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 ...
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Venice: Heironymous Scotus, 1550-1551. Quarto. 75ff. Woodcut device on title page and last leaf, several geometrical text figures, two ten-line and two five-line initial capitals. A book of commentary by the sixth-century Greek philosopher Philoponus, who also went by the name John the Grammarian for his scholarship on language. Although... More
(c. 2009). Quarto. Eight-panel, life-sized self-portrait of fiber artist Sheryl Jaffe. Numbered "1/1" and signed by Jaffe to the interior of the box. In this "sculptural artist book," Jaffe is drawn lying on her back, nude, against a background of earthy greens, sunny yellows, and liquid blues. Climbing over the... More
(Japan: Sûzan Shobô, 1816). Small quarto. (19)ff. A Japanese book of color woodblock prints by Kameda Bôsai (1754-1826), one of the leading painters of the Nanga or Bunjinga (literati) schools of painting. The seventeen full-page illustrations, five of which extend across the page spread, are landscapes depicting mountainous terrain, comprised... More
(Japan: c. mid-nineteenth century). Small quarto. (27)ff. A handmade book of delicate Japanese brush paintings of common birds, ranging from sparrows and songbirds to ducks and other fowl. The paintings are executed in a style similar to sumi-e. They are predominantly monochromatic with subtle gradations of black ink, accented with... More
Sydney, Australia: Beacon Press, 1948. Folio. 53pp. One of forty deluxe copies, signed by the author. A lovely production, illustrated with thirty-six color plates. The plates are genuine prints: beautifully made modern reproductions of the originals, done in Japan. The text traces the rise and fall of the Ukiyo-ye school... More
Kyoto: Geisodo Yamada Naosaburo, 1911. Small folio. Folding album consisting of twelve ink wash and color prints on thirteen sheets, each bearing Seiho's chop mark. One of the key figures of modern Japanese painting, Seiho (1864 - 1942) absorbed elements of European-style painting -- Impressionism, in particular -- and successfully... More
Tokyo: Kodansha International, (1977). Quarto. 264pp. Illustrated throughout in color and black & white. An introductory reference book of Japanese printing up to 1868, with a glossary and an index of the most important artists and works. Fine in quarter yellow and blue cloth, with title in silver to spine... More
(London): Sotheby's Publications, (1987). Quarto. 2 volumes. 1-608; 609-1131pp., numbered continuously. Illustrated with 225 color plates and numerous black & white illustrations throughout. This detailed reference work also contains a glossary and indexes of works and authors. Hillier was the leading authority in Europe on the Japanese woodblock print, working... More
NY: Weatherhill, (1995). Square small quarto. X, 314pp. Illustrated throughout in black & white and color. Includes essays by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, Joan B. Mirviss, and John T. Carpenter, as well as an illustrated listing of the collection and an index of poets. Very find in blind-stamped brick cloth, with... More
Tokyo: Kodansha International, (1966). Folio. 274pp. Illustrated with 107 tipped-in color plates. A beautiful reference work tracing the Japanese print from the fifteenth century all the way through the ukiyo-e period into the nineteenth century. Adapted into English by C. H. Mitchell. Fine in black cloth, with fine dust wrapper... More
Tokyo: privately published, 1933. Quarto. XIII, 122pp. + 93 plates, four of which are in color. Of a total edition of 1000, this is one of 500 copies of the English edition sold in Europe and America, numbered and signed by the author. With a fold-out frontispiece wood engraving, "Woman... More
1935-1938. Six original paintings, all signed by the artist. This set of paintings vividly depicts six different puppets, each with caricatured features reminiscent of the traditional style of Punch and Judy: rosy cheeks, mitten-hands, and large eyes and mouths. The six images display a nurse with an infant, a jester... More
(London: c. 1928). Small quarto. 33pp. Signed by Alberto Sangorski. A unique manuscript on vellum, designed, illuminated, and calligraphed by Sangorski. A stunning work containing the title poem and five others: "To the River," "Dream Land," "The Sleeper," "To One in Paradise," and "Fairy Land." With an illuminated full-page frontispiece... More
Ditchling: St. Dominic's Press, 1923. Octavo. vii, 26pp. First edition. Printed in red and black, with a preface and notes by Eric Gill and Hilary Pepler. Illustrated with three wood engravings by David Jones and six by Gill. This is the fortieth St. Dominic's Press publication, and one of the... More
London: Clover Hill Editions, 1977. Quarto. 20pp. One of only seven copies printed on vellum by Will Carter at the Rampant Lions Press, and with a separate portfolio containing three sets of the wood engravings on vellum, handmade paper, and Japon. Illustrated by David Jones, this is considered by many... More
(Wales): 1980. Print measuring 20 by 17 inches. One of 50 copies. A delicate eight-pointed star radiates light, in shades of blue and tan. Signed by the artist. A renowned Welsh book artist, Jones has dedicated herself to the art of printing both words and images. With a blue mat... More
(Wales): 1980. Print measuring 20 by 17 inches. One of 50 copies. A luminous print in green and violet of a hyacinth, signed by the artist. The flower blooms against layers of overlapping leaves, which lighten into transparency as they extend upwards. A renowned Welsh book artist, Jones has dedicated... More
(Brecon: Red Hen Press, 2001). Folio. One of forty copies signed by the author/artist, Shirley Jones. A tribute to the cats and dogs of Jones's family, consisting of eleven essays illustrated with twelve grey and black mezzotints. The velvety tones of the mezzotints perfectly capture the softness of a tabby's... More
(Wales): 1980. Print measuring 20 by 17 inches. One of 50 copies. A bold color aquatint in brown, yellow, and tan, signed by the artist. This slightly abstracted sunflower is subtly shaded and textured. The flower's head is cradled within two outstretched leaves. A renowned Welsh book artist, Jones has... More
Fairfax, CA: Jungle Garden Press, 1994. Quarto. (18)ff. One of only three copies, signed by the illustrator, Carl Dern, and the printer, Marie Dern. A portfolio of eight pieces of original art by Carl Dern, mixing printing, watercolors, pen drawings, and collage. Playing with the concept of the livre d'artiste... More
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Newark / NY: Charles E. Graham & Co., (c. 1900). Quarto. (40)pp. Illustrated with sixteen bright full-page chromolithographed plates, including a magnificent two-page spread showing a yoke of oxen, plus another twenty-two pages of black & white illustrations. The book is divided into three sections: "Animal Pictures," "Our Bird Friends,"... More
Concord, NH: Atwood & Brown, 1837. 16mo. 16pp. Illustrated with numerous woodcuts throughout. The title page notes that this is the fourth number in the seventh series; the previous year, the Riddler was in the sixth series, suggesting that this was an annual. Although many of the riddles were likely... More
Dusseldorf: Levy Elkan, Baumer & Co., (1861). Octavo. (12)ff. A book illustrating the months, each page with a large color lithograph depicting a scene appropriate for that month. For example, April shows people working to shear sheep for the warm spring and summer months, and September shows children gathering apples... More
Baltimore: Raine, William, (c. 1840). 12mo. 6ff. Illustrated with hand-colored wood engravings throughout. The sequence of two-stanza verses highlights the rewards of good behavior and the consequences of poor behavior. This is a scarce chapbook, with just six copies recorded in institutional holdings. Raine published at the address shown on... More
NY: G.W. Carleton, 1879. Octavo. (96)ff. Features forty-eight color lift-the-flap illustrations (including the title page) in which the closed image illustrates the beginning of a verse and the open image depicts its conclusion. With numerous classic rhymes by Mother Goose, including the full versions of Old Mother Hubbard, and a.... More
