New Acquisitions 2021

Let us know what books you've acquired recently, if you're of a mind to.

For myself, I just got a copy the Gerald Cinnamon biography of the German artist and book designer, E. R. Weiss from Incline Press. It appears I got the last copy the Press had in stock.

It’s been a busy year of acquisitions for me thus far. Excluding ones I still have on order:
- The Travels of Sir John Mandeville Beyond The Holy Land, Phisicke Against Fortune (Foolscap Press)
- Cascadia (Nawakum Press)
- Lord Dunsany’s Lost Tales I-V (Pegana Press)
- 2020 Vision (Nomad Letterpress)
- The Masque of the Red Death, The Great Man, The Failurist, The Hollow Men, Preludes, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (No Reply Press)
- Edgar Allan Poe, The Presidency (Thornwillow Press)

Lots of >2 const-char-star: books on my list although I received my Mandeville and 2020 Vison in 2020 and Phisicke a number of years ago:
- Cascadia (Nawakum Press)
- Lord Dunsany’s Lost Tales I-V (Pegana Press)
- The Masque of the Red Death, The Great Man, The Failurist, The Hollow Men, Preludes, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (No Reply Press)
- Sea of Cortez (Arion Press)

Much less acquisitions than last year but also quite expensive ones. My list of books I'd like to have became much shorter in 2020.
- The Man Who Planted Trees (LEC)
- The Heart of Darkness (Chester River Press)
- Winter (The Salvage Press) Still on it's way though
- Good & Evil from the Garden (Heavenly Monkey)
and several commissioned bindings and slipcases/solanders, one of which is done by her: http://www.joelle-bocel.com/pages/livres-d-art/

My highlights so far this year:
- King Henry V (LEC)
- Britten's Aldeburgh (Whittington Press)
- Venice (Whittington Press)
- 2020 Vision (Nomad Letterpress)
- Whittington: Aspects of a Cotswold Village (Whittington Press)
- Montaigne's Essays (Nonesuch Press)

>4 SebRinelli: - Good & Evil from the Garden (Heavenly Monkey)

What are your impressions on this title? I've been looking for a copy of this, to gift to a gardener in my life - but have only found a portfolio of the engravings (sans book) so far.

>6 jeremyjm: A small piece of art.
Everything is top-notch: design, presswork, engravings, paper; the text provides for an interesting read. The only downer is its size. I wish the book was a bit bigger than (small) octavo.

I won't be at home until October, but could post some pictures then, if you're interested.
Where did you see the portfolio? My copy came without one.

Highlights in 2021 to date:

1. The Defense of Guenevere and Other Poems (Kelmscott Press) in a deluxe Doves Bindery binding

2. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Harry Quilter English Vellum Edition De Luxe)

3. Undersea by Rachel Carson (Nawakum Press)

4. Cascadia (Nawakum Press)

5. Sonnets from Petrarch (George D. Sproul), printed on vellum pages with extensive hand illumination. Fine binding by Trautz Bauzonnet.

6. A Bestiary by Richard Wilbur and Alexander Calder (Spiral Press). A livre d'artiste book with 60 "wire-form" illustrations by Calder. One of 50 special copies printed on Rives mould-made paper.

7. The Hue & The Cry by John Clare (Tern Press). In a custom binding by Paul Delrue in full orange morocco with elaborate leather inlay designs of multi-colored air balloons and landscape on both covers.

8. Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson (2 vols) : Lyric Poems and In Memoriam. Ballyntyne Press for Hacon & Ricketts (Vale Press). Fine bindings: Black and maroon full morocco with elaborate gilt designs and leather inlay by Zaehnsdorf in 1900.

9. Matrix 36 (Whittington Press). One of only 60 deluxe copies of the final edition in the Whittington Press Matrix Series of books.

10. Comus, A Mask (Essex House Press). Printed on vellum pages with hand illumination.

11. Notes by William Morris on His aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press (Kelmscott Press).

12. Petrarch Press - a collection of six early Petrarch Press titles (1986-1996) published during founder Peter Bishop's tenure, all printed on an Albion 19th century handpress.

13. Bouvard and Pecuchet (Arion Press)

14. The Poems of William Shakespeare (Essex House Press). Custom binding in full morocco with gilt decoration by Bayntun-Riviere (Bath).

Books on tap - scheduled to arrive throughout 2021:

1. The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, Thornwillow Press. Half leather & paste paper binding.
2. TWITW, Hand & Eye Letterpress, numbered edition of 45 copies.
3. The Case of Death and Honey, Areté Editions. Numbered edition in full morocco binding by Richard Tong (Ludlow Bookbinders).
4. Sudden Immobility - collection of poems by Molly Holden (Barbarian Press). Deluxe edition.
5. 1984 (St. James Park Press)

>7 SebRinelli: - Thanks! Would love to see more picture when you're able.

There is a photo of the portfolio on Shinsuke Minegishi's site - http://www.shinartist.com/books-2021-2001 and Goldwasser Books has the portfolio listed for sale:

Good and Evil. A portfolio of ten materia medica wood engravings

Minegishi, Shinsuke

Vancouver: Heavenly Monkey, 2003. Shinsuke Minegishi. First edition. Ten etchings of powerfully poisonous plants. The engravings were made for the book "Good and Evil in the Garden," by Barbara Hodgson, published by Heavenly Monkey in 2003. One of five portfolios of proofs printed by the artist with a burnisher on gampi paper, mounted on Rives BFK, each signed and numbered.

>2 const-char-star: “- Edgar Allan Poe, The Presidency (Thornwillow Press)”
I was intrigued by this one, but couldn’t find it. Did you get a Poe book AND “The Presidency”?

>8 dlphcoracl: Impressive. Are you acquiring the standard or de luxe edition of the 1984 St. James Park Press?

>10 stopsurfing: Two different books.

Poe: https://thornwillow.com//poe

The Presidency: https://thornwillow.com/thepresidency

2021 YTD
1. Don Quixote, Arion Press (AP)
2. Paradise Lost, AP
3. Tono Bungay, AP
4. Melville Poems, AP
5. A Day in the Bleachers, AP
6. Journey Round My Room, AP
7. Pushkin, Four Stories (Allen Press)
8. A Millionaire of Rough and Ready (Allen Press)
9. The Fisherman and His Soul (Grabhorn Press); miscelleneous Grabhorn books focused on CA and Bret Harte
10. Beauty is the Beginning of Terror (Thornwillow, half cloth)
11. Shakespeare Letterpress Othello (Folio Society)
12. Half of a Yellow Sun (TOC)
12.5 Song of Solomon (full leather, Thornwillow, delivery anticipated at end of year)

>12 whytewolf1: thanks, I get it now

>11 ultrarightist:

Standard edition of '1984'.

>15 dlphcoracl: Same. The de luxe edition of 1984 looks amazing, but the cost is prohibitive for me.

My limited edition acquisitions so far in 2021 -

Das Schwarze Stundenbuch (Black Hours} MS M.493 FAKSIMILE VERLAG, LUCERNE, LIMITED EDITION No. 192 of 980 COPIES 2001

Journal of the Horn Scientific Exploring Expedition, 1894, Together with Maps and Plans mand Report of the Physical Geography of Central Australia by Charles Winnecke. CORKWOOD PRESS LIMITED EDITION No. 242 of 300 copies 1995

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. SUNTUP ARTIST GIFT EDITION LIMITED EDITION OF 1000. 2021

Vathek - An Arabian Tale by William Beckford. LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB No. 50 of 1500. 1945

Lovers & Other Strangers by Jack Vettriano. GENESIS LIMITED EDITION No. 65 of 250. 2000

Hiroshima by John Hersey. LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB No.1378 of 1500. 1983

Ender’s Way, A collection of 13 Ender-related short storiesby Orson Scott Card. CENTIPEDE PRESS LIMITED EDITION. No. 232 of 300 copies. 2021

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. SUNTUP EDITIONS ARTIST EDITION LIMITED TO 750 COPIES. 2021

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. SUNTUP EDITIONS ARTIST EDITION. LIMITED TO 750 COPIES. 2021

The Complete Short Stories by Philip K. Dick. FOLIO SOCIETY LIMITED EDITION. No. 320 of 750 copies. 2021

Phisicke Against Fortune by Francesco Petrarch. FOOLSCAP PRESS LIMITED EDITION No. 148 of 175 copies. 2018

The Time Machine by H.G.Wells. ENGDAHL TYPOGRAPHY LIMITED EDITION No. 55 of 124 copies. 1993

ALICE - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking-Glass, and what Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. AMARANTHINE BOOKS JABBERWOCK LIMITED EDITION No. 72 of 260 copies. 2021

Godwin's Emigrant's Guide to Van Diemen's Land. TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. LIMITED EDITION No. 33 of 500. 1990

2020 Vision. Nineteen wood engravers, one collector and the artists who inspired them. NOMAD LETTERPRESS LIMITED EDITION 2020

The Three Musketeers byAlexandre Dumas. FOLIO SOCIETY LIMITED EDITION. No. 15 of 750 copies. 2021

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. SUNTUP PRESS ARTIST GIFT EDITION ,LIMITED EDITION of 1000. 2021

The Brick Moon, From the Papers of Captain Frederick Ingham by Edward Everett Hale. IMPRINT SOCIETY LIMITED EDITION No. 1685 of 1950. 1971

The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde. GRABHORN PRESS LIMITED EDITION OF 200 COPIES. 1939

The Failurist by Markus Zusak. NO REPLY PRESS LIMITED DE LUXE EDITION. No. C of 26 lettered copies. 2020

The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. NO REPLY PRESS LIMITED EDITION No.C of 26 lettered copies. 2020

My acquisitions are a bit one-sided so far...

