An impressive set of bright and beautiful antique decorative books with a certain je ne sais quoi quality that can instantly take your coffee table to another level!

GOETHE'S WORKS COMPLETE IN FIVE VOLUMES by Johann Wolfgang GOETHE. Illustrated by Leading German Artists, Edited by Heinrich Duntzer. Published by Deutschen Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart & Leipzig. Second edition (so stated), no date [ca. 1890]. In GERMAN Fraktur. Hardbound in original Publisher's ornate fine binding, dark red textured cloth with embossed printing in gilt and black to the front covers and spine, rear covers have printer's device and borders embossed in black, 10" x 7.5", all edges gilt, white moire patterned endpapers, volume 1 is 460 pages, volume 2 is 464 pages, volume 3 is 470 with Publisher's ad at the rear, volume 4 is 472 pages and volume 5 is 532 pages, all five volumes are illustrated throughout with full page and in-text 18th century black & white drawings. The five volumes are in VERY GOOD CONDITION: the spines are lightly sunned, corner-tips lightly bumped, and the gilt page edges have a touch of wear but remain very bright, internally a former owners neatly penned name, address, date on the front free endpapers, and light signs of age and use, overall tight, bright, clean and unmarked. An excellent set. Please note, this set weighs about 20 pounds packed for shipping and will require additional shipping charges (approximately $20 for media mail).

GOETHE'S WERKE IN FÜNF BÄNDEN von Johann Wolfgang GOETHE. Illustrirt von Ersten Deutschen Kunstlern. Herausgeber Heinrich Duntzer. Zweite Auflage. Druck und Papier der Deutschen Verlags-Anstalt in Stuttgart & Leipzig, die Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt vormals Eduard Hallberger Stuttgart. Zweite auflage (wie angegeben), kein datum, [um 1890].

THE JUST DESSERT THOUGHTFUL ALPHABET XI by EDWARD GOREY

Published by The Fantod Press, New York, 1997 limited first edition, limited to 750 numbered copies, this is copy 582, SIGNED and NUMBERED by the author EDWARD GOREY on the colophon page. Square format softcover booklet, illustrated grey wrappers, side staple bound, 5" x 5", 26 un-numbered pages, printed on one side only, existentially illustrated with thirteen b&w drawings that are rather dark, unfathomable and a touch surreal. Also includes the original Edward Gorey illustrated announcement card for this book which was sent out by Gotham Book Mart. Illustrated white card, 4.5" x 3.25", printed in b&w on both sides. Both in NEAR FINE CONDITION: tight, bright, clean and unmarked. A lovely copy.

Edward Gorey created The Fantod Press in 1962. Only 28 titles were issued by Fantod and each is highly prized by Gorey collectors.

BOOKBINDING - Operations performed when binding a book by hand. Method unchanged since the fourteenth century.

A BROADSIDE on BOOKBINDING by ARNO WERNER, BOOKBINDER.

INSCRIBED and INITIALED at the bottom by ARNO WERNER to LYNNE VEATCH: "From me - a.w. / For Lynne Veatch / 6.15.92".

Broadside, printed on heavy stock paper, 15x23 inches.

Printed by Meriden-Stinehour Press, Lunenburg, Vermont, undated, c.1992.

GOOD condition: There is light shorelining to the upper 1/3 of the blank backside of the poster, some of it faintly shows through to the top few inches of the front of the poster, there is also some waviness to the top few inches as a result of the shorelining; otherwise bright and clear.

This is a SCARCE poster, especially so with ARNO WERNER'S INSCRIPTION to LYNNE VEATCH (see Veatchs - Arts of the Book).

The broadside will be safely shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.

About ARNO WERNER (from his New York Times Obituary):

******Arno Werner, a German-born master bookbinder who was credited with keeping the craft alive in the United States, died on July 28, 1995, at his home in Hadlyme, Connecticut. He was 96.

