Tales from a Century Before: An Episodic Account of a Journey Undertaken in Youth.
Santa Monica, CA: Waverly Books, 2014. Trade paperback. First Edition. 171 pp. 8vo. Clean, crisp copy. Fine. More
Books About Books
An Exhibition of the Books Designed and Written or Edited by Merle Armitage.
Detroit, MI: Detroit Public Library, 1942. Wraps. First Edition. 16 pp. 8vo. Blue paper wraps with a white paper label pasted from rear to front on which the title is printed in red and black. Very minor scuffing, clean within. Endpapers illustrated with red silhouettes of fighting ships from Armitages book, "United States Navy" published in 1940. Laid in is a sheet indicating that this is Keepsake No. 71 from The American Institute of Graphic Arts.
A simple and delightful design by Armitage of this little pamphlet listing his work contained within the Detroit Library and the focus of an exhibition from August 17 - September 19, 1942. A jewel! OCLC shows holdings in only 6 institutions. Very Good. More
Russell Cowles: Forty-Eight Reproductions of Paintings and Twenty Letters by the Artist.
los Angeles, CA: Dalzell Hatfield, 1946. Hardcover. Limited Edition. 53 pp. 4to. Dust jacket has toning from age, front hinge splitting 2/3 of the way down the spine, small chips at edges, now in mylar cover. Red boards with black titling to cove that matches dust jacket. Spine cloth split along front hinge, binding still tight. Toning to edges of interior pages due to time and quality of paper. [Purcell 58].
A classic Merle Armitage production on the artist, Russell Cowles (1887-1979). Produced in an edition of 1,000 copies, this is #252 and signed by both Cowles and Bear on the colophon. Also inscribed by Bear, "Howe/from/D. Bear" in pencil on the first first free endpaper. Good / good... More
Book Collecting: The Last Refuge of the Illiterate.
Salt Lake City, UT: Ken Sanders Rare Books, 2005. Hardcover. Limited Edition. 8 pp. 8vo. Black cloth covered boards with a dark red paper label front and rear that resembles a bookplate. Clean and crisp within. No dust jacket as issued.
Produced in an edition of 126 copies, 100 numbered copies and 26 casebound, lettered and signed by the author at the colophon. Copy "U" of the casebound edition and signed by Bowden at the colophon. Printed by Jason Davis at the verdant press. Fine / Fine. More
Book Collecting: The Last Refuge of the Illiterate.
Salt Lake City, UT: Ken Sanders Rare Books, 2005. Wraps. Limited Edition. 8 pp. Dark red paper covers that resemble a bookplate. Clean and crisp within.
Produced in an edition of 126 copies, 100 numbered copies and 26 casebound, this is copy #36 of the numbered edition and signed by the author at the colophon. Printed by Jason Davis at the verdant press. Fine. More
Biblio: The Intimate Confessions of a Used-Book Dealer.
Niles, MI: Ralph A. Casperson Books, 1997. Trade paperback. First Edition. 271 pp. 8vo. Clean, crisp copy with minor sunning to the spine.
Autobiography of Southwestern Michigan's legendary bookseller, Ralph Casperson (1919-2009). Very Good. More
Printed Books and Manuscripts from the Estate of John F. Fleming.
New York: Christie's, 1988. Wraps. First Edition. 185 pp. 4to. Light bumping at edges. Clean within.
Auction catalog for the Legendary rare book dealer, John Fleming (1910-1987). Very Good. More
1973 Descriptive Catalog of City Lights Publications.
San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 1973. Wraps. First Edition. 40 pp. Oblong 8vo. Very slight wear, clean within. Very Good. More
1975 Catalog of City Lights Publications.
San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, 1975. Wraps. First Edition. 40 pp. Oblong 8vo. Very slight wear, clean within. Very Good. More
Rare Book Catalog No. 2.
San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books, n.d. Wraps. First Edition. Unpag pp. 8vo. Very slight wear, clean within. Very Good. More
Franklin Gilliam: Texas Bookman.
Dallas, TX: Book Club of Texas, 2014. Hardcover. Limited Edition. 59 pp. 8vo. Gray cloth boards with gold embossed logotype of the subject of the volume on the cover, gold titling to spine. No dust jacket, as issued.
An illuminating look at the life of Franklin Gilliam, longtime proprietor of the Brick Row Bookshop and Franklin Gilliam Books. Inscribed to a previous owner by the editor, John Crichton. Published in an edition of 350 copies. Fine. More
At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries.
New York: Carol Southern Books, 1995. Hardcover. First Edition. Ninth Printing. 248 pp. 4to. Clean, crisp copy. Fine / Fine. More
The Private Presses.
Chester Springs, PA: Dufour Editions, Inc., 1969. Hardcover. First Edition. First Printing. 240 pp. 8vo. Scuffing to dust jacket, some staining, small closed tear at upper left corner of front panel, now in mylar cover. Some stainng to foredge, clean within.
