Vellum Printing (12 results)

Very scarce and beautiful Mosher printing on Japanese vellum.Sirenicais a 1913 novel by Leith which explores the myth of the Siren Song and the struggle by man for the unobtainable. This copy with an interesting ownership provenance, from journalist Primrose Rupp Hinton who was longtime society editor for theAberdeen Daily World,in Aberdeen, WA. 8vo, 19x14cm, [v], xvi, [3], 142, [1]pp. Two initials printed in red, text printed within borders, few leaves unopened. Bound in gilt stamped parchment boards and in near fine condition with bumped corners. In original plain paper jacket which shows toning and a few tears, and housed in toned paper slipcase with two ownership signatures, one being Primrose Rupp Hinton First edition thus, number 22 of 25 copies printed on Japan Vellum.…

177 x 110 mm. (7 x 4 1/4"). Single column, 33 lines in an attractive gothic type. With hand-illuminated initials, and a FULL-PAGE MINIATURE DEPICTING THE RAISING OF LAZARUS, ILLUMINATED IN COLORS AND GOLD BY A CONTEMPORARY HAND. See Hilary Maddocks, "A Book of Hours by Anthoine Vérard," University of Melbourne Collections, issue 16 (2015), pp. 19-20. One quarter-inch repair to the center of the leaf (which on the recto slightly affects Lazarus' neck, and on the verso affects three letters, which have been neatly touched up), a handful of small chips to the paint, the architectural border somewhat rubbed in the lower right corner, mild soiling to the margins; not without flaws, but a richly and carefully colored leaf that is still pleasing. Richly painted and amply highlighted with brushed gold, this leaf from a printed Book of Hours includes a large miniature depicting the raising of Lazarus. Christ stands, arm extended in benediction, over the newly reawakened Lazarus, who gazes up at him, standing upright in his grave. A crowd looks on, with a well-dressed man crouched in front of the grave, apparently having helped Lazarus to stand. Our illuminator has enhanced the drama of the moment, with the rosy cheeks of the bystanders emphasizing Lazarus' deathly pallor, and with Jesus' shimmering robe distinguishing him from the crowd. The faces and folds of cloth are delicately shaded, and the minutely detailed lines of gold carefully applied, stylistically tying this printed leaf to the fully hand-painted Books of Hours that printed versions were slowly replacing during the early years of the 16th century. The composition seems to come from a suite of illustrations designed by illuminator Jean Pichore (fl. 1490-1521), done for the printer Gilles (also Gillet) Hardouyn.…

197 x 130 mm. (7 3/4 x 5 1/8"). Single column, 28 lines, gothic typeface. Ruled in red, two one-line initials and two three-line initials painted in gold on red or blue ground, and A LOVELY, ANIMATED FULL PAINTED BORDER done by hand, with trompe-l'oeil flowers (one leaf also with a moth) on painted gold ground. Top margin a little small, light soiling to vellum, borders with a couple superficial scratches and tiny smudges, but in excellent condition overall. These beautifully embellished leaves from a printed Book of Hours demonstrate the enduring demand for manuscript illumination in the incunabular period and beyond. While the text here was completed on a printing press, the initials and borders were done entirely by hand, adding luxury and luster to otherwise unadorned pages. Although these leaves likely belonged to a Book of Hours printed in Paris (possibly an edition printed for Nicolas Viven in or around 1503), the trompe-l'oeil style seen in the borders was particularly popular among Flemish and Netherlandish illuminators of the period. Because of the artist's use of subtle shading to indicate shadows, the large blossoms here seem to pop off the page, and one of the leaves contains a delicate little moth--attracted, perhaps, by the gleaming painted gold ground.…

257 x 185 mm. (10 1/4 x 7 1/4"). 8 p.l., 91 pp.Translated by Nicolas Grudius. Handsome dark brown crushed morocco tooled in gilt and blind by the Club Bindery for Robert Hoe (stamp-signed and dated 1903 on front turn-in and with Hoe's monogram on front pastedown), covers with frame of double gilt rules enclosing repeated blind-stamped medallions, central panel with blind-ruled lozenge and rectangle, the latter with oblique gilt fleurons at corners, raised bands, spine compartments ruled in blind, with gilt fleuron centerpiece and gilt floral buds at corners, gilt lettering, vellum endleaves, all edges gilt (tiny, invisible repairs at top of spine and front joint). With two full-page armorial engravings by Cornelius Galle, one the arms of the Spanish monarch, the other the insignia of the Order, engraved head- and tailpieces. Front pastedown with morocco bookplate of Robert Hoe, as well as