Undine.
Motte Fouque, Baron de la

Quarto. 136pp. First edition. One of 1,000 copies signed by the illustrator, Arthur Rackham. With fifteen tipped-in color plates on heavier tan paper and thirty line drawings. An early German romance translated into English, in which Undine, the beautiful water spirit, marries the Knight Huldbrand in order to capture his soul. In publisher's full vellum pictorially stamped in gilt. Ribbon ties laid in, faint spotting to covers and slight darkening to spine, and typical offsetting to preliminary and final leaves and the pages following the plates. Near fine overall. T.e.g.

Valenti Angelo: Author, Illustrator, Printer.
Angelo, Valenti

Folio. 100pp. Signed by Valenti Angelo. One of 400 copies printed by Andrew Hoyem. Decorated and hand-illuminated by Valenti Angelo. With contributions by Sherwood Anderson, Oscar Lewis, Robert Grabhorn, and others, and with a bibliographical checklist. Lavishly illustrated with examples from Angelo's books and broadsides. Prospectus and invitation to an Open House at the press laid in. Fine in orange boards backed in red cloth, with a plain dustwrapper that has a few chips to the bottom edge.

Dard Hunter. Papermaker. Artist. Printer. 1883-1966.
Hunter II, Dard

Small quarto. (4)ff., folded. From an edition of 500 copies of this commemorative keepsake, this is one of 50 copies on Dard Hunter's own handmade paper and signed by the author, Dard Hunter II. This copy is additionally inscribed by the author to the front cover. Includes a near full-page wood-engraved portrait of the papermaker by Barry Moser, and signed by the artist in pencil. A very fine copy of this short, but sweet encapsulation of Hunter's achievements.

A Midsummer-Night's Dream.
Shakespeare, William

Quarto. (iv), 134pp. One of 1000 copies signed by the illustrator, Arthur Rackham. Illustrated with forty tipped-in colored plates and thirty line drawings. With a signed one-page autograph letter from Rackham laid in, dated Nov. 21, 1931, accompanied by the original envelope. In the letter, which is addressed to the collector Mrs. Edward J. Pearson in New York, Rackham writes, "I have not succeeded in finding the missing drawing for the Midsummer Night's Dream, so I enclose a cheque for $50." At the end, Rackham mentions that his manuscript book for the Midsummer Night's Dream has just been sent to the New York Library: in 1929, he was commissioned by the library to create a series of watercolors, different from those in the 1908 edition, accompanied by manuscript text. Ribbon ties lacking, spine slightly soiled, else about fine in full vellum, pictorially stamped in gilt. T.e.g.

Rip Van Winkle.
Irving, Washington

Quarto. viii, 58pp., + 51ff. plates One of 250 copies signed by the artist. One of Arthur Rackham's scarcest and most lavishly illustrated books. Contains a frontispiece and fifty color plates tipped onto heavy brown paper, one of them spread over two pages, as well as black & white pictorial title and tailpiece. Rackham is at his best here, populating the Catskill mountains with all manner of weird and wonderful beings. Bound in vellum stamped in gilt with a picture of Rackham's Rip, his beard wildly twisted among brambles. Detached ribbon ties laid in, covers slightly bowed, some foxing to endpapers and faintest foxing to some of the tissue guards, else fine. Housed in a custom-made chemise and a box backed in gilt-stamped green morocco, which shows some wear. T.e.g.

A Wonder Book.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel

Quarto. viii, 207pp. One of 600 copies signed by Arthur Rackham. With twenty-four color plates, sixteen of which are tipped-in with titled tissue guards, and twenty line drawings. A beautifully illustrated collection of six Greek myths re-told for an audience of children. Some soiling to boards, spine lightly sunned, extremities slightly bumped, with a small tear to cloth at foot of spine, mild split before and after one signature where plates were inserted, else about fine in gilt-stamped white cloth. T.e.g.

The Vicar of Wakefield.
Goldsmith, Oliver

Quarto. 232pp. From an edition of 775 copies signed by Arthur Rackham, this is one of 575 copies that comprised the English issue. Illustrated with twelve full-page color plates and twenty-two black & white drawings. A fine copy in gilt-stamped vellum with only light toning to page edges, endpapers, and board edges. T.e.g.

The Compleat Angler, or the Contemplative Man's Recreation.
Walton, Izaak

Large octavo. 224pp. First edition. One of 775 copies signed by the artist, Arthur Rackham. Illustrated with twelve color plates and numerous line drawings, as well as silhouette endpapers celebrating the joys of fishing. Very slight soiling to binding; otherwise, a fine, unopened copy in gilt-decorated vellum. T.e.g.

