Search Results: Design from Royal Books, Inc.

Paris: William Morris Agency, 1950. ry Good Plus overall, with faint foxing and slight curling.

Racine, Wisconsin: S.C. Johnson, 1980. Archive of 26 vintage wax-based die-cut stickers advertising S.C. Johnson products. The S.C. Johnson company was founded in 1886 in Racine, Wisconsin, primarily selling wax for parquet flooring. The company would expand throughout the twentieth century, eventually departing from wax-based products in 1955 with the launch of Raid insecticide, accompanied over the next three years by a new suite of products, including Off! insect repellent, Pledge cleaner, and Glade air freshener. The company continues to operate today as one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the United States. The stickers on offer here were likely created for distributors' use, and advertise a wide variety of Johnson products, including Agree shampoo and conditioner, Glade aerosol spray, Edge shaving gel, Off! insect repellent, Shout laundry spray, Befresh toilet bowl deodorizer, Scrunge sponge, and more. The archive also includes four sale signs for use during spring, summer, autumn,… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1965. A dazzling collection of 10 original pressbooks designed by Saul Bass, documenting the majority of the famed title and ad designer's work with director Otto Preminger in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Several of the pressbooks typically defy the existing conventions of pressbook design, utilizing a wild variation of size and dimension, with several of the items literally molded to represent the films they represent: "Advise and Consent" is shaped like a briefcase, "In Harm's Way" is designed as a dossier with a string tie, "The Cardinal" as a parcel, and "Bunny Lake is Missing" as a newspaper. Other key Bass designed titles include "Anatomy of a Murder," "Bonjour Tristesse," and "The Man with the Golden Arm." For most of the pressbooks in this collection, we have never seen another example. A fascinating example of the advertising work done by the premiere title and ad designer of the twentieth century. Various sizes, ranging from Very Good to Near Fine condition. Complete details… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1970. Archive of ten vintage photographs of a full-size clay car model, which appears to be a prototype of a mid-1970s second generation Pontiac Firebird. Two photographs with manuscript touch-up work to the images, all with annotations in manuscript pencil noting catalog numbers on the verso. The photographs in the archive do not explicitly identify the model, and the car's design has no precise match to any car in the Pontiac line, although the sporty front end and wrapped rear window bear a resemblance to the updated second-generation production model Trans Am in 1975. Just visible in the background of two of the photographs are several drawn designs for the car mounted on the wall. The Trans Am was a specialty package for the Firebird, which included upgrades to handling, suspension, and horsepower, and surface modifications such as unique hoods and spoilers, fog lights, and wheels. Four generations of the package were produced between 1969 and 2002. Eight photographs 8 x 10… Read More

Alhambra, CA: Delta Associates, 1976. Large archive of original art, sketchbooks, illustrations, and advertising production materials, and a collection of catalogs, brochures, booklets, flyers, and magazines, all relating to the Southern California off-road motorcycle scene (and motorcycles in general) from Lynn Wineland and his "Delta Associates" design and advertising firm. A voluminous collection featuring dozens of pieces of production materials, art, and photographs, as well as over 50 pieces of printed motorcycle promotional materials of the period. The material in the archive dates from the late 1940s through the late 1970s, with the bulk from the late 1960s to mid 1970s, the peak of the SoCal off-road motorcycle scene. Complete details available on request, potentially interested buyers only please. Wineland's importance and influence on the West Coast hot rod and motorcycle scene is difficult to overstate. In the late 1930s, when Wineland was still a teenager, he built his first hot rod… Read More

Miami, FL: N.p., 1940. Archive of sales material and design documents for the James O. Tice Company, a custom mechanical scoreboard firm active in the 1940s in Florida. Included in the archive are 19 vintage black and white photographs (including 14 original photographs and 5 xerographically duplicated photographs), 2 manuscript design documents, 1 original blueprint and 1 xerographically duplicated blueprint for scoreboard designs, a sales brochure, and a newspaper page featuring a profile of a goose-themed specialty board designed by Tice for Miami Field. Five photographs show the boards in use throughout the US, in sports fields at the University of Alabama, Duke University, University of California, Loyola College, and in Tampa, Florida, accompanied by a small typescript cover letter on company letterhead introducing the set. In addition to photographs of the boards in use, the archive includes several manuscript design documents laying out the mechanics of the goose-themed scoreboard in Miami… Read More

Chicago: Wagner Sign Service, Inc, 1960. Archive of 77 vintage black and white photographs from the Wagner Sign Service, circa 1950s-1960s. Each photograph features the name of the local manufacturer or installer, location, and the type of Wagner Sign assembly used, as well as Wagner Sign Service's Chicago address. Archive includes 69 single-image photographs, four composite photographs with two images each, and one composite photograph containing three images. A tremendous archive of photographs of novel marquee signage made during the midcentury American automobile boom of the 1950s and 1960s. Archive features photographs taken in over 20 states, with photographs of marquees for grocery stores, restaurants, motels, shopping centers, automobile dealerships, sports arenas, and a drive-in theater, among many other businesses. The marquees are usually comprised of a playful combination of neon and Wagner's signature plastic and metal copy letters. The Wagner Sign Service was founded in Chicago by… Read More

