In their broadest sense, the book arts are at the core of our inventory. To be sure, the category encompasses the specialties that you see on our homepage, such as Fine Printing, Fine Binding, and Illustrated Books. However, it also includes such things as writing books and calligraphy, fore-edge paintings, books on papermaking, and leaf books.
Read more about one of the book arts, Fore-edge Painting
Leipzig: Poensgen & Heyer, Feinpapier, (c. 1900). Quarto. (28)pp. Catalogue from Poensgen & Heyer, a fine paper company, with seven advertisements for German companies printed in brilliant color, gold, and silver on heavy Mitsumata paper. The paper is made from the short fibers of the Mitsumata bush, and therefore has..... More
(Washington, D.C.): Hand Papermaking, Inc., 1996. Quarto. 30pp. booklet, + 16 loose folders, each containing a letterpress-printed paper specimen. One of 150 copies. An impressive array of papers and printing styles, produced by the likes of Inge Bruggeman and Bridget O'Malley, Karla Payne Elling and Alberto Ríos, John Risseeuw, and..... More
(N.p. c. 1930). Oblong octavo. (24)ff. bearing 241 specimens of decorated papers, which are mounted into preprinted grids. The header of each page bears a Sorte number and the name of the particular paper style. The forty-eight different styles sport a variety of colors and patterns, ranging from highly textured..... More
NY: Lasher & Lathrop, (1903). Octavo. Unpaginated. A substantial collection of papers, each presented both printed and plain and in varying weights. Some are offered in colors, and some bear illustrations, including a full page, full color image of a ship, an Art Nouveau nymph, and extracts of title pages..... More
NY: Keller-Dorian Paper Co., Inc., 1939. Oblong small octavo. (4)ff. A sample catalog of foils, with forty-eight embossed examples tipped-in. These are grouped by style, displaying patterns of checks, leaves, florals, and waves, and ranging in color from customary silver and gold metallics to pinks, greens, and blues. Each section..... More
(Vancouver): Heavenly Monkey Editions, 2007. Small quarto. (14)ff. One of twenty-five copies signed by the artist, Reg Lissel. A specimen book of eleven different paste papers, of varying color and design. The paper is made from cotton blotters with a small amount of hemp bast and cotton rag added. The..... More
Tübingen: Jäckle-Sönmez, (1987). Square octavo. 107pp. One of 230 copies signed by the artists, Nedim Sonmez and Yvonne Jackle-Sonmez, with an additional sheet of ebru paper, signed and dated by Sonmez, bound in. A catalog with thirty-eight color reproductions of marbled pictures, nine photos in black and white on the..... More
Istanbul: Yayina Hazirlayan, 1999. Quarto. 176pp. From an edition of 2500, this is one of an unknown number of deluxe copies with original ebru endpapers, signed and dated by Barutçugil, and an additional six pages of nine tipped-in marbled paper samples at the end of the text. A history of..... More
Los Angeles: Plantin Press, 1983. Quarto. 190pp. One of 850 numbered copies printed by the Plantin Press for Dawson's Book Shop. Signed and dated by the author, Phoebe Jane Easton. Illustrated with six tipped-in specimens of marbled paper, mounted color frontispiece, and color plates. Fine in natural linen boards, with..... More
Woodside, CA: Heyeck Press, 1986. Quarto. 65pp. One of 150 copies, signed by Robin Heyeck. With twenty-eight mounted specimens, thirteen of which are large sheets measuring 6 3/4 by 4 7/8 inches. With a bibliography of marbling projects by the Press. Bound in quarter gray morocco with patterned paper covers..... More
Tokyo: Kodansha, (1978). Quarto. 452 pp. One of 1000 copies. With numerous text illustrations, photographs in black and white, and 85 leaves of tipped-in paper samples subsequent to the text. Bound in quarter blue cloth and handmade paper boards, spine lettered in silver and red. Housed in a brown cloth..... More
NY: Pynson Printers, 1939. Quarto. 134pp. One of 370 copies, signed by Hunter and by Elmer Adler, the printer. Contains 85 photogravure illustrations, many from photographs taken by Hunter, and twenty-seven paper samples tipped-in. In this companion to his "Papermaking Pilgrimage to Japan, Korea and China," Dard Hunter highlights the..... More
