Search Results: Design from Bernett Penka Rare Books LLC

Warsaw: Wydawnictwo "Prasa Wojskowa", 1949. Large octavo (26.4 × 18.3 cm). Original photo-illustrated staple-stitched self-wrappers; 31, [1] pp. First leaf with recent tape repair to upper corner; a few nicks; still about very good. Surprisingly scarce account of the Battle of Stalingrad, photo-illustrated and with numerous striking photomontages by Mieczysław Berman, printed in black and red. Berman's early work was largely inspired by Dada and Constructivism. Under the influence of John Heartfield and the Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung (AIZ) he gradually turned to overtly political photomontage and created his famous anti-Nazi photomontage works. After the end of WWII, the country was increasingly under Soviet rule by proxy. Even though the Polish People's Republic was not created until 1952, the 1947 election marked the undisputed dominance of the communists, and in 1949, the Soviet Marshal Rokossovsky was named Minister of National Defense, which may explain the publication of the present… Read More

[Prague, ca. 1945?]. Square quarto (23 × 25 cm). Original side-stapled wrappers printed red and black on yellow stock; 82 pp. Illustrations, plans, portraits, printed in red and black. Final leaf detached from staples; else very good. Unattributed work displaying designs for architectural projects by Czech architects including Zdeněk Blažek, Josef Černy, Otakar Frňka, Jaroslav Hlaváč, Jaroslav Kincl, Daniel Knotek, Bohumil Kříž, Jaroslav Kumprecht, Karel Lodr, Josef Mach, Jaroslav Martinek, Josef Mlíka, Vojtěch Moravec, Karel Pelant, Zdeněk Plesník, Josef Pilař, Karel Rajský, Josef Škeřík, Josef Šolc. The projects include both private residences and public housing projects, motion picture theaters, crematoria, hotels, theaters. Attractively printed in black and red, with variously colored section dividers. As of October 2023, KVK, OCLC show four copies in North America.

Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1929-1930 (Showa 4 and 5). Large octavos (29 × 19.6 cm). Publisher's cloth-backed boards with vignette to front board and gilt titles to spine; 381 and 115, 18, [1] pp. The first volume with 350 pp. of plans and drawings, a few in color; the second volume In the original card slipcases with decorative title label affixed to panels. Light wear and scuffing to slipcases; very minor foxing to boards and endpapers; else about very good. Asahi Shimbun is one of the five national newspapers in Japan, and one of the nation's oldest and largest national daily newspapers, which began publication in Osaka in 1879. The newspaper held this competition for small and mid-size houses and villages in 1929, and the submissions ranged widely from distinctly modern and progressive to more traditionally inflected designs. One of the projects was by Kiyoshi Kikkawa, who collaborated on the Aoikan cinema in 1924 with Tomoyoshi Murayama (Tokyo). The competition was also not purely an academic… Read More

Sofia: Narodna kniga, 1936. Octavo (18 × 12.8 cm). Original pictorial wrappers by Veselin Staikov; 105, [3] pp. Light wear to spine and fraying to lower spine extremity; else about very good. First edition of this book of village-inspired short stories by G'oncho Bielev (1889-1964), the Bulgarian writer and translator. The designer of the wrappers, which feature bold red letters over a slanted black square, was Veselin Staikov (1906-1970), a Bulgarian painter and graphic designer. See Jacono 47 for a similar avant-garde inspired cover design by Staikov. This title not in Jacono, Bulgarian Modernism (2013). As of June 2020, KVK and OCLC show a single copy, at the NYPL.

Prague: Aventinum, 1924. Small octavo (16.7 × 11.5 cm). Original typographically illustrated wrappers by Karel Teige; 106, [4] pp. Fine, in protective mylar sleeve. First edition of this early systematic study of modern Russian (and Soviet) poetry, with chapters on the mysticism of the Revolution, Chaos and the mystery of matter, Proletarian poets, and others. Wrappers and title page designed by Karel Teige and Otakar Mrkvička. The series device was designed by Teige. A fine copy, in protective mylar. Vloemans 30 (vol. 7 of the series, with similar wrapper design).