- Balladen, Goethe (Paul Graupe Verlag for Julius Schroeder). 1919. Illustrated by Sepp Frank.
- Faust (Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1920. Illustrated by Sepp Frank.
- Wilhelm Tell (Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1922. Illustrated by Bruno Goldschmitt. This one is still on the way.
- La Princesse de Babylone (Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1922. Illustrated by Fritz Heubner.
- L’Avare (Dr jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1923. Illustrated by Johannes Thiel.
- Die Zerstoerung von Troja (Dr. jur. Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1923. Illustrated by Peter Trumm.
- Salammbo (Dr jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1924. Including a copper printing plate. Illustrated by Fritz Heubner.
- Martinus Luther, Die fünfundneunzig Thesen (Officina Serpentis). 1923.
- The Passionate Pirate (Bird and Bull Press). 1964.
- Aristophanes, Lysistrata (Fanfrolico Press). 1926.
- Guenevere (Fanfrolico Press). 1930.
- Longfellow, The Golden Legend (Hodder Stoughton). 1910. Full Vellum. Illustrated by Sidney Meteyard.
- Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque (Florence Press). 1910. Limp vellum binding. Illustrated by Norman Wilkinson.

These are my Limited Editions so far in 2021:

* The Wind in the Willows (standard ed., Hand & Eye Editions), 2021
* The Great Gatsby (half-leather, Thornwillow), 2019
* Gargantua and Pantagruel (Folio Society), 2019
* 1984 (standard ed. St. James Park Press), 2021
* Replay (AGE, Suntup), 2021
* Neverwhere (William Morrow), 2010
* Marks of Genius (Bodleian Library), 2015
* The Island of Dr. Moreau (numbered, Suntup), 2021
* The Divine Comedy (collector ed., Facsimile Finder), 2021
* The Time Machine (Engdahl Typography), 1993
* Moby Dick (Folio Society), 2009
* The Three Musketeers (Folio Society), 2021
* Revolt of the Tartars (Dropmore Press), 1948
* The Decameron (Folio Society), 2007
* A Scandal in Bohemia (de luxe ed., No Reply Press), 2021

>19 Dr.Fiddy: I wonder if you might write a few words about the build and materials quality of the William Morrow Neverwhere? I have considered it before, but have been wary of it being a mildly gilded trade edition. It is a nice design, and I’m not aware of other attractive alternatives.

Here are my my Fine Press/LE books received so far this year:
Sea of Cortez, Deluxe Edition, Arion Press
The Nose, Arion Press
The Price, Arion Press
Preludes, No Reply Press
Truth, No Reply Press
Plants of the Americas, LE, Folio Society
The Light of Asia, LEC
Half of a Yellow Sun, TOC

And those ordered/on the way include:
Cascadia, Nawakum Press
Voices of Marrakesh, Deluxe Edition, Arion Press
A Scandal in Bohemia, No Reply Press
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, No Reply Press
Per Se Phone, No Reply Press
Song of Solomon, Thornwillow
The Fine Press Classics, LE, Folio Society
The Wind in the Willows, Mad Parrot Press
Moon as Bright as Water, Chester River Press

And thank you >9 jeremyjm: for linking to Shinsuke Minegishi‘s site. His work is new to me, even though I read Japanese and live in Japan. A new artist to search out on this side of the world.

It's been a good year so far:

Bierce, Ambrose; One of the Missing (Yolla Bolly Press). 1991
Eliot, T.S.: The Wasteland (Thornwillow Press). 2018
Gogol, Nikolai; The Nose (Arion Press). 2021
Jones, Glyn and Morgan, T.J.; The Story of Heledd (Gwasg Gregynog). 1994
Milton, John; Paradise Lost (Arion Press). 2002
Schanilec, Gaylord; Mayflies of the Driftless Region (Midnight Paper Sales). 2005
Steinbeck, John; Flight (Yolla Bolly Press). 1984
Steinbeck, John; Zapata (Yolla Bolly Press). 1991
Thoreau, Henry David; Civil Disobedience (Sharp Teeth Press). 2012
John of Patmos; The Revelation of Saint John the Divine (LEC). 1995
Rilke, Rainer Maria; Sonnets to Orpheus (LEC). 1997
Hurston, Zora Neale; Bookmarks In the Pages of Life (LEC). 2000
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus; Cosi Fan Tutte (LEC). 2001
Angelou, Maya; Music, Deep Rivers In My Soul (LEC). 2003
Steinbeck, John, and Ricketts, Edward F.; Sea of Cortez (Arion Press). 2020

Another group on the way, but not yet in my hands:
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville Beyond the Holy Land (Foolscap Press). 2019
Dietrich, William and Herold, Christopher; Cascadia (Nawakum Press). 2021
Matthiessen, Peter; Late In the Season (Thornwillow Press). 2011
Petrarch; Phisicke Against Fortune (Foolscap Press). 1993
Shakespeare, William; Sonnets (Thornwillow Press). 2018

Above is one of my children's inheritance....

>20 abysswalker: I share your sentiment. I do think it is nothing more than a gilded trade edition. It has a two-color interior design, with printed endpapers featuring a map of the London Underground. The paper is smooth, but still feels nice to the touch. It’s hand-bound in midnight blue cloth with gold embossed imagery on cover and lettering on the spine, in like-bound slipcase with die-cut window with an image of a door.

It’s a nice book though, and I’m also not aware of other more attractive alternatives. So I’m happy about it 😊

Very pleased with my 2021 so far:

The Travels of Sir John Mandeville Beyond the Holy Land (Foolscap Press)
Ornata (Evergreen Press)
Bokeh: A Little Book of Flowers (Midnight Paper Sales)
King Arthur (St. James Park Press)
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Sort Of (Greenboathouse Press)
49 Days (Greenboathouse Press)
Le Cimetière Marin (Corvus Works)

So far for 2021:

The Book of Tobit (Raven press)
The Curwen Press Miscellany (presentation binding)
The Voice of the Prophets (St. Teresa’s Press)
The Little Passion (Officina Bodoni)
English as She is Spoke (Edward Bawden, Lion and Unicorn Press)

--and four Hacon & Ricketts/Vale Press items:
Book of Thel/Songs of Innocence and Experience
The Excellent Narration of the Marriage of Cupide and Psyches
The World At Auction (Arts & Crafts binding)
Poems of Sir John Suckling (Bumpus binding)

Prufrock (No Reply) arrived today; Song of Solomon (Thornwillow) to come

It's wonderful to see how many enthusiasts are assembled on this board. Impressive lists of acquisitions so far!

>24 grifgon:
49 Days (Greenboathouse Press) has attracted my attention a while ago. What's your opinion on the poem? The execution of the book itself seems to be flawless.

>9 jeremyjm:
Thanks. The portfolio costs considerably more than I paid for the book.
If I haven't posted pictures in October, don't hesitate to give me a gentle reminder!

>18 teppi2: What an impressive list! I rarely see Julius Schroeder Verlag mentioned here. Love those Weimar aesthetics.

>27 Lukas1990:

1. https://booksandvines.com/2011/11/02/hamlet-by-william-shakespeare-1920-edition-...

2. https://booksandvines.com/2011/12/08/faust-by-johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-from-ju...

3. https://booksandvines.com/2011/12/04/antony-and-cleopatra-by-william-shakespeare...

>28 dlphcoracl: I read these articles numerous times a looong time ago! Faust is just stunning! I also learned about Sepp Frank and became his admirer. Thank you very much, dlphoracl!

>26 SebRinelli: The poem is splendid, moving and well-organized. The execution of the book itself, actually, is what might cause hesitation in getting it. The printing an design are perfect, but the endpapers (cave) and the spine (vellum) are such strong materials that the boards are extremely warped. Personally, I think it's not a big deal, but some collectors might.