Aventures D'Alice Au Pays Des Marveilles.
Carroll, Lewis

Quarto. 168pp., plus 12ff. plates. One of 20 copies on Japon. The limited, French edition of Arthur Rackham's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Illustrated with thirteen large tipped-in color plates and many black & white drawings, which offer Rackham's distinctive, new interpretation of scenes made famous in Tenniel's classic illustrations, such as Alice's encounter with the caterpillar, the Caucus Race, and the Mad Tea Party. Hudson describes Rackham's undertaking as "the most controversial of his career," but concludes that, "He has certainly made the greatest impression of all Tenniel's multitude of successors." Bound in gilt-stamped vellum bearing the title and a design of the Gryphon and Mock Turtle on the front cover. Slightest soiling to covers and toning to spine, else a fine copy. In a tan cloth slipcase. T.e.g.

[Arion Press] Venus & Adonis, by William Shakespeare. Together With Sources for the Poem in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Shakespeare, William

Quarto. 93pp. From an edition of 190, this is one of "a few copies" that were bound in full leather, according to the prospectus. Illustrated with seven nudes, printed in mauve, which are cleverly composed entirely of type foundry ornaments. This is the third book produced by Andrew Hoyem's Press. An elegant volume in mauve morocco, stamped in silver on the lower front cover, with silk doublures and a morocco and silk slipcase. Spine of book slightly sunned, a few scuffs to the front cover, else about fine.

A Vision of Order.
Anderson, Andrew

Folio. One of thirty-five deluxe copies signed by the author/artist, Andrew Anderson, with an additional portfolio containing a signed proof of "Apple Girl," and a print of "The Rock of Cashel," comprised of nine sheets joined together to form an architectural rendering of the medieval cathedral measuring 4 ½ x 3 feet. A monumental collection of thirty-five linocuts of cathedrals and medieval structures by Anderson, presented full-size, with the artist's commentary on each of the illustrations. Anderson has been a practicing architect for most of his career, and began making wood-engravings and linocuts in 1956, when he was nineteen years old. Early on, he became deeply influenced by Eric Gill, but eventually discovered his own voice as an artist by referencing architectural elements and mixing images with lettering and symbolism. Bound in boards printed with one of Anderson's illustrations in red, backed in violet. The additional prints are in a matching portfolio, and both book and portfolio are housed in a gray solander box. Extremely fine.

W.B. Yeats/Montale.
Yeats, William Butler

Quarto. 26, (4) pp. From an edition of 130 copies, this is one of 100 ad personam copies. Illustrated with three etchings by noted sculptor Fausto Melotti, each of which is signed in graphite. Contains four poems by Yeats: "Sailing to Byzantium", "The Indian to his love", "When you are old", and "After a long silence". These are followed by translations into Italian by Nobel Laureate Eugenio Montale. According to the colophon, Franco Riva completed the design for this book in August, 1981, but died the following month. The task of printing this edition fell to Martino Mardersteig of the Officina Bodoni, and it was completed five years later. This, then, is Riva's last book, and its straightforward elegance and harmony between text and image is a fitting tribute to one of Italy's finest printers. A fine copy, loose as issued in publisher's blue cloth folding case, which show some faint scuffs.

[Poole Press] Merrie England. A philatelic celebration of ancient festivals.
Adams, Maryline P.

(18)ff., frenchfold. From an edition of 101, this is one of twenty specially bound copies. Written, designed, handpress printed, bound, and signed by Maryline Poole Adams. Printed with illuminated title and colored initials, and with hand-colored vignette illustrations. Contains four tipped-in English stamps for Christmas, Lammastide, Valentine's Day, and May Day. Some oxidation to decorative color stamping on binding, else fine in burgundy morocco stamped in green and rose. Slipcase. (2 1/8 by 2 3/4; 55x75mm).

Graffiti, Designed and Illustrated by Debra Weier.
Belitt, Ben

Quarto. 26pp. One of 64 copies signed by the author and the artist. A dramatic and very visual presentation of Belitt's poems, using a number of illustrating techniques: color intaglios, pop-ups, silkscreen, offset and rubber stamps. Many of the illustrations incorporate spray paint "graffiti," and use fluorescent green. Bound in printed black boards, head and tail in neon green leather. Housed in original black cloth clamshell box. A visual treat from the talented and creative artist, Debra Weier. A fine copy.

Collection of Surimono with Books & Scrolls.