Prague: Aventinum, 1928. Octavo (19.5 × 13.5 cm). Original pictorial wrappers by František Muzika; 147 pp. A very good, uncut and unopened copy; very light wear to lower spine only. Although less well-known than Teige, Štyrský, and Sutnar, Muzika (1900-1074) was a key representative of the Czech avant-garde and a founding member of Devětsil. Active in a wide range of media and other endeavors, including painting, graphic design, set design, illustration, directing, and teaching, Muzika also created a range of experimental book covers beginning in the late 1920s. He served as art director of the publishing house "Aventinum," adding his own covers which "in their simplicity and use of white space ... represent a distinct step beyond the rich poetist cover" (Jindřich Toman, Photo/Montage in Print, p. 197). Our copy is number 16 of twenty numbered copies printed on thick laid paper. Toman 5.5.1. As of June 2020, KVK and OCLC only show the copy in the Czech Republic.

Moscow-Leningrad: Snabtekhizdat, 1932. Quartos (30 × 21.3 cm). Original staple-stitched pictorial wrappers (the design is repeated in different colors); 182 pp. (consecutive pagination). Light soil and foxing to wrappers; three issues with detached wrappers and chipping to edges; internally very good. Scarce series of instructional brochures, intended as an introductory course of technical drawing for both self-study and guided classes. Under the slogan "technology for the masses", it not only seeks to equip students of technical colleges with the basic knowledge for executing technical drawings, but is also intended to teach any technical worker how to read complex renderings. The course covers such topics as the basic elements of drawings, such as different formats, lines, and fonts and the tools needed to produce them; the construction of curved forms; methods for orthogonal drawings, including the difference between German and American approaches to projections; axonometry and projective… Read More

Prague: Ing. J. Bukovský & I. Kodžak, ca. 1920. Small folio (22.5 × 16 cm). Original decorative card boards; eight numbered thick leaves of product illustrations, each with glassine guard. Very good. Very attractively printed catalog showcasing a variety of imported condiments, preserved meats, fish, caviar, and fruits, Admiral sardines, Russian and Polish vodkas, and Heinz brand ketchup. We are unable to find any information about the company. Not in KVK, OCLC; not held by the Czech National Library.

Sofia: Azbuka, [1932]. Small quarto (22.3 × 16 cm). Original pictorial wrappers by Max Metzger; 109, [3] pp. Poor condition; wrappers worn and chipped; traces of four strips of clear tape across spine; possibly lacking title; in protective mylar. First and only edition of a Bulgarian anthology, containing sixteen essays on the "new spirit" as expressed in scientific discoveries, politics, warfare, mass media such as the radio, as well as urban planning and architecture. With a striking constructivist design by Max Metzger (1878-1979), the German-born designer, art critic, and theoretician, whose work has been completely forgotten. "M. moved to Bulgaria to become one of the most interesting proponents of Bulgarian graphic modernism. He designed covers, vignettes, portraits of authors, wrote art reviews for "Plamak" and "Stozher", illustrated numerous books and magazines. In 1933 M. returned to Germany" (Jacono 2013, p. 63). In spite of the condition, an important reference for the Bulgarian… Read More

Prague: Nakladatelstvi Šolc a Šimáček, 1927. Large octavo (24 × 18 cm). Original pictorial wrappers with a photo-montage possibly by Smrž; 79, [1] pp. With sixty-two illustrations. About very good; light wear and soil to wrappers, in protective mylar. An early Czech introduction to the technology and creation of motion pictures, with a focus on special effects, illusions, animation. Smrž (1897-1953) was an instructor at DAMU and a noted film critic and historian. In addition to many works on film history and theory written from 1922 through the 1930s, Smrž also wrote detective and adventure novels using the pseudonym Charles L. Morille. Outside the Czech Republic, KVK and OCLC show copies at Getty and Yale.

