7 767 résultats
177241086Paris 1772. Pp. 1-12; 17 of 19 copper-engraved plates Goußier del. Benard fecit. 1 vols. Folio. Disbound. A clean bright extract lacking plates I & XIV. Small adhesion of first leaf to later blank wrapper else fine. Pp. 1-12; 17 of 19 copper-engraved plates Goußier del. Benard fecit. 1 vols. Folio. An especially attractive selection of plates from the Récueil de Planches that extraordinary illustrated supplement to the magnificent Encyclopédie of Diderot and d'Alembert. The plates depict every aspect of the art and craft of printing in the late 18th century; the explanatory text is concise yet fully detailed. Printing and the Mind of Man describes the Encyclopedie as "a monument in the history of European thought; the acme of the age of reason; a prime motive force in undermining the ancien régime and in heralding the French Revolution; a permanent source for all aspects of eighteenth-century civilization.". PMM 200; En français dans le texte 156 unknown
179926898Brussels: Flon 1799. First. hardcover. very good. Thick 8vo 500 pages. 1/2 tan calf marbled boards. Bruxelles: Flon An VII 1799. First Edition. Very good .<br/> <br/> An important study on the origin and antecedents of printing by the Belgian bibliographer who did much to establish Gutenberg as the originator of the art. Brunet VI 31191. Biog. univ. 11 66-67.<br/> <br/> Flon unknown
193452934London: Virtue & Co. n.d. c.1934. pp. xvi 400 Index b/w & 2-col. plates & ills prev. owner's inscrs to fr. pastedown & f.f.e.p. one page torn some foxing t/out or. cl. 1st edition. Virtue & Co. unknown
196247802London: British Printer Maclean-Hunter Ltd. 1962. 4to 552 pp. Black and white illustrations. Original pictorial cloth a little marked and browned. London: British Printer, Maclean-Hunter Ltd. unknown
a57035London 1926 1927. 13 monthly issues 12 issues of Volume IV and 1 issue of Volume V of this magazine on the the Baxter Process an early nineteenth century technique for letterpress and color printing. Bound in one volume. 4to. 391pp. table of contents 30pp. monochrome illustrations blue cloth hardcover. Light institute name stamp on fore-edges. VG. Rare. . hardcover
a57034London 1925 1926. 6 monthly issues of this magazine on the the Baxter Process an early nineteenth century technique for letterpress and color printing. Bound in one volume. 4to. 152pp. monochrome illustrations blue cloth hardcover. Light institute name stamp on fore-edges. VG. Rare. . hardcover
a57033London 1925. 6 monthly issues of this magazine on the the Baxter Process an early nineteenth century technique for letterpress and color printing. Bound in one volume. 4to. 190pp. monochrome illustrations blue cloth hardcover. Light institute name stamp on fore-edges. VG. Rare. . hardcover
a56959London 1924 1925. 12 monthly issues of this magazine on the the Baxter Process an early nineteenth century technique for letterpress and color printing. Bound in one volume. 4to. 375pp. table of contents color and monochrome illustrations blue cloth hardcover. Light institute name stamp on fore-edges. VG. RARE. . hardcover
1950275248Tel Aviv 1950. Hardcover . Good. 195 pp. ex library with stamps and tape on spine Reference work contains an extensive history of Jewish printing in Poland organized by cities listed in alphabetical order. Contains entries for 58 cities. Also contains short biographies of noted printers. hardcover
189743316East Aurora New York: The Roycroft Printing Shop 1897. 120 1 colophon pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Original red cloth backed mustard boards uncut. Slight rubbing at tips minor soiling of spine some browning to text. Inscribed on ffep "For Mr. Frank W. Noxon with all good wishes from Elbert Hubbard". A very good copy. 120 1 colophon pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Ransome p. 405 no. 8 The Roycroft Printing Shop unknown
18 ff with large woodcut armorial vignette to title. Marbled half cloth ca. 1800. Marbled edges. Coloured endpapers. 4to. Only edition of this Festschrift (dated 30th December 1565 at rear) for the Emperor's daughter, Johanna von Österreich (1547-78), who had married Francesco I de' Medici exactly two weeks previously. The scholar Francesco Sansovino (1521-83) celebrated the Renaissance princess and Grand Duchess of Tuscany by enumerating her worthy ancestral lineage, which he traced back to the Frankish King Childebert. - Rare; only 4 copies located in Italy by Edit 16. Edit 16, CNCE 47731. Adams S 362. BM-STC Italian 608.