His work, often executed in painstakingly hand-tooled morocco leather, was marked by a sturdy yet elegant simplicity. Until 1982 he was chief bookbinder for rare editions at the Houghton Library at Harvard University. His association with the library went back almost to its opening in 1942. In the catalog of Houghton Library's 1981 Retrospective of Werner's work, James E. Walsh, the keeper of printed books, wrote: "There is scarcely a shelf in the Houghton Library that does not contain one or more pieces of Arno's work."

Arno Werner was born in 1899, in Mylau, Saxony, one of 10 children of a weaver. He was apprenticed to a bookbinder at 13. He came to New York in 1925 with $25 and his tools in a cigar box.******

A KEEPSAKE FOR ALFRED A. KNOPF. "Written and Printed by Various Hands Celebrating His Fiftieth Year as a Book Publisher".

FIFTY FINELY-PRINTED, SMALL-PRESS LEAFLETS, including an introductory pamphlet by Charles Antin. The leaflets were printed by a wide variety of small private presses. All were printed in tribute to the publisher Alfred A. Knopf. There is also a leaflet that lists all the contributors and their presses (so, 51 leaflets total). The leaflets are all loose and held in a Publisher's slipcase.

SIGNED ASSOCIATION COPY. Two letters accompany the keepsake. One is from ALFRED A. KNOPF, and is SIGNED by KNOPF, likely secretarially. The letter is on Alfred A. Knopf stationery and comes with its Knopf mailing envelope. The letter is addressed to FRANK POWERS. It thanks Frank Powers for his contribution to the keepsake collection (Frank Powers / Powers Private Press provided one of the keepsakes). The other letter is from Charles Antin of the Serendipity Press. In his letter he thanks Frank [Powers] for his contribution and says he is enclosing a copy of the keepsake tribute collection. Charles Antin organized the Knopf tribute.

The keepsakes are 4.5x7 inch leaflets, most are 4 pages, some are two sides of a single leaf, some have more pages, and a few have inserts. THEY HAVE BEEN COLLATED with the included LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS (49) and are all present and in proper order. The keepsakes and the list of contributors are held in a purple paper covered slipcase which has a printed wraparound title band.

Contributors include Frank Altschul / Overbrook Press; Merle Armitage / Mohawk Press; Joseph Blumenthal / Spiral Press; Warren Chappell / Salisbury Press; Muir Dawson and Saul Marks / Plantin Press; Frank Powers / Powers Private Press; Ward Ritchie / Anderson, Ritchie & Simon; Patricia Waddel / Pratt Institute; Lili and Erich Wronker / Ron Press; and many others.

NEW YORK: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Limited Edition of only 150 copies.

VERY GOOD CONDITION: The slipcase has some rubs and light toning, the leaflets are all bright and clear, the letters are folded. A nice, solid set of keepsakes plus letters from Knopf and Antin.

About FRANK POWERS, one of the keepsake contributors and to whom letters of thanks from Knopf and Antin were addressed (from the Type Directors Club website):

******Frank Powers was one of the founders of the Type Directors Club "TDC", he even originated the term "Type Director" to give the role a more professional standing. In 1946 he became the TDC's first President, followed by two additional presidencies in 1961 and 1962. He also served as a tireless chairman of many TDC committees. Powers Often prepared club announcements on his home printing press, making printing plates from "a jar top, string, cork letters, a medal, linoleum, rubber tile, and cardboard." Frank worked as Director of Typography for J. Walter Thompson for 22 years.

In 1971 Frank Powers became the third member of the TDC to be honored with the TDC Medal "awarded for significant contributions to typography"******

Published by a Wilmington publisher -

Printed by a Wilmington printer -

Bound and Sold by a Wilmington bookbinder / bookseller -

Owned by a Noted Wilmington resident -

GOLDSMITH'S ROMAN HISTORY, ABRIDGED BY HIMSELF, For The Use Of Schools. Fourth American Edition.

WILMINGTON: Published by the Rev. William Pryce; Printed by Joseph Jones, Printer: 1806.

BOUND and SOLD by J. WILSON of WILMINGTON, with his: "SOLD BY J. WILSON, Bookbinder, Bookseller, and Stationer, Wilmington, Del." woodcut binder's ticket on the front pastedown. The ticket measures 1.25 x 2 inches.

