Dialogues of Creatures Moralised; Being Ancient Fables, Curious to the Philologer, Interesting to the Lover of Natural History, and Helpful to the Moralist by Hobert, Cott (Translator - Editor); Haslewood, Joseph (Preface) - 1967

Kentfield, California: The Allen Press, 1967. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. One of 130 copies, folio size, [103] unnumbered leaves. A book of animal fables, or, 122 "dialogues" originally produced in Latin by Gerard Leeu, Holland, in 1480. Dorothy and Lewis Allen were charmed by the discovery of this book during a trip to the British Museum in 1965. Carey S. Bliss, then curator of Rare Books at The Huntington Library, provided a photo-copy of the last and most complete English edition of 1818, which was used in the production of the present volume. This was the twelfth and final book printed on the Lewis' Acorn-Smith handpress, which was shortly replaced by a "brightly gilded" Colombian handpress acquired from the McCorquodale Printing Company when they closed their London offices in 1966. The book successfully replicates the rustic aesthetic of the original in its use of medieval woodcut illustrations and handmade materials.___DESCRIPTION: Original gray cloth covered boards, with woodcut illustrations and title printed in orange to upper board, title in orange to backstrip, orange endpapers, fore- and tail-edges uncut, pictorial title-page in red and brown, 122 zinc cuts (taken from the original woodcuts), ornaments bordering the illustrations are printed in orange, blue, olive, brown, blue-green and violet; hand set Goudy Thirty and Solemnis type, Fabriano Book paper, folio size (13.25" by 9.75"), [103] unnumbered leaves, limited edition, one of 130 copies. Housed in publisher's matching gray cloth slipcase.___CONDITION: Fine, like new, the binding clean and unrubbed, the text block tight and square with solid hinges, the interior clean and bright, and free of prior owner markings; perfect, as new from the press. Slipcase is near fine, strong and sturdy, with only a stray light soil mark or two and some dustiness to the bottom edge.___CITATION: The Allen Press Bibliography, no. 31.___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard shipping charge does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.