1607119421607 Lutetiæ, Ex Typographia Roberti Stephani, 1607; in-12 de (12) ff. (dont le titre, une étude en latin sur Scaliger et Casaubon, la table, l'extrait du privilège) - 70 ff. ch. Plein veau granité brun, fine roulettte à froid encadrant les plats, dos à nerfs orné de filets pointillés et petits fers dorés, coupes guillochées, tranches rouges ( reliure postérieure). Petit arrachage de cuir à l'angle supérieur du1er plat, sinon très bon exemplaire.
2004ARCHITECT2220623Lyon, Mémoire Active, 2004, 21 x 27, 584 pages cousues sous couverture souple illustrée. Iconographie noir & blanc.
197075828Russia: N.p. C. 1970. Each icon is printed on a different color of silk. Two images in duplicate. Very good condition N.p. unknown
4to., with numerous facsimiles, type-specimens and advertisements in the text, neat signature on front free endpaper; boards, leather label, cloth back, a little browned else a very good, clean copy. Scarce. A work of particular interest inasmuch as it appeared at the height of the revival of interest in fine printing and includes types and illustrators of the period.
191074539Valence-sur-Rhone: Imprimerie d'Art Jules Ceas & Fils ca. 1910. First edition. Oblong folio 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches. 8 including title pp. of text plus 34 full page illustrations each with its tissue guard. Publisher's string-tied wrappers with gilt cover lettering and inset color illustration. Some guards with fold or small tears. An excellent copy.A wonderfully vivid catalog of the printing capabilities of this venerable French printing house. Jules Ceas & Fils seem to have specialized in art books and finely printed matter including advertisements. The text speaks of their great mastery of trichromatic printing and various other advances in the art. In the main the book is a demonstration of their abilities. The first 14 full page illustrations are trichromatic color and the remaining 20 are full page monochromatic illustrations. Many of the color illustrations are for French firms and a number of fairly famous artists were used such as G. Camps M. de Juilly L. Ageron and others. No copies located by OCLC. Imprimerie d'Art Jules Ceas & Fils unknown
Folio (185 x 292 mm). (2), XXIII ff. With title woodcut, 13 woodcuts in the text (one partly coloured), and one full-page woodcut on verso of final leaf. Modern boards with giltstamped red label to spine. First edition of this interesting chronicle of Ottoman history arranged as a series of short chapters, each dedicated to one of the twelve sultans who reigned up to 1543, ending with Suleiman I. The woodcut illustrations, mostly taken from Steiner's 1533 German edition of Marino Barlezio's Scanderbeg biography (and some from the 1532 "Itinerary"), show the principal events during the reign of each, mostly scenes of sieges and battles. The full-page woodcut by Leonhard Beck originates from the famous "Theuerdank", the poetic work by Emperor Maximilian I, and shows the protagonist on horseback. - From the library of Werner Habel, with his ownership stamp to flyleaf. VD 16, T 1838. Adams 1139. BM-STC German 867. Göllner I, 810. Apponyi 1726. Kertbeny 587. Riant 3522.
134062aafLausanne, Imprimerie G. Vaney-Burnier, 1912, gr. in-8vo, 39 p. (+1), illustrée. (Les p.35 à 39: Spécimens de caractères de la Machine à composer LINOTYPE + dern. p. non num.: Vignettes) + 2 planches h.-t. de publicité ill. de l’imprimerie Veney-Burnier, Maison fondée en 1898, brochure originale illustrée.
1904ST20796London: Essex House Press 1904. No. 1 OF 140 COPIES all on vellum. 195 x 131 mm. 7 3/4 x 5 1/8". 1 p.l. frontispiece 3-11 2 pp. <br/> Original stiff vellum over thin boards front cover with embossed rose design. In custom-made linen clamshell box with red morocco label on spine. Hand-colored woodcut frontispiece and final tailpiece both by Reginald Savage hand-painted initials in burnished gold red blue or green. Printed in black and red. Front pastedown with red morocco bookplate of William Andrews Clark Jr.; front endleaves with evidence of bookplate and inscription removal. Tomkinson p. 76; Ransom p. 268; Franklin p. 200. A VERY FINE COPY clean bright and free of the splaying that very frequently afflicts the boards of this work.<br/> <br/> This is a most appealing example of the luxurious hand-crafted volumes produced under the auspices of the Essex House Press with our copy coming from the library of a noted Dryden collector. The book is the 11th from the Essex House series of 14 "Great Poems in the English Language" a group of lovely little works all printed on vellum and with delightful colored illustrations and historiated initials. Generally considered to be the best example in English of the choric hymn the present work is set at a feast given by Alexander the Great who finds himself entranced by the poet and lyrist Timotheus. The great leader is lost in reveries of exploits and victory he sighs and cries over battles lost and warriors slain and he finds inspiration for new conquests. Our printer C. R. Ashbee founded the Essex House Press in 1898 by purchasing the presses and other production equipment though not the type formerly owned by the Kelmscott Press which had shut down at the death of William Morris. Ashbee printed books for 12 years with vellum ink and paper identical to that used by Kelmscott in an effort to carry on the tradition Morris had established. But the Essex House Press because it was conceived of and continued as part of a larger enterprise involving various artisans at work in a group of workshops at Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts located at Essex House in London's Mile End Road always had its own special identity a fact which Cave reflects when he calls it the "Arts and Crafts press 'par excellence.'" The illustrator here Reginald Savage fl. 1886-1904 is deemed by Houfe "a talented and imaginative designer and woodcut artist" and Houfe notes that he was also commended by his fellow illustrator Walter Crane 1845-1915 for his "weird designs." Former owner William Andrews Clark Jr. 1877-1934 put together one of the most distinguished collections of English and French literature of his day. He had strong holdings in many areas but especially in Shakespeare and the other Elizabethans in Dryden in Oscar Wilde and in the French drama. After a fire in his home in 1923 Clark constructed a separate fireproof building to house his collection; in 1926 this library building with its distinguished collection was deeded to the University of California and now serves as a prominent center for literary research. Essex House Press unknown
1626ST19298Antwerp: M. Snyders 1626. FIRST EDITION. 135 x 82 mm. 5 1/4 x 3 1/4". 39 of 40 leaves lacking C4. Two volumes one as issued the other a companion volume containing related plates without any title page. <br/> Very pretty late 18th or early 19th century red morocco covers bordered by delicate cresting roll with leaf cornerpieces smooth spine gilt in compartments with leafy centerpieces gilt lettering turn-in with gilt floral roll pale blue watered silk endleaves all edges gilt. Supplemental volume in late 19th century red half morocco over red paper boards similarly tooled spine. Housed together in a custom-made modern wooden box with sliding panel closure a heart mosaic in multi-colored hard-grain leather on its sides. Amoris Divini WITH engraved title page and 38 of 39; lacking plate XXXIV ENGRAVED PLATES 35 OF THEM ON VELLUM ALL DELICATELY COLORED AND HEIGHTENED IN GOLD plates 19 29 30 31 and 36 bound after text pages for plates 31 36 29 30 and 34 respectively; second volume with 45 plates on paper though without any text including many of these same emblems apparently from a later edition of this work ALL DAINTILY HIGHLIGHTED WITH GILT. Front pastedown of first volume with monogram book label in colors and gilt verso of front free endpaper with oval armorial bookplate "Ex Museo Van Der Helle" see below. De Vries "De Nederlandsche Emblemata" 121; Landwehr "Low Countries" 33; Praz p. 254; Brunet I 240 this copy; Delbergue-Cormont "Bibliothèque de M. Van der Helle" Paris 10 Février 1868 lot 69 this copy. Amoris spine very slightly dulled occasional hints of marginal thumbing but A LOVELY COPY clean and fresh internally with rich colors and glistening gold in a well-preserved binding; supplemental plates with faint marginal browning but excellent internally the engravings gently shimmering with gold and the binding with few signs of wear.<br/> <br/> The main volume here comprises a collection of emblems illustrating concepts of human and divine love; it is made all the more special by being printed on vellum beautifully hand colored and then delicately highlighted with gold. The emblems depict Divine Love as a beardless young man with nimbus who always represents love in its purest form. Human love or worldly love is variously embodied in a winged Cupid sometimes blindfolded who represents erotic love and who is accompanied by symbols of treasure or power that represent worldly desires. Landwehr Praz and De Vries make no mention of a vellum edition but Brunet describes one copy on vellum painted in colors and gold which he says sold at the Duriez auction. That book appeared as lot 3216 in "Catalogue des livres imprimés et manuscrits composant la bibliothèque de feu M. L.-M.-J. Duriez de Lille membre de la Société des Bibliophiles français" Paris J.-S. Merlin 1827 where its binding description matches our copy. Having uncovered no other hand-colored copies on vellum in auction records or in OCLC we think it quite likely that the present volume is in fact the Duriez copy. Louis Duriez 1753-1825 was a Lille lawyer of sufficient skill and cleverness to move without incident from serving as lieutenant provost for his district under King Louis XVI to becoming receiver of the district of Lille after the revolution 1791 and purchasing the estate of an aristocrat which had been seized by the state. He rose to successively more important and remunerative governmental positions and was named Knight of the Royal Order of the Legion of Honor in 1814. In 1820 he was one of the founding members of the Société des Bibliophiles français an elite group limited to 24 scholarly collectors. After his death his collection of more than 5000 carefully chosen works was dispersed at 59 auctions held between 22 January and 1 April 1828 at Maison Silvestre in Paris. A perusal of the lots on offer finds a strong emphasis on fine bindings works on vellum and illustrated books many noting hand coloring. The emblems in the second thinner book here on paper without coloring--but with gold highlighting allow the reader to experience the pleasure to be found in comparing the degrees of decoration and opulence of the two volumes. These illustrations likely come from one of the later printings of this title each of which added new emblems to the original 39 called for in Landwehr and Praz. It is not clear when or by whom this second volume was wedded to the first. After its presumed residence in the Duriez collection our copy of the 1626 edition and perhaps its sidecar volume moved to another distinguished library--that formed by the scholarly and erudite French collector M. Van Der Helle of Lille who amassed a collection particularly rich in illustrated books and works on vellum. In the catalogue for the sale of his library in 1868 Paris auction house Delbergue-Cormont described him as a bibliophile "of the school of Renouard . . . who only liked irreproachable copies." We bought this item without being warned that it is slightly defective but given its distinguished provenance and the many other features it has going for it we did not ask the seller to take it back. M. Snyders unknown
1982ST16482Bayreuth: Printed by Chr. Scheufele Offizin Stuttgart for Bear Press 1982. No. 1 OF 10 COPIES ON VELLUM plus a "special" edition of 25 copies and 185 copies on Kochi Japanese paper. 223 x 148 mm. 8 7/8 x 5 3/4". 50 pp. 2 leaves.Translated and with an afterword by Wolfram Benda. <br/> Publisher's fine burgundy morocco by Erwin Lehr upper cover with gilt rose in recessed square flat spine with gilt titling turn-ins with gilt fillet frame pale yellow silk pastedowns. In the original burgundy suede slipcase. With three large initials in burnished gold and four signed and numbered original etchings by Peter Klitsch. Printed in red and black. Signed in the colophon by the artist the binder and the publisher/translator. In mint condition.<br/> <br/> This is the splendid deluxe version of a finely crafted private press edition of Wilde's fairy tales "The Nightingale and the Rose" "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant." It is the third work issued by the Bear Press founded in 1979 by literary scholar Wolfram Benda and still in operation. According to the firm's website "at a time when the craftsmanship and ethos of the artisan in bookmaking have been damaged by ever-increasing industrialization and neglect . . . The Bear Press . . . tries to achieve the highest possible degree of technical and artistic perfection in its printed works." The font used to print the text and the artist chosen to illustrate each work are carefully selected to express "the individual author's personality and intention." Even the discriminating aesthete Wilde 1854-1900 would be pleased with the choices here especially for the luxurious vellum printing: the type is set in refined Walbaum Antiqua and shown off with special effect by the creamy leaves; the etchings by Austrian artist Peter Klitsch b. 1934 are meticulous detailed and reminiscent of the work of Wilde's friend Aubrey Beardsley; and the binding is the epitome of tasteful restraint flawlessly executed with premium materials. <br /> <br /> The three tales here first appeared in 1888 and are bittersweet in their themes of love and self-sacrifice. His stories for children were one of Wilde's early successes and DNB notes "Their permanent place in child affections refutes the vulgarism that Wilde's literary reputation arose from his legal notoriety. In all cases the fairy tales are on the child's side celebrating the courage and generosity of the poor and vulnerable while their satire mocks the kind of pomposity and hypocrisy children can recognize." We have been able to trace just two other copies of the vellum printing at auction in ABPC and RBH. [Printed by Chr. Scheufele Offizin, Stuttgart, for] Bear Press unknown
1902ST20771New Rochelle: Printed by the University Press for George D. Sproul 1902. No. 23 OF 30 COPIES 18 for America 12 for Europe; this copy illuminated for Herman A. Metz of the "St. Dunstan Edition" all of them PRINTED ON VELLUM. 270 x 210 mm. 10 5/8 x 8 3/8". 50 leaves last blank. <br/> SUMPTUOUS COBALT BLUE MOROCCO GILT AND INLAID TO AN ARABESQUE DESIGN BY TRAUTZ-BAUZONNET stamp-signed on front doublure covers framed in gilt and inlaid brown morocco blossoms central panel of azure blue morocco outlined in brown morocco large central medallion enclosed in brown morocco and inlaid with an eight-pointed inlaid and gilt fleuron each corner with tan and ivory morocco medallion with gilt "T" at center outlined in brown morocco the spaces between the medallions with curling gilt flourishes raised bands spine compartments with gilt lettering framed by sprays of gilt berries SKY BLUE MOROCCO DOUBLURES inlaid with darker blue squares containing an ivory morocco polygon these forming a frame around a central taupe morocco panel with inlaid blue morocco flowers at corners vellum free endleaves painted with a simple blue frame small flowers at each corner all edges gilt. BEAUTIFULLY ILLUMINATED BY ROSS TURNER the title page and final page with heraldic emblems and WITH 51 LOVELY INITIALS in a range of hues 22 with delicate extensions. Printed entirely in majuscules on rectos only. A couple of small faint water spots to upper board with slight dulling where someone tried to fix these naturally occurring variations in the grain and color of the vellum otherwise A FINE COPY--the vellum creamy and smooth the colors and gilt bright and the binding lustrous.<br/> <br/> A bookmaking tour-de-force this item is part of the remarkable St. Dunstan series of famous works of literature produced at the turn of the century in very strictly limited and particularly luxurious editions by publisher George Sproul. Named for the English bishop Dunstan 909-88 who was known for his skills as an illuminator the St. Dunstan volumes were printed on vellum illuminated by different artists and then put into bindings of striking design executed by Trautz-Bauzonnet one of the premier French binders of the period. While the physical properties of this volume announce themselves more emphatically than the text the narrative here is from Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" a work Day tells us in which the legend of King Arthur is used "to establish the Victorian virtues of marital faithfulness fair play gentlemanly conduct and useful action for self and society." "Guinevere" sets forth the consequences of marital infidelity presenting a penitent queen now withdrawn to a convent groveling for Arthur to pardon her affair with Lancelot. Although the injured king grants her forgiveness he does so with little grace appearing to modern readers as "insufferably self-righteous." Day Reminiscent of the designs used in 15th century illuminated books the painted initials in our volume are well executed and attractive combining fluid shapes and consonant combinations of colors and the binding is a singularly elaborate achievement. German-born binder Georges Trautz 1807-79 apprenticed in Heidelberg Stuttgart and Witemberg before arriving in Paris in 1803. There he trained in “dorure†with the skilled gilder Debès learning to create intricate gilt designs on bindings. In 1833 he was hired as a doreur by Bauzonnet the successor to the celebrated Purgold and soon achieved acclaim for his beautifully gilded bindings. According to Michon he was "the uncontested master of the luxury binding" in 19th century France celebrated for his "sumptuous moroccos" and "dazzling gilt." His bindings were so sought after that the term "Trautzolâtrie" was coined to describe the craze for his work. In 1869 he became the first bookbinder to be named a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. The culmination and termination of the St. Dunstan books was a planned edition of 15 sets of the complete works of Dickens projected to contain 130 large folio volumes—surely the most ambitious undertaking in the history of modern American fine printing. Five volumes only comprising most of "Pickwick" were produced before the grandeur of the project overwhelmed its sponsors. Potter says that in addition to the Dickens edition the St. Dunstan series comprised a dozen volumes of the works of various authors one of them the present Tennyson issued to subscribers at the spectacular amount of $12000 per set. One of the subscribers was our original owner New York chemical manufacturer and U.S. Congressman Herman A. Metz 1867-1934. Not surprisingly this strictly limited "Guinevere" is quite rare: We could trace just two copies at auction since 1975 one of them ours sold in 1998.  . [Printed by the University Press for] George D. Sproul unknown
1909ST16339Paris: Bouasse-Lebel et Marrin ca. 1909. 188 x 140 mm. 7 3/8 x 5 1/2". 72 pp.; 1 leaf miniature; XXXII pp. <br/> Tasteful contemporary olive green crushed morocco each cover WITH A CENTRAL RECESSED PANEL OF MODELLED AND PAINTED LEATHER that on the upper cover with a portrait of the Virgin Mary within an arched frame of acanthus leaves that on the lower cover with the coat of arms of the Deburghgraeve family. With text and decorations lithographed featuring decorative borders and initials throughout those on 55 pages COLORED AND ILLUMINATED BY HAND many of these in a Medieval or Renaissance style others with Japanese or Greek motifs with a small hand-painted miniature of the Crucifixion against a golden sky and WITH A FULL-PAGE HAND-PAINTED MINIATURE showing the Flight into Egypt within a decorative border featuring vignettes of a peasant gathering wood and a knight in armor praying. With a hand-painted ribbon bookmark "Souvenir de ma 1ère Communion" dated 6 June 1909; carbon copy of a poem "A la Memoire de ma tres chere et regrettee cousine Mathilde Deburghgraeve-Canal" by Lucy Salze-Bouchet dated February 1945 this with short curving tear into one margin. Just the most trivial signs of wear but A VERY FINE COPY the vellum leaves quite clean and very bright with shining decorations and the binding lustrous and virtually unworn.<br/> <br/> Luxuriously lithographed on vellum handsomely bound and illuminated and painted by hand in vibrant colors this charming prayer book was obviously treasured by its owners--the first of whom may have been a young lady who received it on the occasion of her First Communion. The text and decorations here have been reproduced lithographically from a manuscript of the period being printed apparently by Bouasse-Lebel et Massin--a company specializing in devotional prints and books. The firm's name appears in very small letters at various places in the volume. Each leaf contains a different border design inspired by Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts as well as artwork from around the world in a pleasing pastiche of Western Egyptian Japanese Indian and Grecian motifs. Many of the borders have been hand-colored and present an array of distinct palettes usually richly hued which adds greatly to the book's appeal and the viewer's sense of discovery from page to page. The bespoke binding featuring the Madonna in profile beautifully modelled in leather adds another element of luxury to the book. The coat of arms suggests that it was made for a member of the Deburghgraeve family and the laid-in poem suggests that it remained with them through the death of the family's matriarch Mathilde Deburghgraeve-Canal in 1944. We know that Mathilde had three daughters all born around the turn of the century; based on the presence of a bookmark commemorating a First Communion in 1909 it is likely that the original recipient was among these three young ladies. Bouasse-Lebel was established in 1845 by Eulalie Bouasse-Lebel 1809-98 as a means of supporting herself and her children following the dissolution of her marriage. Though founded under difficult circumstances Bouasse-Lebel became a very successful enterprise and even earned a papal commendation in 1871 for consistently excellent work. The company was highly regarded for the quality and delicacy of their productions of which the present work is a choice example. Although individual religious cards printed by Bouasse-Lebel show up fairly frequently far scarcer are complete books in the estimable condition seen here--particularly those with the kind of deluxe upgrades that make this particular item so desirable. Bouasse-Lebel et Marrin unknown
1882ST12705Paris: A. Quantin 1882. UNIQUE COPY ON VELLUM printed for M. A. Werlé. 206 x 140 mm. 8 1/8 x 5 1/2". xxxii 247 pp. 1 leaf colophon.With a bio-bibliographical notice by Fernand Drujon. <br/> Pleasing burgundy Jansenist crushed morocco by Canape et Corriez stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in dated 1930 on rear turn-in raised bands turn-ins richly gilt marbled endpapers all edges gilt on the rough. Decorative head- and tail-pieces throughout and eight engraved plates comprised of a frontispiece portrait in four states one on vellum three on paper and an allegorical vignette also in four states. Verso of front free endpaper with ex-libris of Jean Furstenberg. ◆Two small dark spots to upper cover a couple of leaves with naturally occurring minor discoloration to vellum but A FINE COPY--especially clean fresh and bright internally and in a lustrous unworn binding.<br/> <br/> Given its illustrious provenance and its singular status as the only copy printed on vellum this is a quintessentially bibliophilic copy of the poems of French cleric and diplomat Cardinal François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernis 1715-94. Admired as a witty epigrammist at the court of Louis XV where Madame de Pompadour presided Bernis composed poems on such conventional themes as love and the natural world but also verses contemplating manners and mores fashion independence and love of country. Since none of his poems was published before his death he was not widely known as a poet during his lifetime but in another sphere he performed important service to his country as France's ambassador to Rome. He provided shelter and succour there for refugees from the French Revolution earning the papal epithet "Protector of the Church of France." The present work was printed for Count Alfred Werlé whose father had inherited the Veuve Clicquot Champagne house from the Widow Clicquot. Alfred took over the operation in 1884 and greatly expanded the Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin vineyards. The volume subsequently passed into the library of the great collector Jean or Hans Furstenberg 1890-1982 who put together one of the finest collections of 18th century books ever assembled. In 1974 the Furstenberg collection was sold en bloc to Dr. Otto Schäfer whose marvelous library had already become distinguished for its fine and historic bindings. A. Quantin unknown
1805ST21016London: Printed by T. Bensley 1805. APPARENTLY THE ONLY COPY PRINTED ON VELLUM. 260 x 152 mm. 10 x 1/4 x 6". 2 p.l. 146 pp. 1 leaf notes. Translated by Maria Henrietta Montolieu. <br/> Very pleasing contemporary straight-grain scarlet morocco gilt by Charles Hering binder's ticket on verso of front flyleaf covers bordered with a wide frame of multiple patterned rolls with rosette cornerpieces enclosing a delicate frame of a dotted roll cornered small floral tools raised bands spine gilt in compartments wide turn-ins sumptuously gilt cream silk endleaves with gilt borders and fleuron cornerpieces all edges gilt. WITH EIGHT ENGRAVINGS BY FRANCESCO BARTOLOZZI IN TWO STATES one on gold silk and the second on paper. EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with two engravings depicting Princess Izabela Czartoryska and her daughter Zofia. A Large Paper Copy. Henrey 624. See also Clemens Alexander Wimmer "The Princess and the Poles" Historic Gardens Review no. 10 2002: 14-17. Spine slightly darkened joints and edges with minor barely noticeable wear vellum a bit and naturally rumpled and consequently the book yawning a bit a handful of light spots but still an extremely appealing copy with fine impressions of the plates vast margins and a special story to tell.<br/> <br/> Printed on vellum richly bound and illustrated with attractive plates on silk this is an extraordinarily luxurious copy of Delille's famous poem on gardens that almost certainly belonged to a noblewoman whose gardens are mentioned in the text. First published in 1780 our poem condemns formal gardens and broad promenades in favor of a gardening art which hides its artistry by reproducing the asymmetrical groupings of nature and careless bounty of the countryside. This view accords with the translation of Virgil's "Georgics" done by Delille 1738-1813 in 1769 a version that brought him great acclaim for its supple and sonorous versification. In fact it so pleased the Count of Artois the future Charles X that he named Delille abbot of Saint-Séverin; however revolution disrupted things and the poet for a time led a wandering life in Switzerland Germany and England where this updated and expanded version of "Gardens" was published in 1801. The present special edition includes the plates which had appeared as head- and tailpieces in the first edition but now used as stand-alone plates in two states. These were executed by Bartolozzi after originals by Portuguese neoclassical painter Francisco Vieira. In addition to the called-for suite of illustrations our copy includes two inserted plates portraits of Princess Izabela Czartoryska 1745-1835 and her daughter Zofia. Czartoryska was a major figure in the Polish Enlightenment as a writer and patron of the arts as well as an advocate for improving the lives of the poor. She is best remembered for the sprawling gardens at her palace in Pu awy which included a formal garden a "wild promenade" or landscape park and multiple structures including the neoclassical Temple of the Sibyl which became one of Poland's first museums. She made the acquaintance of the author while travelling through Paris in 1791 and the two struck up a friendship. She financially backed the second edition of the work in exchange for a mention of her gardens which duly appears in heightened verse on pp. 11-13: "Favoured Pulhavi! You from Heaven obtain / Each separate charm Earth's choicest scenes contain; / Bright glow thy features fresh from Nature's hand / Excite our wonder and our praise command." The presence of this poetic tribute--and especially the inserted plates showing the princess and her daughter-- clearly suggest that the our apparently unique luxury edition must have been a presentation copy to Czartoryska herself. The present copy is as striking outside as it is inside. Charles Hering was the most distinguished and influential English binder of the first decade of the 19th century and although his career was brief from about 1795-1812 Ramsden focuses on his work as representing the transition in binding styles from those of the German émigrés of the late 18th century to the new generation of binders headed by Charles Lewis. Dibdin states that until "the star of Charles Lewis rose above the bibliopegistic horizon no one could presume to 'measure business' with Hering. There was a strength squareness and a good style of work about his volumes which rendered him deservedly a great favourite." We have been unable to trace any other copies of the present edition on vellum. Printed by T. Bensley unknown