OWNED by WILMINGTON resident, EDWARD TATNALL, with his SIGNATURE and place, BRANDYWINE, on the title page. From Wikipedia: "Edward Tatnall, b.1782 d.1856, was an American miller and railroad executive based in Wilmington, Delaware. He was a son of Joseph Tatnall, a prominent miller and banker in Wilmington. He was a director of the Delaware and Maryland Railroad and of the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad, two of the four railroads that helped build the first rail link from Philadelphia to Baltimore. In 1838, they merged into the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad. His service is noted on the 1839 Newkirk Viaduct Monument."

HARDCOVER BOOK, leather covered boards, leather spine label, 4x6.5 inches. Pagination: vii, 417 pages, plus 3 pages of Publisher's ads at the rear. The covers have scrapes and rubs, the inner pages are toned with spots and a scattering of stains here and there throughout; a well-used but complete, solid and presentable copy.

American book publishing, printing, binding and selling was taking root in Wilmington in 1806.

TRANSFERWARE TREASURES - 25 WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS of NINETEENTH CENTURY POTTERY by EMILY SUTTON.

Limited edition of only 250 copies, each SIGNED by the ARTIST, Emily Sutton. FINE-PRINTING from a small, private ENGLISH PRESS, the FLEECE PRESS.

Published by Fleece Press, Upper Denby, U.K., 2014.

Hardcover Book in a Slipcase. Pages open accordion style and are printed on one side only. The book measures 9.5x9.5 inches (24x24 cm), and the accordion style inner pages stretch out quite a ways. Illustrated with 25 gorgeous prints of paintings by Emily Sutton of her Transferware Pottery, each print on its own page.

FINE condition, a beautiful copy.

From the Publisher:

******Emily Sutton has made a series of watercolours of the transferware pottery - plates, mugs and jugs - found on her dresser. They are a charming set, full of the quaint and fascinating subjects which the Victorians felt appropriate, mostly for the moral benefit of their children. Fleece Press has now published these together in a long accordion-fold book with a slipcase. Emily drew a title page specifically for this book, and signed each of the 250 copies.******

JOE D'AMBROSIO - NINETEEN YEARS AND COUNTING, A RETROSPECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY, 1969-1988.

ARTIST'S BOOK by JOE D'AMBROSIO, Book Designer, Book Binder, Fine-Printer, Artist.

Self-published and self-made artist's book. First edition and only edition, 1989. Limited to 75 numbered copies and 10 artist proofs. This is copy #41. SIGNED and NUMBERED by D'Ambrosio on the title-page.

FINE and UNIQUE binding, the covers are marbled paper covered boards with a hinged leather spine and a burnished copper plate overlaid on the front; the dustjacket is gray denim cloth with marbled-paper trim; the endpapers are handmade marbled paper. An extraordinary binding.

The book is 6x9 inches and has 129 pages plus the Colophon page.

There are 60 mounted color photographs illustrating D'Ambrosio's fine printing works, books and broadsides, which he produced from 1969-1988.

Condition: FINE book in NEAR FINE dustjacket that has light signs of edge and corner wear. A lovely copy.

Joe d'Ambrosio, b.1934 d.2009, was a fine-printer and book artist who first began designing unusual printed items in Chicago in 1969.

GUTENBERG AND THE BOOK OF BOOKS with Biographical Notes, Reproductions of Specimen Pages and a Listing of Known Copies. By Henry Lewis Johnson.

NEW YORK: William Edwin Rudge, MCMXXXII (1932). This is the scarce FOLIO SIZE 1932 edition published by RUDGE, with all its plates intact. It includes the separate folder with a facsimile leaf from the Gutenberg Bible of Psalm 23: "This folder contains a facsimile of a page of the Gutenberg Bible including the Twenty-Third Psalm, suitable for framing".

Hardcover folio book with four called for reproductions, a paper folder with a facsimile leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, and an original card clamshell case that houses them both. The reproductions of ILLUMINATED PAGES and the FACSIMILE REPRODUCTION from the Gutenberg Bible are GORGEOUS.

