Rare books from The Book Lair, ABAA

New York: D. Appleton, 1831. 192 pp. Approximately 2 1/4 x 2 3/4". Blue cloth over boards, paper label on spine, corner bumping with small portion of boards showing through, otherwise in very good + condition. (Bradbury, D. Appleton, 1; Welsh 4865). Daniel Appleton (1785-1849) began publishing in New York in 1831 and his first imprint was this miniature book. There are two editions of this book, both with 1831 on the title page. One edition has numbered pages and "stereotype edition" on the title page. The other edition has unnumbered pages and no mention of "stereotype edition". It is not possible to know which version came first. This edition was 2,000 copies and was very popular as inspirational books had a good market at that time.

London: Methuen and Co., 1924 - 1928. First Editions (When We Were Very Young is 1st edition, second state with "ix" on Contents page), Four volumes. With wonderful line drawings throughout, illustrated by E. H. Shepard.When We Were Very Young, published in 1924, first trade edition, second state, NF copy with light wear to extremities in VG dustwrapper with a tanned spine, miniscule chip out of top left of spine, navy cloth boards with gilt lettering and gilt vignettes to front and back covers, 100 pps, one of 4,500 copies printed in the first edition, which sold out in the first week.Winnie-the-Pooh, published in 1926, first trade edition, NF copy in a NF first issue dustwrapper with 117th thousand marked on back flap is bright and complete (does have small wrinkle on back which is not a tear) with minor dustiness, green cloth boards with gilt lettering and vignettes of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh, illustrated end papers with map of 100 Aker Wood and numerous line drawings throughout… Read More

n.p.: n.p., ca 1900. 7 x 9 1/2". Single sheet, lightly toned, minor tears to edges, creased where folded, most likely printed in the United States, stipple engraving, in very good condition. A common practice in the U.K. and the United States from about 1840 to 1940, these "Vinegar Valentines" were known for their caricatures and insulting poems. Rather rare today since many of these were thrown out by their horrified recipients. The "H." initial might possibly indicate it was created by cartoonist Charles Howard who worked for printer John McLoughlin. The subject of this one is "Your Affinity", about a Broadway stage actor

n.p.: n.p., ca 1900. 10 x 13 1/2". Single sheet, lightly toned, minor chip to edge, printed in the United States, stipple engraving, bold colors, in very good condition. A common practice in the U.K. and the United States from about 1840 to 1940, these "Vinegar Valentines" were known for their caricatures and insulting poems. Rather rare today since many of these were thrown out by their horrified recipients. The "H." initial might possibly indicate it was created by cartoonist Charles Howard who worked for printer John McLoughlin. This is an uncommonly large example of the genre. The subject of this one is "A Professional Scandal Monger"

London: George Bell and Sons, 1908. 390 pp. (with six of the advertisement pages in the rear missing) Approximately 5 x 7 3/4". 1st edition. Red-cloth variant binding (much more scarce than the common blue one), title in black on cover with illustrated paste-down, title and publisher on spine in gilt, considerable foxing on page edges and some throughout, otherwise, very good plus condition. (Curry 1979, p. 526)Herbert George Wells (1866 - 1946) is often called the "father of science fiction" along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. The War in the Air is a military science fiction novel, originally published in The Pall Mall Magazine, about the futuristic idea of using aircraft in warfare

Sherman Oaks, CA: Joe D'Ambrosio, 1992. 24 pp. 6 1/4 x 9". LIMITED EDITION of 75 copies and 10 artist's proofs, this being #46, box binding with patterned floral cloth sides, a blue-grey cloth backstrip over a broad telescoping spine composed of five stepped planes, the central and highest of these surfaces with long vertical printed paper label, text printed on leaves with raised accordion portions, both raised and recessed portions with engraved illustrations, cloth inlays, or serigraphs, the recessed title page under a stretched netting meant to resemble opera hose, most of the leaves with decoratively cut curved and spiked edges, signed by the publisher on the colophon, accompanied by 6 pieces of epherma, including a typed letter signed by D'Ambrosio along with other interesting material, all in fine condition.This story of two Parisian prostitutes by the obscure French satirist Villiers de L 'Isle-Adam (1838 - 1889) is printed on paper made by Madeleine Pestiaux. Albert Sperisen was an… Read More

New York: Meredith Press, 1967. 6 1/4 x 6 1/4". First Edition, Pictorial dust jacket and boards with a few ships near the spine top, not price-clipped, in very good condition. Pictorial boards with slight indentation near top spine edge, full-color illustrations throughout, pages clean and unmarked, otherwise in very good condition. (Toledano A25)A humorous story about a cat, a doll and a moth. Delightful and quite less macabre than Gorey's usual style

Salinas, CA: Various, 1979. Tri-fold program titled "John Steinbeck. Pulitzer & Nobel Prize Novelist. 1902-1968", presented by Monterey Savings. Includes a biography, awards & honors, bibliography and commemorative stamp; Tri-fold brochure titled "John Stainbeck. 1902-1968", produced by the John Steinbeck Library; Folded card stock piece with photos, produced by the Valley Guild which owns and operates the John Steinbeck House; "Books about John Steinbeck", 8 stapled pages with books about Steinbeck and call numbers, produced by the Salinas Public Library; "Books - John Steinbeck", 6 stapled pages with books by Steinbeck and call numbers, produced by the Salinas Public Library; folded single sheet brochure from the John Steinbeck Foundation for the event; 2 more variants of the Steinbeck commemorative stamp on illustrated envelopes. All in fine condition.A wonderful collection of ephemera items from the event at the Salinas Public Library for the First Day of Issue Commemorative John Steinbeck… Read More

