CANTICUM CANTICORUM. THE SONG OF SONGS

Frankfurt am Main: Ars Libri Verlag, Gotthard de Beauclair, 1962. No. 93 of 250 COPIES IN ENGLISH, SIGNED by the illustrator and designer. 494 x 320 mm. (19 3/8 x 12 5/8"). 40 pp., [2] leaves.Designed by Gotthard de Beauclair.
FINE RED CRUSHED MOROCCO BY ROLAND MEUTER (signed "R. Meuter Ascona" on rear turn-in), upper cover with gilt lettering underlined with four gilt rules, smooth spine with gilt titling, leather hinges. In the original linen clamshell box backed with matching morocco. With 30 lithographs in the text by Gerhart Kraaz, and one additional lithograph in a portfolio. ◆Slight discoloration from a bookmark in the lower gutter of colophon opening, otherwise in perfect condition.

Handsomely bound and beautifully designed and printed, this very large folio first publication from the Ars Libri Press (later called Ars Librorum) exemplifies the kind of high quality work for which leading German publisher and book designer Gotthard de Beauclair was known. Beauclair (1907-92) began his career at Insel Verlag, where he rose to art director and, according to the Oxford Companion to the Book, "turned inexpensive Insel books into collectors' items with excellent typography." He also founded three different publishing houses, where he produced special, limited editions that made full use of his excellent design and typographical skills. The present item is one such work, recognized by the Association of German Book Artists as one of the most beautiful books of 1962. Gerhart Kraaz (1909-71) studied painting and worked as a graphic designer before becoming a serious book illustrator. The present title is considered his first major work in the realm of bibliophilic editions. His illustrations in charcoal are sensuous and shadowy, capturing the romance and allure of the most beguiling Old Testament book. This edition in English appeared the same year as the German language edition, but is much rarer--apparently the publisher cancelled a number of copies and very few ever made it to market. The binding, characterized by an elegant simplicity, is appropriate for the subject matter and for the stately, large-format volume. Our binder, Roland Meuter, maintains an atelier in Ascona, Switzerland, where he continues to produce imaginatively designed bindings that attract considerable attention..