(Chillicothe: Mountain House Press), 1936. Quarto. (36)pp., + 25ff. plates and specimens. One of 115 copies printed on Hunter's handmade paper and signed by the author. Hunter was the first Occidental traveler to visit the Niltongkum family, who had been "making paper by hand along the small canals of Southern..... More
Kasama, Japan: Cannabis Press, 1981. 24pp., + 5ff. One of 200 numbered copies. Explores the Nepalese process of fine papermaking. With two black-and-white illustrations, one of a paper mould and one of sheets drying in moulds. Also includes five paper specimens. Fine in brown, stab-sewn wrappers of handmade paper, with..... More
(North Hills): Bird & Bull Press, 1963. Octavo. 59pp. One of 169 copies. A collection of five essays on hand papermaking, with contributions by Dard Hunter, J. Barcham Green, John Mason, Henry Morris, and Norman H. Strouse. Six wood engravings and many amusing drawings illustrate the process of hand papermaking..... More
Hawaii: Printed for the author by Andrew Hoyem at the Arion Press, 1983. Folio. From an edition of 95 copies, this is one of twelve containing thirty-five samples. Includes tapa samples from the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, Futuna, Marquesas, Mangreva, Tahiti, Samoa, etc. Each sample is identified and housed in its..... More
1990. Octavo. (23)pp. Frontispiece photoreproduction portrait of Sobota, followed by forty samples of her marbled papers and fabrics. The catalog handily demonstrates Sobota's eye for color and innovative designs, as well as her mastery of various weights of paper and textile. Bound in marbled cloth, threaded and stamped in gold..... More
Rutland, VT and Tokyo: Tuttle, 1952. Four small folio volumes. No limitation indicated; Schlosser (No. 63) notes that 250 copies were planned, "but there is no indication as to the final size of the edition." This is one of the finest studies of Japanese papermaking, brimming with specimens, including old..... More
(N.p. J.R. van Oostrum, 1992). Quarto. This is a unique copy bound to display ten folded sheets of van Oostrum’s marbled papers in a simple and portable fashion. The papers exemplify a range of color schemes and techniques, including rippling, Spanish marbling, and peacocks. The star of the volume is..... More
Guadalajara: Grafica de Comala, 2019. Octavo. 18pp. One of 60 copies, signed by the artist, Nacho Gomez Arriola. Illustrated throughout with Arriola's linocuts in shades of blue, red, and purple, and printed on paper made from agave fiber. A portfolio of ten additional plates, all signed and employing a rainbow..... More
North Hills: Bird & Bull Press, 1980. Small quarto. 78pp., + 14ff. One of 300 copies. Translated from the German with an Introduction and fourteen original marbled specimens by Richard J. Wolfe. Illustrated with numerous black & white photographs showing Weisse at work. The large marbled samples by Wolfe are..... More
(N.p.): Richard J. Wolfe, 1981. Octavo. (xiv), 145pp. One of 500 copies, of which 450 were for sale. This copy signed by Wolfe on the title page. Four textual illustrations and eight color plates that reproduce the Mann family's decorative papers. Bound in marbled paper boards backed with black cloth..... More
Newtown: Bird & Bull Press, 1987. Octavo. 108pp. One of 310 copies, of which 275 copies were for sale. With an introduction and thirteen original marbled samples by Richard J. Wolfe. Printed in red and black on the sumptuous Italian handmade "Umbria" paper. Bound in paper marbled by Wolfe, backed..... More
Windsor, VT: 1899. (2)ff. In this revealing letter, Maxfield Parrish bemoans last-minute controversies and deadlines related to The Bodley Head's 1899 publication of Kenneth Grahame's The Golden Age. Primarily his complaints stem from the poor quality of the reproductions of his illustrations—Parrish provided nineteen full-page images and twelve tailpieces for..... More
Cambridge, MA: Runcible Books, (1977). 48mo. Ten cards. One of forty copies, signed by Parry on the colophon card. Eight of the cards feature fanciful drawings of signature Bostonians, reproduced by Xerox and hand-colored by the artist. All held in a Cockerell-covered portfolio. Fine. More
