[Rarebooks] FS: Leaf Books

Fri Nov 4 11:58:10 EDT 2011

Offered today, 7 leaf books:

1 BLISS, Carey S. (1914-1994).  A Leaf From John Johnson's Typographia, With an Introduction by Carey S. Bliss.  Pasadena: The Rounce and Coffin Club, 1982.  8vo.  [vi], 6, [2] pp.  Title page printed in brown and black with a hand-press device, vignette on colophon; text clean, un-marked.  Gray cloth, spine titled in black, printed paper front cover label; binding square and tight.  Fine.
$ 150
LIMITED EDITION of 125 copies printed for the members of the Rounce and Coffin Club to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Club.  Presented by Carey S. Bliss, Susan Denne, and George Kinney.  John Johnson’s (1777-1848) Typographia is an important, two-volume printer’s manual; this leaf is from the two-volume London first edition of 1824.  Uncommon in cloth; the Zamorano Club issued an edition in wrappers in 200 copies at the same date.  Reference: De Hamel and Silver, Disbound and Dispersed, No. 174. 

Printed at Westminster in 1482

2 CAXTON, William (circa 1415 /1422-1492).  An Original Leaf from the Polycronicon printed by William Caxton at Westminster in the year 1482.  The Life and Works of William Caxton, with an Historical Reminder of Fifteenth Century England by Benjamin P. Kurtz, Together with a Note on the Polycronicon by Oscar Lewis & An Appreciation of William Caxton by Edwin Grabhorn.  San Francisco: Printed by the Grabhorn Press for the Book Club of California, 1938.  Folio.  11 ½ x 9 inches.  [60] pp.  Title-page and caption titles, initials, paragraphs marks and colophon printed in red, Caxton’s printer’s device used on the title page, original leaf mounted within a red ruled border, is from the “Liber Septimus”; text clean, un-marked, the leaf has some foxing.  Quarter beige linen, decorative paper over boards, printed paper spine label, Caxton’s device on front cover, no dust-jacket; binding square and tight.  Lacking the jacket, else Fine.
$ 2,000
LIMITED EDITION of 297 copies handset at the Grabhorn Press in Deepdene Text type on mold-made paper.  William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer; as far as is known, Caxton was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England.  He was also the first English retailer of printed books.  Caxton wrote a number of books, but his most important original work is an eighth book added to the Polychronicon of Ralph Higden.  Caxton revised and printed John of Trevisa’s work, and brought down the narrative himself from 1358 to 1460, using as his authorities Fasciculus temporum, a popular work of the fifteenth century, and an unknown Aureus de universo. 

“It is not surprising, considering the very low price of this book, to find that the edition was fully subscribed before publication.  It has become one of the most sought-after of the Club’s productions.”  Magee.  References: Heller and Magee, Bibliography of the Grabhorn Press, 1915-1940, No. 292; Magee, The Hundredth Book, No. 54. 

Bible Produced by Gutenberg’s Partners

3 KOENIG, Eberhard.  The 1462 Fust & Schoeffer Bible  Introduction by Christopher de Hamel.  With an original leaf from the 1462 Bible.  Akron and Evanston: Bruce Ferrini / Hamill & Barker, 1993.  Folio.  40 pp.  Twelve monochrome plates, the leaf contained in an accompanied linen folder, the leaf has red and blue initials with red and blue flourishes in the margins; text clean, un-marked  Quarter burgundy morocco, printed paper label on front cover, black morocco spine label, no dust-jacket; binding square and tight.  Fine.
$ 5,500
LIMITED EDITION of 166 numbered copies of a total edition of 187 copies (A-F reserved for the printers, G-U contained leaves with decorated initials), printed letterpress by W. Thomas Taylor of Austin, Texas  The 1462 Bible is the fourth printed Bible and the first dated Bible.  Johann Fust (circa 1400-1466) and Peter Schoeffer (circa 1425-1503) were Johann Gutenberg’s partners.  In the modern text Eberhard Koenig provides “a full discussion of the 1462 Fust & Schoeffer Bible and its place in early printing, but he went much farther than the norm by focusing as well on the specific leaves used for the production of this leaf book.  By closely examining the manuscript decoration of the printed leaves, Koenig concluded that, although the book was printed in Germany, these leaves were decorated in England, making this incomplete copy, dismembered long ago, one of the earliest printed books to have been imported into England.  He also suggested, but left the matter open, that the decoration was done in Surrey, at the Charterhouse of Jesus of Bethlehem, at Sheen.”  Silver and De Hamel.  Reference: Silver and De Hamel, Disbound and Dispersed, No. 42. 