Leningrad: Kubuch, 1925. Octavo (23 × 15.5 cm). Original pictorial wrappers by Nikolai Suetin; 76, [1] pp. Professional restoration to spine and corners of wrappers; else very good. First and only edition of this work about Henry Ford, inspired by the Russian translation of Ford's memoirs, "My Life and Work" (1922), as well as by Soviet newspaper articles and essays about Ford, his achievements, and production methods. With a striking suprematist cover design by Nikolai Suetin, the student of Kazimir Malevich in Vitebsk, who was active as a graphic artist and porcelain designer. He was a member of "UNOVIS" and exhibited with the group in Vitebsk and Moscow, as well as internationally. For over a decade, he led the artistic laboratory at the Lomonosov Porcelain Plant in Leningrad, where he was invited by Anna Akhmatova's second husband, NIkolai Punin. He also designed the Soviet pavilions for World Exhibitions in Paris (1937) and New York (1939). We can trace only two book covers created by Suetin,… Read More

Sofia: Pechatnitsa "Doverie", 1932. Octavo (20 × 13 cm). Original pictorial wrappers (by the author?); 132 pp. Largely uncut and unopened copy; text toned; small repair to lower right corner; a few nicks to rear wrapper; overall about very good. First work by Rusev (1902-?), a Bulgarian psychologist who was instrumental in spreading Freudian teachings in Bulgaria in the period leading up to WWII. With an appealing wrapper illustration, possibly by the author (showing his signature in the upper right corner), in the style of the Bulgarian avantgarde. Not in KVK, OCLC.

Moscow: Izdatel'stvo "Krasnaia nov'", 1924. Octavo (19.4 × 13.3 cm). Original decorative wrappers; 150 pp. About very good; Soviet bookstore stamp to rear wrapper; text toned. Second (but only recorded) edition of this volume of proletarian poetry. Doronin was a member of the "Workers' Spring" [Rabochaia vesna] and "October" [Oktiabr'] group of proletarian writers. Born in the Tula region, he began publishing locally in 1919 and went on to become a typical poet of the transformations of village life by Soviet construction, a contrast depicted on the appealing wrappers for this edition, presumably designed by Boris Titov. Titov (1897-1951) was one of the most prolific and idiosyncratic Soviet graphic artists and book designers, who eventually transitioned from a constructivist style to a more conservative, art-deco-inspired manner in the mid-1930s. One of 3000 copies. Not in Getty. KVK, OCLC show copies at Staatbibliothek zu Berlin, UNC Chapel Hil, and Ohio State.

Moscow: Fizkul'tura i turizm, 1931. Octavo (19 x 14 cm). Original pictorial wrappers; 207, [1] pp. followed by unnumbered leaves of plates. 55 illustrations throughout. Wrappers somewhat toned; minor staining to lower right corner, affecting several pages; still about very good. A history of the "social function of the motif of physical strength and physical development in the arts" from the medieval period through contemporary Western and Soviet art, with numerous illustrations of the Soviet cult of the body. Wrapper design by the graphic and decorative artists Naum Borov (1906-1943) and Grigorii Zamskii (1903-1984). Both artists studied at VKhUTEMAS in the 1920s (later VKhUTEIN), absorbing the experimentation and the move toward realism and monumentalism in Soviet art of the period. Borov and Zamskii both worked in exhibition design, decoration of public holidays, and poster art. In the 1930s Borov headed Mosproekt, Masterskaiia no. 12 (Moscow project, Studio no. 12), working on the design of public… Read More

Prague: Linie, 1928. Octavo (19.2 × 14.2 cm). Original typographically designed wrappers (anonymous); 28, [1] pp. Spine extremities lightly chipped; text toned; still about very good. Scarce first publication of Edice Linie, with a striking avant-gardistic wrapper design (unattributed). Rozner (1905-1991) was a Czech poet, writer, and journalist from Liberec, who published numerous books of satirical verse, which took aim at seemingly any and all writers and public intellectuals of interwar Czechoslovakia. Among them were Karel Čapek, Viktor Dyk, Vítězslav Nezval, and many others. A series by the same name was published in Czech Budějovice after 1931, by the regional avant-garde group Linie, which embraced cubist and modernist elements in the visual arts; it is not clear whether Rozner was affiliated with them, as little information exists on him. KVK and OCLC show copies at the Czech National Library, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and Harvard.

