Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2019 Issue

Graphic Arts, Bindings, Specimens, Fine Printing & More from the Veatchs Arts of the Book

Catalogue 90 from the Veatchs Arts of the Book.

Catalogue 90 from the Veatchs Arts of the Book.

The Veatchs Arts of the Book has released their Catalogue 90. They provide a concise description of what can be found inside: "recent acquisitions, graphic arts, bindings, Koops 1800, Senefelder 1818, fine printing, type specimens, rare imposition sheet, Victorian house colors, & Art Deco elevators." Some of those are broad categories, others unique or unusual items. Everyone knows what graphic arts and bindings are, but Koops and Senefelder may not be as familiar. The catalogue explains them all. As for Art Deco elevators, it is possible to imagine what they might look like even if you have never actually seen one. Here are a few of the items we found inside this catalogue.

 

We will begin with "Koops 1800": Historical Account of the Substances Which Have Been Used to Describe Events, and to Convey Ideas from the Earliest Date to the Invention of Paper. The author was Matthias Koops, the publication date 1800. This is a look at various materials used to make paper, or "substances which have been used to describe events, and to convey ideas." For this book, Koops has used paper manufactured entirely from straw. The seven-page appendix was made of paper manufactured from wood pulp. Koops describes contemporary papermaking in mills throughout Europe as he searched for rag substitutes. Papermaking expert Dard Hunter wrote of Koops, "In search for new papermaking materials the work of Matthias Koops towers above all his predecessors, for Koops is responsible for the growth of the paper industry as it is today." Item 44. Priced at $2,400.

 

Here is another book that comes with a superlative endorsement. Item 74 is Specimens of Printing Types from the Bruce Typefoundry from 1882. Printer and Typographer Henry L. Bullen described this as "the most notable type specimen book ever issued anywhere." It contains 352 pages, along with nine loose supplements and price lists from 1882 and 1886. It was printed by Theodore De Vinne. The Veatchs note that "this is a type specimen to be read, combined with a text which is also a type specimen." The Veatchs have not been able to locate another copy with a comparable set of supplements or the 1886 price list. $3,700.

 

Next we have Saint Dominic's Press, A Bibliography 1916-1937. St. Dominick's Press was founded by Douglas (later Hilary) Pepler. Pepler obtained an early Stanhope press and set up shop with the assistance of his close associate, the noted sculptor and type designer, Eric Gill. The press was initially set up in Gill's barn and former sculpture studio. They were instrumental in setting up the Guild of St. Joseph and St. Dominic. Gill engraved many of the illustrations Pepler used from 1915-1924, after which the two split. This bibliography was produced by Michael Taylor and Brocard Sewell in 1995, and features four color plates and 12 tipped-in letterpress facsimiles. Item 69. $250.

 

Item 16 is a type of handout popular in the 19th century. It was given out by newspaper carriers (or paperboys) to their subscribers during the holidays. This one is a broadside headed New Year's Address by the Carriers of The Public Ledger, January 1, 1852. That was the Philadelphia Ledger, a popular newspaper through the 1920s that saw a major decline in readership during the Depression. It closed in 1942. The broadside features a picture of Hoe's 8 cylinder printing press, the Ledger being the first printer to use this modern rotary press. This New Year's Address features a patriotic theme, extolling the virtues of America compared to the despotic regimes of Europe. It pronounces, "How vast the contrast 'twixt our land of Right, And Europe, crushed beneath tyrannic might." It concludes with wishes for a happy new year. The aim of these handouts was not so much to promote patriotism, nor even the local newspaper. It was to encourage subscribers to leave their carriers a generous holiday tip. $300.

 

This is the Art Deco elevator piece, Elevator Cars. Elevator Entrances, published by the Tyler Company in 1927. Founded in the 19th century, Tyler Elevator was once a major employer in Cleveland. It still exists today as a division of the Witter Group, with facilities in Twinsburg, Ohio. This catalogue contains 195 pages, about half of which are plates, facing pages with diagrams and descriptive copy. These are from the days when there were few self-service elevators. Most were larger and run by an operator. Training to be an elevator operator turned out not to be a good career move. These are some artistic and beautiful elevators, unlike the typical ones I remember from years ago. Perhaps Otis didn't have Tyler's artistic touch. Item 73. $975.

 

The Veatchs Arts of the Book can be reached at 716-648-0361 or veatchs@veatchs.com. Their website is www.veatchs.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Dominic Winter Auctioneers

    April 9
    Printed Books, English Bibles, Maps & Decorative Prints
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Johnson (C.). A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most Notorious Pyrates, 1724. £3,000-4,000
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Ordonez de Cevallos (Pedro). Viage del Mundo, 1st edition, Madrid: Luis Sanchez, 1614. £1,000-1,500
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: North America. Merian (Matthaus), Virginia..., 1627 or later. £1,500-2,500
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers

    April 9
    Printed Books, English Bibles, Maps & Decorative Prints
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: World. Waldseemuller (Martin), Tabula Nova Totius Orbis, Vienne: 1541. £2,000-3,000
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Erasmus (Desiderius). The ... paraphrase of Erasmus... 2 volumes, 1st edition, 1549. £3,000-5,000
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Bible [English]. [The Bible and Holy Scriptures conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament, 1562]. £3,000-5,000
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers

    April 9
    Printed Books, English Bibles, Maps & Decorative Prints
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Smith (Lucy). Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, 1st edition, 1853. £1,000-1,500
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Derain (Andre). Pantagruel, signed limited edition, Albert Skira, 1943. £2,000-3,000
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Austen (Jane). Pride and Prejudice, illustrated by Hugh Thomson, Large Paper edition, 1894. £1,500-2,000
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers

    April 9
    Printed Books, English Bibles, Maps & Decorative Prints
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Ellison (Ralph). Invisible Man, 1st edition, New York: Random House, 1952. £200-300
    Dominic Winter, Apr. 9: Taschen Collector's Edition. Annie Leibovitz, limited edition, 2014. £1,000-1,500
  • Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 1: Bob Dylan, his high school classmate's yearbook with his senior portrait, signed and inscribed to her, 1959. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 4: Various entertainers, Group of 30 items, signed or inscribed, various dates. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 27: John Adams, Autograph Letter Signed to Benjamin Rush introducing Archibald Redford, Paris, 1783. $35,000 to $50,000.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 36: Robert Gould Shaw, Autograph Letter Signed to his father from Camp Andrew, Boston, 1861. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 53: Martin Luther King Jr., Time magazine cover, signed and inscribed "Best Wishes," 1957. $5,000 to $7,500.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 127: Paul Gauguin, Autograph Letter regarding payment for paintings, with woodcut letterhead, 1900. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 169: Suck: First European Sex Paper, complete group of eight issues, 1969-1974. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 173: Black Panthers, The Racist Dog Policemen Must Withdraw Immediately From Our Communities, poster, 1969. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 187: Marc Attali & Jacques Delfau, Les Erotiques du Regard, first edition, Paris, 1968. $300 to $500.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 213: Andy Warhol, Warhol's Index Book, first printing, New York, 1967. $800 to $1,200.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 215: Cookie Mueller, Archive of 17 items, including 4 items inscribed and signed. $3,000 to $4,000.
    Swann, Apr. 10: Lot 249: Jamie Reid, The Ten Lessons / The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle; Sex Pistols, chromogenic print with collage, signed, circa 1980. $20,000 to $30,000.
  • Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: The Shem Tov Bible, 1312 | A Masterpiece from the Golden Age of Spain. Sold: 6,960,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Ten Commandments Tablet, 300-800 CE | One of humanity's earliest and most enduring moral codes. Sold: 5,040,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Blake | Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Sold: 4,320,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: The Declaration of Independence | The Holt printing, the only copy in private hands. Sold: 3,360,000 USD
    Sotheby's
    Sell Your Fine Books & Manuscripts
    Sotheby’s: Thomas Taylor | The original cover art for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sold: 1,920,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Machiavelli | Il Principe, a previously unrecorded copy of the book where modern political thought began. Sold: 576,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Leonardo da Vinci | Trattato della pittura, ca. 1639, a very fine pre-publication manuscript. Sold: 381,000 GBP
    Sotheby’s: Henri Matisse | Jazz, Paris 1947, the complete portfolio. Sold: 312,000 EUR
  • Bonhams, Apr. 8: First report outside of the colonies of the American Revolution, from American accounts. Printed broadsheet, The London Evening-Post, May 30, 1775. $20,000 - $30,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Joyce, James. The earliest typescript pages from Finnegans Wake ever to appear at auction, annotated by Joyce, 1923. $30,000 - $50,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Joyce's Ulysses, 1923, one of only seven copies known, printed to replace copies destroyed in customs. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: ATHANASIUS KIRCHER'S COPY, INSCRIBED. Saggi di naturali esperienze fatte nell' Accademia del Cimento, 1667. $2,000 - $3,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Bernoulli's Ars conjectandi, 1713. "... first significant book on probability theory." $15,000 - $25,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Aristotle's Politica. Oeconomica. 1469. The first printed work on political economy. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: John Graunt's Natural and political observations...., 1662. The first printed work of epidemiology and demographics. $20,000 - $30,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: William Playfair's Commercial and Political Atlas, 1786. The first work to pictorially represent information in graphics. $15,000 - $25,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Anson's A Voyage Round the World, 1748. THE J.R. ABBEY-LORD WARDINGTON COPY, BOUND BY JOHN BRINDLEY. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: La Perouse's Voyage de La Perouse autour du monde..., 1797. LARGE FINE COPY IN ORIGINAL BOARDS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Francesca Woodman's Some Disordered Interior Geometries, 1981. Untrimmed publisher's proof sheets. $4,000 - $6,000
    Bonhams, Apr. 8: Charles Schulz original 8-panel Peanuts Sunday comic strip, 1992, pen and ink over pencil, featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy as a psychiatrist. $20,000 - $30,000

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