Boer, Munich, 1990. Slim quarto, 60 pp. The Book of Esther told in German. Illustrations in color by David Bennett. Laid in is a handwritten one-page letter from Bennett dated June 14, 2003, referring to work he has done since 1990. Also laid in are a current (June-Sept. 2003) catalogue of the artist's work at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, and a sheet of paper with six color xeroxed examples of the artist's work, Book and dust jacket are near fine save for a dent to the top right corner.
Claassen, Hamburg, 1970. Folio, cream-colored cloth with red & grey design on cover. A signed limited edition featuring text by Margarete Hannsmann and 40 original colored woodcuts by HAP Grieshaber. VG with mild soil to boards, slight rubbing to bottom corners and two tiny indentations on front cover near spine.
Canterbury Publishing Co., Canterbury CT, 1971. First edition, folio bound in green illustrated wraps. Ostensibly a catalogue for Kenneth Lynch & Sons of Wilton, CT, the volume features hundreds of photographs and designs for park, garden and waiting benches. Many imaginative approaches, and some colorful writing by Lynch, who apparently views the manufacture of benches as an art. Included is a 1974 Addendum, actually a 16-page booklet in stapled wraps, which contains "new illustrations, errata corrections, and confidential price information for contractors and dealers." The tall, thin paperbound volume has generally escaped injury and is VG+: top right corner mildly dented, lower right edge mildly scraped, green covers faded to brown at top and along edges.
Fernand Roches, Paris, 1931. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on handmade paper, this being copy #438. Octavo, 57 pp., plain white boards with dust jacket; tissue guard over dj; housed in a chemise and slipcase; printed label on chemise spine. Text in French. A number of gravure illustrations are scattered throughout the text, which is printed in red and black. Book and dust jacket are near fine; tissue guard is crinkled at top; chemise is worn and missing a small section at top of spine; box is lightly stained and lacks the top edge.
New York, 1888. Folio, 80 pp., with 17 plates printed on heavy cardboard. Gill is the author of Lightning Stair Builder and Mechanical Stair Builder, and was the superintendent of all main stairs in the Vanderbilt mansion. As a short autobiographical statement makes clear, he is a practicing carpenter first and a writer second; the book's subtitle is "Fifty Years Experience at the Bench." The 17 plates contain 136 problems "treating on carpenter and joiner work," problems doubtless met and solved by the author during his many years of experience. The page facing the title page bears a stamp with the author's name and address: "J.R. Gill, 416 W. 48th St., N.Y." Boards soiled; wear at corners and along spine with slight loss of cloth; a bit of soil on a few interior pages, but the interior is generally VG. Hinges tight, binding secure.
Editions Du Scorpion, Amsterdam, 1931. First printing, one of a small number of copies, as it says on the colophon page. These timeless songs have been set to music and illustrated by Marcel Prangey, whose line drawings bring to mind Robert Lawton; however, the images in this book are definitely erotic, even shocking. Fifty-three illustrations, nicely printed on watermarked paper. This is a beautiful copy in cream wraps with title printed in red on cover and spine; VG+ with light wear to edges and tiny loss to spine at bottom.
Thames & Hudson, London, 1968. 1st U.K. edition of a work originally published in Italy, translated into English by Diana Barran. From the dj flap: "The first serious study of the decorative arts during the period which saw probably the last great flowering of decoration for its own sake." The author traces the complex history of conflicting trends from Beardsley and Klimt to the Exposition, using many illustrations from the era. Of special interest is the attention paid to fashion. Quarto, 367 pages. Book is VG+ in purple cloth binding, top edge darkened with slight spotting. Dust jacket is VG, with small chips at spine top and at corners; top 1/2" creased (most noticeably on spine); edges worn along spine and folds.
Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt am Main, n.d. Quarto, 132 pages. Text in German; quality reproductions on glossy paper of German banknotes and printing processes. Near fine in grey cloth and with clear plastic cover.
Milano, Edizioni Dell'Esame, 1944. Monograph on the Italian artist and sculptor. Octavo, 217 pp., 146 reproductions. Paper-covered boards (worn, spotted and darkened) with woven cloth spine; wear along edges and corners. Front endpapers separated from top to bottom, but book still held together by three linen hinges. Back cover still tight, but endpapers beginning to separate at bottom. Ownership stamps on front endpaper and on all page edges.
Tel Aviv Museum, 1987. First printing. Square octavo bound in blue-grey cloth, in dust jacket with pictorial cover. Beautifully designed production accompanying the first Chagall exhibit in Israel after his death. The paintings for the exhibit were loaned by his friend Marcus Diener, who had collected his work for many years. In all, there are 55 color reproductions of the artist's work stretching from 1909 to 1984, the year before he died. Text in English and Hebrew. Near fine in near fine dust jacket with slight crinkling at top and bottom of spine.
Alexander Doll Co., NY, n.d. (1963). 12 pp. stapled catalogue, 8.5"x4.5". "This booklet presents Madame Alexander's distinctive Family of Fine Miniature Dolls, WENDY, the little girl, her baby sister, LITTLEST KITTEN and her grown-up sister CISSETTE, a 10" debutante doll." The booklet has 30 b&w photographs illustrating the dolls and their costumes. VG+ (very faint ring stain on front cover).
