Valenti Angelo, Author, Illustrator, Printer by Lewis, Oscar; Grabhorn, Robert; Anderson, Sherwood; Duff, Annis (all contributing essays) / Angelo, Valenti (Autobiographical Story) / Englund, Anne (Editor, Bibliographical Checklist) - 1976

San Francisco: The Book Club of California [printed by Andrew Hoyem], 1976. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Angelo, Valenti. One of 400 copies, folio size, 99 pp., inscribed by Valenti Angelo, with prospectus and related ephemera. Valenti Angelo (1897-1982) was a highly-regarded designer, illuminator, and decorator of books over a career that spanned decades, doing much of his early work for the Grabhorn Press and the Book Club of California; he also printed his own books in extremely limited editions under the imprints of "The Golden Cross Press" and "The Press of Valenti Angelo". This publication of The Book Club of California celebrates Angelo's fiftieth anniversary as a printer, and is a detailed collection of his work up to 1975. Many of the facsimiles in the book are printed in colour and some are even hand-coloured by Angelo himself; he contributed greatly to the design of this book.

The volume has essays about Angelo's work and his skill as a printer and designer, written by celebrated novelist Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), writer Annis Duff, and Robert Grabhorn, of the Grabhorn Press. This particular copy has the prospectus and several pieces of related ephemera laid in, including a small note written in Angelo's hand regarding this book, a copy of a similar note regarding the book, two different cards regarding Angelo's work and the publication of this book, one with hand-colouring, and an elegantly printed announcement for Angelo's eightieth birthday, one sheet folded once.

___DESCRIPTION: Quarter red cloth with orange boards, blue decorations by Valenti Angelo running vertically on the front and rear boards, orange paper spine label with blue lettering, fore-edge uncut, bottom edge rough cut, title page with illustrations and ornaments in blue and orange with hand-colouring in gilt by Angelo, decorations and initial capitals by Angelo throughout, forty-three specimens of Angelo's printing, thirty-five of which are in colour, and some hand-coloured, throughout; monotype Centaur, machine-made paper, folio size (14.5" by 10.25"), pagination: [1-6] 7-97 [98] [1 colophon], one of 400 copies, unnumbered, inscribed by Valenti Angelo on the colophon, "This copy has been hand-colored by the artist for Dr. R. S. Speck". With prospectus loosely laid in, one sheet folded once with a horizontal crease for mailing, and related ephemera, a small note written in Angelo's hand regarding this book, a copy of a similar note regarding the book, two different cards regarding Angelo's work and the publication of this book, one with gilt initial capital, and an elegantly printed announcement for Angelo's eightieth birthday, one sheet folded once.

___CONDITION: A fine copy; the covers clean, the corners straight and unrubbed, the binding tight with solid hinges, the interior clean and bright, and free of prior owner markings; with light toning to the endpapers. The prospectus is near fine, clean overall, without wear except for a couple shallow creases to the top corners. The ephemera are near fine, clean overall with some minor soiling, without wear but for a few shallow creases to corners.

___CITATION: BCC no. 154.

___POSTAGE:  Please note that this is an unusually large and heavy item and additional postage may apply; please inquire for details.

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