipped wrapper with price of $17.95 intact, in near fine condition. Blue paper boards with black cloth spine, gilt lettering on spine is sharp, some spotting to top page edges, map endpapers, inscribed on the title page, "For Diane - Keep fighting the darkness. Best. Raymond E. Feist", the Diane in this case refers to Diane Peterson, also known as "The Book Lady" - a well-known antiquarian book dealer in the California Bay Area, in near fine condition.
Raymond E. Feist (1945 - ) is an American author of fantasy fiction, best known for his series of novels called The Riftwar Cycle, this being the finale of that series. As stated on the dust jacket, "This thrilling finale is high fantasy at its very best -- alive with enchantment, romance, and the heady clash of steel on steel."
Bernhardt Wall in Miniature
Worcester, MA: Robert C. Bradbury, 2007. 31 pp. Approximately 2 1/2 x 3". LIMITED EDITION of 45 copies. Blue cloth over boards with pictorial paper label on upper cover, marbled endpapers, letterpress, three mounted illustrations, in fine condition.
Bernhardt Wall (1872 - 1956) was an American historian and lithographic illustrator. He was known as the "Postcard King" as he designed more than 5,000 comic cards. He worked with a variety of publishers over his career and specialized in famous people and historical events. Each copy of the regular edition is illustrated with three original miniature etchings by Bernhardt Wall, at least one of which is an illustration. Special copies have thematically related illustrations and deluxe copies have additional etchings mounted in matching volumes. This little book includes bibliography/listing of miniature illustrations by Wall. Only 2 library holdings and not in the trade at the moment (5/22). Somewhat scarce.
The Farmer's Magic
Santa Cruz, CA: The Good Book Press, 1981. 26 pp. Approximately 1 7/8 x 2 3/4". LIMITED EDITION of 130 copies, #1 - 90 on publisher's paper, this being #83 of the special printing. Marbled paper over boards with brown leather 1/4 bound, gilt title on spine, letterpress printed on a hand-operated printing press on Peter's handmade paper, woodcut illustrations by Donna Thomas, numbered on the colophon, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Peter and Donna Thomas 5).
Peter and Donna Thomas, well-known book artists, authors, and paper-makers, have been operating their private press since 1976. This is a lovely little fairy tale book with Donna's beautiful woodcut artwork. This was their first work to get national recognition by the larger book-arts community as it was included in the Breaking the Bindings Show in 1983 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. (From the Peter and Donna Thomas Bibliography, p. 21). A beautiful example of their work with no other copies on the market at this time (1/23).
The Story of Word Pictures
Santa Cruz, CA: The Good Book Press, 1984. 14 pp. Approximately 2 x 2 1/8". LIMITED EDITION of 200 copies, the first fifty are hand-painted and bound in leather, this being #197 of the regular printing. Pale green paper wrap with design and title on cover and spine in fine condition. Green boards with design on front cover, printed on a hand-operated printing press on Peter's handmade paper, one minor foxing spot on rear endpaper, numbered on the colophon, in near fine condition. (Bradbury, Peter and Donna Thomas 11).
Peter and Donna Thomas, well-known book artists, authors, and paper-makers, have been operating their private press since 1976. This is a lovely little book with elfin maidens and wizards and words by the author on how to gather pictures in your own head.