(16)ff. A collection of sixteen surimono depicting scenes that include books and scrolls, dating mostly from the early part of the 19th century. Surimono are Japanese woodblock prints in miniature. They were made in small numbers and generally not sold by art publishers, unlike their more commercialized companions, ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Most surimono contain poetry with images surrounding the poems. They were distributed among members of a literary club called ren, which practiced the art of writing poetry generally under the instruction of a known master. Most surimono were distributed among members of the club as good wishes for the New Year, which begins in late February in Japan. The poetry itself is of secondary importance, as its meaning would only be known among the members of the poetry circle. It is the illustrations, often heightened with mica, silver, and embossing, that bring such beauty to these normally small square prints. The coming of spring was often represented with plum blossoms and other flowering trees and brilliant colors. The imagery often depicts animals of the zodiac, beautiful women, flowering trees, or still lifes. Books and scrolls are sometimes included, but are not common. To our knowledge, a collection of surimono focused on books and scrolls has never been gathered together. For the last twenty years, we have accumulated sixteen surimono which contain literary images, along with the more traditional illustrations found in this genre. The artists included are Yashima Gakutei (1786-1868), Toyota Hokkei (1780-1858), Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865), Yanagawa Shigenobu II (1787-1832), Ryuryukyo Shinsai (1764-1820), and Suga Shoho (1790-1852). The artists of two of the surimono are anonymous. One illustration by Yanagawa Shigenobu II, the pupil, and later son-in-law, of the master Hokusai, depicts a courtesan tuning a samisen while sitting in front of a book of poetry. A cat sits by her side, and cherry blossoms are behind her. Patterns on the hem of her kimono, her hair ornaments, and her calligraphy brush are heightened with metallic silver ink, and her instrument and inkwell have decoration in gold. In another surimono by Yashima Gakutei, perhaps the most prolific of all surimono artists, the poetess Murasaki Shikibu sits next to her writing desk among stacks of books. The border around the image and the moon overhead are printed in silver, and her colorful kimono is partially patterned in silver. The largest surimono in the collection depicts pages from a famous illustrated book, Hykanunin isshu, a collection of one hundred poems by one hundred famous poets. Other surimono in the collection depict still lifes with books and writing instruments, and poets accompanied by animals of the zodiac. The prints range in size from 12 by 17 inches to 5 1/4 by 7 1/4 inches and are in fine condition. The longest is in a panorama format, measuring 22 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches. Together with a group of four reference books about surimono; details available upon request.

[Gorey, Edward] "Books seem to me to be pestilent things..."
Locke, John

A single bifolium leaf. Signed by the artist, Edward Gorey. On the front is a color illustration depicting a man standing at the edge of a cliff, clutching a large book to his chest. A pair of feet are visible disappearing over the cliff, as the man looks over and smiles with perverse glee. Below the illustration is John Locke's infamous quotation about the book trade, in which he notes that "Printers, binders, sellers, and others that make a trade and gain out of [books] have universally so odd a turn and corruption of mind that they have a way of dealing peculiar to themselves, and not conformed to the good of society and that general fairness that cements mankind." The publisher's information is printed on the back. Measures 8 3/4 by 7 inches when folded. Very fine in a blue-gray mat that matches the sky in Gorey's illustration.

Les Petites Filles.
Laurencin, Marie

Square 48mo. (43)ff. One of 250 copies. An album of nineteen color lithographs by Marie Laurencin, depicting portraits of young women and illustrations of flowers in a watercolor style. A final portrait is in black & white. Laurencin captures the girls' essence with soft washes of color and attention to the details of their clothing. Although Laurencin was a contemporary of Picasso and Braque, and experimented with Cubist ideas, her work did not reach the height of abstraction attained by Picasso and others. Instead, her focus was on the feminine: the subjects of her work are most often young women depicted in soft, pastel colors, as in this book. The femininity of her work is often viewed as a response to Cubism's masculine modernism. Bi-folium sheet printed with title and limitation laid in. Bound in blue-striped paper over boards, with a paper label. Publisher's label bearing the limitation inside the front cover. Spine slightly toned and rubbed to edges, else fine in the original slipcase. All edges pink.

The Noble and Joyous Book Entytled Le Morte Darthur.
Malory, Sir Thomas

Folio. (4), xxiv, 502pp. One of 145 copies. Printed in Subiaco type. The text is from Caxton's edition of 1485. Illustrated with two full-page woodcuts at the beginning and end of the book and twenty-seven smaller woodcuts in the text, drawn by Charles M. and Margaret Gere. Graily Hewitt designed "two or three alphabets of fine initials" (as described in Hornby's bibliography) for this book, and they are printed alternately in red and blue. The largest book of the Press, and the first in three colors. Sydney Cockerell called it "a glorious piece of printing... The presswork is miraculous." Emery Walker called it "magnificent... it shows that England is still ahead of the world in fine printing." In the original binding of full brown cowhide. Spine in six compartments, with titling in gilt on the spine and a single gilt edge rule. Very light foxing along edge of text block, else a fine copy, uncommon thus in the publisher's binding. Housed in chemise and cloth slipcase.

[Whittington Press / Acorn Press] Ruins: A Picture Anthology of Human Genius, Aggression, Neglect & Folly.
Weissenborn, Hellmuth

Oblong folio. (43)pp. One of 60 copies. Illustrated with twenty-one hand-colored linocuts on the rectos of each page, and quotations about the ruins on the facing versos. The ruins depicted are both ancient and modern, including the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, Easter Island, Mycenae, Stonehenge, and Hiroshima. Hand-set and printed at the Whittington Press. Stab-bound in blue paper-covered boards, in a matching slipcase with an illustrated label. One corner of book and slipcase bumped, else fine.