engraved bookplates of Arthur & Charlotte Vershbow and David Godine. Bibl. Belg. I, 692; Voet II, 1017; Van Praet V:161-2; Brunet Supp. I:291; USTC 1007848. Boards slightly bowed (as almost inevitable with vellum books), text a bit wavy (also as expected), occasional faint smudges or dustsoiling at edges, but AN EXTREMELY PLEASING COPY, the vellum creamy and bright, the binding very lustrous. This is the luxurious vellum printing of the rules of the Order of the Golden Fleece, bound in 16th century style for the renowned bibliophile Robert Hoe by the workshop he co-founded and supervised for much of its existence. Founded in 1429 by Philip, Duke of Burgundy, the exclusive Order of the Golden Fleece was the most distinguished knighthood in the Holy Roman Empire, being limited to just 24 members. Its primary purpose was to preserve and protect the Catholic faith, as well as to uphold the 12 knightly virtues outlined by Philip: Faith, Charity, Justice, Sagacity, Prudence, Temperance, Resolution, Truth, Liberality, Diligence, Hope, and Valor. Those deserving to be collared with the order's golden necklace (featuring an appended ram that gave the group its name) swore to support their monarch militarily, and in return they were exempt from taxes as well as being entitled to be tried for any crimes by a jury restricted to their fellow knights. The "Rules" or "Statutes" that make up the text here dictate the (very strict) obligations and behavioral guidelines for its members, including proscriptions against such things as fleeing a battle out of cowardice or embracing beliefs antithetical to the Church, along with a number of procedural decrees governing, for example, how, exactly, to participate in ceremonial occasions. The earliest Latin edition of the "Constitutiones," translated from the French by the secretary of the Order, Flemish poet Nicolaus Grudius (1504-70), was printed by Guillaume Silvius at the Plantin Press in 1566. In total, four vellum editions were issued over the next 200 years, all now rare. The present copy collates as the 1626 edition issued by Balthasar Moretus, which the Belgian national bibliography tells us was printed for the king of Spain with 50 copies on vellum and 25 on paper. Our copy was bound in 1903 for Robert Hoe (1839-1909), a founder of the Grolier Club and one of the world's great book collectors. After Grolier was established in 1884, it soon became apparent that the country's few established hand binders were overtaxed in providing repairs and rebinding for the club members' rapidly accumulating acquisitions. As a consequence, in 1895, Grolier members, along with Edwin Holden and other wealthy collectors, established the Club Bindery in order to attract European craftsmen to provide, close to home, fine quality binding work rivalling what was available abroad. The Club Bindery was in operation until 1909, with Hoe being its most influential manager and client. It provided bindings that tended to be traditional in style--though frequently with elaborate decoration--and that lived up to its patrons' expectation.…

260 x 152 mm. (10 x 1/4 x 6"). 2 p.l., 146 pp., [1] leaf (notes). Translated by Maria Henrietta Montolieu. Very pleasing contemporary straight-grain scarlet morocco, gilt, by Charles Hering (binder's ticket on verso of front flyleaf), covers bordered with a wide frame of multiple patterned rolls with rosette cornerpieces, enclosing a delicate frame of a dotted roll cornered small floral tools, raised bands, spine gilt in compartments, wide turn-ins sumptuously gilt, cream silk endleaves with gilt borders and fleuron cornerpieces, all edges gilt. WITH EIGHT ENGRAVINGS BY FRANCESCO BARTOLOZZI IN TWO STATES, one on gold silk and the second on paper. EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with two engravings depicting Princess Izabela Czartoryska and her daughter Zofia. A Large Paper Copy. Henrey 624. See also Clemens Alexander Wimmer, "The Princess and the Poles," Historic Gardens Review, no. 10 (2002): 14-17. Spine slightly darkened, joints and edges with minor (barely noticeable) wear, vellum a bit (and naturally) rumpled (and consequently the book yawning a bit), a handful of light spots, but still an extremely appealing copy with fine impressions of the plates, vast margins, and a special story to tell. Printed on vellum, richly bound, and illustrated with attractive plates on silk, this is an extraordinarily luxurious copy of Delille's famous poem on gardens that almost certainly belonged to a noblewoman whose gardens are mentioned in the text. First published in 1780, our poem condemns formal gardens and broad promenades in favor of a gardening art which hides its artistry by reproducing the asymmetrical groupings of nature and careless bounty of the countryside. This