San Francisco: The Recorder Publishing Co, 1937. First Edition. Archive of five vintage advertising signs designed by noted Art Deco designer Wana Derge, circa 1933-1937. Signs intended for countertop or streetcar use, one with an unused cardboard display easel affixed to the verso. Included with the collection is a First Edition copy of Derge's posthumously published color and design theory book, "Color, Form and Composition" (1966). A collection of striking and vibrant serigraphs, designed by Derge specifically for the popular California ice cream manufacturer. Each of the signs feature Derge's distinctive signature discreetly printed within the primary color field. Wiki and Wana Derge were a highly successful mother and daughter Art Deco design team based in the Bay Area in the 1930s and 1940s. Wana taught art at the College Women's Club and the City Club of San Francisco beginning in 1931, and continued teaching through her home studio in Berkeley until her death in 1964. Examples of all five… Read More

New York: Avant Garde, 1971. Collection of five issues of the seminal 1968-1971 art magazine. Represented in the set are issues 3, 7, 8, 13, and 14. "Avant Garde" magazine was founded by publisher Ralph Ginzburg and noted graphic designer Herb Lubalin in New York in 1968. The publication was the pair's third collaboration, following "Eros" magazine (1962) and "Fact" magazine (1964-1967). A provocative endeavor, "Avant Garde" used satire and caustic imagery to criticize American society and government, making liberal use of crude language and sexual imagery throughout its four year run. The periodical spanned 14 issues, ultimately folding as a result of Ginzburg losing a federal obscenity lawsuit for his prior, more openly prurient publications, and subsequently being sentenced to five years in prison. "Avant Garde" is perhaps best remembered today as the originator of the eponymous geometric, sans serif typeface, designed by Lubalin for the magazine's logo font. All five issues 11 x 11.25 inches,… Read More

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1944. Seven original preliminary advertising concept art sketches for the release with Gloria Graham's first credited role. Title written as both "Blonde Fever" and "Blond Fever" between ads. Executed variously in graphite, charcoal, and gouache on a single sheet of onion skin paper, mounted on to white paper stock, some with annotations at the margins. 15 x 18 inches. Very Good plus with faint horizontal creasing and light signs of use.

N.p.: N.p., 1967. Two sets of original storyboards for the 1967 film, both bound in script format. Based on the 1966 novel by William P. McGivern. A former bank robber is blackmailed by his former partner into helping her steal millions from the Spanish National Bank of Pamplona. Set and shot on location in Madrid and Pamplona, Spain. Brown wrappers, with titles written in manuscript ink annotation on the front wrapper. One set approximately 150 leaves, the other set approximately 170 leaves. Xerographic duplication, rectos only. Wrappers and contents Near Fine, bound internally with a silver prong. Lee, The Heist Film.

Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures, 1944. Original preliminary advertising concept art sketch for the release of the 1944 Universal horror film from the director of "The Wolf Man." Executed in graphite, charcoal, and gouache on onion skin paper, and mounted on to white paper stock. 11.5 x 16 inches. Very Good plus with light wear to right margin and a single horizontal crease, faint tape residue at upper margin. Weaver, Universal Horrors.

Detroit: General Motors, 1969. Collection of 48 vintage black and white publicity photographs of the Chevrolet lineup of cars and trucks for 1969. The collection appears to be the entire Chevrolet lineup of vehicles for 1969, and were likely for use in print advertising. One, the Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe, has annotations in manuscript orange wax pencil to the recto, likely specifications for print, and manuscript pencil annotations on the verso. The photographs feature 25 side views, 20 3/4 front views, two 3/4 rear views, and one overhead view. The Chevelle SS 396 Sport Coupe features a 3/4 front view as well as a side view, and the Custom El Camino includes a duplicate 3/4 view photograph. Uncommon to find in such a large grouping, the collection includes three convertibles coupes, ten sedans, one convertible sedan, six station wagons, two Suburbans, two vans, four pickup trucks, four cab trucks, and three utility vans. Some of the most popular muscle cars ever made were manufactured by… Read More

New York: The Museum of Modern Art [MOMA], 1978. Collection of 15 vintage photographs of design sketches, paintings, and storyboards displayed during the exhibition "Designed for Film: The Hollywood Art Director," held at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) from May 11 to October 10, 1978. Ten with printed mimeo snipes affixed to the versos, and almost all with MOMA stamps on the versos. From the archive of film historian and author Joel Finler. Represented are designs from the following films: "Intolerance" (1916), "Madam Satan" (1930), "The King of Jazz" (1930), "Frankenstein" (1931), "King Kong" (1933), "Top Hat" (1935), "Mary of Scotland" (1936), "Gone With the Wind" (1939), "The Private Lives of Elizabeth Essex" (1939), "Rebecca" (1940), "Shanghai Gesture" (1941), "Citizen Kane" (1941), "The Birds" (1963), and "Klute" (1971). 10 x 8 inches. Generally Very Good plus, with some light edgewear and creasing.