Condition: NEAR FINE BOOK, light age toning to the page edges, otherwise sharp cornered, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. The book's plates are beautiful and each is protected with a tissue guard. The separate paper folder has some toning and light soiling, the facsimile leaf it holds is bright, clean and lovely, and would look great mounted and/or framed. The original cardboard case holding both items is well-worn, with some staining, scratches, and tearing; nonetheless it is still doing its job of protecting the treasure within.

Rare with ALL FOUR PLATES and the separate FACSIMILE OF PSALM 23 all present.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE NOTE: This large format and rather heavy

book will require additional shipping charges. After placing your order you will be notified of the charges and be able to accept or reject them before payment is taken. Thanks!

A PORTFOLIO w/ 14 Folios by 14 Small-Press Printers.

CLUB HISTORIES.

INCORPORATION & BY-LAWS.

(1) A PORTFOLIO for THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SACRAMENTO BOOK COLLECTORS CLUB. Printed for THE SACRAMENTO BOOK COLLECTORS CLUB, 1989. LIMITED EDITION of only 125 COPIES.

Hardcover portfolio case holding 14 loose single-fold FOLIOS printed by 14 SMALL-PRESS PRINTERS from the Sacramento region. The folios describe libraries in the Sacramento, Yolo and San Joaquin counties.

"Each of the folios in this set recognizes a library in the region, describing the library and telling some of its history, and features one or two interesting books from its collections. Each folio was designed and printed by a club member who uses letterpress methods and is the proprietor of, or has access to, a private press."

(2) IN THE BEGINNING - The Early Years of the Sacramento Book Collectors Club, by Allan R. Otley. Wrappers, sewn bound, 14 pages. Printed by the Amaranth Press in an edition of 400 copies as a keepsake for the S.B.C.C.,1979. FINE condition.

(3) THE FIRST HALF CENTURY - The Sacramento Book Collectors Club 1939-1989; with a bibliography of the club's publications. Softcovers, 68 pages. Printed in an edition of 250 copies for the S.B.C.C., 1989. Fine Condition.

(4) THE SIXTH DECADE - The Sacramento Book Collectors Club 1989-1999, by Vincent J. Lozito. Booklet, 15 pages. Printed by the Haunted C & P Press, 2000. FINE condition.

(5) Sacramento Book Collectors Club Constitution, By-Laws & Articles of Incorporation, with a list of publications. Booklet, 1968; and another for 1977. Both are in FINE condition.

PLUS an assortment of other small-press items related to the S.B.C.C.

Everything is in VERY GOOD to FINE condition.

This is for TWO COPIES (buyer gets both copies) of:

NEGRO CIVIL RIGHTS IN CALIFORNIA: 1850, by David L. Snyder.

Keepsake printed by Roger Levenson at the TAMALPAIS PRESS for the members of the Sacramento Book Collectors Club 1969. Small-press fine-printing,"Special Publication No. 10", limited to only 300 copies.

Fine-printing pamphlet, white rag paper covers, red title lettering, side-stapled, 7x10 inches, 12 pages.

A brief history and vivid example of the limited legal rights of Negroes in California to testify against white men. This situation lasted until the testimony law was repealed in 1863. Included in this keepsake is a holograph reproduction of the 1850 sworn testimony of Sarah Carroll who claimed that William H. Potter stole jewelry and money from her. The keepsake also has a transcript of her testimony, as well as the results of her testimony (William Potter was arrested). Sarah Carroll was a brave woman.

Both keepsakes are in VERY GOOD or better condition, one has some light creasing to its top edge, else tight, bright, clean and unmarked.

About this keepsake (from WorldCat):

*******Sarah Carroll, a "free woman of color" brought a complaint against W.H. Potter on the charge of grand larceny for the theft of $700 and other articles of value. The documents of the case appear in this publication in both type and facsimile.******

SHAMROCK OVER IRELAND! from the "Shamrock Song" by Katharine Tynan.