view accords with the translation of Virgil's "Georgics" done by Delille (1738-1813) in 1769, a version that brought him great acclaim for its supple and sonorous versification. In fact, it so pleased the Count of Artois (the future Charles X) that he named Delille abbot of Saint-Séverin; however, revolution disrupted things, and the poet for a time led a wandering life in Switzerland, Germany, and England, where this updated and expanded version of "Gardens" was published in 1801. The present special edition includes the plates which had appeared as head- and tailpieces in the first edition but now used as stand-alone plates in two states. These were executed by Bartolozzi after originals by Portuguese neoclassical painter Francisco Vieira. In addition to the called-for suite of illustrations, our copy includes two inserted plates, portraits of Princess Izabela Czartoryska (1745-1835) and her daughter Zofia. Czartoryska was a major figure in the Polish Enlightenment as a writer and patron of the arts, as well as an advocate for improving the lives of the poor. She is best remembered for the sprawling gardens at her palace in Pu awy, which included a formal garden, a "wild promenade" or landscape park, and multiple structures, including the neoclassical Temple of the Sibyl, which became one of Poland's first museums. She made the acquaintance of the author while travelling through Paris in 1791, and the two struck up a friendship. She financially backed the second edition of the work in exchange for a mention of her gardens, which duly appears in heightened verse on pp. 11-13: "Favoured Pulhavi! You from Heaven obtain / Each separate charm Earth's choicest scenes contain; / Bright glow thy features fresh from Nature's hand, / Excite our wonder, and our praise command." The presence of this poetic tribute--and especially the inserted plates showing the princess and her daughter-- clearly suggest that the our apparently unique luxury edition must have been a presentation copy to Czartoryska herself. The present copy is as striking outside as it is inside. Charles Hering was the most distinguished and influential English binder of the first decade of the 19th century, and although his career was brief (from about 1795-1812), Ramsden focuses on his work as representing the transition.…

260 x 195 mm. (10 1/4 x 7 3/4"). vii, [1], 235, [1] pp. Publisher's stiff vellum, smooth spine with gilt lettering, edges untrimmed. In a modern felt-lined blue buckram drop-back box. Decorative initials in red or blue, title page and text leaves with full cribl? border of vined foliation, occasionally inhabited, eight or 10 leaves with more extensive illustrations at head or foot, all engraved by W. J. Linton after illustrations by John Franklin. Front pastedown with ex-libris of Marion Hope Rattey. A Large Paper Copy. McLean, "Victorian Book Design," p. 184. Short, thin cracks to head and tail of front joint, spine vaguely soiled, upper cover with two very small brown spots and one trivial red mark, occasional mild rumpling or naturally occurring variations in the grain or thickness of the vellum (as usual), a couple of minor smudges, but still a very agreeable copy, the binding solid, and without the splaying common in vellum books, the interior clean, fresh, and bright, and the margins extraordinarily wide. This is an infrequently encountered copy of a beautiful Victorian book on vellum, issued by one of the era's top printers. The volume was printed by Edmund Evans (1826-1905), who is now best remembered for his illustrations and advances in color wood engravings. Relatively little is known about this book's production: Ruari McLean tells us that it was "entirely printed" by Evans, but it is unknown whether he was responsible for the design as well (McLean remarks that "if Evans was responsible for its design, it shows his superiority in book-making"). We also are unsure how many copies were printed on vellum, although the general consensus is 10. Regardless, as McLean tells us, "it is one of the prettiest books of the 'sixties," with sharp, deep impressions of the type on the rich, creamy vellum, jewel-like colored initials, and elegant wood-engraved illustrations. These illustrations are the work of John Franklin (ca.1800-68), a painter and draftsman who was highly respected in his own time. The precisely realized borders feature idealized human forms posed within a robust botanical (largely acanthus) context, the figures posing with balletic grace, their expressive faces often turned gently away from the reader. The size of the leaf here is significant: the untrimmed edges retain their tiny printing pinholes which would normally have been trimmed away, with regrettable loss. And, not surprisingly, our vellum printing is almost never seen: we could trace just two copies at auction since 1924. Former owner Marion Hope Rattey (1922-97) was likely the daughter of bibliographer Clifford C. Rattey (1886-1970), whose impressive library featured incunabula and block prints. ONE OF PERHAPS 10 COPIES PRINTED ON VELLUM. …

