At Bromer Booksellers, we focus on the visual book, with fine images that both enhance narrative and stand alone as independent creations. Among our holdings in this area are costume books, emblem books, examples from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, the fantasy illustrators in the tradition of Arthur Rackham, and modern books with original graphics. We look for the successful fusion of picture with text from any century, any country, and across a variety of artistic movements and media. We are especially fascinated with books of other cultures, and you will occasionally find items such as Japanese illustrated woodblock books and Eskimo tales without words ...
Read more about Illustrated Books
NY: 1945. 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... More
N.p. ca. 1940-45. 11 1/4 by 16 1/4 inches. Finely executed in gouache or tempera with a multicolored border, and with the forged signature of Arthur Szyk. The image is titled in Hebrew in the bottom border and is typical of Szyk's style, with much detail and exaggerated facial expressions... More
Original artwork, signed by the artist, Tony Tallarico. Depicting the letters A, B, and C against an orange background, this vibrant piece juxtaposes the realistic style of the letter examples (an apple, a ball, and a cat) with the playful style of the letters themselves, which have been enhanced by... More
N.p. A single sheet, measuring 29 by 20 inches, folded once. This large scale illustration features a priest at an altar with his followers. Their arms and faces are uplifted to the sky as they invoke the verse from Psalm 67 which appears as the companion text to this illustration... More
1925. A humorous cartoon measuring 10 by 8 1/2 inches. Celebrated playwright Henrik Ibsen, shown in caricature with a wild beard and hair, is depicted surrounded by four of his heroines, including Hedda Gabler and Nora from A Doll's House. Not all seem very happy to see him: Hedda points... More
(NY): Hollywood Theater, (1935). Quarto. (2)ff. A program from a screening of Max Reinhardt's 1935 film production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," held at the Hollywood Theater in New York City. The movie was based on Reinhardt's stage production of the previous year and featured the music of Felix Mendelssohn... More
(Poiano, Italy: Franco Riva, 1979). Folio. (6)ff. One of 120 copies. Illustrated with a frontispiece etching by Italian artist Ernesto Treccani, with his signature in pencil below. A translation of Dylan Thomas's poem into Italian by Anna Maria Faccini. Part of the "Lectura Dominica" series issued by Franco Riva. Leaves... More
London: J.F. Tomkins, 1790. Small oblong quarto. (4)ff., + 12 plates, loosely inserted. Engraved title page with vignette, plus twelve plates printed on orange paper, etched by P.W. Tomkins after designs by Elizabeth Upton, Baroness Templetown. This suite of designs features women and children in pastoral attire performing a wide... More
Paris: Simon du Bois for Geoffrey Tory, 1527. Octavo. 140ff. With twelve woodcut illustrations from thirteen blocks, Tory's "pot cassé" device on title page and colophon, and each page with a four-piece border in twenty-six distinct combinations. The lower blocks of several borders feature coats of arms, including those of... More
(Middle Falls, NY): Toy Works, 1980. This bean bag toy of a bat with outstretched wings measures approximately fifteen inches from wingtip to wingtip. The fabric is printed with a black and white crosshatched pattern that is shaded on the wings and body to give the figure more dimensionality, evoking... More
(Middle Falls, NY: Toy Works), 1980. This bean bag bat with outstretched wings measures approximately fifteen inches from wingtip to wingtip. The fabric is printed with a black and white crosshatched pattern that is shaded on the wings and body to give the figure more dimensionality, evoking Gorey’s characteristic drawing... More
(Middle Falls, NY: The Toy Works), 1979. A cotton beanbag of a smiling pink pig, measuring seven inches from toe to eartip, and wearing a brown tweed jacket. In back, the turned-up vent shows that the jacket is lined to match his tasteful goldenrod bow-tie. This is one of five... More