"Made for ALBERT M. BENDER by ANSEL ADAMS / Saint Patrick's Day - March seventeenth nineteen thirty-nine".

Fold-open broadside, folded measures 9.5x12.5 inches oblong, folds open to show two inner panels, the entire sheet can fold open to show all 4 front facing panels, the backside is blank. Folded open the sheet measures 19 x 25 inches.

The broadside was made by ANSEL ADAMS for his friend and patron, ALBERT M. BENDER. Printed by Johnck & Seeger, Printers, San Francisco, as stated on the bottom corner of the rear panel of the folded broadside.

FAIR PLUS condition: there is creasing around the center fold, corners and edges; the rear panel (when folded) has a 1 inch closed tear to the bottom edge where the printer's information is printed; there is light soiling here and there; still a solid and bright copy. The folded broadside came in a plain heavy stock envelope, which remains in good condition.

Rare ANSEL ADAMS / ALBERT M. BENDER item. OCLC notes only six copies held worldwide, including ones at Trinity College Dublin, the National Library of Ireland, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, and the Huntington Library.

About ALBERT M. BENDER (from Wikipedia):

******Albert Maurice Bender (born Dublin 1866 died San Francisco 1941) was a German-Irish-American art collector who was one of the leading patrons of the arts in San Francisco in the 1920s and 1930s. HE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE EARLY CAREER OF ANSEL ADAMS and was one of Diego Rivera's first American patrons. By providing financial assistance to artists, writers, and institutions, he had a significant impact on the cultural development of the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.

A lover of literature from an early age, Bender began collecting rare books and helped create the Book Club of California in 1912. Inspired by his cousin Anne Bremer, a professional artist, Bender began collecting art,

Bender enjoyed giving things away even more than he liked acquiring them, and he became a prolific donor to Bay Area museums and libraries. Beginning in 1932 he donated 260 pieces of art to the National Museum of Ireland in memory of his mother. He gave important collections of rare books and fine printing to Mills College, Stanford University, the University of California, and the San Francisco Public Library. Stanford University has a Bender Room in its library.

Bender helped launch the career of many artists and photographers, including Ansel Adams. He financed the publication of Adams's first portfolio (Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras, 1927) and his first book (Taos Pueblo, with author Mary Hunter Austin, 1930).******

TWO MARCEL PROUST Volumes in SEMET & PLUMELLE FINE-BINDINGS and SLIPCASES w/ EDUOARD HENRI FISCHER Bookplates

TWO VOLUMES FINELY BOUND by SEMET & PLUMELLE : "LES PLAISIRS ET LES JOURS", by Marcel Proust, 1924, and "HOMMAGE À MARCEL PROUST", by various contributors.

FINE BINDINGS: Full green levant morocco covered boards, four raised spine bands, red morocco spine labels titled in gilt, gilt decorations to the folded leather on the inner covers, silk endpapers, all edges gilt, 6.5x8.5 inches (16x21 cm), 273 and 319 pages; slipcases with marbled paper exteriors, felt-lined interiors. SEMET & PLUMELLE is "signed" on the bottom edge of the inside front cover of each volume.

From the collection of the renowned French book collector EDOUARD HENRI FISCHER. His bookplate, designed by Hans Erni, is on a prelim page of each volume.

Published by Nouvelle Revue Française, Paris, 1924 and 1927. Limited editions, marked number XIV and IX respectively.

VERY GOOD condition: The spines are lightly sunned and the covers have slight shelf rubs, overall lovely.

TWO Scarce FINE BINDINGS by SEMET & PLUMELLE.

Chinese American Type Specimen Catalogue

BOCK NGAR CHY CO., published in San Francisco (n.d.) circa 1934. Original decorative blue-green paper wrappers, top staple bound, 8.25" x 5.25", 44 unnumbered pages, printed in red and green, text in Chinese with some English, richly illustrated throughout. NEAR FINE Condition: mild age toning, tiny bit of wear at spine fold ends, tight, bright, clean and unmarked. A beautiful copy.