>29 Lukas1990:

Sepp Frank was, by far, the most talented of the various artists located about Munich that Dr. Julius Schröder used to illustrate his editions. However, besides illustrating Hamlet and Faust, Sepp Frank also illustrated an earlier book for Dr. Schröder before he established his own private press and it may well be the best of all of them. The book is:

Balladen von Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe (1919).

It was printed for Otto von Holten (Berlin) and Heinrich Wetteroth (München) and distributed under the auspices of the Paul Graupe Verlag (Berlin). It contains thirty-two of Goethe's poems with 34 original illustrations by Sepp Frank.

>31 dlphcoracl: There is one more book illustrated by Sepp Frank in 1919: Oedipus done by the bookseller Weidmann for Dr. Wilhelm Kaufmann. Limitation was only 100, and unfortunately I have not seen many listed. One is currently offered by William Reese Company, but it is out of my price range (considering condition is not perfect).

This one was also printed by Otto von Holten with etchings printed by Heinrich Wetteroth. It only contains 8 of Frank's etchings total, though, so far less than Balladen.

>30 grifgon: Oh, I wasn't expecting this. Thanks for the feedback!

>33 SebRinelli:
As per my correspondence with Jason, "the main issue is the Cave paper, which is known for its amazing strength and beautiful character; however, that strength comes from the density of the fibers, and that density is able to absorb and hold an enormous amount of moisture. When gluing up the paste-downs of 49 Days, the paper soaked up far more moisture from the glue than a more conventional paper normally would, and while drying (slowly, over the course of a few weeks) the paper shrank significantly. The result is that the book tightened up far more than expected, resulting in a structure that stubbornly doesn’t want to open, and, in some cases, in bowing to the boards and cockling of the pages. The books were in fine condition when our binder, Alanna Simenson, sent them off, but over the following weeks, as the paper continued to dry, these issues began to appear.”

That being said, my copy of the book doesn’t have the issues above. I didn’t try to open it absolutely flat (as I wouldn’t with most of my books); however, it opens more than enough to enjoy reading the text. (My copy also doesn’t have any significant issues with bowing or cockling - nothing that would bother me.) Maybe I was more lucky with my copy than others, but I am very happy with this books and it is one of my favourite books from last year’s acquisitions (with respect to the context - the poem is very moving, and the book itself).

Jason is very open about the issues above and I am sure if you order a copy he will send you an e-mail to bring them to your attention. I also understand that he was considering rebinding some of the copies that are more affected than others. Therefore, I would strongly encourage you to send him an e-mail to inquire. I don’t think you will regret acquiring a copy of this book.

2021
Tono Bungay - Arion Press (lucked out with with used VG for 25% of retail price)
Wind and Willows Hand and Eye (Standard edition coming soon)
Parable of the Sower (paper wrapper edition)
Various Thornwillow dispatch chapbooks
FS Three Musketeers
FS Don quixote
Enders way - centipede press

>8 dlphcoracl: Where did you find Undersea? I've been searching for that one and a few other Nawakum Press out-of-print editions.

Adding some of my titles I haven't seen mentioned yet:

- Starlight behind daylight (St Brigid Press)
- Four poems by Violet Jacob (Wigtown Press)
- The Lost Children (Gwasg Gregynog)

I'm going to ask people to please post pics of your books :)
The easiest way is to take a picture and upload it here
https://postimages.org/
Once uploaded, just copy the "Hotlink for website:" and voila

yes but they disappear years down the line when someone perchance stumbles on a discussion

Alternatively, you can upload the image into your LibraryThing user gallery, from whence is should not spontaneously disappear. Then right click on the uploaded image and select "Copy image address" or equivalent to put the URL of your image on the clipboard.

Then you can include the image in your post with

(img src='paste copied link here')(/img)

replacing the round brackets by angled ones.

>40 ubiquitousuk:
Images can certainly be uploaded this way, but the picture quality is far higher using Postimage. The image remain in the post as long as the original picture remains in its original location.

>41 wcarter: yes, but I was responding to >39 ironjaw: who correctly notes that it's incredibly frustrating to visit a forum ten years later and find that all of the images are gone because the original host is no longer available like here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/195500 where the librarything hosted images now look much more useful than the missing ones.

>2 const-char-star: For any Nawakum buyers, are your subscribed to their titles, or a newsletter or do you just watch closely for pre-orders? I've missed so many great titles by them and never found a single one on the secondary market.

>43 NathanOv: NathanOv: If you contact David at Nawakum I'm sure he will happily add you to the mailing list.

New titles for me this year include:
Reinforced Concrete, Daniel Schneider, Industrial Rust Press
November a Map by Velma Bolyard, Caliban Press

On Order:
Cross section through black art, Hirundo Press
(I rarely see mention of Caroline's work here but it is always extremely well done especially if you are fond of intaglio.)

Best acquisitions since last post in late July >8 dlphcoracl::

1. Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Browning, George D. Sproul, publisher, 1901. One of 30 copies of the St. Dunstan's Edition printed on animal vellum pages, with extensive hand illumination in gilt and colors. Deluxe binding by Trautz-Bauzonnet in full dark green morocco with elaborate gilt inlay designs.

2. Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, 2 volumes, Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885-1886. First edition signed by U.S. Grant in Volume 1.

3. In the Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age by Wm. Butler Yeats, Dun Emer Press, 1903. One of the earliest private press books (possibly the first) printed in Ireland following the birth of the modern private press movement by William Morris in 1890.

4. Sonnets by William Shakespeare, Alberto Tallone Editore, 1988.

5. Godot, An Imaginary Staging by William T. Wiley, Arion Press, 2006.

6. Eleven Extant Poems by Guillem de Poitou (William IX, Duke of Aquitane), Perishable Press, 1976.

7. Into the Lagoon by E.V. Lucas, The Old School Press, 2021. Illustrated with eight full-page colorful illustrations of the islands in the Venetian lagoon by Leslie Gerry. Beautiful.

Latest acquisitions:
- Emily Dickinson Poems (Alberto Tallone Editore)
- Hippolytos illustrated by Leonard Baskin (Gehenna Press)
- Thirteen Poems by Wilfred Owen illustrated by Ben Shan (Gehenna Press)
- Dark Dreamlands III (Pegana Press)
- Into the Lagoon (The Old School Press)

>46 kdweber:

Not a loser in the lot. Congratulations on some very astute acquisitions.

This year, so far, I've added:
- Emily Dickinson Poems (Tallone, 2017)
- Shakespeare's Sonnets (Tallone, 1988)
- Plato's Symposium (Libanus, 1986)
- Goblin Market (Artists' Choice Editions, 2003)
- Parable of the Sower (Thornwillow, 2021)
- Preludes: Four Poems by T.S. Eliot (No Reply, 2020)

More recent acquisitions:

Ashendene, Spenser's Minor Poems (Huge book, favourite typeface, 1925)
Essex House Press, Tennyson's Maud (On vellum, 1905)
Unidentified printer, Hiroshige Ehon (late 1800's - probably the most interesting book)
Kelly-Winterton Press, Psalms (printed in silver on deep blue hand-made paper, 1988)
Stanton Press, Laurence Binyon's The Sirens (1924)

One of the more underrated John Henry Nash books: The Psalms of the Singer David

The History of the Church of England, Venerable Bede (Shakespeare Head Press).

>49 erodoto: Nice! Laurence Binyon's The Sirens.

>51 kdweber: It's a gorgeous book as well, do you read Binyon?

>52 erodoto: No, actually a typo. I meant to say that I had never heard of Binyon. I like seeing books I've never heard of. The 'Nice' was for all of the purchases. I'm still looking to buy my first Ashendene.

Recent acquisitions:

Venice (Whittington Press)
The Mirror and the Eye (Whittington Press)
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (LEC)
Eclogues of Virgil (LEC)
Making paper at Abbey Mills (Old School Press)

Well this has been far and away my best year in over a decade of book collecting, but here's the ones I'm proudest of ...

1. Republic of Dreams - Nawakum Press,
2. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville - Foolscap Press,
3. Parable of The Sower (God is Change edition) - Thornwillow,
4. Texts by Ursula K Le Guin - Gail Watson / Birdwood Press,
5. War from Walden - Red Angel Press,
6. A Ghost Story of Christmas, being "A Christmas Carol" - Caliban Press

And a few coming before the end of the year (supposedly) that I'm excited for ...

1. Morte De Smudgie - Arion Press
2. The Case of Death and Honey - Arete Editions
3. Sudden Immobility - Barbarian Press

Let me see ...

* Emily Dickinson Poems - Tallone Editore
* Rock Rodondo (Herman Melville) - Red Angel Press
* The Art of Beauty (Ovid) - Arundel Press
* Thirty-Six Poems (Du Fu) - Peter Blum
* Once My Rainbow Brush Grently Engaged These Auras (Du Fu) - Ascensius Press
* Outsiders (Wole Soyinka) - Wisteria Press
* Samarkand and Other Markets I Have Known (Wole Soyinka) - Rainmaker Editions
* The Love Song of J. Alfred Profrock (T.S. Elliot) - No Reply Press

A few more interesting titles on the way this year, headlined by the St. James Park Press Nineteen Eighty-Four.