No. 1 OF 140 COPIES, all on vellum. 195 x 131 mm. (7 3/4 x 5 1/8"). [1] p.l. (frontispiece), 3-11, [2] pp. Original stiff vellum over thin boards, front cover with embossed rose design. In custom-made linen clamshell box with red morocco label on spine. Hand-colored woodcut frontispiece and final tailpiece, both by Reginald Savage, hand-painted initials in burnished gold, red, blue, or green. Printed in black and red. Front pastedown with red morocco bookplate of William Andrews Clark, Jr.; front endleaves with evidence of bookplate and inscription removal. Tomkinson, p. 76; Ransom, p. 268; Franklin, p. 200. A VERY FINE COPY, clean, bright, and free of the splaying that very frequently afflicts the boards of this work. This is a most appealing example of the luxurious hand-crafted volumes produced under the auspices of the Essex House Press, with our copy coming from the library of a noted Dryden collector. The book is the 11th from the Essex House series of 14 "Great Poems in the English Language," a group of lovely little works all printed on vellum and with delightful colored illustrations and historiated initials. Generally considered to be the best example in English of the choric hymn, the present work is set at a feast given by Alexander the Great, who finds himself entranced by the poet and lyrist Timotheus. The great leader is lost in reveries of exploits and victory, he sighs and cries over battles lost and warriors slain, and he finds inspiration for new conquests. Our printer C. R. Ashbee founded the Essex House Press in 1898 by purchasing the presses and other production equipment (though not the type) formerly owned by the Kelmscott Press, which had shut down at the death of William Morris. Ashbee printed books for 12 years with vellum, ink, and paper identical to that used by Kelmscott in an effort to carry on the tradition Morris had established. But the Essex House Press, because it was conceived of and continued as part of a larger enterprise involving various artisans at work in a group of workshops (at Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts located at Essex House in London's Mile End Road), always had its own special identity, a fact which Cave reflects when he calls it the "Arts and Crafts press 'par excellence.'" The illustrator here, Reginald Savage (fl. 1886-1904), is deemed by Houfe "a talented and imaginative designer and woodcut artist," and Houfe notes that he was also commended by his fellow illustrator, Walter Crane (1845-1915), for his "weird designs." Former owner William Andrews Clark, Jr. (1877-1934) put together one of the most distinguished collections of English and French literature of his day. He had strong holdings in many areas, but especially in Shakespeare and the other Elizabethans, in Dryden, in Oscar Wilde, and in the French drama. After a fire in his home in 1923, Clark constructed a separate fireproof building to house his collection; in 1926, this library building, with its distinguished collection, was deeded to the University of California and now serves as a prominent center for literary research.…

292 x 248 mm. (11 1/2 x 9 3/4"). xxvi pp., [46] leaves (all leaves French fold). Edited by Cecil Roth. Elegant original blue crushed morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe (signed on front turn-in), covers with gilt French fillet border and large intricate central figure designed by Szyk of a patriarch holding a goblet and book, raised bands, spine gilt in double ruled compartments with ornate crown centerpiece, gilt titling, turn-ins with double gilt-ruled and scalloped border surrounding an illustrated silk doublure featuring a Szyk portrait of Moses with the Ten Commandments done in shades of gray within a frame of elaborate design. In an excellent velvet-lined box of blue half morocco over lighter blue cloth, upper cover with central lion's head in gilt on blue morocco, spine like that of the book. WITH 14 FULL-PAGE AND 32 SMALLER COLOR REPRODUCTIONS OF DESIGNS BY SZYK. English translation printed in black, commentary printed in red. Front flyleaf inscribed in ink: "To Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Brachman / very cordially / Arthur Szyk / New York. April 1945." Very faint naturally occurring variations in the grain of the vellum, otherwise a pristine copy. With an important Holocaust-related authorial inscription, this is a very fine copy of what the London Times described as "a book worthy to be placed among the most beautiful of books