A typographic specimen book and trade catalogue featuring a wide variety of printing services, dual language Chinese-English printing, graphic design, typefaces, ornaments, borders, illustrated cuts, stamps, business cards, advertising, logos, and other printing jobs as well as rubber stamps, seals, corporate stamping machines, inks, movable type sets, pens, labels, stationary and small promotional items. Numerous local Chinese owned business are represented in the samples, as well as Chinese companies outside California, and in Canada and Mexico.

A successful Chinese American printing and stationers firm in San Francisco's Chinatown, Bock Ngar Chy Company was founded by San Francisco native and visual artist Lee Shew Hung (b.1882). Educated in both Chinese and American schools Lee worked in his father's import export business before starting his own small press after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. I can't find early records but the February 1915 edition of the Chinese Students' Monthly has two ads for Bock Ngar Chy Co. Chinese printing and stationer services and Chinese artistic goods located at 920 Grant Avenue. The 1949 Chinese San Francisco City Directory shows Bock Ngar Chy Co. at a different Chinatown location, 556 Kearny Street and the last recorded item they printed was a 1956 calendar by Bock Ngar Chy, Youth Printing Co. It's entirely possible Lee Shew Hung remained the proprietor throughout.

THE MANUEL TYPOGRAPHIQUE of PIERRE-SIMON FOURNIER le jeune : Together with Fournier on Typefounding, an English Translation of the Text, by Harry Carter. In FACSIMILE. With an Introduction and Notes by James Mosley. THREE VOLUMES.

Published by Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany, 1995. ISBN: 3886070948.

Three hardcover books, cloth covered boards with paper spine title labels, small 8vo., 4.5x7 inches (11x17.5 cm). Texts in their original French and English. All are ILLUSTRATED with fonts, types, vignettes, etc.

The three facsimile editions are:

Manuel Typographique, Volume I, 1764. Illustrated with 16 folding plates plus 60+ pages of various Greek, Roman, and Financial type fonts. Pagination: [3] including frontispiece and title-page, xxxii, 323, [1] Errata, [1] Approbation, [3] Privilege Du Roi, [16] Folding Plates.

Manuel Typographique, Volume 2, 1766. Illustrated throughout with many pages of types - alphabetical, musical, financial, vignettes, etc. Pagination: xliv, 306.

Fournier on Typefounding, 1930. A facsimile of the English translation of Fournier's Maneul Typographique by Harry Carter, accompanied with his extensive commentary. This third volume also includes an Introduction to this 3 volume edition by Harry Mosley, the editor. 496 pages plus 16 unnumbered 2-page plates.

The Three Volumes are in VERY GOOD condition, Vol. 2 has a some pushing to the covers' spine ends, Vol. 3 has a bend to its upper cover corners that lightly bends the upper corner tips of the inner pages; otherwise all three volumes are tight, bright, sharp, clean and unmarked. A lovely, presentable set.

This three volume set is very hard-to-find.

From the Introduction:

******The chief object of this edition is to publish for the first time a complete facsimile of Fournier's Manuel Typographique. The first volume of this work gives one of only two detailed accounts of the processes of making printing types that were published during the hand press era, and the second volume includes a comprehensive specimen of the types and ornaments of Fournier's own foundry, most of which he cut himself, and it thus provides a record of one of the most remarkable personal achievements in the history of typefounding. The Manuel Typographique is an exquisite example of rococo typography, and the French text is most appropriately read in the dress that its author designed for it.

The work by which this facsimile is accompanied. Fournieron Typefounding, Harry Carter's translation into English of the Manuel Typographique, constitutes the only detailed commentary on Fournier's text that has ever been made. It was originally published in a small edition by the Soncino Press, London, in 1930. A reprint, reproducing the original pages on a slightly enlarged scale, was published in 1973 under the imprint of Burt Franklin, for which Carter wrote a new foreword but did not alter his original text of 1930.******

MARTIN STONE, BOOKSCOUT, by PETER B. HOWARD.

SIGNED and INSCRIBED in pencil by PETER HOWARD on the title page: "for David and Beth / Peter Howard".

Published by SERENDIPITY BOOKS, Berkeley, 2000. Limited to 200 copies, so stated on the copyright page.

