Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2007 Issue
Graphic Design Books from Oak Knoll Books
D'Allemagne's playing cards; Bosse's engravings.
Item 434 was written by a King, quite literally. Manuel II was King of Portugal, the last of the Braganza dynasty that lasted almost three centuries. He ascended to the throne under the worst of circumstances. With revolution already in the air, young Manuel returned from a trip with his father, King Charles I, and his elder brother, the King's heir. Two gunmen emerged from the crowd, killing both the King and his heir. At the age of 18, and the government in serious difficulties, Manuel II became king. He dismissed many government officials, but the changes were unable to stem the onrushing tide. The dynasty was overthrown in 1910, and Manuel was forced to flee to British held Gibralter. He then moved on to England, where he lived the remainder of his life, which ended when he was just 43 in 1932. So, what does an ex-monarch do with all of that free time? Collect books, naturally. Manuel created an outstanding collection of Portuguese books printed between 1489 and 1600. He also undertook to write about his collection. His work, published from 1929-1935, is called Early Portuguese Books (Livros Antigos Portuguezes). The King wrote the first two volumes, but, a result of his early death, the third and final volume had to be completed by his librarian, Margery Withers. This set was published in an edition limited to 650 copies, and it is a testament to the graphic arts as well as a useful bibliography. $950.
Item 59 is Traicte des Manieres de Graver en Taille Douce sur l'Airan, by Abraham Bosse. Oak Knoll describes this as "the first engraving and etching manual." Bosse was a popular book illustrator of the 17th century, with some 1,400 engravings attributed to him. This book was published in 1645. $6,500.
Oak Knoll Books may be found online at www.oakknoll.com. Their telephone number is 302-328-7232.
Rare Book Monthly
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ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000. -
Sotheby’s
Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections
Open for Bidding 2-17 AprilSotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.