Two Psalms for All Seasons

One of 15 copies, small quarto size, [32] pp., the foreword signed by him and his embossed seal at the colophon. Walter Sidney Feldman (1925-2017) received numerous awards and critical praise spanning a lifetime achievement over seven decades; his paintings were shown in numerous one-man and group exhibitions in New York, Mexico City, London, Milan, and Boston. Since 1985, he had designed and published books under the Ziggurat Press imprint he created, and his books are now in more than 150 public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Albert and Victoria Museum in London (n. b. info from Legacy website). From a small brochure we acquired which appears to have accompanied an exhibit, we found the best possible description of Walter Feldman's work: "He has always affirmed both the sacredness and the mystery of reality itself, a spirituality that inheres in the tangible, and one that in its weddedness to materiality is forced to acknowledge the pain as well as the glory of being in the world." (N.b., from "Books & Covers, The Bibliographic Art of Walter Feldman and the Ziggurat Press", by Barton Levi St. Armand, n.d.) This work, "Two Psalms for All Seasons", was created using woodcuts and letterpress, on a variety of Japanese handmade papers. It is a remarkable work, spiritually as well as materially; as Feldman himself explains in his foreword: ".I find the 23rd and 24th psalms especially moving and profoundly beautiful. They are truly sacred poems of the most sublime kind." Feldman's works are somewhat uncommon in the marketplace; as of this writing, we see only one copy of a single work of his online, ours the only copy of this title. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in quarter black cloth over black paper-covered boards, white label with black lettering in a debossed rectangle on the front board, the work opens with a full-page cut with the phrase "Though a host should encamp against me My heart shall not fear" in pencil below, the title page with a small cut, the foreword signed by Feldman in pencil, divisional title pages with a small decoration in black and the Psalm number in red, the page with the text of the 23rd Psalm also with a small cut, this followed by a double-page cut, then the divisional title for Psalm 24, that text with two small cuts, followed by the colophon, this copy No. 1 of 15, the final page with a small cut of (presumably) the Press device; type set by Mollohan Typesetting of West Warwick, Rhode Island and printed on a Vandercook Universal III, on handmade Japanese Hosho and tan Okawara papers, binding small quarto size (10 1/2" tall by 10 5/8" wide), with sixteen unnumbered leaves. ___CONDITION: Fine overall, the boards clean, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; a spot or two of very light foxing and a few light marks to the paper covering the back board, else fine. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note the following: (i) additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs, please inquire for details; and (ii) any taxes, duty, or tariffs charged by your country will, of necessity, be your responsibility. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.…