Curiosities of the Tower of London.

Two volumes. 124 (4); 125, (3) pp. Second edition. Volume one with woodcut frontispiece and twelve full-page woodcuts; volume two with woodcut frontispiece and one full-page woodcut. Presents young readers with a history of London's landmark, spending considerable space on the animals that were once housed there and touching on its other uses since its construction in 1066. Thomas Boreman was the first English publisher of books for children. He believed that instruction for children should be accompanied by "diversion and entertainment." He offered his miniature publications in two volumes so as not to create a book so large that a child could not fit it in his pocket. In the original Dutch paste-paper floral boards. Small marginal tear to preliminary leaf in volume two, few margins slightly shaved, else an unusually fine, fresh set of this rare children's book. (Bondy p. 21; Gottlieb 173; Welsh 1408). (2 3/8 by 1 15/16; 61x50mm).

The Gigantick History of the Two Famous Giants, and Other Curiosities in Guildhall. Together with: Volume the Second: Which Comprises the History of Guildhall, London. With Other Curious Matters.

Two volumes. xvi, 112; 128pp. First volume is the third edition; second volume is the second edition. Volume one with woodcut frontispiece of the two giants and one other full-page woodcut; volume two with woodcut frontispiece showing the Guildhall. Describes the history of Gog and Magog, as well as the iconography of the statues and images in the Guildhall, and an account of the Lord Mayor's Show. According to Gerald Gottlieb, who cites Volume the Second only, these books are the early volumes in the Gigantick Histories series, which were published from 1740-1742. Thomas Boreman was the first English publisher of books for children. He believed that instruction for children should be accompanied by "diversion and entertainment." He offered his miniature publications in two volumes so that a child could easily fit it in his pocket. In the original Dutch floral paste-paper boards. Rear cover of the first volume has been expertly reattached; final leaf of the second volume has been lifted from inside rear cover with no loss of text. An unusually fine, fresh set of this rare children's book. (2 3/8 by 1 15/16; 61x50mm).

Aura.
Carruth, Hayden

Folio portfolio. One of fifty copies. This copy is press-numbered and bears an additional inscription by Claire Van Vliet to a well-known American collector. Carruth's poem "describes the light and space created by the evening sun on a Vermont mountain landscape at dusk." The double-sided, foldout paperwork by Van Vliet and Kathryn and Howard Clark of Twinrocker Handmade Paper Mill "creates the same atmosphere" as the poem. Opening the paper fold by fold, "the sensation of walking at sunset up to the crest of a Vermont hill and suddenly viewing the wide horizon" is captured. The October 1977 issue of Fine Print describes in detail the making of this beautiful and colorful paperwork, the first of its kind in book form. Aura has become the scarcest and most sought after of all Janus Press printings. This is a mint copy in linen clamshell box with handmade paper label.

Kyôchûzan (Mountains of the Heart).

Small quarto. (19)ff. A Japanese book of color woodblock prints by Kameda Bôsai (1754-1826), one of the leading painters of the Nanga or Bunjinga (literati) schools of painting. The seventeen full-page illustrations, five of which extend across the page spread, are landscapes depicting mountainous terrain, comprised of strong, black calligraphic lines with soft colors. Each includes descriptive text printed along the margins and the artist's stamp in red. The images are simple but poetic, expressing the artist's love of the natural world, with descriptions that translate as: "The refreshing sound of a mountain waterfall," "The intoxicating effect of river and mountains," "Solitary fisher on a wintry river," and "Jeweled mountains like sapphires and water like emerald," among others. With a preface and two closing notes. Working during the Edo period, Bôsai was recognized for his paintings, calligraphy, and book illustrations. In her book Block Printing and Book Illustration in Japan, Louise Norton Brown describes Kyôchûzan as "The most charming book produced by the Japanese Impressionistic School." The colophon, which is adhered to the inside of the back cover, has different lettering and paper than the rest of the book. It is dated 1809, in contradiction to the dates stated in the preface and postscripts; according to scholars of Bôsai, this was most likely the result of careless pasting by the bookbinder. Stab-bound in gray-green wrappers with a printed yellow label to the front cover. Covers and one spot on the spine show some light rubbing and wear, else a fine copy. Protected in a blue cloth chemise that closes with bone clasps.

Robinson Crusoe.
Very, Lydia L

12mo. (16)pp. A shaped book illustrated throughout by chromolithography, with the illustrations surrounding the central text of poetry by Lydia L. Very. This title was part of the "Doll Series" of shaped books published by Prang, and were "among the first publications of L. Prang & Company." McClinton writes that these books are "some of the most interesting and fascinating items Prang published," going on to say that "today these books are valuable items for the collector of children's books." Light wrinkling to covers, else fine in shaped pictorial wrappers.

Photograph Album.

