Fine Press from Underground Books

Underground Books has issued a catalogue of Fine Press. These are books that may or may not have important textual content, but their feature is the quality of press work. They are more like works of art than like paperback novels. Frequently, great books are used, but these are much later editions, little in the way of priority but almost always far more beautiful to the eyes than the original editions. Underground Books has focused on three fine presses – Arion Press, Barbarian Press, and Heavenly Monkey. Added to that are a few from the Limited Editions Club and the Folio Society. The catalogue contains not only complete descriptions of the books and their features, there are also pictures, as with fine press books more than any others, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few of these books.

This book turned its unknown author into a sensation when first published in 1967. Richard Brautigan's collection of tied-together stories is titled Trout Fishing in America. Most of it was written during, and some stories are about, a camping trip to Idaho, where trout swim free. His writing fit the times, but as the 60s turned to the 70s, his audience moved on with the times. His life fell into decline and in 1984, at the age of 49, he took his own life. The Arion Press resurrected those earlier days with this edition of Trout Fishing in America, published in 2003. It is a deluxe edition with a signed color print by Wayne Thiebaud. There were 400 copies in this limited edition, 200 of which included the print. This is copy no. 119. The cover features a drawing by Brautigan. There is also a never-before-seen 1967 photographic portrait of Brautigan by his friend Edmund Shea. This edition includes a new introductory essay by Ron Loewinsohn, another friend who assisted the author and read the book prior to publication. Loewinsohn was a dedicatee of the book. Finally, this copy is accompanied by an invitation to the publisher's party, where they served “Brautigan's beverages of choice.” Too much of Brautigan's “beverages of choice” was part of the reason for his downfall. Item 3. Priced at $1,500.

Generally, we see novels and poetry used as the subject for fine books. The great writers are often featured. This is an unusual book for such a presentation. Item 12 is The Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein. Certainly, Einstein was one of the greatest of the greats, though not for his prose. Most fine books could be read by regular people with some degree understanding but your IQ will need to tower over mine to understand Einstein. Suffice it to say Einstein taught us much about the world in which we exist, but most of us need interpreters to begin to understand what he showed us. This is no. 91 of 400 copies of this 2005 book from the Arion Press. It contains a foreword and afterword, along with annotations, by Richard A. Muller, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, to help us better understand Einstein's work. There is also a pixelated portrait of Einstein by Blake Riley taken from a 1910 photograph. Included is the prospectus for the book. Item 12. $300.

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol is a beloved masterpiece. The play will undoubtedly be performed again somewhere near you come Christmas, as it has for 180 years. Eight adaptations were performed within two months of the book's first appearance, though only one was authorized by Dickens himself. This isn't it. Item 45 is A Christmas Carol or, The Miser's Warning. It was produced by C. Z. Barnett and was performed a few weeks before the authorized version. Charles Zachary Barnett was fond of “vulgarizing” others' works. This edition was produced by the Barbarian Press and published in 1984. The Barbarian Press was formed in 1977. It is now noted for its wood engravings, but their books did not use them until 1984 with the publication of this book. It contains six engravings by Edwina Ellis, her first published book illustrations. Item 45. $450.

Heavenly Monkey has been around since 2000 printing exceptionally beautiful works. They used a hand press and dampened paper, which allows for clearer printed lines (intaglio printing). It is a very slow process but their collectors clearly recognize the value. They have collaborated with Barbara Hodgson and Claudia Cohen in producing their works. Underground Books notes that more than half of their limited edition copies are held by prestigious institutions. Item 66 is an exceptional example of Hodgson and Cohen's work. Actually, it's four examples, but combined they are known as The Colour Series. The titles are The Temperamental Rose, After Image, Occupied by Colour, and Around the World in Colour, published 2007-2014. Each of these books was printed in only 30 copies, signed by both artists. Occupied by Colour and Around the World in Colour are deluxe copies with additional artwork, published in just eight copies each. Naturally, these are colorful books, with the generous use of color within and on the covers. Underground Books explains, “These four different orientations to color unite in this complete set to form a bright, rainbow-hued kaleidoscope of color through book artistry, fine printing and handmade papers, lively and imaginative original scholarship, and hundreds of hours of extensive hand-coloring, paper-dying, and construction of movable assemblages by the artists.” They also note that this may be the first time the four books of the Colour Series have been offered together as a complete set. $37,500.

This book has been called by poet W. B. Yeats and others, “the most beautiful of printed books.” It is the most desired and valuable of all the fine press works. It came from the press of the man who initiated the return to fine printing in the late 19^th century, William Morris. Automated presses enabled books to be printed inexpensively, a major advance as it made books affordable to many for whom they had been out of reach. The downside was that the traditional art of the books faded away. The text was as good as ever, but the beauty was gone. This book was The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, better known simply as the Kelmscott Chaucer. With the limited number of copies of the 1896 original available, and prices out of reach for most people, the Folio Society undertook the printing of a facsimile edition in 2002. It was printed in 1,000 copies and has been made true to the original. Not even the facsimiles are cheap, but at least they are within reach. This copy comes with several ephemeral items related to its publication. Item 83. $1,250.

Underground Books can be reached at undergroundbooksllc@gmail.com. Their website is found at www.UndergroundBooks.net.