>56 gmacaree: Wow, nice to see another Red Angel collector! How do you like Rock Rodondo? That's next on my list from them.

>57 NathanOv: To be honest I'm more of a Melville collector than a Red Angel one, so this is my first book from them. But it's a really great production, imaginative, well-conceived and splendidly executed. Helps that the book includes some of my favourite passages in literature.

>57 NathanOv: I also recently picked up Rock Rodondo from Red Angel. Found it by searching for fine press editions of Melville’s work. The press is intriguing though, what do you recommend from Red Angel?

>59 Esoterics: “War” from Walden is my favorite, but I have a soft spot for Thoreau.

I think “I Felt a Funeral In My Brain / The Hollow In The Three Hills” which merges works by Dickinson and Hawthorne is an absolutely incredibly work, with some of the most brilliant illustration I’ve seen in fine press.

The most recent:

Into the lagoon - Old School Press
Lessons of the war - Rampant Lions
In praise of letterpress - Rampant Lions
The Fell imperial quarto Book of Common Prayer - Whittington Press
A lakeland diary - Fleece Press, printed at Whittington

>57 NathanOv: I just bought a set of five Red Angel Titles. In addition to Rock Rodondo:

I Felt a Funeral in my Brain / The Hollow of the Three Hills
Spider Letter (Edwards, Jonathan)
The Owl King (Dickey, James)
The Birds of Killingworth (Longfellow)

They haven't arrived yet, but I am looking forward to them.

Any comments on the last three titles?

Thanks.

>62 Sport1963: They are not cheap, that's for sure.

A few highlights so far:

Aeneas in the World of the Dead, the 1990 printing of book six of the Aeneid by the Kelly Winterton Press. One of 100 copies, bilingual with the Latin printed using rubricated text in outer columns and English translation in the inner column. The colophon includes a quaint note about type generated directly onto film from a Macintosh file.

Moby-Dick in the California Deluxe edition. I didn't think I'd ever find this at a price that I would find acceptable, so this is probably the acquisition I am happiest with.

Goethe (1962). Italian Journey. Pantheon Books. One of 2500 copies printed on Fabriano paper by the Stamperia Valdonega; quality and style similar to the books Mardersteig did for the LEC, apart from the slipcase (which is thin card). Generous number of illustrations (67!), some tipped in, some bound in. Excellent letterpress work.

The early LEC editions of The Odyssey and The Iliad. Van Krimpen design, printed by Joh. Enschedé en Zonen.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Taller Martín Pescador.

Sterne (1905). A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy. Houghton Mifflin and Company. Designed by Bruce Rogers, one of 335 numbered copies. Beat up cover, fine interior, acquired for a song.

Poems of Thomas Gray, the Folio Society LE with the Blake illustrations. Probably the book I own now with the largest surface area by height/width dimensions. Also sports the thickest boards.

>64 abysswalker: “ Moby-Dick in the California Deluxe edition. I didn't think I'd ever find this at a price that I would find acceptable, so this is probably the acquisition I am happiest with.”

Congrats on that! I’ve been hunting for one at a reasonable price for what seems like ages. How is the paper?

And Poems of Thomas Gray LE is lovely. One of my favorite FS limited editions. The Blake watercolors are wonderful and the sheer size and number of them make it a really pleasurable reading experience.

>64 abysswalker: did you get the Moby-Dick from Moe’s Books? They recently had 3 in stock, I managed to get one myself.

>66 Esoterics: indeed I did. At least one of those three was pretty badly beat up. I'm surprised all three copies sold so quickly; glad I didn't delay.

>65 ChampagneSVP: the paper feels high quality but not terribly remarkable. It works well here but I'm sure doesn't hold a candle to the handmade paper used in the original Arion edition.

(A comment on the post about the California Deluxe edition at The Whole Book Experience blog says the paper is Curtis Rag. If anyone has the prospectus and is willing to scan it, I would be grateful.)

>68 abysswalker: There's a scan of the prospectus here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/318098#7106983

>69 kronnevik: thanks!

Just took delivery of some lots from a private press auction. Among them, some highlights:

A House in the Country from Midnight Paper Sales. This is my first book from Schanilec's press and I am immediately struck by the quality of the illustrations and the quality of their reproduction. Really looking forward to reading this.

Against Women and In Defence of Women from Golden Cockerel. Two fun satirical poems with gorgeous colour engravings. In Defence of Women is my first Golden Cockerel special edition and the full leather binding is quite sumptuous.

Diary of an Apple Tree from Whittington Press. I'm a fan of Miriam Macgregor's illustrations and this is the special edition with extra copies of the engravings. Produced to Whittington's usually high standard.

Ana The Runner from Golden Cockerel. Fairly standard fare as GCP goes, but like most of their books there's something raw and unrefined about it which is a nice change from ultra-slick modern editions.

>24 grifgon: what do you think of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Sort Of?
Tempted to purchase this. Read excerpts of it and laughed at the truth of it and the way it was worded

>72 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: I love it! In my opinion, it's fine press at its best: a mix of new and old, fun but precise. Totally an exemplar of the "private press" side of the fine press / private press spectrum. I might have seen elsewhere that you acquired St. James' Hercules? It's fairly similar feeling to that.

*

>74 dlphcoracl: I found a copy on the Oak Knoll site

>74 dlphcoracl:

Excellent price - same as originally listed on the Greenboathouse Press website.

>73 grifgon: Thanks that was the vibes I got from the little I read as well.
Btw no, I haven't been able to find a copy of Hercules anywhere unfortunately.
Still very2 pleased at having gotten a copy of Enūma Eliš! Thanks a million for that. Can't wait to see the end product

Hoping to grab Tallone's Emily Dickinson end of this month.

So far have acquired:
1.WiTW -Numbered, Hand & Eye Letterpress
2. Case of Death & Honey, Numbered; Arete Editions
3. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Artist Edition; Suntup
4. King Arthur - Standard edition; St James Park Press
5.Buile Suibhne; Fine Press Poetry
6. The Failurist - Deluxe; No Reply Press
7. The Great Man - Hardbound; No Reply Press
8. Scandal in Bohemia; Deluxe; No Reply Press
9. Enūma Eliš - Hardbound; No Reply Press
10. Truth - AE; No Reply Press

Quite a haul from No Reply Press :)

>78 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: Honored!

If I were you, I'd get Jason's "Marcus" while you can!!!

>78 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: what do you think of the St James Park Press King Arthur? I’ve been wanting to sample their work for a while now

>80 NathanOv: I am still waiting for the book to arrive as I ordered a custom slipcase to be sent together with it. James kindly arranged for it to be done by Roger Grech who did the sewing of the book. Will likely only receive it end of this month or next month. Will post pictures once I receive it.

P.S: I did also see a post of someone selling their special/deluxe edition on the fan page on facebook recently. It was decently priced and had pictures accompanying the post. You might want to check that out as well.

>80 NathanOv: From the posts I have seen on the fan page on FB, his books are lovely and that was what prompted me to purchase King Arthur. I would have loved to have purchased 1984, but alas, out of my budget. If I had found out earlier, I think I would have been very2 tempted to purchase as he offers payment plans. For a one man press, I think 1984 is a remarkable effort

>82 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: thanks for the tip! What’s the Facebook group called? It’s not coming up for me.

1984 does look truly incredible! I think I’d need to have seen another example of their other work to even consider it though

>83 NathanOv: Friends of the St James Park Press

>72 Praveenna_Nagaratnam:

"The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Sort Of" is a lovely book that I would strongly recommend. I have a number of Greenboathouse Press books and I am yet to be disappointed. (If you appreciate beautiful typography and execution, you will love his books.) Also, keep in mind that the prices on his website are in Canadian dollars. He also offers a subscription program that allows one to purchase books at a discount - although I couldn't find it on the website just now. I would suggest sending Jason an e-mail with any questions - he is very helpful.

>81 Praveenna_Nagaratnam:

Roger's work is superb. You will not be disappointed!

>82 Praveenna_Nagaratnam:

This is exactly what I said about 1984 - "out of my budget". A week later I sent a deposit. I just know that if I don't buy it I will regret it and will end-up paying a lot more for a copy a few years from now. :)

>85 vadim_ca: Thank you! I did not notice that it was priced in Ca dollars. That makes much more sense now. I have been eyeing 49 days as well.