16pp. Contains sixteen original miniature albumen photographic portraits, each of which measure 1 by 3/4 of an inch. The pages of the album are double thick and form mats into which the photographs have been placed. These portraits appear to be mainly of a family, with one very notable exception: on page 11, there is a profile portrait of Hans Christian Andersen. This is a miniature version of the photograph taken of Anderson by Hansen, Schou & Weller in 1869, and it shows the author of "The Little Mermaid" in three-quarter profile facing left. Although quite shy by nature, Andersen was also one of the most photographed Danes of his era, appearing in 150 images, mostly profile portraits. The appearance of his image in this tiny album of family images suggests this may have belonged to a patron, or to one of the many unattainable women with whom he fell in love. Bound in varnished wood boards backed with a leather spine, which has been renewed. Decorative metal fore-edge clasp. Inner hinges expertly repaired. Fine overall. A.e.g. (1 15/16 by 1 3/4; 50x45mm).

Pointe Shoes.
Someck, Ronny

Quarto. 8ff., + one frenchfold leaf. One of 88 copies. With two hand-colored linear etchings by Someck. Contains five poems on ballet dancing printed in English and Hebrew. Ido Agassi is a book artist and bookbinder from Israel. He teaches his craft, while also operating Even Hoshen, a fine press founded with his father, Uzi, who is a book designer. This book is in a clever non-adhesive binding of Ido Agassi's creation, which carries the theme of ballet to the exterior of the book: in the lower right corner of the black cloth boards, a pair of ballet slippers has been formed from sections of pink ribbon. In matching black cloth slipcase. Very fine.

[Gorey, Edward] The Dripping Faucet: Fourteen Hundred & Fifty-Eight Tiny, Tedious, & Terrible Tales.
Gorey, Edward

Tall, thin quarto, measuring 11 1/4 by 2 1/4 inches. (4)ff., (or 36, depending on how you count). One of 500 copies signed by Gorey. This unusual transformation book follows two characters, V and W, who resemble salt and pepper shakers and experience changeable fates. Each page is slit into nine sections, each of which, with its own illustration, can be opened independently of the others, thus creating the possibility of the 1,458 tales indicated by the title. This is a fine copy in original green wrappers.

[Ballet] Thamar Karsavina.
Svetlov, Valerien

Quarto. (vi), 149pp. One of 120 copies with hand-colored decorations, signed by the famed Russian ballerina Thamar Karsavina, the book's subject. Illustrated throughout with a frontispiece printed in color, hand-colored ornaments and head- and tailpieces, and black & white plates depicting drawings and sculptures of Karsavina, some of which are heightened with hand-coloring. Also with fifteen reproductions of photographic portraits of Karsavina, tipped in on heavier paper, depicting Karsavina in some of her most famous roles: The Ballerina in Petrouchka, The Fire-Bird in Stravinsky's L'Oiseau de Feu, and more. The images reveal the dancer's beauty, spirit, and grace that captivated audiences around the world. The text, edited by Cyril W. Beaumont and translated from the Russian by H. De Vere Beauclerk and Nadia Evrenov, charts the ballerina's ascendance to the peak of her career. Karsavina was born in 1885 in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1894, she was accepted into the Imperial Ballet School, and after graduating early rose through the ranks to become the leading ballerina of the Imperial Russian Ballet. During the late 1910s she traveled to Paris to perform with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. After marrying a British diplomat in 1918, Karsavina settled in England, where she helped to establish the Royal Ballet and was a founding member of the Royal Academy of Dance. The book concludes with a chart recording all of the ballerina's roles throughout her career. Bound in orange, tan, and brown patterned paper over boards, backed in gilt-stamped vellum. Both the covers and spine have a repeated design of dancers. Slight foxing to fore-edge and top edge, corner of page twenty creased, corners of covers worn, and the front cover shows a spot of soiling, else about fine.

[Gorey, Edward] Les Echanges Malandreux.
Gorey, Edward

First edition. One of 500 numbered copies, signed by Gorey. In this transformation book, the pages are cut into two pieces, with characters on the top and captions with lines of conversation below. The characters and captions can be put together in thousands of combinations. A fine copy in illustrated wrappers.

The Gift of the Magi.
Henry, O.

39pp. One of 350 copies signed by the printer, Jane Bernier. With two full-page hand-colored illustrations. Extremely fine in morocco-backed marbled boards with gilt-stamping. (Bradbury, p. 33). (3/4 by 5/8; 20x15mm).

Puppet Theatre. The Art. By Coad Canada Puppets.
Coad, Arlyn & Luman

79pp. One of 300 copies signed by both authors, Arlyn and Luman Coad, and signed and numbered by Jane Bernier, the printer. With hand-colored frontispiece and ten black & white illustrations. Very fine in brown cloth with printed paper label. (Bradbury, p. 33). (3/4 by 5/8; 20x15mm).

Poe: Master of Macabre.
Bellas, P. H.