that the hand of man has produced." Arthur Szyk (1894-1951), a Polish Jew, is considered by scholars to be the greatest 20th century illuminator. Using the style of the Medieval illuminated manuscript artists, he has here created a Haggadah for Passover that is at once a beautiful book of devotion, a political protest against the rise of Nazism, and a plea for England's help for the Jews of Europe. By 1939, Szyk's anti-Nazi cartoons had caused Hitler to put a price on his head, forcing him to flee to England. His original illustrations for his "Haggadah," featuring the villains of the Exodus with the heads of Hitler, Goebbels, and other leading Nazis, had to be toned down before publication. All 46 pages of the Hebrew text are illustrated with scenes from the Passover story, as well as vignettes of Jewish life in modern Europe?sometimes Szyk mixes the two to great effect. Perhaps the most moving illustration in the book is the elaborately illustrated dedication to King George VI of England, appealing for his mercy to European Jews. The great symbols of the British Empire?the lion and unicorn, St. George defeating the dragon?surround Szyk's plea to the king: "At the feet of your most gracious majesty I humbly lay these works of my hands, shewing forth the affliction of my people Israel." In the lower right corner of the painting, we see Jewish refugees beside one of the ships which were usually turned away from British shores, while Szyk depicts himself leaning against the painting, his brush and easel in hand. The text here is enriched by the historical introduction and the commentary contributed by Cecil Roth (1899-1970), the preeminent British expert on Jewish history. This crowning achievement of Szyk's life was four years in the making, and has proved to be an enduring treasure. Szyk presented this copy to Texas oilfield supply magnate Solomon "Sol" Brachman (1896-1974) and his wife Etta. The son of a Latvian Jew, Brachman was the founding president of the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth in 1936, and helped arrange an emergency $100,000 bank loan for Israel on the eve of statehood in 1948. His wife, who served as president of the National Council of Jewish Women, was known as "the mother of Hadassah." Szyk's 1945 inscription was no doubt especially meaningful to this devout family, whose Latvian relatives were among the 90 percent of that country's Jews who perished in the Holocaust. No. 72 OF 125 COPIES SIGNED BY THE ARTIST AND THE EDITOR for sale in the British Empire.…

FIRST EDITION. 135 x 82 mm. (5 1/4 x 3 1/4"). 39 [of 40] leaves (lacking C4). Two volumes (one as issued, the other a companion volume containing related plates, without any title page). Very pretty late 18th or early 19th century red morocco, covers bordered by delicate cresting roll with leaf cornerpieces, smooth spine gilt in compartments with leafy centerpieces, gilt lettering, turn-in with gilt floral roll, pale blue watered silk endleaves, all edges gilt. Supplemental volume in late 19th century red half morocco over red paper boards, similarly tooled spine. Housed together in a custom-made modern wooden box with sliding panel closure, a heart mosaic in multi-colored hard-grain leather on its sides. Amoris Divini WITH engraved title page, and 38 (of 39; lacking plate XXXIV) ENGRAVED PLATES, 35 OF THEM ON VELLUM, ALL DELICATELY COLORED AND HEIGHTENED IN GOLD (plates 19, 29, 30, 31, and 36 bound after text pages for plates 31, 36, 29, 30, and 34, respectively); second volume with 45 plates on paper (though without any text), including many of these same emblems, apparently from a later edition of this work, ALL DAINTILY HIGHLIGHTED WITH GILT. Front pastedown of first volume with monogram book label in colors and gilt, verso of front free endpaper with oval armorial bookplate "Ex Museo Van Der Helle" (see below). De Vries, "De Nederlandsche Emblemata" 121; Landwehr "Low Countries" 33; Praz, p. 254; Brunet I, 240 (this copy?); Delbergue-Cormont, "Biblioth?que de M. Van der Helle," Paris, 10 F?vrier 1868, lot 69 (this copy). Amoris spine very slightly dulled, occasional hints of marginal thumbing, but A LOVELY COPY, clean and fresh internally with rich colors and glistening gold, in a well-preserved binding; supplemental plates with faint marginal browning, but excellent internally, the engravings gently shimmering with gold, and the binding with few signs of wear. The main volume here comprises a collection of emblems illustrating concepts of human and divine love; it is made all the more special by being printed on vellum, beautifully hand colored, and then delicately highlighted with gold. The emblems depict Divine Love as a beardless young man with nimbus who always represents love in its purest form. Human love, or worldly love, is variously embodied in a winged Cupid (sometimes blindfolded) who represents erotic love and who is accompanied by symbols of treasure or power that represent worldly desires. Landwehr, Praz, and De Vries make no mention of a vellum edition, but Brunet describes one copy on vellum painted in colors and gold, which he says sold at the Duriez auction. That book appeared as lot 3216 in "Catalogue des livres imprim?s et manuscrits, composant la biblioth?que de feu M. L.