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
(Istanbul: Ebristan, c. 2003). Original marbled paper by the premier marbling artist in Turkey, Hikmet Barutçugil. Signed by the artist. Barutçugil has developed his own technique for creating flowers within his marbled patterns, inspired by his wife, Füsun Hanim. In this delicate example, two carnations grow from the same root..... More
(Istanbul): Ebristan Yayinlari, 2003. Original marbled paper by the premier marbling artist in Turkey, Hikmet Barutçugil. Signed and dated by the artist. Ebru, or marbling, is one of the oldest arts in Turkey. In addition to being used in book binding and design, it was often used as a background..... More
(Istanbul: Ebristan, 2008). Marbled paper measuring 23 3/4 by 32 inches, with elegant marbled calligraphy in Arabic. The script translates to say "One who conducts business in a Halal fashion is the beloved servant of Allah." This superb example of Ebru, the ancient Turkish art of paper marbling, has a...... More
NY: Elston Press, 1901. Small quarto. (xv), 68pp. One of 485 copies on Holland hand-made paper, in boards with vellum spine. Unopened. Decorated with initials by H. M. O'Kane, floral devices, and a printer's device on the title page. The text is a 1345 treatise on book collecting written by..... More
Peking, China: Lotus Court, 1943. Quarto. (xvi), 46pp. Illustrated with forty-six tipped-in woodblock reproductions of traditional Chinese embroidery patterns, printed in red on handmade paper, tipped in. Frontispiece is a real tissue embroidery pattern backed with red paper for support. A fascinating reference book on Chinese symbolism. The Foreword lists..... More
San Francisco: Cartoon Art Museum, 1993. Square octavo. (8)pp. Signed by Gorey. A catalog of Gorey's works shown at the Cartoon Art Museum from April to September of 1993, along with a brief biography and summation of his books and art. Fine in gray printed wrappers with price sticker on..... More
Minneapolis: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1985. Quarto. (2)ff. + (1)ff. insert. Signed by Gorey. Upper cover illustrated with a woman reading in bed. A selection of Gorey's books and drawings. The insert provides the "Gorey Details" of the themes and patterns of the exhibit. Slight bumps at corners else near..... More
New Paltz, NY: 1978,1979, 1981, 1988. Four brochures, each promoting a special event held at the resort: "The Dead of Winter", "The Teacup Caper", "Mystery Weekends", and "The Ides of Mohonk". All signed by Gorey. Each lushly and hauntingly illustrated, with a summary of the event and all but one..... More
1860. Single leaf measuring 5 by 7 3/4 inches. A drawing of a young man and woman glancing shyly at each other, with their noses drawn in an angular fashion so as to point at each other. Below the figures is penned words “i cant [sic] stop long this time.”..... More
NY: St. Martin's Press, 1977. 16mo. Single-folded card inviting the recipient to a celebration of the publication of Allegra Kent's Water Beauty Book at a club at One Lincoln Plaza. Illustrated by Gorey with a woman and a frog floating along, with the frog also on the upper cover supporting..... More
Argus Books. Broadside measuring 25 by 19 inches. A reproduction of a notice posted by order of the Sacramento City Settlers' Association on June 14, 1850 warning the unwary of "a number of men with remarkable principles, who go among those who have newly arrived and offer to sell or..... More
NY: Graham, 1975. Oblong 16mo. Single-fold advertisement for an exhibition of Gorey's work in December of 1975. Signed by Gorey. Fine in original envelope. More
NY: Gotham Book Mart, 1984-1996. Thirteen distinct postcards issued by the Gotham Book Mart, each featuring a characteristic Gorey figure: dancers, bears, cats, and people in robust turtlenecks, among others. All clean and fine. More
Provincetown, MA: Provincetown Theater Company, (1990). Two broadsides, identical in design. Both signed by Gorey. These are alternate versions; the common version was issued both signed and numbered for sale to theater-goers. Because these, especially the larger one, are only signed, it is likely that they were used as actual..... More
NY: American Theatre Press, 1977. Octavo. (66)pp. An extremely rare copy, being signed by both Gorey and Frank Langella. Gorey designed award-winning costumes for the production; Five sketches of the costumes appear among the information for the performance. Crisp in paper wrappers with Gorey illustration to upper cover. Fine. With..... More
Philadelphia: American Music Theater Festival, 1992. Quarto. (8)pp. Signed by Gorey. A program for the renamed revival of "The Tinned Lettuce", which premiered in 1985. Two years later the production would move to Broadway, with the title "Amphigorey: A Musicale". Crisp in white printed wrappers. Fine. More
Stamford, CT: The Overbrook Press, 1940. 12mo. (22)pp. One of 250 copies. Ten amusing poems, written by Margaret B. Evans, relating to printing are illustrated with pictures composed entirely of type ornaments. Trace foxing, else fine in yellow cloth with dust wrapper with somewhat toned spine. This copy signed by..... More
(Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1896). Folio. (556)pp. One of 425 copies. Contains 87 wood-engraved illustrations designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. William Morris, in addition to the "Chaucer" type designed expressly for this book, provided 26 nineteen-line initials, and numerous foliate and floral borders and initials. Burne-Jones called the book "a pocket..... More
Austin: Taylor, W. Thomas, 1983. Folio. 67pp. Limited to 325 copies printed at the Wind River Press. The presses represented range from Abattoir to Zephyrus Image. This handsome book is illustrated with photographs and eight tipped-in specimens, including Allen, Arion, Bird & Bull, Cummington, Perishable and Laguna Verde Imprenta, which..... More
NY: Vincent FitzGerald & Co., 1987. Quarto. (17)ff. One of 75 copies, signed by the translator, Michael Feingold, and the artist, Neil Welliver, whose five color etchings and double-page fold-out lithograph were printed by Shigemitsu Tsukaguchi. The translator served as the lead drama critic for the Village Voice until it..... More
NY: Vincent FitzGerald & Co., 1989. Folio. (32)pp. One of fifty copies, signed by the artist, Susan Weil. Throughout the text are scattered collages, papers, and etchings that work together to create an interactive, multimedia experience for the reader. In this way, the reader physically engages with the work in..... More
(Wakefield, Yorkshire): Fleece Press, (1986). Large quarto. (10)pp., + (19)ff. One of 200 copies printed from the original blocks on handmade paper. Illustrated with twenty wood engravings by Underwood that were cut in the 1920s and 1930s. Underwood's Brook Green School produced a great many accomplished wood engravers, among them..... More
Northridge, CA: Lord John Press, 1981. 29 pp. From an edition of 400, this is one of 100 copies specially bound by Bela Blau. Signed by President Gerald R. Ford. The text of a September 1980 address given to the Visa International Convention in Quebec encouraging world peace for economic..... More
Glasgow: Robert and Andrew Foulis, 1756-58. Four quarto volumes. xi, 312; (iv), 336; (vii), 297; (iv), 336pp. Edited by Professors James Moor and George Muirhead, and printed throughout in Greek. This is the magnum opus of the Press. The brothers Foulis had a special font of Greek type cut by..... More
NY & London: Macmillan, (1974). Quarto. 159pp. One of 140 copies signed by the artist. This copy is inscribed by Frasconi and his family to Anne and David Bromer, dated December 1976. Illustrated throughout with examples of Frasconi's woodcuts in black, white, and red and several full-color plates, this is..... More