(Middle Falls, NY: The Toy Works), 1979. A cotton beanbag of a smiling pink pig, measuring seven inches from toe to eartip, and wearing a brown tweed jacket. In back, the turned-up vent shows that the jacket is lined to match his tasteful goldenrod bow-tie. This is one of five... More
Birmingham, England: Chance Brothers Co. 1862. Folio. (30)ff. A catalogue of stained-glass designs issued by a glass works company, featuring full-page plates chromolithographed in rich, vibrant colors. According to the book's brief introduction, the designs by Sebastian Evans were "intended as a simple and practical guide to those who require... More
Bruxelles: Ets. Guy Onkelinx, 1924. Small quarto. (40)pp. Illustrated with ten color plates of Art Deco jewelry design, and six allegorical color plates, a full-page black & white unattributed image, and a small vignette by American artist Lawrence Sterne Stevens. The jewelry designs by Devos, an important Belgian jeweler, are... More
(Paris: Draeger, c. 1938). A set of three tri-fold full-color catalogues in French advertising the 1939 Lincoln Zephyr V12. Each is lavishly illustrated in Art Deco style, with extensive use of metallic inks. The front covers of each depict the ornamented grills of the luxury cars, with the slogan "pour... More
(Strasbourg: Mathis, 1933). (1)ff., folded into sixths. Printed in bright color on both sides, the poster depicts a variety of four- and six-cylinder cars available from the French automaker Mathis for the 1934 model year. These include the EMY4 and EMY6, available in the convertible St. Moritz, Deauville coupe, and... More
London: W. Warrington, 1836. Oblong 24mo. 24pp. Illustrated with nine leaves of engraved plates, three of which fold out, and one which has an overlay showing workers within the tunnel. An account of the construction of the Thames tunnel, the first known tunnel to have successfully been built underneath a.... More
Paris: (Illustra E. Vidal, 1922). Oblong folio. (11)ff. A deluxe catalogue for the French automaker Panhard & Levassor illustrated with bright color plates depicting their latest models, mounted on pages of heavy tan card. On the facing pages are dramatic views of famous French locales by Georges Dorival, the renowned... More
(Paris: Société des Moteurs Salmson, 1934). Quarto. (8)ff. Catalogue promoting the Salmson S4D, from French automaker Société des Moteurs Salmson, illustrated throughout with black & white photographs depicting the interior, exterior, motor, and chassis of the vehicle. At the center of the booklet are five loose color posters with illustrations... More
(Houston, TX: ImpPress, 1965). 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... More
Edo: Tsutaya Jusaburo, (1823). (19), (15)pp. Likely third edition. Masterfully illustrated with fifteen prints by Kitagawa Utamaro, softly colored and finely detailed, showing insects and reptiles tucked among lush plants. Each spread is accompanied by a pair of flowing 31-syllable kyoka poems, humorously relating the sentiments of love to insects... More
![Sanjuurokkai kyouka awase shiohi no tsuto [Gifts of the Ebb Tide: A Poetry Contest on the Thirty-six Shells]. Kankou Akera.](/pictures/thumb/26828.jpg?v=1509477453)
(Edo): Tsutaya Juzaburou, (c. 1789). Small quarto. (20)pp. First edition. Illustrated with eight spreads by Kitagawa Utamaro. This anthology of thirty-six short poems, presented in the style of a traditional poetry contest, was written by members of the Yaegaki Circle after Akera Kankou and several members of the Circle were... More
Bangor: Theodore Press, 1986. Quarto. (138)pp. One of 160 copies signed by the illustrator, Claire Van Vliet, and of those, one of ten hors commerce. This edition uses the text of the 1623 First Folio, which is accompanied by Van Vliet's expressive black and white woodcut illustrations, some of them... More
1938-1946. 19 folio sheets of various sizes. Original illustrations in pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor of eight table-top and eleven console radios for the Record Corporation of America. Many of the console models are shown in situ, beside couches in living rooms or topped with lamps. They are displayed like... More
