Dard Hunter & Son

Newtown, MA: Bird & Bull Press, 1998. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine in Fine Clamshell Box. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Includes 30 tipped-in specimens (original folio & quarto leaves from various Mountain House books, 4 original watermarked portraits created by all three Hunters, etc.). Text reprints approximately 80% of Dard Jr's "The Life Work of Dard Hunter" and adds new, previously unpublished material. Dard III contributed one chapter focused on the work of his father (Dard Jr.) and his making of Life Work.." over 13 years. Henry Morris offers his insights and recollections of 40 years working as a printer and papermaker with 3 generations of Hunters. Morris has been cited as calling this work his "magnum opus."

This volume is further limited as it is "...one of 17 copies with the opening page of Old Papermaking in China & Japan in two states--the first specimen leaf was printed from the standing type set by D.H. Jr. for the specimen used for "life Work" [sic] and the second is an original sheet printed for the book by D.H. senior in 1932. [signed] H.M. 5/12/98".

In addition to the additional limitation sheet, there are three other ephemera specimens laid in:
1) Original Prosectus for Dard Hunter & Son. Fine with penciled "1/17" in upper right corner.
2) Small Invitation Card. Green ink, engraving (papermaking) at front, "A Lecture by Dard Hunter III - Dard Hunter, His Life and Work." Roxburghe Club.
3) Insert. The Etching of Figures. Original title page reproduced at front, yellow etching at the left and "Editor's Note - Back to you, Veatchs" at the right. Included with some/all of this issue, this insert describes a wee mystery of 350 sheets given by Dard Hunter to a woman whose father was his attorney. The large sheets (15.5x23.5 had an image in yellow in one corner, but were otherwise blank. Through a chain of events told in detail, the sheets made their way back to Dard Hunter III (by way of fine art book dealers, the Veatchs). Part of the sheets were used in this book and the "image" section used to create these inserts, in hopes that someone might know the origin and background of the yellow image. Fine.

An exceptional copy of this modern classic. Tight, bright and unmarred. Drop-spine clamshell case tight and clean. Quarterbound, black leather spine, red Japanese silk boards, red leather spine label, gilt lettering and decorative elements, numerous tipped in specimens (see below). Large 4to. 165pp. Illus. (color and b/w plates). Numbered, limited edition this being 70 of 225 - further limited as it is 1 of 17 copies with an additional specimen (see below). Related ephemera laid in (see below).