Hardcover
Fair Violet
1949 first hardcover printing. NOTE: ex-library copy. Book is tight and square. Dust jacket is encased in mylar and has creases and chips. Covers of book have tape residue and old tape. Staining and marking to book endpages. Interior is clean, it does have a bookstore stamp, and previous owner's name is on first page. Some tanning to pages.
Figbash Acrobate
Dallas, TX: Aredian Press, 2022. Approximately 2 x 2 1/2 x 3 1/4". LIMITED EDITION of 5 copies, this being #3. Jacob's Ladder design binding by Patrice Miller of Aredian Press. Decorated heavy boards, Edward Gorey House print, tissue, poly strapping, and ribbon, numbered and signed on the colophon, in fine condition. The black bookcloth covered enclosure is candy-box styled with a lift-off lide and a hot pink laval lining, in fine condition.
Another beautifully designed and original book by Patrice Miller, constructed from an Edward Gorey House print binding design, text and illustrations and commissioned by The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust. 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.
Fighters for Peace
New York: The Century Co., 1919. First edition, Hardcover. 311pp + 3 pages of book advertisements; Book has minimal wear to edges and spine, spine is slightly darkened, some foxing and stains on fore-edges, front spine is cracked age tanning and some foxing to pages, no dust jacket. Very good condition.
Biographical information on World War I heroes, including: King Albert of Belgium, Marshal Joffre, Captain Guynemer, Marshal Foch, Premier Clemenceau, Premier George, Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, General Allenby, King Emmanual III of Italy, General Pershing, Admiral Beatty, President Wilson. Photograph of each man is included.
Fletcher and Zenobia
New York: Meredith Press, 1967. 6 1/4 x 6 1/4". First Edition, Pictorial dust jacket and boards with a few ships near the spine top, not price-clipped, in very good condition. Pictorial boards with slight indentation near top spine edge, full-color illustrations throughout, pages clean and unmarked, otherwise in very good condition. (Toledano A25)
A humorous story about a cat, a doll and a moth. Delightful and quite less macabre than Gorey's usual style.
For Kicks
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 some chipping and subtle pen mark on cover, not price-clipped; Green cloth over boards, gilt title on spine very crisp, minor foxing and darkening to the fore-edges, dark shadow on page prior to half-title due to old bookmark, 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' 3rd novel, with Daniel Roke, Australian horse breeder temporarily turned UK investigator.
Friends
Cincinnati, OH: Mosaic Press, [1980]. [14] pp. Approximately 3/4 x 1". Illustrated wrapper with single staple, black and white illustrations, in fine condition. (Bradbury, Mosaic Press 33)
Miriam Irwin Owen published miniature books under her Mosaic Press imprint. Most of her books consist of original material written by authors recruited by Irwin, who published what she enjoys reading. Miriam was a founder of the Miniature Book Society. Unable to find if Cynthia Irwin is related to Miriam Irwin in any way. Copy of the Mosaic Press miniature book catalog from October, 1980 included as a bonus item.
Goethes Briefe an Charlotte von Stein. Herausgegeben von Jonas Fränkel. Kritische Gesamtausgabe. 3 Bände.
Jena, Germany: Eugen Diederichs, 1908. 3 volumes in German. Approximately 4 3/4 x 7 1/2". Red cloth over boards, gilt lettering and design stamped crisply on spine, top edges gilt, illustrated endpapers, ribbons intact, some minor rubbing and wear, 1 portrait, 2 facsimiles and 26 hand drawings by Goethe on mounted panels, in near fine condition.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) was a German writer and statesman. His writings were diverse and included poetry, prose, dramas, memoirs, criticisms, treatises on some sciences, letters, and an autobiography. A friend to the Duke of Save-Weimar, Goethe went to live in Weimar where he met Charlotte von Stein in 1776. She was an older, married woman but they had an intimate bond which lasted for ten years. Von Stein was a lady-in-waiting at the court in Weimar and a close friend to both Friedrich Schiller and von Goethe, whose work and life were strongly influenced by her. Geothe abruptly abandoned Charlotte without telling her anything and she was heartbroken although they eventually reconciled. This work of 3 volumes is separated into distinct time periods - Vol 1: 1776 - 1780, Vol 2: 1781 - 1784, Vol 3: 175-85 - 1826.
Gorey Games
San Francisco: Troubador Press, 1979. 8 1/2 x 11". First Edition. No jacket, as issued. Black boards with gilt-stamped title on cover and spine, beautiful red endpapers, illustrated by Gorey throughout including a previously unpublished drawing, limited edition of 750 copies, slight sticker residue on back cover, otherwise in near-fine condition. (Toledano B64a)
A wonderful collection of games for any Gorey fan. Games include mazes, puzzles, hidden objects and more with Gorey's usual cast of characters, including Fantod, Osbick bird, Emblus Fingby, Gashlycrumb Tinies characters, Dracula, and of course Gorey himself.
Granny's Wonderful Chair
London: Griffith Farran Okeden & Welsh, n.d. (ca 1891). Hardcover, 7 3/4 x 10". 94 pp. Brown cloth over boards with pictorial cover, significant corner bumping and wear to edges, stains to cover, previous owner's inscription on half-title page indicating the year 1891, tear to front free endpaper, some tanning and stains, full-color frontispiece, 16 beautiful full page coloured illustrations by Marie Seymour Lucas, black and white illustrations throughout, good condition.
Originally published in 1856, this is a very early [1891] reprint of a wonderful children's book that is still in print today. Written by Francis Browne, who was known as the 'The Blind Poetess of Ulster'.
Gunner's Dawn
New York: The Derrydale Press, 1937. First Edition. Limited edition of 950, this being #78. Red simulated leather over boards with gilt decorations, some dulling to gilt, minor cover rubbing especially to spine edges, original signed etching as frontispiece, 5 color plates and 14 black and white plates with some tissue guards missing, a few pages unopened, gift inscription on front paste-down endpaper which also has a small amount of foxing, otherwise in very good condition.
Roland Clark (1874 - 1957) was an American artist who was best known for his painting and etchings of ducks. He was also an accomplished writer and combined these talents in sporting articles, short stories which were autobiographical in nature.