N.p.: Yamaha Corporation, 1982. Collection of seventeen vintage photographs of Yamaha "Natural Sound" home audio equipment, circa 1981-1982. Seventeen promotional product photographs, issued by Yamaha Corporation, showcasing six receivers, five amplifiers, four tuners, a turntable, and a cassette tape deck, all with Yamaha's period design, featuring Yamaha's signature "Natural Sound," with silver and black brushed stainless steel, l.e.d. displays, and then state of the art circuit boards. All of the products found here were manufactured by Yamaha between 1980 and 1983, with 1981 and 1982 being the only years all seventeen products were being manufactured, likely their entire line of home audio equipment offered. Yamaha first used the marketing term "Natural Sound" to describe the realistic, well-balanced sound of their NS-20 speakers in 1967, and still use the term today. Full list of all models available upon request. 10 x 8 inches. Near Fine.

Loudonville, OH: The Flxible Company, 1954. Collection of 22 vintage photographs of the Flxible "Land Cruiser" motorhome, circa 1954. Of the 22 photographs in the collection, 17 bear stamps on the versos, six bear annotations noting serial number and descriptions, and eleven bear stamps noting the serial number, model, and company. The collection includes one photograph of the exterior of the motorhome and 21 photographs of the very mid-century modern interior, frequently with models in various positions demonstrating the vehicle's comfort and luxury. Eight of the photographs note a serial number beginning with "B53" and one photograph notes a serial number beginning with "B54," likely indicating production in 1953 and 1954. Founded in 1913 in Loudonville, Ohio, Flxible was a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars, funeral cars, ambulances, intercity coaches, and transit buses. In 1948 Flxible introduced its "Land Cruiser" model, a standard 29 passenger "Clipper" shell with an elaborately furnished… Read More

New York: Molla Incorporated, 1950. Archive of nine trade catalogs, showing different examples of patio furniture made from wrought iron, tubular steel, and aluminum, produced by the Molla Company in the 1950s. Represented in the collection are brochure Nos. 6, 7, 11, 20, and 21, and a bound collection which includes brochure Nos. 20a, 21a, 6a, 7a, and 11a, with color samples for fabric and metal bound in at the back. The catalogs present a wide variety of furniture, including chaise lounges, armchairs, settees, ottomans, love seats, coffee tables, easy chairs and sectional chairs, and more. A superb showcase of mid-century modern furniture design, produced by a company whose pieces are still highly in demand today. Catalogs range in size from 8.5 x 11 to 9 x 12 inches. Generally Very Good plus, with light edgewear and occasional spotting, and one catalog (No. 20) with a cut-out to page 5.

London: 4AD, 1989. Three early never-issued alternate artwork proof designs for the classic 1989 album. Developed by British graphic designer Vaughan Oliver, with photography by Simon Larbalestier. Unique. In 1980, Oliver and photographer Nigel Grierson formed the graphic design partnership 23 Envelope. In 1982 the duo were invited to create sleeve art for the 4AD record label by co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell. Under 23 Envelope and v23, Oliver would give 4AD one of the most acclaimed and distinguished visual identities of any record label of the 1980s and 1990s, designing album art for the Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Dead Can Dance, Colourbox, and the Pixies, among many others. Oliver managed the graphic design for the Pixies' entire discography during his lifetime, with "Doolittle" being the most celebrated. Photographer Simon Larbalestier is best known for his collaborative work with Oliver under 23 Envelope and v23, and provided photography for all the Pixies albums, helping to give the band… Read More

N.p.: N.p., 1953. Vintage promotional flyer for the 1953 short film. A short film based on the semantics of communication as outlined in Claude Shannon's 1949 book "The Mathematical Theory of Communication." Legendary modernist designers Charles and Ray Eames produced 125 short films between 1950 and 1982, using the medium as a vehicle for experimentation and education. The best-remembered of these, the 1968 and 1977 "Powers of Ten" films, were selected for preservation in the National Film Library in 1998. 22 x 8.5 inches unfolded, folded five times and measuring 3.75 x 8.5 inches when folded. Very Good, with silverfish damage along one fold and light creasing at the corners.

Paris: Self-published, 1962. Vintage French toy and home goods sales catalogue, published for the Comptoir general de la bimbeloterie ("supplier of trinkets"), representing years 1961-1962. The CGB sold toys and goods starting in the early 1900s, and remained in operation until the mid-1970s. This catalogue represents the company at what appears to have been a considerably successful point, judging by the lush color photographs on the wrapper showcasing their sales floors and massive inventory. 8.75 x 11.75 inches in side-stapled color wrappers. 52 pages, rectos and versos. Very Good plus, lightly edgeworn.