25pp. One of 200 copies, signed by the printer, Francis X. Harrigan, and the author, Patricia H. Bellas. This remarkable little biography is illustrated with a postage stamp and tipped-in photographs of Poe's two gravestones, his home, and himself. In addition, a pocket in the back cover holds a blade of grass from the original grave site. Mint in gilt-stamped navy blue cloth. Bookplate. (Bradbury, p. 327). (2 3/4 by 2 1/8; 70x55mm).

Bewick's Select Fables.
(Aesop)

xvi, 50pp. One of 375 copies. A collection of Aesop's fables with engraved illustrations of the original woodcuts by Thomas Bewick. An extremely fine copy in blue cloth with a yellow illustrated dust wraper. (2 1/4 by 2; 59x51mm).

Blue Water, Yellow Balls.
Blinn, Carol

Quarto. (4)pp., accordion-fold. One of twenty copies signed by Carol Blinn, who wrote, illustrated, and printed this book. A poem by Blinn is accompanied by a watercolor illustration that extends across the central page spread, depicting three yellow balls floating on a cerulean pool surrounded by evergreen trees. The image is an homage to David Hockney, who made a series of paintings of swimming pools using vibrant shades of acrylic paint. The title page is accented with blue and yellow watercolor, and on the page following the poem is a palette of the watercolors that Blinn used in her illustration. Created by Blinn in the summer of 1987, the book is an ode to the season, bringing alive the bright colors, heat, and slower pace. Bound in tan cloth with a watercolor label evoking the undulation of water. Housed in a matching box backed in light green morocco. Laid in is a portfolio of materials describing the artist's process of imagining, writing, and designing the book. These include diagrams depicting ideas for the book's binding and eleven drafts of the text, evolving from prose to poetry, showing the author's changes. A lovely, scarce book produced in a very small limitation.

Le Petit Magicien, ou Receuil d'Expériences Tirées de la Magic Blanche et des Amusemens (sic) des Sciences.

12mo. 90pp. With frontispiece and forty illustrations from engravings. Contains detailed explanations for performing a variety of magic tricks, including passing a ring through a stick, number divination, the "oeuf dansant," and many others. Rare with only three copies recorded in institutions, two of which are in the United States. Scattered light foxing, else a fine, crisp copy in a contemporary binding of full mottled calf with gilt tooling to spine, which has a small split to outer front hinge near spine head.

[Type Specimen] ImpPress Typebook: Being a Complete Showing of Typefaces, Borders, Dingbats, Miscellanea Available at the Aforementioned.
Stermer, Dugald

Small octavo. (12)ff. One of 150 copies, signed by the artist and printer, Dugald Stermer. A quirky type specimen book printed on various colors of paper, in many colors of ink. With full-page illustrations, including a cartoonish frontispiece of a man with a printing press in the top of his head, as well as typographic ornaments and engravings that include the headings from 19th-century almanacs. The ImpPress Typebook is characterized by Stermer's sense of humor: Stermer writes in the colophon that this type sample book was "...primarily intended as a means by which the Prop is cutting down smoking. It is almost impossible to set type and smoke simultaneously." Although best known as a San Francisco-based illustrator, designer, and art director who worked for such influential magazines as Ramparts and Mother Jones, Dugald Stermer started the ImpPress while living in Houston, Texas during the 1960s. He became inspired to print after he was given a small printing press and some assorted type by his wife for Christmas. From the library of Ben and Bernarda Shahn, with a label laid in designed by their son, Jonathan Shahn. A small library label to front cover, else fine in black printed wrappers. A scarce book: no copies are recorded in OCLC.

ABC Nach zeichnungen.
Dr. Owlglass (Hans Erich Blaich)

Octavo. (26)ff. An elegant and charming alphabet, designed and illustrated by Harwerth, a member of Rudolf Koch's workshop in Offenbach a.M. Known primarily as an illustrator, Harwerth here presents scenes of animals and plants surrounding his letters. The letters and illustrations have been beautifully hand-colored, showing painstaking detail, below which are the four-line verses by Owlglass printed in Gavotte, the only typeface designed by Rudo Spemann. Laid in is a T.L.s from Klingspor, dated December, 1950, presenting this copy. Extremely fine in pictorial boards, and housed in publisher's slipcase, which is beginning to split along the corners of the opening.

[Theatrical Make-up] L' Art du Maquillage.
Bitterlin, Professeur A.