Tokyo: Rokubunkan, 1932. Octavo (19.6 × 17.8 cm). Publisher's embossed beige cloth with black title to spine and board; 707 pp. of text, including four folding plates. With 156 illustrations, including reproductions of photographs on better stock and plans, views, and diagrams, as well as illustrations in the text. In the original printed slipcase. Very good. A monumental work on architectural theory jointly edited by Takao Itagaki and Sutemi Horiguchi. Itagaki is considered the foremost proponent of modernism in pre-war Japan. He had "studied in Europe and been exposed to German visual sensibility, particularly the New Objectivity movement led by Franz Roh. After returning to Japan, Itagaki began publishing essays promoting an art of mechanical civilization in all genres of expression" (Joe Takeba, The History of Japanese Photography, p. 146). He issued the seminal Japanese anthology of modernist architecture, art, design, and its precursors (Kikai to Geijutsu to no Koryu, 1929; together with the… Read More

Leningrad: Nauchnoe knigoizdatel'stvo, 1925. Octavo (17.5 × 13 cm). Original pictorial wrappers; 154, [6] pp. With forty-nine smaller drawings in the text. Small nick to front wrapper; spine extremities very lightly frayed; text evenly toned; still about very good. First edition in Russian. This early film history, oriented toward industry insiders, provides both a media archeology and an overview of contemporary methods of film production. Written by Ernest Coustet (1868-19??), and originally published in French as "Le cinema" (Hachette, 1921), the text reaches back to the earliest devices that produced the illusion of motion. Coustet looks at everything from magic lantern shows to Muybridge's chronophotography, from the Chromotrope, to the Phenakistiscope, to the innovations of Marey and Addison. The bulk of the text is focused on contemporary film production and discusses in detail film developing technology, the workings of the camera, the making of titles, lighting, set design and construction,… Read More

Warsaw: Impr. de W. Lazarski, [1923]. Octavo (23 × 18 cm). Original letterpress limp wrappers with protective paper cover; 79, [1] pp. printed on special-made Holland paper by the Mirkow Paper Mill. Twenty-seven illustra- tions, most full-page some color. Very good. Issued on the occasion of the congress of librarians and bibliophiles in Paris in 1923, this bibliophile publication by Stanisław Lam (1891-1965) highlights the achievements of Polish typography and book design from the fifteenth century onward. No. 222 of 400 copies printed. Scarce in the trade.

Brno: Nový lid, 1936. Octavo (20.7 × 14.9 cm). Original staple-stitched photo-illustrated wrappers; 31, [1] pp. Very good. First and only edition of this Czech primer of Esperanto, with a striking unattributed photo-montage cover design that seeks to capture the excitement, communicative potential, and globalist fervor of the artificial language's devotees. With an enthusiastic one-page preface titled "Esperanto ovládlo svět!" ("Esperanto has conquered the world!"), which claims that there is hardly a field in which the artificial language has not found its use, referring to two million "Esperantists" worldwide. Aside from a linguistic introduction, vocabulary, and many sample texts, the booklet also contains information, including a few photographs, about the Czechoslovak Esperanto community, including an Esperanto course in Brno and information about the wide-spread use of Esperanto among Brno and Prague police officers (!). Not in Toman, Czech Photo/Montage. As of March 2022, KVK, OCLC show… Read More

[Titles, subtitles and numbering vary: Nos. 1-18 subtitled "Notiziario de Cultura Contemporanea"; nos. 56-62 alternately numbered as 1-7; no. 64/65 entitled "Marcazero" with cover title "Marca 3"; no. 66/67 entitled "Marcauno" with cover title "Marca 3"] 66 issues (publisher's serialization lacks a no. 63) in 25 fascicules (many showing multiple issue numbers) comprising a complete run of the legendary Italian journal founded by Eugenio Battisti that was strongly associated with the writers of Il Verri and Gruppo 63, notably among them Gillo Dorfles, Edoardo Sanguineti, Umberto Eco, Paolo Portoghesi, Enrico Crispolti, etc., featuring cultural criticism, essays and reviews on topics including mass culture, design, architecture, literature, music, the visual arts, cinema, politics, and other topics, illustrated throughout with reproductions of photographs, paintings, drawings, architectural plans, musical notation, and experimental page spreads, some foldout. Covers lightly rubbed and soiled, some… Read More