4 LACTANTIUS (Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius, circa 240 - circa 320 CE).  A single leaf from Lactantius’ Opera.  Venice: Johannes de Colonia & Johannes Manthen, 1478.  Single folio leaf.  8 ¾ x 5 ¼ inches (opening in the matte).  38-line text in Latin, Roman letter, from leaf i z.  With an initial “Q” and paragraph notation in red.  Matted, suitable for framing.  Fine.
$ 75
Lactantius was a Latin-speaking native of North Africa who became an advisor to the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine I.  Lactantius helped guide Constantine’s religious policy as it developed and was tutor to the Emperor’s son.  HC 9814*; BMC V, 233; Goff L9. 

5 LITTLEJOHN, David.  Dr. Johnson and Noah Webster: Two Men & Their Dictionaries.  Illustrated with a matched pair of original leaves from A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson, A.M. (1755) and An American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, LL.D (1828).  San Francisco: The Book Club of California, 1971.  Series: Book Club of California Publication, No. 139.  4to.  12 ¾ x 10 ¼ inches.  84, [2] pp.  The text contains reproductions of the two editions throughout, two original leaves from the dictionaries inserted at the end of the book; text clean, unmarked.  Quarter blue cloth, blue paper over boards with gilt decorations on front and rear panels, gilt-stamped leather spine label; binding square and tight, covers faded, light scuffing to rear cover.  Very Good.
$ 250
LIMITED EDITION of 500 copies printed by Grabhorn-Hoyem in Scotch Roman monotype on machine made paper.  “The two leaves in each copy of this leaf book cover the same part of the alphabet so the reader may compare the treatment of some of the same words.  The text provides an interesting comparison of two of the great lexicographers of the English language.”  Harlan.    References: De Hamel and Silver, Disbound and Dispersed, No. 158; Harlan: The Two Hundredth Book, No. 139. 

6 PARTRIDGE, Eric (1894-1979).  An Original Issue of “The Spectator” Together with the Story of the Famous English Periodical and of its Founders, Joseph Addison & Richard Steele.  (San Francisco: The Book Club of California, 1939.  Folio.  13 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches.  58 pp.  Title and caption title in red and black, original leaf mounted within a red ruled border, portraits of Addison and Steele within decorative frame on title page; text clean, un-marked.  Quarter linen, marbled paper over boards, printed paper spine label; corners showing.  Very Good.
$ 150
LIMITED EDITION of 455 copies printed by the Grabhorn Press in Baskerville monotype on mold made paper.  M. S. Slocum of Pasadena, CA contributed the original numbers of this famous eighteenth-century periodical for this publication.  The text was written by Eric Partridge, the well-known English lexicographer and authority on the period of Addison and Steele.  References: De Hamel and Silver, Disbound and Dispersed, No. 82; Magee, The Hundredth Book, No. 56.

With An Original Leaf From a Medieval Manuscript

7 SCHULZ, Herbert Clarence (b. 1902).  French Illuminated Manuscripts: With an Original Leaf From a Miniature Book of Hours.  San Francisco: Printed for David Magee by the Grabhorn Press, 1958.  8 x 6 inches.  8vo.  30 pp.  Printed on laid paper ruled in orange ink, with an original handwritten and illuminated vellum leaf measuring 3 ½ x 2 ½ inches from a Book of Hours, probably done in Paris in the mid-fifteenth century, also illustrated with a reproduction from a miniature that has been redrawn and hand colored by Mary Grabhorn; occasional foxing to the paper.  Quarter white parchment, patterned paper over boards, gilt spine; binding square and tight, LACKS THE ORIGINAL SLIPCASE.  Fine.
$ 950
LIMITED EDITION of 200 copies.  Printed in type Lutetia, handset, on English hand made paper.  “This is the last of three leaf books published by San Francisco bookseller David Magee with original leaves from medieval manuscripts.  Two hundred copies of this book (the largest edition size of any of Magee’s manuscript leaf books) were issued in August 1958 at $ 17.50....  Although early manuscripts continue to be dismembered so that their leaves can be sold individually, this is the most recent leaf book that we have been able to trace that includes an original leaf from a medieval or Renaissance manuscript.”  Disbound and Dispersed. 

References: Disbound and Dispersed, Catalog No. 25, Checklist No. 120; Harlan, Bibliography of the Grabhorn Press, 1957-1966, # 597.

TERMS OF SALE: Subject to Prior Sale. 10 % to the trade. Postage and insurance to be billed at cost. Check or PayPal preferred; credit cards also accepted. Institutions, dealers known to us, and prior customers in good standing may request invoice; otherwise CWO. All items are guaranteed, returnable and fully refundable within 30 days of receipt, provided prior notice of return given. CA sales tax where applicable, unless valid resale certificate provided or on file. Call or e-mail to reserve.

John Howell
310 367-9720
Please visit my website at: http://www.johnhowellforbooks.com/