Octavo. xvi, 133, + (17)pp. ads. First edition. An extensive manual on make-up for personal beauty, the theater, cinema, and even shop-window mannequins. The author was a student of the famous Mme. Valentin, founder of the first French "Institut de Beauté." Illustrated with 80 text figures and sixteen tipped-in vividly hand-colored lithographs. These show make-up for various theatrical characters, from "Peau-Rouge" (Redskin) to Mephisto, Frochard, Henri IV, and Crainquebille. Among the faces depicted are Mistinguett, a famous actress, and Bécassine, the first known female clown. Max-Hardine, a well-known "comique excentrique," is shown "au naturel" and "en travesti." Make-up for the severed head of John the Baptist might have been used for Wilde's "Salome." Detailed instructions and lists of materials are provided. These are prize-winning creations by named make-up artists who took their art seriously. With seventeen pages of ads (unopened) for theatrical wig-makers, cosmetics, wax mannequins, and various kinds of beauty establishments. In printed wrappers and a glassine dust wrapper. Spine ends of book and glassine chipped, front hinge slightly split, else a very good copy.

The Circus of Doctor Lao.
Finney, Charles G

Quarto. 123pp. One of 150 copies signed by the author and by the printer/illustrator, Claire Van Vliet. The illustrations are a combination of relief etchings and pochoir done in a glossy black and brilliant pastel shades. Some of the images leap out at the reader and others seem to dance across the page. Pages 7-16 fold out to form double panoramas. Truly the most breathtaking production from this remarkable Press, and one of the finest modern American private press books. A very fine copy bound in cloth that was colored on the etching press, with a vellum and string spine, and housed in a clamshell box covered in a similar material with a different landscape design. Spine of slipcase very slightly sunned.

[Matisse, Henri] Dear Mr. Clifford.
Matisse, Henri

Square 16mo. (7)ff. One of twenty-five copies. Illustrated with mixed-media collages, elements of which are at times integrated into the text, and two sculptural pop-ups that incorporate curved pieces of copper wire for an airy, kinetic effect. The collages are perhaps a nod to the large cut-out paintings, known as "gouaches découpés," that Henri Matisse made late in his life, around the time that that this letter was written. The endpapers are made of collage pieces encapsulated between sheets of translucent paper. The text of this artist's book is comprised of excerpts from a letter written by Matisse to Henry Clifford on the occasion of the artist's 1948 retrospective exhibition in Philadelphia. Matisse describes how the apparently effortless lightness and joy of his works disguises many years of training in drawing and sculpture, which he feels are essential to a young artist's development. He expresses concern that young artists might view his work and feel that they could dispense with the traditional artists' training altogether. However, Matisse writes, "If drawing belongs to the realm of the Spirit and colour to that of the Senses, you must draw first to be able to cultivate the Spirit and to be able to lead colour through the paths of the Spirit." According to Matisse, careful study and preparation are the path that leads an artist to truly learn to paint from the heart: "It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch colour -- not colour as description, but as a means of personal expression." As an artist himself and the creator of this book, Jeffrey Morin clearly connected with the content of the letter, and in the colophon he writes that he "wishes to bring this letter to light -- admitting its influence and importance." Bound in tan buckram. Spine slightly cocked, else very fine.

"Lord's Prayer"

A stunning original painting in ink and gouache by the renowned illustrator Arthur Szyk, signed and dated by the artist. The painting measures 7 3/4 by 5 3/4 inches, on illustration board measuring 12 by 9 1/4 inches. This illustrated Lord's Prayer is comprised of fourteen calligraphed lines, illuminated in bright colors in the style of a medieval manuscript. Along the left margin of the page is an intricate border, incorporating portraits of people praying, including a little boy kneeling with his hands folded. A floral border extends along the bottom of the page, and tiny, delicate curls of tracery fill in the border and extend along the top edge. Szyk's work is characterized by its minute detail, and his style is very much in the tradition of Eastern miniaturists. Szyk was born in Lodz, Poland in 1894. His artistic talents became evident at an early age, and he was sent to Paris to study at the Académie Julian when he was a teenager. He was a prolific illustrator of books, many of which were of Jewish content, including his masterpiece, The Haggadah. After World War II, Szyk moved to the United States, where he became one of the chief artists for the Limited Editions Club and contributed illustrations and caricatures to several magazines. This illustration was published in the January 1946 edition of Coronet magazine, inside the front cover. Mounted and framed. On the sheet of illustration board, around the illustration, are publisher's notes. Two small spots of tape residue, light soiling to margins, light toning; the painting is in fine condition.

The Underground Railroad: Vermont and the Fugitive Slave.
Kerson, Sam

Folio. (15)ff. From an edition of fifty copies, this copy is out-of-series. Illustrated with fifteen woodcuts, printed in black & white, by the Montreal-based artist Sam Kerson. The woodcuts depict scenes related to Vermont's involvement in the Underground Railroad. Vermont has a long history of opposition to slavery: the state was the first to abolish slavery, and its citizens were very active in assisting fugitive slaves. This book was published to commemorate the opening of a mural that Kerson painted at the Vermont Law School, which, Kerson writes, "celebrates the efforts of black and white Americans in Vermont and throughout the United States to achieve freedom and justice." Kerson is a muralist, engraver, and the artistic director of the Dragon Dance Theatre, which focuses on puppetry and performance art with a social conscience. Stab-bound in black wrappers, with a black cloth chemise that ties around the book with blue ribbons and bears an additional woodcut on the front cover. Very fine.