An essay by the late, renowned bookseller Peter Howard, about his friend, Martin Stone, a rock guitarist and an incredible antiquarian book scout.

Booklet, softcovers, sewn binding, 7.5x10 inches, 15 pages.

NEAR FINE Condition: just lightly handled, tight, bright, clean and unmarked.

Peter Howard, who owned Serendipity Books of Berkeley, California, and was at one time the President of the ABAA, died in 2010. Peter, wherever you are I want you to know that the Roast Suckling Pig you brought out every two years at the time of the San Francisco ABAA Book Fair was Yummy!

About MARTIN STONE (from Wikipedia):

******Martin Stone (11 December 1946, Woking, Surrey - 9 November 2016, Versailles, France) was an English guitarist and rare book dealer. He was a resident of Fingest in Buckinghamshire and, later, of Paris.

Educated at Whitgift School, Stone initially wanted to be a journalist and began as a cub reporter on The Croydon Advertiser, interviewing Jimmy Page when he was still a session musician. Stone's passion for the guitar led him to become a musician. His guitar talent was such that he was considered a possible replacement for Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones. Martin Stone played in many groups, including Junior's Blues Band, Stone's Masonry, Almost Presley, The Action, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Mighty Baby, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers, Southern Comfort, The Pink Fairies, and The 101'ers. His last album, which he called his legacy album is LIVE FROM THE TERMINAL CAFE with Michael Moorcock and the Deep Fix (Cleopatra Records, Autumn 2019).

Subsequent to his musical efforts Stone achieved international notoriety as a bookscout. He is a major player in John Baxter's memoir A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict. He is the subject of a limited edition book Martin Stone, Bookscout by the California rare bookseller Peter Howard of Serendipity Books. He appeared in the television documentary Without Walls: The Cardinal And The Corpse (Iain Sinclair / Chris Petit 1992). He is also known to be the basis for the character Nicholas Lane in Sinclair's novel White Chappell, Scarlett Tracings (1987).

Stone was married in 1980 to Ruth Bullock and their daughter is the actress Sophie Leigh Stone.******

HOGARTH MORALIZED - Being A COMPLETE EDITION of HOGARTH'S WORKS. Containing near Fourscore COPPER PLATES, and most elegantly engraved...[John Tusler]

LONDON: Sold by S. Hooper...and Mrs. Hogarth at her House in Leicester Fields, MDCCLXVII (1768).

FINE BINDING by RIVIERE & SON, with its imprint along the bottom dentelle of the inside front cover (impossible to read or find without a magnifier but beautiful once seen magnified). The binding is later, likely late 19th or early 20th century. FULL RED MOROCCO LEATHER, five spine bands, gilt spine titles, 6x8.75 inches (15x22.5 cm), dentelles on the inside front and rear covers. Pagination: [some prelim leaves, including frontispiece, engraved title, title page], viii, 212, v, [3] pages.

ILLUSTRATED with 78 PLATES by HOGARTH. There is an Index of the plates at the rear.

VERY GOOD condition, The covers have a little scuffing to the spine folds but are simply lovely with gorgeous dentelle decoration. The 1768 work bound within has just slight age toning and soiling to the page edges, otherwise tight, bright, clean and unmarked. A solid, very nice copy, in a gorgeous fine binding.

About RIVIERE BOOKBINDERY (from a British Museum website):

******In 1829, Robert Riviere set up in business in Bath as a bookseller and later bookbinder. In 1840 he moved to London where the firm did business at a series of addresses. His grandson Percival Calkin became a partner in 1881, and the firm's name was changed to Riviere & Son. Percival's younger brother, Arthur, became a partner in 1889 and Arthur's son Stuart Riviere Calkin entered the business in 1908 and was with the firm when it closed in 1939.******

THE ASHENDENE PRESS, by Colin Franklin.

Published by the Bridwell Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, 1986. First Edition, limited to 750 copies as stated on the Colophon page (the last page).

