Smith Corvo Baron (2 results)

For the background to this letter see D'Arch Smith's memoir 'The Times Deceas'd: The Rare Book Department of The Times Bookshop in the 1960s' (2003). The obituary of the recipient Andrew Block (1892-1987) in 'The Private Library' was subtitled 'the doyen of booksellers'; his business was established in 1911. 1p, 4to. Aged and lightly creased. Signed 'Tim', with Block writing 'D'ARCH SMITH' beside this. Begins: 'My dear Andrew: / Thanks so much for looking after me so well on Saturday. I am thrilled with the Gozzi book (plates hand-coloured!) and am delighting people with the Corvos.' He asks him to 'scribble' his signature over the stamp on his receipt and return it to the shop or his home address. He will return 'in about a fortnight's time'.…

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. First Edition 8vo. 3 page folded leaflet/ prospectus and order form for a proposed 150 page book by Victor Hall with intro by Tim D'Arch Smith (Vic-Tim). 220 by 145 mms. Cover illus of a Venice street scene (probably by Donald Weeks) The jacket was to be by Tom Adams and endpaper drawings by Donald Weeks. It was to have been an additional 500 copies at 42 shillings each and the first of Corvne trilogy about Corvo's time in Venice with views of the Pallazzo Marcello, his tomb on the cemetery island of San Michele reproductions of two Italian newspaper reports of his death, etc. This was a 'ghost book' i.e it never appeared and this announcement with good one page text by one or both Victim Press owners is the only record of a book that sadly never appeared. No copies found at WorldCat (OCLC) the worldÕs largest library catalogue. Parts of the original manuscript are hel at University of Texas About fine.…