Sixteen Poems in Verse and Wood.
Bockes, Bernard

Square quarto. (16)ff. One of 150 copies, signed on the colophon page by the poet, Bernard Bockes, and the illustrator, George Lockwood. Illustrated with fifteen fanciful woodcuts by Lockwood depicting insects, bats, dragons, and mythical beasts. Some are monochromatic prints, but others incorporate many different layers of colors. Lockwood, who studied under Joseph Albers at Yale, and then worked with Leonard Baskin in the late 1950s, co-founded Impressions Workshop with his wife, Margaret in 1960. Bockes drew on the illustrations for inspiration in composing his poems. The final illustration of the book is a portrait of the two men, printed in orange, black, and white. Accompanied by a record of the poet reading his poems, housed in a pocket in the back of the book. Bound in stab-sewn brown paper-covered boards with a printed label. Fne in a matching slipcase.

The Romance of King Arthur.
Malory, Sir Thomas

Quarto. xxiv, 509pp. +(23)ff. plates. One of 250 numbered large paper copies. Illustrated with sixteen mounted color plates with captioned tissue guards, seven black & white plates, and numerous black & white drawings throughout. The text was abridged from Malory's Morte D'Arthur by Alfred W. Pollard. Repaired tear to p.13, faintest scattered foxing, front hinge starting, a few faint spots of soiling to covers and some light abrasions to rear cover, else a fine copy in gilt-stamped white leather. Protected in the original publisher's box, which has repairs to edges and splits to two corners. T.e.g.

American Buffalo.
Mamet, David

Quarto. 117pp. One of 400 copies signed by the author and the artist. Illustrated with five wood engravings, four of them full page, by Michael McCurdy. A fine copy in blue-green cloth with a ring of silver foil surrounding an actual buffalo-head nickel.

The Wandering Tattler.
Wakoski, Diane

Tall quarto. (26)pp. First edition. One of 130 copies signed by the author. Printed on handmade papers of various subtle colors. Poems about birds, with fanciful drawings of them by Ellen Lanyon, printed with inks in the colors of the species in nature. A camel carries the birds at the beginning and the end of the book. The colphon tells us that the Press could make fifty sheets of paper a day and used 1,400, that a purple finch spontaneously posed next to the ink slab, and that a gynecologist did the proofreading. A major production of the Press. Nearly imperceptible toning to spine, else fine in blue morocco-backed black cloth in fine slipcase.

"Denham Bridge"
Buckland Wright, John

(1)ff. One of ten copies, signed, titled, and numbered by the artist, John Buckland Wright, in pencil. Original wood engraving measuring 2 1/2 by 2 1/4 inches, depicting a nude female figure bathing in a river next to a stone bridge and a tree. Mounted in a mat measuring approximately 15 by 11 inches. Slight spotting to back of mat, else very fine. This print is not recorded in Christopher Buckland Wright's catalogue raisonné.

"Nymphe se Peignant"
Buckland Wright, John

(1)ff. From a planned edition of thirty copies, Christopher Buckland Wright records that only six prints were actually pulled from the block. Signed, titled, and numbered by the artist, John Buckland Wright. An original wood engraving of a nude sitting with her legs drawn up, combing her hair. The composition of her body fills the entire space, and stars are visible in one corner. A second state of this design was used for the invitations to John Buckland Wright's exhibition at Dietrich & Cie in 1938. Print measures 2 1/4 by 2 inches. Fine, in a mat measuring 15 3/4 by 11 inches.

"Summer"
Buckland Wright, John

1ff. An original wood engraving measuring 3 by 4 inches. Although the limitation is stated on the print as one of forty copies, Christopher Buckland Wright records that only twenty-five prints and two proofs were pulled from the block. Titled, signed, and dated by the artist, John Buckland Wright, in pencil. The wood engraving depicts two reclining, topless women lounging by the side of a pond, with a book, evidence of a picnic, and a portable gramophone next to them. Very fine, mounted in a mat measuring 15 1/4 by 11 1/4 inches.

The Tempest.
Shakespeare, William

Quarto. xiv, 185pp. From an edition of 520 copies signed by the illustrator, Arthur Rackham, this is one of 260 intended for sale in Great Britain. Contains numerous vignettes and twenty-one tipped-in color plates, plus an extra plate, "Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell," published only in the limited edition. Rackham's mature style is at his best here, with trees and seashores full of odd creatures and dancing nymphs. The title page is also designed and lettered by Rackham. Faint scattered foxing to endleaves, lightly bumped at front bottom corner and spine foot, else a fine copy in quarter-vellum and boards, with an illustration stamped in gilt to front cover. In the original dust wrapper, with spine toned and lightly soiled. Housed in a clamshell box. Bookplate. T.e.g.