-M.-J. Duriez (de Lille), membre de la Soci?t? des Bibliophiles fran?ais" (Paris, J.-S. Merlin, 1827), where its binding description matches our copy. Having uncovered no other hand-colored copies on vellum in auction records or in OCLC, we think it quite likely that the present volume is, in fact, the Duriez copy. Louis Duriez (1753-1825) was a Lille lawyer of sufficient skill and cleverness to move without incident from serving as lieutenant provost for his district under King Louis XVI to becoming receiver of the district of Lille after the revolution (1791) and purchasing the estate of an aristocrat which had been seized by the state. He rose to successively more important and remunerative governmental positions and was named Knight of the Royal Order of the Legion of Honor in 1814. In 1820, he was one of the founding members of the Soci?t? des Bibliophiles fran?ais, an elite group limited to 24 scholarly collectors. After his death, his collection of more than 5,000 carefully chosen works was dispersed at 59 auctions held between 22 January and 1 April 1828 at Maison Silvestre in Paris. A perusal of the lots on offer finds a strong emphasis on fine bindings, works on vellum, and illustrated books, many noting hand coloring. The emblems in the.…

ONE OF ONLY 50 COPIES. 195 x 122 mm. (7 3/4 x 4 7/8"). 1 p.l., x, 103, [1] pp.From George Bannatyne's manuscript compiled A.D. 1568. BEAUTIFUL CITRON CRUSHED MOROCCO, ELABORATELY TOOLED IN GILT, BY RAMAGE (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with six concentric frames--intricate filigree roll, pointillé-tooled floral vine, and alternating small ornaments--enclosing a central panel with cornerpieces semé with rows of fleurs-de-lys, large oval medallion at center radiating ornate fleurons, raised bands, spine compartments with large central medallion containing a vase of flowers, delicate tooling in corners, gilt titling, turn-ins framed by filigree roll and alternating small ornaments, brown and tan silk jacquard endleaves patterned in a Medieval motif, top edge gilt. Printer's device on title page, decorative woodcut initials and headpieces. Spines evenly sunned to a warm honey brown, corners lightly rubbed, short, faint scratch to lower board, but the binding virtually unworn and happily free of the splaying that plagues vellum books. Leaves lightly rumpled, but A VERY FINE COPY, the vellum leaves creamy, clean, and bright, and the binding glittering with gold. Printed on luxurious vellum and limited to just 50 copies (presumably for private circulation among friends of the printer), this is a lovely edition of 16th century poems by a mysterious author, believed to have been a poet and musician associated with the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. This work contains all 36 extant poems attributed to Scott (ca. 1520-82/3), including what is considered to be his most historically important work, "Ane New Yeir Gift to Quene Mary" (1562), written in support of the young Scottish queen caught between Catholic and Protestant agendas. His other poems consist largely of lyric verses on love and sexuality, which DNB describes as possessing "exceptional metrical variety and vernacular directness" with "a musician's ear for rhythm and melody." Scott's poems are known to us via the Bannatyne manuscript (now held in the National Library of Scotland), which ranks among the most important documents of Scottish Medieval literature. Written by George Bannatyne in 1568 during a period of confinement due to an outbreak of plague, it contains a mixture of both secular and religious material, including the sole extant copies of several texts. In the preface to the present work, the publisher notes that Scott's poetry has been faithfully reproduced from that manuscript, and thus, "for the first time, accurately printed." Very little is known regarding the life of Alexander Scott, but he seems to have been attached to the court of Mary Stuart through John Erskine, a guardian and counselor to the queen. Given the very limited number of copies made, it is not surprising that this work is extremely rare on the market. …