And yes, 1984 is very2 tempting, I keep going back to the website and reading the descriptions and looking at the photos 😅

>83 NathanOv:
>86 Praveenna_Nagaratnam:

If you are considered the SJPP '1984' and are straddling the fence, contact James Freemantle and purchase the elaborate and detailed prospectus for '1984'. This will provide much of the hands-on information you need before committing to a major purchase. However, do this ASAP because many of the standard copies have already been reserved and this is probably close to going OOP before it is published and sent. As >85 vadim_ca: has noted, once it is OOP it will become prohibitively expensive if/when it appears on the secondary market.

>86 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: I'll split it with you. You can have weekdays if I get weekends ;)

As the Oracle says, this will likely be an "ungetatable" edition. In a way I feel terrible for James for all the pressure that's been built up around it!

>87 dlphcoracl: James is sending me the prospectus with my King Arthur. Do we know when the book will be published? I know it says December on the website but I wonder what progress is like? temptations temptations 😆
My wish list grows every day!

>88 grifgon: Lol 😂

I have a SJPP 1984 prospectus which I got after subscribing. It looks like there are 300 copies of the prospectus which can be purchased for $50 or so for those who don't subscribe. I wouldn't recommend getting a prospectus to decide because by the time you get I suspect it will be fully subscribed. There really isn't anything in the prospectus that you need to make a decision IMO. If you have the budget for it and like 1984, subscribe. I convinced someone else to subscribe in another thread with these arguments:

The price goes up VERY substantially after the subscription period, assuming there are copies left (there won't be).

There is only one other fine press version of 1984 as far as I know - the Suntup. I picked up a copy of the numbered Suntup which is a reasonable value I think and has a unique external appearance in the slipcase. However, the lettered Suntup 1984 which is in the same price range as the subscription 1984 seems like a terrible value for what you get.

How many other small (1-2 person) fine presses can do a 350 page book with a lot of text (i.e. not poetry)? There are the largest American fine presses - Arion, Thornwillow and Suntup (yeah I know a publisher rather than a fine press) - which could do books of this length or longer. But I don't think there is any other small fine press around that is this ambitious (I think the Barbarian Bordering the Sublime will be around 250 pages). So this is project that could really stand out.

Subscription price seems good for what you get, relative to other current projects. This is the same oversized format 14 x 10 as the upcoming DWP WiTW which is $2000. For about $1000 more, this is more than 200 pages longer, and has more unique characteristics. I'm particularly interested in the variety of handmade papers the illustrations will be handpressed on. There is also a huge double page illustration.

>89 Praveenna_Nagaratnam:

I recently received a detailed e-mail from James Freemantle entitled "The Making of Nineteen Eighty-Four" summarizing the design considerations and modifications to date. James hopes to flesh this out a bit more and then publish it on his website. Unless you are "in the trade" , one cannot begin to fully appreciate the complexity of this 1984 edition from both a design and execution standpoint. To keep this project on schedule as much as possible, the main textual elements of this edition are now being printed by Pat Randle of the Nomad Letterpress (using his Heidelberg Cylinder printing press) and John Grice of the Evergreen Press (on his Fag Swiss Proof 40 Press). They are all good friends and expert letterpress printers. This arrangement frees up James Freemantle's time for printing the 24 commissioned illustrations on the suite of rare hand-made papers using his 19th century Albion hand-press. This work is extraordinarily complex and time-consuming, involving hundreds of runs per poster on the Albion.

As best I can tell, no major roadblocks have developed. However, in the Age of Coronavirus and the added complexity of coordinating activities with two other expert printers, I believe seeing this edition in 2021 is optimistic. Although James may disagree, I believe a publication date of February or March 2022 would be a more realistic time frame.

>92 dlphcoracl: What did his recent detailed email say - if anything - about the anticipated publication date?

>93 punkzip:

Nothing.

>91 punkzip: Well at this point it’s probably unlikely I’ll take the plunge, though Albion In The Antarctic has been on my search list for a while (and heavily reinvigorated by the publication of the Aurora Australia facsimile from Folio Soviet & Ludlow Bookbinders).

I think I’ll definitely be ordering King Arthur though if I can’t find a deluxe edition secondary, and Hercules also looks magnificent.

>92 dlphcoracl: It really does sound like the holy grail of fine press publication. I love that even the papers are handmade and a variety of them at that. I also saw on his instagram page that he is adding sheets of all the types of papers used for the special edition in a box and an accompanying essay. Just wow...

>95 NathanOv: I have not seen any of his sold out works in the secondary market though. Hercules is one of those on top of my list. Have seen a few people posting that they are looking for a copy as well.

>96 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: In order to be a holy grail, it has to be published first :).

>98 punkzip: 😅 yes.. i meant it sounds like it is going to be... I highly doubt I will purchase this.. but looking forward to seeing the updates/photos from others.. Oh well, have to sometimes live vicariously through others haha

>98 punkzip: Given that the holy grail is a myth maybe it shouldn't be published ;-)

>97 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: oh me neither - apart from the copy of King Arthur you referred me to that I’m hoping I hear back from the seller on!

Albion had been there only title on my radar for a long time and not once have I come across an available copy

>85 vadim_ca: Is there a secret handshake way to buy Meditations? It's been listed as sold out on the website for some time. That's one I'd love to have.

I was always intrigued with Sort Of Meditations, and it looks gorgeous, but why only exerpts at only 17 pages? The 12 books are already quite short and there is such beauty and wisdom throughout the book that it's a shame they didn't publish the book in its entirety. I really hope another publishing company does.

>103 Joshbooks1: there are several fine press editions of Meditations.

This is a different book. Think of it more like a remix of excerpts.

>104 abysswalker: Well put!

>102 SDB2012:

I wish I knew the secret handshake! :)

I didn't realize that Meditations is sold out - it has been a while since I checked the website. You may want to send Jason an e-mail to confirm that he doesn't have an extra copy available - you never knows. I can attest to that his books are hard to find once they are sold out. I have been looking for some of the older titles for about a year and only came across two books during this time.

Looking forward to his next book - Arranging Furniture. I believe that it nears completion. By the way, if you are interested in this tile, it was mentioned in a recent Alcuin Society Lecture Series with the binder, Alanna Simenson (who also binds most of the Barbarian Press books). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1IjgaYRTJ4&t=33s

>106 vadim_ca: I slept on it and the copy at Oak Knoll got snagged up! by someone on this forum i presume 😅 dang it...

I just received the lovely Aesop Fables from preloprints (https://preloprints.com/shop.html#!/products/aesop-fables). I just wish I had found them earlier to buy the german version of the fables.

>107 Praveenna_Nagaratnam:

That's too bad; I hope you will find another copy soon!

If you are looking for another press that produces superb letterpress books and chapbooks at very reasonable prices, I would recommend taking a look at yet another Canadian private press - Gaspereau Press out of Kentville, Nova Scotia. All prices on the website (and in this post) are in Canadian dollars and a number of books are under $100. I would particularly recommend “Lagomorph” and "Dogberry Charges the Watch” (both have a beautiful wood engraving by Wesley Bates - a Canadian wood engraver and one of my favourites). They are a little more expensive, but still reasonably priced at $130 and $200, respectively.

http://www.gaspereau.com/NewLetterpress.php

As a side note, Andrew has just posted on Instagram about his latest book - Gerard Manley Hopkins’s "Pied Beauty”. It is a short poem, but printed in 18-line plain gothic wood type, which translates into a 22.5 cm by 30 cm 48 page book! This book is not yet listed on the website, but you can see it on Gaspereau Press’ Instagram account. It is rather expensive at $500 with only 27 copies printed. He also produced a prospectus for this book that contains a full poem in a regular size type. A very attractive little book for $25.

(Note that Gaspereau Press also publishes trade books, which are not letterpress printed, but also of very good quality. The link above is to the letterpress books.)

>109 vadim_ca: I cannot recommend Gesperau Press enough! Their series of Henry David Thoreau are sublime.

The Library a Wilderness is another great starting point.

Just received the Arion Press Don Quixote. I have admired it for many years and it was worth the wait. I ordered it second hand from Brick Row Bookshop and it is in nearly flawless condition.

>111 L.Bloom: That's a major acquisition congratulations.

>111 L.Bloom: I plan to wait until DQ is reprinted and then subscribe to AP - unless I can find it for near the subscriber price before that.

>112 Sorion: Thank you very much!

>113 punkzip: I have found it worth my while to send a note to booksellers and ask if they are willing to negotiate the price on these more expensive pieces. If I have had the book in my ABE shopping cart for a long time, they are probably keen to sell so I will reach out. In this case, John was very receptive and open to a fair negotiation and I think it was a mutual win.

>113 punkzip: Does this listing perhaps fit the criteria

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30914138507&searchurl=x%...

>113 punkzip: Are you sure the reprint will be as good as the 1st printing?

>113 punkzip: >115 paulm16: I have actually seen that copy in person (the seller is local for me).

If someone is serious, I could examine the copy more carefully and take any additional, desired pictures the next time I am in the shop.

