Product Type
Condition
Binding
Collectible Attributes
Seller Location
Seller Rating
Published by Prague: Pribehy, 1945
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Octavo 21x13 cm., 1/2-cloth, 123 (1) pp., with seven woodcuts by Josef Vachal. The first and only edition of this work with Vachal woodcuts. Josef Vachal (1884-1969) was a visionary artist and writer, a spiritualist whose works make him a parallel William Blake. His spooky ecotplasmic depictions fit well with the Dickens tale. OCLC locates three North American holdings (DePaul, Harvard, Indiana). Near fine copy.
Seller Inventory # 4428
Published by Prague: Alois Konicek, 1911
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition Signed
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Octavo, ½-calf from the era with original wrappers preserved, Octavo 21 x 15.5 cm, unpag.(50pp). Symbolist tales with a social twist (Albert D'abel, Prítel a milenec) with 4 woodcuts and title design by Josef Váchal. Author Antonin Macek (1873-1924) was a left wing journalist, novelist, playwright and Symbolist poet. A political activist, he founded the communist party in 1921, and helped to establish workers journals throughout his working life. A bibliophile edition of 35 numbered copies; this unnumbered, but signed by Macek on justification page. Sanka 504. Three copies in North American libraries. Signed by Author(s).
Seller Inventory # 4373
Published by Brno: Cerven (S.K. Neumann), 1912
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Octavo, cloth, 88pp. Edition of 300.Three early texts by Flaubert, with afterword by Stanislav K. Neumann. Notebooks of the young Flaubert from his travels, with four full-page original woodcuts and a vignette by Váchal, in a handsome bibliofile edition. Váchal offers images of exotic nudes and a portrait to illustrate the adventurous text. This is early Váchal work, when he was involved in the Sursum symbolist group, initiating his rebellion against hypocrisy and the fake morality of the day, while celebrating passion as intrinsically good. Neumann commissioned the printing from Brno to Poltika in Vinohrady under Vachal's guidance. Worldcat finds this in three North American libraries (Toronto, U.Indiana, Northwestern). Rare.
Seller Inventory # 4121
Published by Prague: Politika, 1929
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition
Soft cover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Quarto 24x16.5 cm., new bound wrappers, 403 (6)pp. 42 woodcuts, 1 linocut, 4 photos, unnumbered copy in an edition of 457. This copy uncut, in newly bound wrappers preserving the original cover illustration. Hand printed by his partner Anna Macková at her expense in a private edition under Vachal's press name Politika. An autobiographical memoir of Vachal's participation in WWI as a soldier on the front. The river valley Soca in modern Slovenia had a profound and lasting impact on Váchal, where its surrealistic beauty contrasted with the blood and gore of battle. As a soldier, Váchal drew and wrote prolifically under terrifying conditions, where his visionary, spiritist temperament met a charnal ground. OCLC locates 3 holdings in North America (PA State, Univ IL, Indiana). Later printings lack original graphics. This copy fine.
Seller Inventory # 4379
Published by Prague: Politika, 1920
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Duodecimo 15.5 x 11.5 cm., wrappers, 44 (1)pp. First Czech edition of this translation. Woodcut cover and frontispiece by Josef Váchal. Very uncommon occult novel by Alexej Tolstoj (1817-1875) who contributed to the world of occult literature in addition to being an important dramatist and poet. This work is translated by Josef France. The cover is a fine work by Váchal introducing transparent imagery in his work. OCLC finds one North American institutional holding (Yale). Remarkably very good condition, considering thin paper wrapper.
Seller Inventory # 4158
Published by Brno: Cerven, 1912
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Book First Edition
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. With four original woodcuts by Vachal, and a color ex-libris. Octavo 18.5x14.5 cm., cloth, 88pp. Edition of 300 copies. Three early texts by Flaubert, with afterword by Stanislav K. Neumann. Notebooks of the young Flaubert from his travels, with four full-page original woodcuts and a vignette by Váchal, in a handsome bibliofile edition. Váchal offers images of exotic nudes and a portrait to illustrate the adventurous text. This is early Váchal work, when he was involved in the Sursum symbolist group, initiating his rebellion against hypocrisy and the fake morality of the day, while celebrating passion as intrinsically good. Neumann commissioned the printing from Brno to Poltika in Vinohrady under Vachal's guidance. Includes an ex-libris by Vachal. Worldcat finds this in three North American libraries (Toronto, U. Indiana, Northwestern). Rare.
Seller Inventory # 4412
Published by Prague: Miroslav Beznoska, 1923
Seller: Michael Fagan Fine Art & Rare Books, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Art / Print / Poster First Edition
Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Woodcuts to Mystics and Visionaries. A Cycle of Woodcuts from the Period of 1911-1913. Folio in wrappers (21-5/8 x 15-3/8 inches), prints are 8-1/4 x 8-1/4 inches. Five woodcuts saluting the life of mystics and seers: Strom Zivota (The Tree of Life), Cornelius Agrippa, Jakob Boehme, Angelus Silesius and Katarina Emmerichová, all loose as issued, in paper folio with titles and artist's signature on rear cover. Each print bears Váchal's blind-stamp. These were selected from the original printing of ten images under the title Mystikové a visionari. First edition thus. A number of books and catalogues attribute one image from this set to William Blake, from the mistaken attribution in the great 1994 Váchal memorial exhibition. That refers to another of the original ten and we offer it separately; please inquire. The edition itself, without note of limitation, comes from a later date than the first release in 1913 and was released sometime around 1923. This later edition suggests the selection Váchal chose as the best of the original set. Josef Vachal (1884-1969) was a Czech painter, printmaker, book artist and writer, visionary and idiosyncratic. He is sometimes called the Czech William Blake because of the parallels to the great British artist found in his poems and book making. He occupies a unique place in Czech modern culture. He celebrated Pagan, magical and alchemical traditions with intense spirituality and burning social criticism. An outsider all of his life, he was recognized as an Artist of Merit by the state in his last year as a small token of esteem. OCLC locates two institutional holding worldwide (Thomas Fischer Toronto, Northwestern Univ).
Seller Inventory # 5033