Catalogue 151: New Acquisitions, Including Miniature Books
New acquisitions selected for the 2021 New York Antiquarian Book Fair, including books printed on vellum, unique designer bindings, and highspots in miniature books.
In the spirit of the indelibility of pictures on the human imagination, we present a selection of books that tell their stories through illustrations. The confluence of a couple of recently purchased small collections has presented us with the opportunity to not only offer a fine group of fantasy illustration, but also several choice Gorey bits, as well as a variety of children’s books illustrated with media ranging from woodcuts to chromolithography.
A recently-purchased collection presented us with the opportunity to re-examine and reassess books we have in stock and put together the following list of literary first editions. It is said that everything old is new again; may this literary excursion yield a previously undiscovered pathway of your own.
In this first list of works from Heavenly Monkey, we invite you to peruse the books of Rollin Milroy’s first decade—including two books he produced under A Lone Press in the late 1990s.
The bridge between the book and the human body traverses language and feeling. We describe backs as supple, heads and feet as sure or firm, a lip as stained or rough. Is it any wonder that a poetry of words so readily can meet the poetry of the body? Our current e-catalog embraces that intimate and inimitable connection that brings a vocabulary to the shape of ourselves.
What is an alphabet but one of the essential building blocks of language, and thus, of the stories that serve as the backbone of culture? From our first formative educational experience to the intricacies of letterform and design, our mastery of our ABCs shapes how we experience the world during our time in it. We have therefore gathered a selection of material that speaks to this broad range of influence. From 19th century illustrated primers, to Edward Gorey’s Gashleycrumb Tinies; from Vespasiano Amphiareo’s writing manual, to the jewel-like calligraphy in Melissa Sweet’s Garden Companion, we see just how well-traveled these characters are.