>115 paulm16: Well that's about $480 more than the subscriber price, and I'd pay tax on Abebooks as well so that's around $800 more than the subscriber price.

>116 Lukas1990: Why wouldn't it be, unless the quality of the AP printers has gone down?

>118 punkzip: My mistake, I hadn’t taken the subscription aspect into account. If you can make that system work for yourself then the savings are substantial.

>113 punkzip: Are they reprinting or just binding sheets from the original printing? I thought it was the latter given that they have a stated limitation for the edition.

>121 LBShoreBook: It could be that they hadn’t yet printed the full limitation I suppose.

>121 LBShoreBook: The latter. I should have used the term "restock" as that is what the website uses. Although I don't know whether the sheets have actually been printed yet...

There is no way they didn't print the full edition at one time. Letterpress printing is crazy expensive, it wouldn't make any sense to not print a full edition at once.
I believe "restocking" means that they are binding more copies from sheets they have in storage.

>124 921Jack: I am interested to see if that is the case. For me, someone involved in manufacturing for 40 years I am not so sure. It is possibly even more crazy expensive to pay for all the materials, overheads, storage and wages for something you are not going to sell for 10 years. Plus during the time you are doing all that printing you are not printing something that could be sold immediately. Economics might say that they would split the production into batches.

>92 dlphcoracl: Last week I had a lengthy face to face chat with James and he still hoped to have 1984 finished end of January, although the over-promise caveat may still apply.
It will be a surprise to see these on the secondary market as all have been taken by private collectors bar one which has gone to a bookshop. The edition is fully subscribed with a waiting list for anyone deciding to back out.
The box still has some design considerations so I’ll keep his current ideas to myself. I am however expecting it to be in keeping with the exceptional production values of the book.

I received my copy of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock from No Reply Press yesterday. I've got the hardbound with slipcase version and it is a precious thing. The marbling on the boards is intricate and gorgeous. My wife, who cares little for such things was stunned by the beauty of it when I extracted it from the slipcase. The paper! From the website "Zerkall mouldmade paper (including the legendary Zerkall watermark)" is by far the most luxurious, thick, and velvety paper I have ever touched. The printing is flawless and has enough bite to visibly be identified as letterpress without smashing through the other side of the page. An exquisite edition of one of my favorite works of literature.

I have to add this note about my shopping experience. The version I wanted had sold out but there was a message to contact No Reply and check if there were any still remaining that might have been canceled etc. So I did. It wasn't 5 minutes before I received a reply from Griffin (so much for "No Reply") telling me that he had one remaining and would make it available to me immediately. It shipped the next day with a complimentary broadside. Just wow. Obviously I am over the moon about my experience with No Reply from top to bottom and highly recommend them.

>126 paulm16:

A completion date of January 2022 is still a bit optimistic, imho. Knowing James as the perfectionist that he is, it is highly likely he will still make 2 or 3 minor modifications ("tweeks") to this edition, pushing it back into the February or March 2022 realm. Frankly, it matters little to me because similar to the exceptional edition of The Wind in the Willows from Mad Parrot Press, it is assuredly a book worth waiting for and Freemantle has proven he deserves whatever time is necessary to print and publish it his way.

I am hardly surprised that '1984' is fully reserved with a considerable waiting list. It will be quite interesting to see how much above the pre-publication price of 2,284 GBP the sole bookshop charges and I would hardly be surprised if the asking price is in the 3,300 - 3500 GBP range or so. Even with that price premium it will sell within 24-48 hours because collectors realize it will not appear on the secondary market unless the Grim Reaper makes an unexpected appearance, i.e., death of a collector and subsequent liquidation of his/her fine books collection. My guess with regard to the fortunate bookseller with enough foresight to reserve a copy is either Peter Harrington Ltd. or Sophie Schneideman Rare Books.

>128 dlphcoracl: Looks like the oracle was correct and 1984 is now due in March 2022 - from the update PDF it looks like it will be worth the wait

>130 punkzip: Just in time for my birthday, what a great present my wife is going to be getting me!

Added a fine copy of the LEC Master of Ballantrae with announcement and ML, for the low price of $15.00. Not exciting, perhaps, but satisfying.

Just arrived - a crisp copy (no. 52) of Prothalamion & Epithalamion: The Wedding Songs of Edmund Spenser with wood engravings by Simon Brett (Barbarian Press 1998). This has filled a gap in my Barbarian Press shelf and, being one of an edition of just 100, I have had to wait a few years for it to come along. The body of the text is in Cancelleresca Bastarda and it is a lovely thing.

>133 AndyEngraver: Congratulations! I lucked into a fine copy of Prothalamion & Epithalamion earlier this year when it was erroneously listed as “Spithalamion” on AbeBooks. It’s a wonderful book. Cancelleresca Bastarda is a beautiful and festive face and the passionate red color used for the binding and calligraphic initials and portions of the text is quite fitting. Most of all, the poems are lovely to read.

Well I thought it would be many years before I was able to track down this work, but I just added Cascadia from Nawakum Press to my collection.

One of the most stunning editions and collection of work I have had the pleasure of reading.

>135 NathanOv: this would be the edition from that press that I would love to acquire one day.

https://www.nawakumpress.com/book-collection/norfold-isle-and-the-chola-widow

>136 LBShoreBook: That one looks stunning! As a Foolscap Press collector, I've been searching for quite some time for their two Nawakum collaborations. After tracking down Republic of Dreams (The other, Book of Sands is one of my collecting grails), I was totally blown away and couldn't help seeking out Nawakum's other works. I've been lucky enough to track down three of their out-of-print titles, though none from quite as long ago as the Melville.

The Sea Fogs from Robert Louis Stevenson and Undersea by Rachel Carson are two others I would buy in a heartbeat if they ever become available.

>133 AndyEngraver: Hi Andy! Welcome to the fine press community here on LibraryThing. I've long been an admirer of your work.

Got my (very lovely) Rossetti from Clinker Press today and it came with several beautiful chapbooks and a broadside included.

>138 grifgon: Thanks gridgon, Its good to find a place where I can share myinterest in collecting fine press books.

Just ordered my most expensive book up-to-date - 'Andrea oder das Madchen von Andros. Eine Komodie des Terentius' printed by Officina Bodoni. Finally managed to use my Ebay coupon. And I will pay zerooo taxes as the book comes from Germany! At 256$ I consider it a bargain. These auctions are exciting :D

I too just had my most expensive day of book buying at £1050. But that was for six auction lots containing a total of 17 private press books—three Whittington Press and fourteen Golden Cockerel. I'm looking forward to them arriving because several of the lots were sold as "Book X and book y, plus three others from the Golden Cockerel Press", so there will be some surprises in store. Even if all of the unnamed books turn out to be junk, I should have my money's worth from the books I know about.

Since my last post in July (>4 SebRinelli:), I made made a few more wonderful acquisitions; at least I hope so as due to my new job I haven't seen them in person yet:

Folio Fine Press: The Anglo-Saxon Elegies
LEC: The Tale of the Wandering Monk
Taller Martin Pescador: Sir Gawain + Los Signos del Zodiaco
Rampant Lions Press: Deluxe Cupid and Psyche
Longmans, Green & Co: Aeneid + Odyssey, both bound in full morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe (they have been part of an auction lot and I need to see whether I keep them)

I also look forward to receiving the No Reply Press Books Enuma Elis and Above Else Do Not Lie

>9 jeremyjm: I haven't forgot my promise to take pictures of Good and Evil from the Garden but I wasn't at home yet. Will do so before New Year's Eve though!

Year-end acquisitions:
Barbarian Press: Sudden Immobility: Selected Poems of Molly Holden
Arion Press: Frankenstein
Arion Press: Pedro Paramo
Arion Press: Call it Sleep
Arion Press: Voices of Marrakesh
Arion Press: American Buffalo
Arion Press: A Lie of the Mind
U of CA Press: Moby Dick (limited edition reproduction of the AP edition)

(I am an AP subscriber and motoring through the back catalogue as quickly as possible in case I want to drop the subscription based on forthcoming books.)

>142 ubiquitousuk: "I too just had my most expensive day of book buying at £1050.... a totalof 17 private press books."

I am here seriously questioning some of my life decisions.

I have not been keeping track of my acquisitions in 2021, but my two most recent acquisitions:

Inishbream - Barbarian Press
The Gospels - Officina Bodoni

>145 NathanOv: Sorry, what?

Picked up the Grabhorn Press editions of The Tempest and Anthony & Cleopatra.

Also, for fun, the Contre Coup Press chapbook of Greta Thunberg’s speech to the UN in 2019 “We’ll Be Watching You”.

>143 SebRinelli: - Thanks! Would definitely like to see some pics while I continue trying to track down a copy.

>147 What_What: I believe he is (subtly?) suggesting that he spent more than that in a single day.