223 x 148 mm. (8 7/8 x 5 3/4"). 50 pp. [2] leaves.Translated and with an afterword by Wolfram Benda. Publisher's fine burgundy morocco by Erwin Lehr, upper cover with gilt rose in recessed square, flat spine with gilt titling, turn-ins with gilt fillet frame, pale yellow silk pastedowns. In the original burgundy suede slipcase. With three large initials in burnished gold and four signed and numbered original etchings by Peter Klitsch. Printed in red and black. Signed in the colophon by the artist, the binder, and the publisher/translator. In mint condition. This is the splendid deluxe version of a finely crafted private press edition of Wilde's fairy tales "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Happy Prince," and "The Selfish Giant." It is the third work issued by the Bear Press, founded in 1979 by literary scholar Wolfram Benda and still in operation. According to the firm's website, "at a time when the craftsmanship and ethos of the artisan in bookmaking have been damaged by ever-increasing industrialization and neglect . . . The Bear Press . . . tries to achieve the highest possible degree of technical and artistic perfection in its printed works." The font used to print the text and the artist chosen to illustrate each work are carefully selected to express "the individual author's personality and intention." Even the discriminating aesthete Wilde (1854-1900) would be pleased with the choices here, especially for the luxurious vellum printing: the type is set in refined Walbaum Antiqua, and shown off with special effect by the creamy leaves; the etchings by Austrian artist Peter Klitsch (b. 1934) are meticulous, detailed, and reminiscent of the work of Wilde's friend Aubrey Beardsley; and the binding is the epitome of tasteful restraint, flawlessly executed with premium materials. The three tales here first appeared in 1888, and are bittersweet in their themes of love and self-sacrifice. His stories for children were one of Wilde's early successes, and DNB notes, "Their permanent place in child affections refutes the vulgarism that Wilde's literary reputation arose from his legal notoriety. In all cases [the fairy tales] are on the child's side, celebrating the courage and generosity of the poor and vulnerable, while their satire mocks the kind of pomposity and hypocrisy children can recognize." We have been able to trace just two other copies of the vellum printing at auction in ABPC and RBH. No. 1 OF 10 COPIES ON VELLUM (plus a "special" edition of 25 copies and 185 copies on Kochi Japanese paper).…

206 x 140 mm. (8 1/8 x 5 1/2"). xxxii, 247 pp., [1] leaf (colophon).With a bio-bibliographical notice by Fernand Drujon. Pleasing burgundy Jansenist crushed morocco by Canape et Corriez (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in, dated 1930 on rear turn-in), raised bands, turn-ins richly gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt on the rough. Decorative head- and tail-pieces throughout and eight engraved plates, comprised of a frontispiece portrait in four states (one on vellum, three on paper) and an allegorical vignette, also in four states. Verso of front free endpaper with ex-libris of Jean Furstenberg. âTwo small dark spots to upper cover, a couple of leaves with naturally occurring minor discoloration to vellum, but A FINE COPY--especially clean, fresh, and bright internally, and in a lustrous, unworn binding. Given its illustrious provenance and its singular status as the only copy printed on vellum, this is a quintessentially bibliophilic copy of the poems of French cleric and diplomat Cardinal François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis (1715-94). Admired as a witty epigrammist at the court of Louis XV, where Madame de Pompadour presided, Bernis composed poems on such conventional themes as love and the natural world, but also verses contemplating manners and mores, fashion, independence, and love of country. Since none of his poems was published before his death, he was not widely known as a poet during his lifetime, but, in another sphere, he performed important service to his country as France's ambassador to Rome. He provided shelter and succour there for refugees from the French Revolution, earning the papal epithet "Protector of the Church of France." The present work was printed for Count Alfred Werlé, whose father had inherited the Veuve Clicquot Champagne house from the Widow Clicquot. Alfred took over the operation in 1884 and greatly expanded the Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin vineyards. The volume subsequently passed into the library of the great collector Jean (or Hans) Furstenberg (1890-1982), who put together one of the finest collections of 18th century books ever assembled. In 1974 the Furstenberg collection was sold en bloc to Dr. Otto Schäfer, whose marvelous library had already become distinguished for its fine and historic bindings. UNIQUE COPY ON VELLUM, printed for M. A. Werlé.…