The Art of Intaglio Produced on a Letterpress. With Schlocker & the Fishes.
Newtown, PA: Bird & Bull Press, 2010. Octavo. 33pp., + 12 plates of 18th-century tradesmen's cards with descriptions interleaved; 12, (4)pp. One of 115 copies, this an out-of-series copy for the binder, Greg Campbell. The Morris-Campbell correspondence suggests that this is, if not copy no. 1, a special copy; it is one of twenty-two with an extra illustrative plate (totaling thirteen, rather than the usual 12) and is accompanied by an original copperplate, selected from among the set by Campbell at Morris' behest. The first book, and the bulk of the text, concerns the methodology of intaglio printing, exemplified not only by the tradesmen's cards but also by the results of Morris' own efforts. Bound together in tête-bêche style is Morris' tale of Schlocker & the Fishes, with two full-page wood-engravings by Wesley Bates. A very fine testament to the Press as longstanding champion of books about books, in quarter black morocco with blue-gray silk over boards, motifs in gilt to both covers, and red leather spine label. Housed in slipcase and then in clamshell box with copperplate. Item #32271
Price: $2,500.00