Fore-edge Painting

London: Richard Bentley, Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty, 1849. First edition. Illustrated. xvi, 445 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. In publisher's presentation pebbled green gilt morocco, with emblematic gilt tooling, a.e.g., a few scuffs to covers. With inscription to Francis Gilbert Dyke Acland on leaving Eton 1861. First edition. Illustrated. xvi, 445 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Publisher's Binding with American Trout Fishing Fore-edge. With a later fore-edge painting of trout fishing on the Chateaugay Lake, Franklin County, New York. Van Winkle, p. 32

Parigi: Presso Lefevre, 1822. 42mo. Fore-edge painting depicting the leaning tower of Pisa along side the Cathedral. 310pp. vol. 30 only. Text in Italian. Bound in full maroon straight grained morocco, slightly raised bands with title gilt, all edges gilt, magnificently rebacked with original spine laid down. A charming little book with early bookplate depicting a royal cape with crown on top and with central initials (?).

Paris: Chez Damonneville, 1741. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good +. Title Page Device; Headpieces; Fore-Edge Painting. Xxiv, 388 Pp. Chocolate Brown Morocco, Five Bands, Gilt Title, Ancient Marbled Endpapers, All Edges Of Boards Gilt, Gilt Turns, Edges Of Page Block All Gilt. Fore Edge Painting Of St. Denis, River In Foreground, Town In Background, Near Paris. Light Rubbing At Corners With Tiny Frays To Two Upper Tips.

London: Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press, 1908. Original decorative vellum spine, cloth boards. With a superb vertical fore-edge painting by Martin Frost after Edward Burne-Jones famous painting, "The Golden Stair." Monogrammed by Frost, premier fore-edge painter, with his authenticity ticket tipped in.

London:: Constable & Company, Ltd., 1916., 1916. Series: Makers of the nineteenth century, edited by Basil Williams. Crown 8vo. viii, 479, [1] pp. Frontispiece portrait of Abraham Lincoln (at Springfield), index, large folding map. Specially bound for Sotheran by Riviere & Son in full black gilt-stamped morocco, all edges gilt; neatly rebacked preserving the original spine. Preserved with the original chemise and cloth slipcase with gilt-stamped calf spine label: "ABRAHAM LINCOLN - LORD CHARNWOOD - 1916 - FORE-EDGE PAINTING". This is also a very rare specimen with the original chemise and box extant. Provenance: ownership names of R. Joseph Rich, Margaret Rich Carr; Joseph Sampsell Carr. Fine. WITH A FORE-EDGE PAINTING BY MS. C. B. CURRIE, showing "a view of Harper's Ferry, W. Virginia." "This is No. 145 of the Books with Fore-edge Paintings by Miss Currie. . . " Painted ca. 1928/9. See: Weber, p. 341 [#145 was previously unknown]. Currie painted a scene of Harper's Ferry on the Life of John Brown,… Read More

Oxford:: Samuel Collingwood, 1821., 1821. Thick 8vo. 1039, [1] pp. All but a few leaves printed in two columns. Original full gilt-stamped red straight grain morocco, lavender endleaves; rebacked preserving original spine. Early ownership inscription. With a fore-edge painting of Canterbury, painted by 'Stevens', ca. 1945-1960. [kMW]

London:: Printed for T. Cadell; and E. Moxon, 1834., 1834. 8vo. vii, 284 pp. Engravings throughout. Bound ca. 1890/1905 in full olive brown crushed morocco, gilt corner decorations, dentelles, a.e.g., marbled endleaves. Bookplates of Alfred Trapnell and Oscar Ehrhardt Lancaster (both owned fore-edge paintings). Very good. With a vertical fore-edge painting of a large urn or vase with a plant. The painting is not signed or dated. PROVENANCE: Alfred Trapnell bookplate, his library sold in NY ca. 1910 ["998" label]. The fore-edge was painted before Trapnell bought the book, as there was another ROGERS in the Phoebe Jane Easton collection that was a clear companion to this volume, also with Trapnell's bookplate. Alfred Trapnell was a famous collector of porcelains. [kmw]

London:: John Reeves, 1802., 1802. 5 volumes. Small 8vo. Original full crimson straight-grained morocco, spines flat and tooled in gilt, all edges gilt; some darkening to covers, but a solid binding, even now after all these years. Bookseller's ticket of Kerby & Bowdery, 190 Oxford Street [England]. Early ownership signature of Charlotte Handbury. Very good. WITH FIVE FORE-EDGE PAINTINGS painted by the "Dover Painter" of Marks & Company, London, ca 1920s, one of the finest fore-edge artists of their day. On volume 1) Worcester Cathedral; 2) St. Paul's Cathedral; 3) York Minster; 4) Canterbury Cathedral, St. Ethelbert's Tower, & St. Augustine's Monastery; 5) Gloucester Cathedral. Each piece is labeled in ink in the artist's handwriting. PROVENANCE: [pre-fore-edge] [James] Kerby & Bowdery [booksellers, U.K.] – Charlotte Hanbury (signature); [Marks & Co., London booksellers – where this became a fore-edge painting], Edward C. Lowe, Birmingham [bookseller, U.K., sold to:] Mrs. Henry B. [Brooke]… Read More

London & New York:: Macmillan, 1903., 1903. Small 8vo. xxviii, 459, [1] pp. Half-title, title vignette (showing the author), indexes, glossary. Original olive-green calf, raised bands, spine with five fleurs-de-lis, all edges gilt, bound by Bumpus, Oxford; rubbed. The inner dentelle shows the initials I.H. (owner's initials). With an erotic fore-edge painting, set within a styled wooden frame, an austere bedroom (the bed being about the only element), a man and a woman, both partly dressed. He is lying on the bed and propped up by two pillows, the lady, with her back facing him, straddling his loins. Painted for Harrington's, London [by their house artist], ca. 1995. PROVENANCE: I.H. [unknown].

