Book Arts
Life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
William Milligan Sloane. 4 vols. extended to 12. New York: Century Co., 1896.
This extra-illustrated biography of Napoleon is enlarged to three times its original size by the addition of over 1700 prints and over 100 autograph letters relating to the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras. Hand-colored gilt lithographic titles with mounted vignettes replace the original letterpress titles.
The lavish red morocco bindings inlaid with Napoleon’s arms at the center are the work of the Monastery Hill Bindery, Chicago.
Epitome cosmografica, o, Compendiosa introduttione all'astronomia, geografia, e idrografia, per l'uso, dilucidatione, e fabbrica delle sfere, globi, planisferj, astrolabj, e tavole geografiche.
Vincenzo Coronelli. Cologne [i.e. Venice]: Andrea Poletti, 1693.
This series of lectures given by Italian cosmographer and cartographer, Vincenzo Coronelli, before the Accademia Cosmografica degli Argonauti in Venice, is richly illustrated with 37 plates, maps, charts, and volvelles. The added engraved title-page bears the arms of the Accademia degli Argonauti.
The book is accompanied by an English translation of the text commissioned by Stanley Scott.
Tesuki Washi Shuho. Fine Handmade Papers of Japan.
Yasuo Kume. Tokyo: Yushodo, 1980. Edition of 200.
A three-volume set in English and Japanese containing 207 samples of traditional, handmade Japanese papers. The publisher’s case features a print showing the papermaking process.
The Gardens of DeCosse. 21st: The Journal of Contemporary Photography.
John Wood, ed. 2 vols. South Dennis, MA: Steven Albahari, 2000. Edition of 50.
Deluxe limited issue, one of 50 ‘Museum’ copies offered for sale and signed by the photographers.
This portfolio celebrates the work of contemporary American photographer, Cy Decosse (b. 1929), renowned for his innovative depictions of plant life. ‘Museum’ copies are scarce on the market today because most were sold to institutions.
The Home and Haunts of Shakespeare … Illustrated by Fifteen Plates in Water-color, Thirty Full-page Photo-gravures and More than One Hundred and Fifty Other Illustrations.
James Leon Williams. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1894.
James Leon Williams (1852-1920) produced this elaborate and expensive photographic work to satisfy the curiosity of his fellow Americans, who, by the 1890s, were visiting Stratford-upon-Avon in droves. The first edition of 1892 was issued in fifteen sections and sold by subscription. This is the slightly later ‘Stratford edition’ of 1894.