hardcover
Nelly, Poet Nobel Laureate, Homage to Nelly Sachs
Evanston, IL: Press of Ward Schori, 1988. 32 pp. Approximately 2 9/16 x 2 1/16". LIMITED EDITION of 200 copies. Black leather over boards with copper gilt lettering on front cover and spine, frontispiece, bound by Hugo Grummich, designed and hand typography by the publisher, some foxing to top edge, otherwise in near fine condition. (Bradbury, Schori 51)
Nelly Sachs (1891 - 1970) was a Swedish poet and playwright of Jewish German birth. She was greatly impacted by the rise of the Nazis during World War II and escaped Germany only one week before having to report to a concentration camp. Her poetry is very lyrical and poignant. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1966.
Nonsense
Austin, TX: Amistad Press, 1977. (26) pp. Approximately 5/8 x 7/8". LIMITED EDITION of unknown copies, this being #15. Green cloth over boards, paste-down paper label on cover and spine, illustrated, fine condition. (Bradbury, Amistad Press 19)
A charming little book containing little humorous nonsense sayings.
Odds Against
London: Michael Joseph, 1965. 256 pp. Approximately 6 1/4 x 9 1/4". 1st Edition, first printing. Illustrated dust jacket in very good + condition with minor edge wear and repair tape to inside cover near spine, slight rubbing to back cover, not price-clipped; Brown cloth over boards, crisp gilt title on spine, slight foxing of pages edges, otherwise in near fine condition.
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). This book is Dick Francis' 5th book, with Sid Halley appearing for the first time as the private investigator. Edgar Award nominee.
Old Christmas
Haslet, TX: Tony Firman Bookbinding, 2011. Approximately 2 1/4x 3". First edition, LIMITED EDITION of 12 copies, this being #4. Illustrated paper over boards with green cloth spine which is slightly faded, color illustrated endpapers, numerous black and white illustrations, signed and numbered by the author on the colophon, in fine condition. Accompanying this book is a similarly bound book of the same shape and size, dated 2011 on the front cover, with a green ribbon for hanging as an ornament, blank pages.
This lovely book is from the original edition by Washington Irving (1783 - 1859), an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century, published by Macmillan & Co., London, 1886. This festive work, deserves to be a holiday tradition alongside Dickens in the celebrations of the winter solstice. While Tony Firman had been publishing prior to 2010, this is the year he began focusing on miniature books and established his publishing business, Plum Park Press, making small editions and selling them, issuing at least one a month. Firman's book, The Codex, recently won a distinguished award at Miniature Book Society's miniature book competition in 2024. His books are in many reputable institutions and private collections.
Old Testament Stories
Buffalo, NY: Breed, Butler & Co., 1862. 64 pp. Approximately 1 5/8 x 2 1/8". Brown pictorial gilt cloth with minor rubbing on edges, small spot on rear cover, old tape repairs on front and rear paste-down endpapers, all edges gilt, in very good condition. (Bradbury Antique: Breed, Butler & Co., 14)
The Aunt Fanny and Aunt Laura series resulted in thirty miniature children's books, which are high spots in any miniatur book collection. Frances Elizabeth Barrow, the author of these books, was a popular children's book author of the time. All of the books are attractively found in highly gilt cloth. There are five series and each series has six titles. As each series was published, the books were smaller in size.
Olde Christmas Eve
(Manteno, IL): Bronte Press, 1997. (12) pp. Approximately 4 1/2 x 3", oblong. LIMITED EDITION unknown, this being #63. Green paper boards with label on front cover, caligraphy and illustrations by Suzanne Pruchnicki, hand-colored, signed by the artist/printer on the colophon, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Bronte Press)
Published by Washington Irving in 1876, this little book is a short story to enjoy for the holidays.
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.
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.
Out of Ovid's Metamorphoses: Icarus
Shaker Heights, OH: Wind & Harlot Press, 1983. (20) pp. Approximately 2 7/8 x 2 1/8". LIMITED EDITION of 27 copies, this being #1. Tan paper boards, printed paper label on spine, French-fold, illustrated with line-drawing printed in red. A very fine copy, handsomely printed. (Bradbury, Wind & Harlot Press, 4)
The Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem by the Roman poet Ovid, comprised of over 250 myths. This is the story of Icarus, whose winged downfall was caused by pride.
Ovid in Latin & English
Santa Cruz, CA: The Good Book Press, 1983. [14] pp. Approximately 1 3/8 x 1 7/8". LIMITED EDITION of 150 copies, this being #142. Quarter bound in black Morocco leather and blue handmade paper over boards, gilt stamped title on cover letterpress, white paper handmade by Peter, two linoeum cut illustrations by Donna, black and red printing, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Peter & Donna Thomas, 10; P&D Thomas Bibliography A26)
Peter and Donna Thomas, well-known book artists, authors, and paper-makers, have been operating their private press since 1976. "The text is an excerpt...'add little to little and there will be a great heap.' We were invited to the first gathering of miniature-book publishers, held the summer of 1984 in Tipp City, Ohio. A fellow printer, Gene Holtan of Green Gables Press, suggested the text after we told him about the event and our plans to make a 'keepsake' book for it." From the bibliography of Peter and Donnas Thomas.