>150 LBShoreBook: I actually believe you might be correct. Humble bragging - somehow worse than actual bragging.

Might be evaluating the wrong life decisions Nathan, lol.

>150 LBShoreBook: >151 What_What: He’s alluding to the fact there are individual books a number of us purchased this year for more than what >147 What_What: spent on those 17 private press books. A fantastic deal, if you ask me.

>147 What_What: I was commenting on the number of books you got for a great value - I realize that wasn’t clear, but not sure how it was misinterpreted to spark such a judgement …

My impressions of the Centipede Press Dune after a more thorough perusal are entirely positive. A big, hefty book. The two-part slipcase is commanding, with art and blind stamping on the spine. The map is impressive and the illustrations are well done and apropos. I particularly like the portraits of key characters. The paper is very nice, with a softness unusual to machine-made papers. I would like to know what it is. Careful attention was paid to the typography, and I appreciate the decorative chapter-heading quotes and the teal capitals. Overall, I think it is well worth the wait and the price.

>154 ultrarightist: Printed on Mohawk Supefine, according to the product page.

Thanks for sharing your impressions! Looking forward to receiving my copy tomorrow (should have been here Friday, but USPS is a little backed up for obvious reasons).

>155 const-char-star: Thanks for the information. It seems softer than the Mohawk Superfine paper used in other books I own.

>144 LBShoreBook: Has Sudden Immobility: Selected Poems of Molly Holden shipped yet? I'm a Barbarian Press subscriber and I've already paid for the book but I haven't been informed of a shipping date. I picked up a copy of the AP Voices of Marrakesh recently, it was a fun read. I bet Marrakesh is quite different these days.

>154 ultrarightist: My CP Dune has been shipped, should arrive this week.

>156 ultrarightist:

Thank you for the review. I haven't received my copy yet but looking forward to it. While I consider Mohawk Superfine the perfect paper (not too extra, not too basic) for offset printing, I do appreciate some variety.

>154 ultrarightist: did you get the numbered or unnumbered? I believe there are some minor production differences between the two versions (maybe just the kind of book cloth, but I'm forgetting the details at the moment).

>158 MobyRichard: I agree wrt Mohawk Superfine for offset printing.

>159 abysswalker: Unnumbered

>157 kdweber: I purchased my copy through the Oak Knoll Fest and received it a few weeks ago. At dlphcoracl 's suggestion I purchased the deluxe edition; have not yet opened it, birthday present to be opened soon.

>157 kdweber: I believe they are being shipped out as they are bound.

Many acquisitions in 2021, my most prized are probably my Nawakum titles:
Cascadia
The Republic of Dreams
Norfolk Isle and the Chola Widow

>163 Esoterics: Wow! You found a copy of Norfolk Isle and the Chola Widow in 2021?

That's a very lucky acquisition. It's a little further down my list than some of the Nawakum back catalogue though it would make a great companion to my Red Angel "Rock Rodondo", but I haven't seen any Nawakum books from before Loom come up for sale.

>164 NathanOv: Very lucky indeed! When I discovered Nawakum, around April of this year, Cascadia and Republic of Dreams were still available through the site. I ordered those and then regularly revisited the site out of anticipation. On one such occasion, I noticed the price was listed for the standard edition of Norfolk Isle. I ignored it since the book had been long sold out, but eventually my curiosity gave in and I emailed to inquire about it. Apparently, David had found one copy and listed it on the site. I was thrilled as Melville is one of my favorite authors to collect fine press editions of, including the Red Angel Rock Rodondo.

Cascading is sold out but The Republic of Dreams is still available.

>165 Esoterics: Incredible timing! I actually got my copy of Cascadia through Nawakum after it was officially sold out as well, as they usually reserve a handful of loose-leaf copies to sell to binders or rebind themselves and one such became available last month.

I believe that's also the story on the newly listed copy of Republic of Dreams, which I'm sure will go fast.

>167 NathanOv: Which state of Cascadia did you get? Cascadia is great, but overpriced IMO...would have been better if one had presubscribed.

>168 punkzip: I have the slipcased. "Overpriced" is quite a word to use here. The work of three (honestly, four because David Pascoe's publishing is truly an art form), fantastic artists presented in just 70 stunning and incredibly timely copies. Nawakum continues to blow me away with every volume I see of theirs.

>168 punkzip: For what it’s worth, I also find the books quite beautiful but equally expensive. I wouldn’t say they are overpriced, per se, but I’d rather take that same amount I’d spend on one of their books and enjoy a few other books from other fine press publishers, or books from the back catalogue of other, older presses. But again, that’s just me. I could never justify it.

>169 NathanOv: I have the Deluxe edition which was $2850 (it would have been 20% less for a presubscription but I didn't know about it earlier). I used the term "overpriced" in the sense that I could likely have gotten more in objective terms (full morocco binding, longer book, etc) - or multiple nice books - from other fine presses.

>171 punkzip: Well hey, if you’re ever interested in trading down (or have any other Nawakum titles that feel overpriced?) to get some of that money back I can probably help out with that.

A big difference is that Cascadia is, as I mentioned, entirely original work from three separate artists. That’s a lot different than even a licensing cost split between 70 copies.

Also, the materials and quality of binding go far beyond a lot of other fine presses. From those in my collection, only Barbarian really compares with a handful of titles.

>172 NathanOv: Which Barbarian titles do you think compare? I don't disagree with what you have said about the original work from three separate artists, and my deluxe Cascadia is a beautiful book, probably the best fine press book published in 2021 that I know of. My point is that from the perspective of the buyer, I think that one could get more in objective terms from other fine presses. The cost of the deluxe Cascadia is pretty much what I plan to pay for an AP Don Quixote when it is back in print (and I subscribe), not that far from what I will pay for the SJP 1984 (which I expect will easily be the best fine press book of 2022) or the price of a full morocco lettered Lyra's Dorian Gray with an original art piece. If I had presubscribed, it would have been about the price of the half-leather TW Ulysses early bird Kickstarter. Are those original works - no. Will those publications have the beauty of Cascadia - likely no. I think a lot of it is that I am primarily a reader, rather than a books as art object person...

>173 punkzip: I mean, "objective value" has to include the work of the artists involved. You're saying, subjectively, that the outcome of their work just isn't as valuable to you. Which is fine. But you wouldn't compare two paintings and wonder how much one artist spent on paint versus the other; time and effort are significant factors in those cases.

The specific Barbarian title I had in mind was A Dialogue With Wood Engravings, which now that I think of it wasn't a fair comparison because it's essentially a livre d'artiste of the work of Richard Wagener of Mixolydian Editions - I believe he had a lot to do with it's final production.

Now that I think more about it, it's really only Nawakum's frequent collaborators like Mixolydian and Foolscap who come close to them in terms of truly beautiful, hand-made bookmaking though of course that says something about my specific tastes as well.

I bought one of the lettered deluxe copies of Cascadia. Easily one of the top 5 books in my library. Expensive, yes. Worth it, definitely!

>175 kdweber: I wish I had been early enough to acquire the deluxe! Although I'm not sure I could be anymore blown away by a book than by the slipcased.

I’m pleased to have been able to tick off a few of the books on my wants list recently:

Joan the Maid of Orleans, Grabhorn Press for Roy Vernon Sowers
The True Historie of Lucian the Samosatenian, Golden Cockerel Press
Jonah Judith Ruth, Allen Press

and a small ‘toe in the water’ sampling of the books printed by the Astolat Press at the beginning of the Twentieth Century:

Friendship by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Songs by Robert Browning
The Prioresses Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
Songs by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Sir Galahad by Thomas Mallory

>174 NathanOv: I agree with what you say but we are looking at it from different perspectives. If an artist creates an original work of art and then limited edition prints are made of that work, the limited editions prints are going to cost more - probably a lot more - than unlimited prints, because the artists work effort is spread out over fewer copies. However, from a certain perspective, for the buyer, there isn't any physical difference between the limited and unlimited print. So that's primarily what I'm referring to by objective value - the physical materials, without reference to the limitation. In this sense the most numerous and least expensive states of any edition almost always are the best objective value, although Barbarian Press seems to charge much less of an upgrade cost than other fine presses - and the best objective value for many Barbarian publications may not be the least expensive state. For some of the genre small presses more so than fine presses, the objective value of the lettered states is really bad, although the idea might be that that the lower limitation will help maintain resale value - often not the case.

I do think the deluxe edition is a sweet spot - the enclosure is really nice (nicer I think than the engravers enclosure) and I like the paste paper boards (which the slipcase also has) more than the boards of the full morocco engravers. Whether it is "worth" the premium is another question.

>177 edgeworn: congratulations on grabbing The True Historie of Lucian the Samosatenian. I was eying a copy at auction recently, but ultimately decided to spread my funds more widely on some cheaper editions from the press. Nevertheless, that and Glory of Life look like Gibbings at his best and I hope to add a copy to my collection one day soon.

>179 ubiquitousuk: Thank you. I have had it on my wants list for quite some time, so was pleased to find a copy in good condition in my price range. At that same recent auction I also was looking closely at the Golden Cockerel Press Samson and Delilah, with the strong illustrations by Gibbings at his most muscular. I've added that to my wants list. (This is an example of the 'one in, one out' principle which ensures that my wants list never decreases in size.)

My two best secondary market acquisitions this year (in terms of good deals + quality) are AP Case of the Wolf Man and LEC Hiroshima.

>175 kdweber: For reference, what are the other 4 top books (if Cascadia is one)?

>180 edgeworn: it sounds like we could have been bidding in the same auction (Forum Auctions?) Glad we didn't end up competing for the same books.

>183 ubiquitousuk: Yes. I must admit that I was very impressed by the collection of books you were able to buy. (I actually had my eye also on some of the Whittington Press books in the sale, but as I was able to buy the Golden Cockerel Press book earlier in the sale I did not compete!)

Just arrived here at the house: a pristine copy of A Christmas Carol illustrated by Wolfgang Lederer and printed letterpress by Harold Berliner in an edition of 750 numbered and signed copies on Ragston paper and set in 16 pt. Baskerville type. Binding is a nice three piece buckram, spine in brown with the sides in gold colored cloth. All edges are trimmed. Printed in 1976. Book is 9" x 12". Wonderful edition of this classic and just in time for Christmas!

>184 edgeworn: I'm pretty new to the auction scene and still learning the ropes (e.g., I did not expect to pay £200 for shipping!!).

My lots arrived and were a bit of a mixed bag. Overall, I'm happy because the key things I bid on are exactly as expected and were, I think, a good price. But "plus three others from the Golden Cockerel Press" did not turn out to be Gill's Four Gospels this time around (maybe next time...)! I think you probably have the right strategy: picking one or two books you really want and going after them rather than going in for a lot of lots you are less excited by.

>149 jeremyjm: Finally, I have been able to take some pictures, though not very good ones. I hope they still give an impression.

The book itself is very small, measuring 4x6.5". 50pp, printed on dampened, all-cotton paper with a noticeable impression but without shining through. The paper is a pleasure to touch. The beautiful, mesmerising woodcuts are printed from the block on gampi paper. The ten essays provide for an interesting but short experience.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/6b/6e/6b6e0eef3f1e18963762f387a67415...

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/32/35/3235fcfc72b890463674c397a67415...

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/f5/50/f55044f41f6c4d1636776397a67415...

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/9a/06/9a06ccdacf0821563676a397a67415...

>188 SebRinelli: Thank you for taking the time to post these! I do love Minegishi's engravings. Will definitely keep an eye out for a copy.

>141 Lukas1990: Congratulations, what a beautiful book. I followed the auction, but luckily didn't bid on this book. I did put low ball bids on two other auctions by the same seller, but I didn't win either (should have offered more on the Otto Rohse Presse book, which sold for a good price).

Overall, I continued to focus on German fine press books from the Weimarer Republik:

- Lebens=Beschreibung des Herrn Goetzens von Berlichingen (Rupprecht Presse). 1924. Full Leather Binding
- Goetz von Berlichingen mit der Eisernen Hand (Avalun Verlag). 1923. Illustrated by Bruno Goldschmitt. Half Vellum Binding.
- Hans der Raeuber (Dreiangeldruck). 1919. Illustrated by Robert Engels. Full Vellum Binding
- Abu'l 'Ala: Arabische Gedichte aus dem Zehnten Jahrhundert (Verlag F. Bruckmann). 1920. Illustrated by Richard von Below. Quarter Vellum.
- Savonarole (Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1920. Illustrated by Sepp Frank. Full Vellum Binding.
- The Tempest (Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1921. Illustrated by Adolph Schinnerer. Full Vellum Binding.
- Psalm XVIII (Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag). 1921. Illustrated by Adolph Schinnerer. Full Vellum Binding.
- Kandide (Georg Mueller Verlag). 1924. Illustrated by Carl Sturzkopf. New Half Leather Binding with Handmarbled Papers.
- Oedipus (Printed by Otto von Holten for the friends of Dr. Wilhelm Kaufmann). 1919. Illustrated by Sepp Frank. Full Vellum Binding.

I am most excited about the last one. It is one of 100 copies of a private printing. My newly acquired copy belonged to Dr. Schroeder and contains his ex-libris done by Sepp Frank. This book was printed in the same year as Goethe's Balladen and could possibly be linked to the cooperation between Dr. Schroeder and Frank.

For non-German books, I bought my first three Vale Press Shakespeare books (Cymbeline, The Life of Timon of Athens and The Two Gentlemen of Verona). It will probably take many years to complete this set...

>190 teppi2:
Were you able to find the Vale Shakespeare volumes in Fine or NF condition? I’ve seen very few without significant wear to the bindings.

>191 kermaier: The bindings were protected by clear Mylar dust jackets and are in decent shape, but certainly not fine. Also, pages show some yellowing and the books contain the prior owner's ex libris - so certainly not perfect books. All was very clearly described by the seller, and I purchased these imperfect copies by choice.

I found them at less than $60 each (after using a biblio coupon). I bought a single volume first and added the other two after I inspected the first one.

I have the full LEC Shakespeare set, which is glorious, but the Vale Press books are sized well for bed-time reading, and paper, print quality and ornaments are wonderful.

>192 teppi2:
That's a good find! I, too, would've picked up a few volumes at that price.
I currently only have a copy of the Vale "Merchant of Venice", rebound in half-leather (with rather dull paper sides), internally excellent, that I picked up for about $50 if I recall correctly. Oddly, the previous owner chose to have the original cloth spine and sides glued to paper and bound into the book at the back. I guess they couldn't bear to discard them, but they're too bulky, and I may decide to razor them out.

>190 teppi2: Thanks! I will have to remember my poor German which I never get to use. Hope Google Lens will help me. The book should be here before New Year's Eve.

That's an impressive list of books. What are your thoughts on Savonarole? What's the paper? I always wanted to own at least one book by Dr. jur Julius Schroeder Verlag. And it is illustrated by one of my favorite artists Sepp Frank. And it is affordable. And... So many reasons to get it right now! :D

EDIT: I've found a very cheap copy of Savonarole and ordered it. Can't resist ordering from Germany.

>194 Lukas1990: Regarding Savonarole, if you are interested in buying this book, I would suggest to research the versions available. There is a vellum and a half blue leather version. There is also a first printing in 1920 limited to 230 copies and a second printing in 1923 limited to 335 copies.

I personally like the full vellum covers (even considering their tendency to warp). If you like the vellum version, I would strongly suggest to look for the first printing. The second printing is bound in quarter vellum with cardboard sides.

I really like the production values of the first edition. The decorated vellum cover is beautiful, the paper used is "echtes Japan Buetten von Van Gelder Zonen". Printing was done by Knorr & Hirth and the etchings were reproduced by Heinrich Wetteroth.

The illustrations themselves are gorgeous, but I feel the style a bit more comparable to the illustrations in Marino Faliero rather than Faust or Balladen. They somehow remind of theatre stages. Interestingly, the style of the Oedipus illustrations is quite different again.

I guess topic and the language make this a hard sale, and thus many copies are available. I have to admit it is not high on my TBR list, particularly as I will have to brush up my French to read it - this is why I have waited so long to buy it. As a piece of art I would certainly recommend it at the low prices it sells for right now, if you can find a copy in good condition.

Another of the Schroeder books that can be bought inexpensively right now is Wilhelm Tell, which is offered on ebay.de for Euro 80, with best offer available. It has been listed for a while, and the seller already offered a reduced price once I put it on my watchlist. Unfortunately it is not in the original binding, and illustrations are by Bruno Goldschmitt, not Sepp Frank.

I have posted a couple of images of Savonarole in my lesser know fine presses thread here, I don't want to clog up this busy thread with pictures.

EDIT: My apologies, I saw you already bought a copy, hopefully my comments regarding the different editions are not too late.

>195 teppi2: Thank you for a very detailed reply. I was aware there are two versions available and got the vellum version limited to 235 copies. In my opinion it looks better.

>192 teppi2: Can you share a picture of the ex libris of dr. Julius Schroeder? I've seen some before and they look amazing! I have two ex librises by Sepp Frank. Here's one of them which is still at the post-office...

>197 Lukas1990: It is a actually rather similar to the one you posted above:



The hand reaching to the sun is similar to the triangular logo Schroder used for his Meisterwerke series (both on the limitation page and sometimes as a watermark).

>198 teppi2: Beautiful! It would be interesting to know what this 'character' represents... Seems like a god. My other ex libris by Sepp Frank portraits the Greek god Mercury holding a scepter.