London: Edward Arnold, 1910. 292 pp. plus index and advertisements. 5 1/2 x 8 1/4". Later Edition. Green cloth over boards with gilt lettering and design on cover and spine, some wear to spine ends and slight corner bumping, front and rear hinges cracked, foxing primarily limited to end papers, frontispiece with tissue guard intact, black and white illustrations, 5 plans from 1752 to 1900s, in very good + condition.Sir Ernest William Morris CBE (1866 - 1937), served as secretary and house governor of The London Hospital from 1903 - 1930. This detailed history describes the hospital starting from its foundation, the new Whitechapel site, the hospital management, a history of the Jewish wards, the medical school, and the administration of a modern hospital. The illustrations and plans help the reader visualize the hospital even more readily.

Orleans, MA: Parnassus Imprints, 1992. Approximately 7 1/4 x 7 1/4". LIMITED EDITION of 250 copies, this being #165. Black paper covered slipcase in fine condition. Illustrated paper wrappers, includes a signed and numbered previously unpublished print laid in which bears the same signature and number as on the colophon of the book, all in fine condition. (Toledano A104a)Edward Gorey (1925 - 2000) was an American artist and writer, best known for his eccentric imagery and stories, often set in Victorian and Edwardian settings. This book covers seven series of Dogear Wryde (an anagram of Gorey's name) postcards and includes: Scenes de Ballet, Menaced Objects, Alms for Oblivion, Interpretive Series, Neglected Murderesses, Tragedies Topiares, and Whatever Next? Some cards are captioned and some are not. A lovely example of the wide range of Gorey artwork and macabre humor

Lewiston, ID: Confluence Press, Inc., 1990. First Edition. No dust jacket, as issued. Green cloth over boards with crisp gilt design on cover and lettering on spine, signed by Stegner and the author on the title page, limited to 1,000 copies, no edge wear and looks unread, really minor foxing to top page edges, otherwise in near fine condition. Wallace Earle Stegner (1909 - 1993) was an American novelist and short story writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for "Angle of Repose" and the National Book Award for "The Spectator Bird" in 1977. He won numerous other awards and his legacy lives on in many parts of the United States and Canada, with a Stegner Fellowship program in creative writing at Stanford University being one of the highlights. This is a must-have for any Stegner collector

Moscow: Foreign Language Publishing House, 1959. 373 pp. Approximately 5 1/4 x 8". First English Language Edition. Illustrated dust jacket in very good condition with moderate edge wear and tear near spine, price-clipped; Maroon cloth over boards, slightly worn gilt title on spine and crisp gilt design on cover, black and white illustrations throughout, some foxing of top pages edges, otherwise in very good + condition. Ivan Antonovich Yefremov (1908 - 1972) was a Russian paleontologist and science fiction writer. This book is described as a scientific fantasy, telling of the growth of science and engineering on earth which enables us to communicate in a friendly way with others in the universe through the Great Circle. Andromeda was translated by George Hanna and made into a film in 1967 called "The Andromeda Nebula".

Seattle, WA: Sam Garriott Antonacci, 2019. One-of-a-Kind Artist Book. Single sheet fold-out pasted down to rear endpaper which shows mosaic illustration of Italy in prismacolor and ink on Thai Unryu paper, 2 1/4 x 2", blue cloth over boards with illustrated front panel; housed in matching clamshell box with layered illustrated cover, completed with two more boxes with printed book details and label, all in fine condition.According to Sam Garriott Antonacci: "I see many of my books as histories or small personal documents of people, places, or objects." This miniature book is a beautiful homage to Italy, done in the soft Tuscan colors you would expect representing the Italian countryside, with excellent detail paid to the craftsmanship of the enclosing boards and boxes. Sam primarily does one-of-a-kind and limited edition books, mainly miniatures. She was raised in the Ohio River Valley on a rural farm so solitude and nature inform her work. She went to the University of Indiana at Bloomington and… Read More

Ann Arbor, Michigan: Alvey Jones, [2021]. LIMITED EDITION of 2, this being #2. Tan cloth over clamshell box with green spine cloth, lime green acrylic label on cover and green speckled marbling on box edges, enclosed are twenty-six miniature books (scrolls) in various media such as paper and wood (scrolls are non-removable), in fine condition.Alvey Jones is a painter, printmaker and book artist whose work has been exhibited locally and nationally and is in many public and private collections in the United States and Europe. He has a BFA in illustration and design, an MA in art history and he mostly creates miniature books. This book is an homage to the famed ancient library at Alexandria, Egypt, which ceased to exist by the end of the Third century CE and contains miniature books (scrolls) in several languages

New York: Abrams and The Grolier Club, 2007. Miniature edition and exact facsimile of the larger book "Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures" by Bromer & Edison; Maroon silk tie with white/gold/red tiny books from His Favorite Tie Neckwear housed in original plastic box packaging; Navy silk suspenders with red/green/gold books and bronze clasps from Paul Stuart, made in England, all from the estate of Julian Edison, all in fine condition.Julian Edison (1929 - 2017) was an internationally renowned miniature book collector and co-author with Anne. C Bromer of Bromer Booksellers. Julian was an influential support of Washing University Libraries in St. Louis and the Special Collections there has been renamed the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections