• Fonsie Mealy’s
    Chatsworth Summer Fine Art Sale
    18th June 2025
    Fonsie Mealy, June 18: William IV, c1830, oversized slope-top Rosewood Davenport Desk, Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.
    Fonsie Mealy, June 18: William IV, c1830, oversized slope-top Rosewood Davenport Desk, Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.
    Fonsie Mealy, June 18: William IV, c1830, oversized slope-top Rosewood Davenport Desk, Attributed to Gillows of Lancaster. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.
    Fonsie Mealy, June 18: French Bateau Bed, exhibition piece from the Exposition Universelle—The Paris World’s Fair, 1878. Third quarter of the 19th century. With Provenance to Oscar Wilde.
  • Rare Book Hub is now mobile-friendly!
  • Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 567. One of the Earliest & Most Desirable Printed Maps of Arabia - by Holle/Germanus (1482) Est. $55,000 - $65,000
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 681. Zatta's Complete Atlas with 218 Maps in Full Contemporary Color (1779) Est. $27,500 - $35,000
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 347. MacDonald Gill's Landmark "Wonderground Map" of London (1914) Est. $1,800 - $2,100
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 1. Fries' "Modern" World Map with Portraits of Five Kings (1525) Est. $4,000 - $4,750
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 539. Ortelius' Superb, Decorative Map of Cyprus in Full Contemporary Color (1573) Est. $1,100 - $1,400
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 51. Mercator's Foundation Map for the Americas in Full Contemporary Color (1630) Est. $3,250 - $4,000
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 667. Manuscript Bible Leaf with Image of Mary and Baby Jesus (1450) Est. $1,900 - $2,200
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 226. "A Powerful Example of Color Used to Make a Point" (1895) Est. $400 - $600
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 290. One of the Most Decorative Early Maps of South America - from Linschoten's "Itinerario" (1596) Est. $7,000 - $8,500
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 62. Coronelli's Influential Map of North America with the Island of California (1688) Est. $10,000 - $12,000
    Old World Auctions (June 18): Lot 589. The First European-Printed Map of China - by Ortelius (1584) Est. $4,000 - $5,000
  • Forum Auctions
    A Sixth Selection of 16th and 17th Century English Books from the Fox Pointe Manor Library
    19th June 2025
    Forum, June 19: Euclid. The Elements of Geometrie, first edition in English of the first complete translation, [1570]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum, June 19: Nicolay (Nicolas de). The Navigations, peregrinations and voyages, made into Turkie, first edition in English, 1585. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum, June 19: Shakespeare source book.- Montemayor (Jorge de). Diana of George of Montemayor, first edition in English, 1598. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum, June 19: Livius (Titus). The Romane Historie, first edition in English, translated by Philemon Holland, Adam Islip, 1600. £6,000 to £8,000.
    Forum Auctions
    A Sixth Selection of 16th and 17th Century English Books from the Fox Pointe Manor Library
    19th June 2025
    Forum, June 19: Robert Molesworth's copy.- Montaigne (Michel de). The Essayes Or Morall, Politike and Millitarie Discourses, first edition in English, 1603. £10,000 to £15,000.
    Forum, June 19: Shakespeare (William). The Tempest [&] The Two Gentlemen of Verona, from the Second Folio, [Printed by Thomas Cotes], 1632. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum, June 19: Boyle (Robert). Medicina Hydrostatica: or, Hydrostaticks Applyed to the Materia Medica, first edition, for Samuel Smith, 1690. £2,500 to £3,500.
    Forum, June 19: Locke (John). An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding in Four Books, first edition, second issue, 1690. £8,00 to £12,000.

Rare Book Monthly

Articles - August - 2017 Issue

Summertime Fun & Browsing in the Book Arts

Our lead image comes from the Smithsonian Museum, one of a hundred cultural organizations offering coloring book pages for adults for free download.

Our lead image comes from the Smithsonian Museum, one of a hundred cultural organizations offering coloring book pages for adults for free download.

It’s August and in the Northern Hemisphere it’s Summer. Time for a little bookish R&R.

 

With that in mind here are some large and small collections displayed online and brought together for your enjoyment. Just a little Googling reveals that there are subtle and not so subtle differences between the art of the book, book arts, books by artists and altered books. Not to mention art coloring books for grown ups cashing in on the latest publishing craze. Now on line are more than 100 museums and archives offering downloadable pages to color. Also available are video tutorials on how to color and the best art supplies for grown up coloring book efforts.

 

So sharpen your Prisamacolors,  relax and click a few links to see things you probably haven’t thought of for a while or seen before.

 

Whatever your taste from traditional-historical, to modern-experimental the combination of “book” and “artist” is usually enjoyable and sometimes surprising.

 

100 COLORING BOOKS FOR ADULTS WITH DOWNLOADABLE PAGES



My Modern Met is a site that often has book related links mymodernmet.com/

 

Here’s their portal to a hundred different sources of coloring pages for adults: mymodernmet.com/free-coloring-pages-color-our-collections/

 

Our lead image comes from the Smithsonian’s coloring pages

library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/02/Smithsonian-Libraries-Coloring-Pages-v2_Part1.pdf

 

Need art supplies for your new hobby, the Coloring Book Addict can give you some ideas:

coloringbookaddict.com/colored-pencils-adult-coloring-supplies-coloring-book-addicts/

 

Kind of rusty on your coloring skills? Here are a host of coloring tutorial videos:

www.google.com/search?q=coloring+for+adults+tutorial+videos&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF8KWP4Z3VAhVE6WMKHc7_D9IQsAQIQg&biw=1223&bih=611

 

Also at My Modern Met there is a portal to 200 Belle Epoque posters, all with free downloads.

mymodernmet.com/download-free-posters-belle-epoque-art/

 

Still at My Modern Met, not strictly book related, but gorgeous; check out one of the largest Archives of European Arts. Here’s an introductory article:

mymodernmet.com/free-digital-archives-europeana-collections/

Which takes you to the portal at www.europeana.eu/portal/en

------------------------

 

ARTISTS' BOOKS aka Books by Artists

 

More and more museums, schools, special collections and individual collectors are interested in artists’ books. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London calls itself the world’s leading museum in art and design. Here’s the link to their collection in this field:

www.vam.ac.uk/page/a/artists-books/

 

A more detailed and comprehensive list of libraries and collections of Artists’ Books - mainly American, can be found at this page hosted by Carnegie Mellon University Libraries:

 

www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/md2z/ArtistsBooksDirectory/ArtistsBookIndex.html  

 

Still in the Artist Books genre: The Jaffe Center for Book Arts in Boca Raton, Florida provides a link for the book “as an aesthetic object,” complete with slideshow and many other related links:

www.library.fau.edu/depts/spc/JaffeCenter/collection/books_as_aesthetic_objects/index.php



The  Otis College of Design in Los Angeles has a substantial artists’ book collection. Quite a few individual items are documented by videos::

www.google.com/search?q=otis+college+artist+books&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=otis+college+artist+books&tbm=vid&start=10

 

-----------------------------

 

Book ARTS

The University of Washington Libraries has a substantial Modern Book Arts collection:

guides.lib.uw.edu/friendly.php?s=research/bookarts.

 

The site says, “The UW holdings include 21,000 historical & modern pieces encompassing all aspects of the physical book: typography, papermaking, letterpress and offset printing, illustration, book design, paper decoration, calligraphy, sculptural & conceptual work & artist's books. Major holdings documenting bookbinding history, especially 19th century publishers' decorated bindings. Substantial supportive reference collection.”

 

This link also displays connections to the UW holdings in Historical Children’s Literature featuring 7,000 titles from the 17th through 20th century. In addition it is the home of an Author’s Collection of 10,000 volumes, and 19th century American Literature including Longfellow letters.

 

Penn Libraries has a video presentation of over an hour titled The Art of the Book: Fine Print in the 21st century. Not very many hits, but lots of visuals and lots of information:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEojbGw_9Zw

 

Minnesota Book Arts celebrates the 30th anniversary of its oral history project with a variety of short videos of local practitioners. www.mnbookarts.org/oralhistory

 

Many other things going on at the Minneapolis based center; click on the link to their home page

www.mnbookarts.org/

 

---------------------

HISTORY OF CARTOGRAPHY in ARCHIVAL IMAGES

 

Interested in maps? Open Culture’s website provides links to one of the most ambitious map archives:

www.openculture.com/2015/09/the-history-of-cartography-the-most-ambitious-overview-of-map-making-ever-now-free-online.html

 

The home page of Open Culture is a good place to browse www.openculture.com/

 

SCI FI PULP IMAGES AMAZING & GALAXY

 

While you’re at Open Culture, Science Fiction fans can find the complete visual record of AMAZING STORIESarchive.org/search.php?query=title%3A%28amazing+stories%29+AND+collection%3A%28pulpmagazinearchive%29&page=3

 

Yearn for even for more lurid pulp? Try Archive.org, with its portal to the GALAXY sci-fi archives:

archive.org/details/galaxymagazine&tab=collection

 

POP UPS, COMICS and ALTERED BOOKS, free ART BOOKS 

 

Here are a few additional links also worth a look:

 

Pop up books not just for kids - article with link to video

www.bowdoin.edu/news/archives/1bowdoincampus/008200.shtml

 

www.finebooksmagazine.com/press/events/  events from fine books

 

Comic books at Michigan State said to be America’s largest collection with over 200,000 items

www.lib.msu.edu/spc/collections/comic/

 

200 Free ebook downloads of art books from Met, Guggenheim and Getty

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/download-200-free-art-books-courtesy-guggenheim-180963266/  

 

Last but not least Altered books pix

www.google.com/search?q=history+of+altered+books&sa=X&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwiV9O_l0p3VAhVILmMKHe4ZDCkQsAQIRg&biw=1223&bih=611

 

What is an altered book? Here's the wiki:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_book

 

Have a pleasant August, work on those coloring skills. Frequent coloring is said to calm the feverish anxious adult brain.

 

See you in September

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby's
    Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
    5-19 June
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Bissière, Roger. Cantique à notre frère soleil de saint François. 1954. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. La vie & l’œuvre de Philippe Ignace Semmelweis. 1924. Rare édition originale, avec envoi. Joint : La Quinine en thérapeutique, 1925. 4,000 - 6,000 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. Mort à crédit. 1936. Édition originale. Bel exemplaire sur Hollande. 2,500 - 3,500 EUR
    Sotheby's
    Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
    5-19 June
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Chillida, Eduardo ─ Emil Cioran. Face aux instants. 1985. Un des 100 exemplaires sur Arches. Eau-forte signée. 600 - 800 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. Ler dla canpane. L’Art Brut, 1948. Édition originale. 3,000 - 5,000 EUR
    Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. L'Herne Jean Dubuffet. 1973. Un des 100 exemplaires du tirage de luxe avec une sérigraphie originale en couleurs. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
  • Finarte
    Books, Autographs & Prints
    June 24 & 25, 2025
    Finarte, June 24-25: ALIGHIERI, DANTE / LANDINO, CRISTOFORO. Comento di Christophoro Landino Fiorentino sopra la Comedia di Danthe Alighieri poeta fiorentino, 1481. €40,000 to €50,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: ALIGHIERI, DANTE. La Commedia [Commento di Christophorus Landinus]. Aggiunta: Marsilius Ficinus, Ad Dantem gratulatio [in latino e Italiano], 1487. €40,000 to €60,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: ALIGHIERI, DANTE. Il Convivio, 1490. €20,000 to €25,000.
    Finarte
    Books, Autographs & Prints
    June 24 & 25, 2025
    Finarte, June 24-25: BANDELLO, MATTEO. La prima [-quarta] parte de le nouelle del Bandello, 1554. €7,000 to €9,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: LEGATURA – PLUTARCO. Le vies des hommes illustres, grecs et romaines translates, 1567. €10,000 to €12,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: TOLOMEO, CLAUDIO. Ptolemeo La Geografia di Claudio Ptolemeo Alessandrino, Con alcuni comenti…, 1548. €4,000 to €6,000.
    Finarte
    Books, Autographs & Prints
    June 24 & 25, 2025
    Finarte, June 24-25: FESTE - COPPOLA, GIOVANNI CARLO. Le nozze degli Dei, favola [...] rappresentata in musica in Firenze…, 1637. €6,000 to €8,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: SPINOZA, BARUCH. Opera posthuma, 1677. €8,000 to €12,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: PUSHKIN, ALEXANDER. Borus Godunov, 1831. €30,000 to €50,000.
    Finarte
    Books, Autographs & Prints
    June 24 & 25, 2025
    Finarte, June 24-25: LIBRO D'ARTISTA - LECUIRE, PIERRE. Ballets-minute, 1954. €35,000 to €40,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: LIBRO D'ARTISTA - MAJAKOVSKIJ, VLADIMIR / LISSITZKY, LAZAR MARKOVICH. Dlia Golosa, 1923. €7,000 to €10,000.
    Finarte, June 24-25: LIBRO D'ARTISTA - MATISSE, HENRI / MONTHERLANT, HENRY DE. Pasiphaé. Chant de Minos., 1944. €22,000 to €24,000.
  • Rose City Book & Paper Fair
    June 14-15, 2025
    1000 NE Multnomah, Portland
    ROSECITYBOOKFAIR.COM
  • Swann, June 17: Lot 13: Arthur Rackham, Candlelight, pen and ink, circa 1900.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 28: Harold Von Schmidt, "I Asked Jim If He Wanted To Accompany Us To Teach The Hanneseys A Lesson.", oil on canvas, 1957.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 96: Arthur Szyk, Thumbelina, gouache and pencil, 1945.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 101: D.R. Sexton, The White Rabbit And Bill The Lizard, watercolor and gouache, 1932.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 127: Miguel Covarrubias, Bradypus Tridactilus. Three-Toed Sloth, gouache, circa 1953.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 132: William Pène Du Bois, 2 Illustrations: Balloon Merry Go Round On The Ground And In The Air, pen and ink and wash, 1947.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 137: Lee Lorenz, Confetti Hourglass, mixed media, 1973.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 181: Norman Rockwell, Portrait Of Floyd Jerome Patten (Editor At Boy's Life Magazine), charcoal, circa 1915.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 188: Ludwig Bemelmans, Rue De Buci, Paris, casein, watercolor, ink and gouache, 1955.
    Swann, June 17: Lot 263: Maurice Sendak, Sundance Childrens Theater Poster Preliminary Sketch, pencil, 1988.
  • ALDE, June 18: CHAPPE D'AUTEROCHE (JEAN). Voyage en Sibérie fait par ordre du Roi en 1761 contenant les mœurs…, Paris, 1768. €4,000 to €5,000.
    ALDE, June 18: HENNEPIN (LOUIS). Description de la Louisiane nouvellement découverte au Sud-Ouest de la Nouvelle France…, Paris, 1688. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, June 18: LA BOULLAYE-LE GOUZ (FRANÇOIS DE). Les Voyages et Observations, Paris, 1653. €1,500 to €2,000.
    ALDE, June 18: LE BRUN (CORNELIS DE BRUYN DIT CORNEILLE). Voyage au Levant, c'est à dire dans les principaux endroits de l'Asie mineure..., Delft, 1700. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, June 18: SAINT-NON (J.-CL. RICHARD, ABBÉ DE). Voyage pittoresque ou description du royaume de Naples et de Sicile, Paris, 1781-1786. €3,500 to €5,000.
    ALDE, June 18: (CALVIN JEAN). SÉNÈQUE. Annei Senecae..., Paris, 1532. €2,000 to €3,000.
    ALDE, June 18: ADRIEN LE CHARTREUX. De remediis utriusque fortunæ, [Cologne, vers 1470]. €5,000 to €6,000.
    ALDE, June 18: GAZA (THÉODORE). [...] Introductivæ grammatices libri quatuor. Ejusdem de mensibus opusculum sanequampulchrum, Venise, 1495. €8,000 to €10,000.
    ALDE, June 18: LACTANCE. De divinis institutionibus. De ira Dei. De opificio Dei. De phoenice carmen, Rome, 1468. €30,000 to €40,000.
    ALDE, June 18: LUTHER (MARTIN). Der Erste [– Achte und letze] Teil aller Bücher und Schrifften des thewren, seligen Mans Doct. Mart. Lutheri, Iéna, 1555-1568. €5,000 to €6,000.
    ALDE, June 18: POLITIEN (ANGE). Omnia opera, et alia quædam lectu Digna, Venise, 1498. €8,000 to €10,000.
    ALDE, June 18: SIDOINE APOLLINAIRE. Poema aureum ejusdemque Epistole, Milan, 1498. €3,000 to €4,000.
  • SD | Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions
    The Øiesvold Collection
    June 14, 2025
    SD | Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions, June: 14: HIERONYMUS MÜNTZER (1437 – 1508): (Northern and Central Europe) No title recto. Nuremberg, 1493.
    SD | Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions, June: 14: SIGISMUND VON HERBERSTEIN (1486 – 1566): «Commentari della Moscovia et partmente della Russia.» Venice, 1550.
    SD | Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions, June: 14: SEBASTIAN MÜNSTER: «Cosmographiae universalis Lib. VI in quibus iuxta certioris […]» Basel, 1559.
    SD | Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions, June: 14: SEBASTIAN MÜNSTER: «Deerwunder und seltzame Thier / wie die in den Mitnächtigen Länder im Meer […]» Basel, c. 1550.
    SD | Scandinavian Art & Rare Book Auctions, June: 14: WILLEM BARENTSZ (1550 – 97): «Deliniatio cartæ trium navigationum per Batavos, ad Septentrionalem plagem [...]» Amsterdam, 1598.

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