New York:: Harcourt, Brace, 1932., 1932. 8vo. xii, 690 pp. Frontis. (portrait of Sherman), plates, index. Deluxe binding in contemporary navy blue crushed levant gilt, purple watered-silk moire endleaves, gilt dentelles, all edges gilt, upper cover with COSWAY-STYLE inset center medallion with glass plate protecting an original watercolor portrait of General Sherman. Protected in the original open-end box bound in half crushed morocco, raised bands, gilt stamps in each compartment, bale blue cloth sides, felt inner lining, cloth ribbon-pull. Beautifully preserved. Ownership inscription. Fine. First edition. Concealed under the gold edge a FORE-EDGE PAINTING of William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), leading his troops to battle in the Civil War. In the scene, it appears that Atlanta (or Savanah?), all ablaze, is in the background (left) and a pasture of cows (right of center), a small rural bridge is in the path ahead leading to the next town. PROVENANCE: Inscribed (half-title) "For my friend Fred… Read More

2° (mm 313x211); cc. 104 [recte]. Pergamena coeva con, ai tagli, decorazioni a secco a forma di carte da gioco. Bellissimo esemplare.
A splendid, unsophisticated copy in its original vellum binding. On the three edges of the book, blind-tooled decorations in the shape of playing cards.
Seconda e definitiva edizione (la princeps è del 1540).
Second edition, definitively enlarged and corrected by the Author.
The books provides answers to fifty questions, thirteen of which are to be asked by men, thirteen of which are to be asked by women, and the remainder of which may be asked by both men and women. The allegory of the human quality or defect corresponding to the question must then be sought and a pair of cards drawn. After further steps involving the drawing of further cards (five in total), one reaches an answer taken from one of the great philosophers. The answers of the philosophers were put into terzine by Lodovico Dolce.
The title woodcut, after a design by the Mannerist painter Francesco… Read More

London:: John Murray, 1818., 1818. 8vo. viii, 576 pp. "3 plates" Original green straight grain morocco, gilt rules, gilt-stamped raised bands, rouge endleaves. Bookplates of John Bolton and Marjorie & Martin Mitau. Very good. With a fore-edge painting under the gold entitled: "Fore Edge, Castle & Bridge of St. Angelo, Tomb of Hadrian." The old Castle at St. Angelo is referenced on p.300: "This imitation of Egyptian deformity must not be supposed to apply to the mausoleum of Hadrian, but to the monstrous divinities, and the fabrics of the Tiburtine villa. The Mole was constructed, it is thought, on the plan, nearly, of the Mausoleum of Augustus or Cecilia Metella." [Aikin]. A classic scene often depicted on fore-edge paintings. Provenance: Martin Mitau (1900–1973) and Marjorie (nee Fleishhacker) Mitau (1906–1983) were both San Franciscans and lived in the Bay Area all their lives. He was a member of Roxburghe Club of San Francisco and the Book Club of California, and their collection was strong… Read More

London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1855. Hardcover. Very Good. An extraordinary copy of this popular 19th century title by the Irish poet. Bound in contemporary green Shagreen with exquisite gold tooling, raised bands at the spine. All edges gilt, the fore-edge features a hidden or "disappearing" painting - visible in full when the page-edges are fanned to the right. According to a previous owner pencil note to the verso of the front endpaper, the image is "Stallion with Brood Mare and Foal". 8vo, pp. 284, with illustration at title page. The binding is firm and square. Rubbing with minor loss of the leather at the corners and at the corners of the backstrip. Very small scuffs at the joints. Previous owner bookplate fixed to front pastedown. Appears to be entirely free from foxing or spotting. Excellent condition and a spectacular example of the bookbinder's art.

London: Printed by W. Wilson for J. Bumpus et al, 1821. Hardcover. Good. Bound in full red contemporary morocco with gilt borders and all edges gilt. pp. x, 242, pp. iv, 280, with frontispiece to vol 1. Minor spotting both volumes, occasional finger-marks or similar. A few Pencil notes to prelims, Cracked at fep, volume 2. Good overall condition, both bindings firm and square. The "disappearing" paintings are visible only when the block is fanned to the right and would otherwise escape notice. Each painting depicts an angling scene - "fly-fishing" and "trolling for pike". I can detect no artist name or monograph. The images have retained their colour well and are in Good condition.

1790. Fine. 14 22 3.5. THIS BOOK IS UNIQUE. Hidden scene on the fore page edges (under the gilding) on both volumes. Tan calf bindings. Gilt embossed edges and centre panel on all sides. Black title plates and gilt banding and titles on the spine. Gilt on all page edges. Dimensions are for one volume. Supplied in a newly made protective box. Magnificent Fore Edge Edition Fore-edge painting: With a double concealed fore-edge painting revealing two scenes. In very good condition. The first known example of a disappearing fore-edge painting (where the painting is not visible when the book is closed) dates to 1649. Around 1750, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings changed from simply decorative or heraldic designs to landscapes, portraits and religious scenes, usually painted in full colour. The technique was popularised in the 18th century by John Brindley (1732-1756), publisher and bookbinder to the Prince of Wales and Edwards of Halifax, a distinguished family of bookbinders and booksellers. The… Read More