[Rarebooks] FS: Only a pamphlet, but a High-spot of Southern California Fine Printing.

[Kenneth Karmiole]

Armitage, Merle. THE ARISTOCRACY OF ART. An Address Before the California Art Club Open Forum, Los Angeles March 4, 1929. Los Angeles: Jake Zeitlin. 1929. 8vo. (16)pp. The first and last leaves blank. With woodcut decoration by Grace Marion Brown. Printed in an edition of 500 copies by the Mayers Company, typography by Grant Dahlstrom. Black wrappers in black D.J. with printed title label on front cover. The D.J. is a bit chipped, mostly along the very top of the front cover. This copy inscribed by Armitage, "This last copy of Aristocracy of Art is sent to Lester Roberts [the San Francisco bookseller]-- trusting it will answer most of his questions -- and with compliments of Merle Armitage, Lt. Colonel AO 1945."    $250.00 (trade discount allowed)
Armitage was a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Air Force in WWII. This is the first work both authored and designed by Armitage. It is one of the first books to contain Grant Dahlstrom's name. Also, it is Jake Zeitlin's first imprint. There is another 1929 Zeitlin book LOS ANGELES IN THE SUNNY SEVENTIES which appeared in the Fall of 1929. ARISTOCRACY was printed in June. A key item for the history of fine printing in Southern California.

Kenneth Karmiole, Bookseller, Inc.
1239A Third Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-451-4342
kkarmiole at yahoo.com