[Rarebooks] FS: The Bird & Bull Press, early and late

[Nina W. Matheson]

  Some unusual and fine Bird and Bull Press books:

Three Erfurt tales 1497-98.  Translated into English by Dr. Arnold H. Price 
with an introduction by Lessing J. Rosenwald.  [North Hills, Pennsylvania] 
Bird & Bull Press, 1962. Original cloth. Fine. One of 310 numbered copies 
(100 of the copies were given to Lessing Rosenwald for his personal use). 
One of the earliest books of the Bird & Bull Press and its first 
substantial publication. Taylor / Morris, Twenty-one Years of Bird & Bull 
A3. The woodcut illustrations are taken from 15th-century German morality 
tales in the Rosenwald Collection. The books from which the illustrations 
are taken are described in "Comments and References" on p. i-ii.  $450.00

Kamph, Jamie.   A collector's guide to bookbinding.  New Castle, Oak Knoll 
Books, 1982. Original quarter cloth and paper boards. Lower corners very 
lightly bumped, otherwise fine. One of numbered 250 copies printed at the 
Bird & Bull Press. Illustrations by Rosemary Tottoroto.  $250.00

Lerner, Abe.  Assault on the book, a critique of fine printing at private 
presses in the United States today.  [n.p., Bird & Bull Press, 1979]. 
Original printed wrappers. Fine. Cover-title. One of 200 copies. Not 
paginated. A paper delivered at the Double Crown Club.  $25.00

Andrews / Nelson / Whitehead.   Imported handmade papers from Andrews / 
Nelson / Whitehead: yesterday's craft for today's creations.  [n.p., 1986]. 
Original quarter marbled paper and yellow embossed paper wrappers. Fine in 
fine publisher's box. One of 1,000 numbered copies. Samples from Canada, 
Japan, Italy, France, and England. Includes three ha ndmade sheets "printed 
on a Miehle Vertical (rigged for damp printing), at the Bird and Bull 
Press".  $100.00

Sparrow, John.   Association copies, an essay with examples drawn from the 
author's own collection.  Los Angeles, Jonathan A. Hill, 1978. Original 
marbled paper wrappers, printed paper label on the front wrapper. Fine. One 
of 200 numbered copies, signed. Inscribed by the author on the front 
endpaper to the Curator of Special Collections at the University of Chicago 
Library: "Robert Rosenthal / from John Sparrow / Chicago May 1978". The 
author has corrected the punctuation in a number of places, corrected the 
spelling in another plac e, and altered the wording in three places, 
including the insertion of nine words in a sentence. Printed at the Bird & 
Bull Press. Not paginated.  $250.00

Valls i Subira, Oriol.   A lively look at papermaking.  North Hills, 
Pennsylvania, Bird & Bull Press, 1980. Original decorated paper boards, 
printed paper label on the backstrip. Attractive book-plate of Australian 
collector Geoffrey Farmer on the front pastedown. Fine. One of 300 copies. 
Not paginated. Rep roduces 24 prints from the late 18th and early 19th 
centuries which show the various steps involved in papermaking from the rag 
picker to delivery. The prints were discovered by the author in the pri n t 
collection of the Historical Archives of Barcelona. They were originally 
advertising inducements on packets of cigarette paper.  $75.00

Proceedings at a meeting of the vat paper makers held at the Bell Hotel, 
Maidstone, on Tuesday 8th March 1853.  [North Hills, Penna., Bird & Bull 
Press, 1970]. Original sewn wrappers enclosed in a blue stiff paper folder. 
Fine. Taylor & Morris / Twenty-one years of Bird & Bull, item A10. The 
announcement accompanying the publication states that 300 copies have been 
printed but the bibliography indicates that 450 copies were actually 
printed. A facsimile of a copy of the document still in the possession of 
J. Barcham Green, Ltd., at Hayle Mill in Maidstone. The announcement 
describes the Proceedings as being "of importance to all who have an 
interest in the history of papermaking or labor-management relations in the 
papermaking industry".  $40.00

Heaney, Howell.   Thirty years of Bird & Bull, a bibliography, 1958-1988. 
Compiled by Howell J. Heaney, with a Foreword & commentary by Henry 
Morris.  Newton, Bird & Bull Press, 1988. Original sage green quarter 
morocco and purple paste-paper boards,red leather label on the backstrip. 
Fine in publisher's folding box with a folder of ephemera of the press 
including a trade token. One of 300 numbered copies. $400.00

Morris, Henry.   Broadside vignettes. The poster / broadside format joined 
with the book.  Newton, Pa., Bird & Bull Press, 1997. Broadsides in large 
format in publisher's box (the box measures 19 and 5/8 x 26 inches). Fine. 
One of 145 copies. Bound introductory section containing the title leaf, 
foreword, contents, colophon. Followed by 21 numbered folders, the first 20 
folders holding 21 broadsides (folder 17 houses two broadsides), the 21st 
folder is an appendix.  $450.00


William & Nina Matheson Books, Inc., ABAA/ILAB
PO Box 70821   Chevy Chase MD 20813
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Voice: 301-718-7911
Members: ABAA, ILAB, IOBA,WABA
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Century literature, Asian American Literature & History
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book.   International shipment will be by Air Mail at the cost determined 
by the weight of the order.  Books may be returned, upon prior 
notification, if not as described.