SIGNED and INSCRIBED by COLIN FRANKLIN on the half title page: "For Alan / in a delightful visit to Sea Ranch & the presence of his marvelous book treasury / from Colin / February 1991".

Hardcovers, half cloth, patterned paper boards, paper spine label. 8x11.5 inches (20x29 cm), xiv, 256 pages. Printed by W. Thomas Taylor.

NEAR FINE condition, tight, bright, clean and clear. A lovely copy.

About THE ASHENDENE PRESS (from Wikipedia):

******The Ashendene Press was a small private press founded by St John Hornby, b.1867 d.1946. It operated from 1895 to 1915 in Chelsea, London and was revived after the war in 1920. The press closed in 1935. Its peers included the Kelmscott Press and the Doves Press. These three presses were part of a "revival of fine printing" that focused on treating bookmaking as fine art. The Ashendene Press was famous for producing high quality works by Dante. Ashendene books were carefully printed with large margins, and despite their lack of extravagant decoration, they were considered spectacular works of art. Two original typefaces were created for the Ashendene Press: Subiaco and Ptolemy. The Press was also known for handwritten, colored initials by Graily Hewitt. The Press' main customers were fine book collectors.******

About COLIN FRANKLIN (from Wikipedia):

******Colin Ellis Franklin, FSA, b.1923 d.2020, was an English writer, bibliographer, book-collector and antiquarian bookseller. He was born in Notting Hill, London. He worked for some years in publishing, at Routledge in London, before moving into antiquarian bookselling. He specialized in the study of private presses and the book arts, but also wrote on Shakespeare, Japanese books and prints, Lord Chesterfield, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and on printing techniques and media. He was Honorary President of the Oxford University Society of Bibliophiles, Patron to the Oundle School Society of Bibliophiles, and President of the Private Libraries Association and the Double Crown Club.******

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE NOTE: This book will require additional shipping charges. After placing your order you will be notified of the charges and be able to accept or reject them before payment is taken. Thanks!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN of the FIRST EPISTLE to the CORINTHIANS WRITTEN by PAUL the APOSTLE.

FINE PRINTING, DESIGNED, ILLUMINATED and PUBLISHED by MARY MOULTON CHENEY, [Chemith Press], Minneapolis, MCMIII (1903).

HAND SIGNED by MARY MOULTON CHENEY on the limitation page. One of only 500 copies: "This Book is number 137 of 500 copies which have been made".

Hardcovers, cloth covered boards with a color illustration by Mary Moulton Cheney on both the front and rear cover, 5.25x9.5 inches, 14 pages (7 leaves) printed on heavy stock watermarked paper (Strathmore). Each page is beautifully HAND ILLUMINATED with GOLD, GREEN, RED and BLACK. The colors are brilliant and the gold glitters.

From the Colophon page (the last page): "This book was printed by Hahn and Harmon, bound by A. J. Dahl & Co., published by Mary Moulton Cheney at Minneapolis, Minnesota". The illuminations and designs are by Cheney, her printed initials "M. M. Cheney" are on the covers and the Colophon page.

VERY GOOD Condition: The covers are toned, lightly soiled, have a few spots, and have slight wear at the corner tips and spine ends, but are solid and attractive; the inner pages are lightly toned, are cracked at the hinge at one or two places but holding well, the illuminated pages are BRILLIANT!

A gem with gorgeous illumination by Mary Moulton Cheney.

About MARY MOULTON CHENEY and her CHEMITH PRESS(from Wikipedia):

******Mary Moulton Cheney, b.1871 d.1957, was a Minneapolis based artist, designer, publisher and bookbinder associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. In 1897 she opened a printmaking shop with Mary Marsh Smith named The Artcraft Shop: Sign of the Bay Tree. It was one of the first all woman private presses in the United States, making books, pamphlets, and bookplates. In 1902 she expanded into bookbinding and founded The Chemith Press which produced uniquely designed and finely printed books and pamphlets.

Cheney was also an influential figure in the development of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 1897 she organized the college's first course on design. She went on to become the principal of the college's design department, then the Dean of Women, and finally served as the college's president from 1917 to 1925.******