Search Results: Titles starting with B from The Second Shelf

London: The Women's Press, 1988. The first UK edition, published by the Women's Press with a fabulous cover illustration by Carmelle Hayes. Chapkis's essays and numerous photographs accompany interviews with 25 women, as she investigates topics in women's appearance from exoticism to dressing for success and surgery. Chapkis's 1988 work is trans inclusive and intersectional! First UK. Softcover. 20 x 13cm. 214 pages. In near fine condition.

1875. An album dated 1875 featuring the work of the "Beehive Club", with over 150 uniform postcard sized watercolour and pen works, gathered into themes. The output of a very talented, most likely youthful, or at the very least gleefully amateur, Victorian sketching club, possibly executed via correspondence, each member being given a brief to work with, and the results being carefully added to the album.The artworks are arranged around a regularly changing theme, often literary, such asworks centered on Longfellow's "Evangeline", or Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", and sometimes the themed suites are broader and open to interpretation, as in the collection merely entitled "Winter", or the section titled "Ruins." Most of the offerings are titled and captioned in red ink, in one hand, presumably that of "M.B.O." who seems to have had the duty of being club archivist, carefully initialling each work according to artist ("E.D.", "M.P.K.", "F.M.B." etc.), recording the theme or subject in an elaborate gothic… Read More

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930. First edition. 8vo. 284pp. + xxxivpp. Index. Publisher's blue grey cloth titled and decorated in red and brown, minor wear, and very good copy indeed in a similarly attractive example of the dustjacket, lightly discoloured to spine and with some very light chipping to the extremities. Strong and bright. Internally clean. Found within this copy is a letter about Gertrude Bell's involvement with the anti-suffrage movement, from Lady Jersey to Lady Bell written in April 1927. The letter is in reply to a request for Lady Jersey's memories on this topic by Lady Bell, who was editing and publishing Gertrude Bell's writings. Lady Jersey was President of the Women's National Anti-Suffrage League. The letter begins "As regards the Anti-Suff in which Gertrude took such inspiring care, I fear nothing beyond memory remains." After detailing some recollections, Lady Jersey writes: "The last thing I clearly remember about Gertrude in this connection is that she and I as… Read More

London: Next Editions, 1980. First edition. 8vo. 36pp. Publisher's spiral bound card covers, minor edgewear and trifling scuffing, an exceedingly good copy of a book usually seen in a rather less pleasing state. Internally clean, inscribed by Angela Carter on the title page to noted American science fiction writer Lisa Tuttle, and her then partner Christopher Priest: "For Chris and Lisa, Best Wishes, Angela." A very nice association copy indeed.

Didion's third novel, A Book of Common Prayer is the story of two American women in Boca Grande and Central America, respectively, focused on the themes of absolute power, violence rooted in poverty, and the dichotomy between purity and corruption. It is a stunning novel that deserves more readers, and a favourite of ours at The Second Shelf.First edition. Hardback, 269 pp. 22 x 14.5 cm. Black quarter cloth with black boards, with red decoration and gilt lettering to spine, slight fading on bottom edge front cover. Very good book in very good dust jacket. Advance copy publisher's slip laid in with typed title.

England: For the Author, 1950. Manuscript 4to. 72pp. Bound black cloth covered boards with blue paper covered spine, blue leather title label to front board. Lace bound loose leaf folder format. Several full page diagrams, and ten leaves with mounted leather samples, tooled, embossed etc. to demonstrate the range and specificity of the materials described within. A very colourful and deftly produced amateur treatise on leather and its uses and applications in craft bookbinding, with some very practical use of samples illustrating colours, textures and describing techniques used. Obviously some variety of graduate project or apprenticeship piece, very pleasingly produced with considerable attention to detail.