A survey of the work of the following presses: Daniel, Kelmscott, Vale, Eragny, Ashendene, Essex House, Doves, Golden Cockerel, Gregynog, and Shakespeare Head. Fine / very good. More
Godine at Fifty: A Retrospective of Five Decades in the Life of an Independent Publisher.
Boston, MA: David R. Godine, 2021. Hardcover. First Edition. First Printing. x, 277 pp. Folio. Clean, crisp copy with dust jacket in mylar cover.
Inscribed by the author on the title page. Printed in an edition of 1500 copies. Fine / Fine. More
The Fifty Best Books on Texas.
Dallas, TX: Pressworks Publishing, 1981. Hard Cover. Limited Edition. 90 pp. 4to. Light buff colored blank dust jacket. Quarter cloth binding with list of books within printed on pastepaper cover, very light color variation. Clean and crisp with errata slip laid in.
Published in an edition of 225 copies, 1-200 offered for sale. Unisgned, and appears to be copy "B", see photograph. Fine / Fine. More
Libros Californianos or Five Feet of California Books.
Los Angeles, CA: Zeitlin & Ver Brugge, 1958. Hardcover. Revised Edition. 87 pp. 8vo. Minor scuffing and light soiling to the yellow paper boards. Printed red paper label attached to the front cover, bumping to corners, cover paper has split along hinge at front cover, now in protective mylar dust jacket.
This edition was revised and enlarged by Lawrence Clark Powell. This edition was printed in an edition of 1,000 copies and is signed by Powell at the colophon. Good. More
The Book Cover in the Weimar Republic.
Cologne, Germany: Taschen, 2015. Hardcover. First Edition. 451 pp. Folio. Clean, crisp copy with light bumping at corners. Clean within. No dust jacket, as issued. Very Good. More
American Celebrations: The Creation and Evolution of the United States as Reflected in the Printed and Written Word 1776-1976.
Austin, TX: The Jenkins Company, 1976. Hardcover. Limited Edition. 312 pp. 4to. Slight wear and chipping to dust jacket, now in mylar cover. Wear to foot of cover boards. Clean within. Printed in an edition of 125 copies, this is #20 and signed by the author at the colophon. Very Good / Very Good. More
Hollywood Bowl.
New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1936. Hardcover. Limited Edition. iii, 203 pp. 8vo. Age toning to the dust jacket with a split halfway down the hinge at the rear panel, losses and chipping at edges, very brittle and now in mylar cover. Blue cloth boards with gold blue embossed titling that matches the dust jacket, gold stars across the head of the front and rear boards, blue stars across the foot of the rear board, some age toning at edges of boards. Very clean and tight within. [Purcell 39].
Published in an edition of 1,000 copies. Very Good / Good. More
Second Impression: A Rural Life with a Rare Bookman.
New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 1995. Hard Cover. First Edition. x, 350 pp. 8vo. Clean and crisp copy with dust jacket in a mylar cover. Fine / Fine. More
Books for Our Time: 1951.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1951. First Edition. 128 pp. 4to. Black cloth boards with white titling to cover and spine. Spine has split along front hinge but still tight to boards. Some scuffing to boards, bumping to corners. Very clean within. No dust jacket. [Purcell 88].
Merle Armitage joins number of designers, publishers, and artists in contributing to this treatise on the state of books and their design in 1951. Armitage contributes the essay, "Attitudes Behind Design" and 23 of his designs are featured. Good. More
The Life of Edward E. Ayer.
Chicago, IL: A.C. McClurg & Company, 1929. Hardcover. First Edition. First Printing. xii, 300 pp. Original glassine dust jacket has small chips, tears, and losses. brown cloth boards with gold titling to cover board and spine, clean and crisp within. Original paper covered slipcase has small chips and scuffs, in Very Good condition.
An early biography of the great library benefactor, Edward Everett Ayer (1841-1927). Everett was one of the founders of the Newberry Library to which he donated his personal collection of approximately 50,000 items between 1897 and 1911. Fine. More
Uncommon Value: A Rare Book Dealer's World.
Ann Arbor, MI: Arbor Libri Press, 1995. Hardcover. First Edition. 146 pp. 8vo. Clean, crisp copy with the dust jacket in a mylar cover. Fine / Fine. More
A Second Book of Booksellers: Conversations with the Antiquarian Book Trade.
London: Sheila Markham Rare Books, 2014. Hardcover. First Edition. 254 pp. 8vo. Clean, crisp copy. Printed in an edition of 500 copies.
Signed by the author on the title page. An entertaining and informative interviews of booksellers from around the world, with a concentration on the UK and Europe. Fine / Fine. More
Landscapes and Bookscapes of California.
Berkeley, CA: The Friends of The Bancroft Library, 1958. Wraps. First Edition. 15 pp. 4to. Dark heavy ivory paper wraps with slight scuffing from shelf wear. Clean within. Very Good. More