Book Arts

New York: Vincent FitzGerald & Company, 2010. Artist's book, one of 35 copies, all on clear acrylic tiles, each signed and numbered by the artist on the colophon page. Page size: 9-1/2 x 10-3/4 inches folding to 6-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches, 32 slats (tiles) for the text in English and Persian + 10 tiles for titlepage and colophon. Bound by Zahra Partovi: the tiles sewn with blue and saffron ties (fishing line) fastened at end with small plastic disc so that ladder of tiles can be unfolded from an acrylic rectangular base; the English text on one side, the Persian text on tiles with violet and saffron fishing line threads, the binding style based on the style of the Chinese slatbook, a 3,000 year-old form made modern with the use of contemporary materials. The colophon and titlepage unfold from each end of the center "platform" as well. All four unfolding sides are affixed to a garnet-colored rectangular of acrylic drilled with holes through which the threads are laced. Housed in black suede fold-over box by… Read More

London: R. Ackermann, 1821. First edition. Hardcover. Orig. dark green roan and brown boards, backstrip lettered and decorated in gilt. Very good in very good green cloth clamshell box with brown leather spine label. 118 [2] pages. 28 x 19 cm. Hand colored title vignette and 27 aquatint full page plates (all vignetted, except No. 27). This is the earliest work on Madeira listed in [ABBEY189] with the note, "Originally published in half roan, latter remaindered by Nattali in cloth as here." A bright uncut copy, with Whatman paper dated 1821. Marston Library inscription on pastedown dated 1826, Richard Boyle Viscount Dangarvan armorial bookplate, and Joel Spitz bookplate with colored image of Henry Alken. Tiny bookseller label "Penny Bookseller, Cheap Street" front pastedown. Laid-in at rear is an eight page pamphlet By an Ex-Invalid, published London: Bell And Daldy, 1859 entitled "Madeira. A Brief Letter Of Advice To An Invalid, In Reply to A Request For Information About Madeira As A Winter… Read More

Boston, Massachusetts:: Eleonora Gomez Bas,, 2002.. One-of-a-Kind. 8" x 8.25" x 1.25"; containing 24 35mm black and white photo prints, mounted onto Strathmore Bristol cardstock. All photographs taken using Canon A1 and Canon Rebel SLR cameras, with Kodak T-MAX 400 film. Bound in cloth boards with titles printed on front cover. Laid in black glossy box with paper title label on cover. Elenora Gomez Bas: "I made this book at North Bennet Street School (Boston, MA) in 2002. My wish was to give a container to a select group of photos from a trip to 'Valle de la Pascua' (Estado Guárico, Venezuela), and from my hikes up 'El Avila' mountain (Caracas, Venezuela).  "My boyfriend and I went to 'Valle de la Pascua' (a 4 1/2 hour drive from Caracas) in 1999 to visit an altar built for the 'Anima de Pica'-Pica'; (Pica Pica Soul). Legend has it that a man by the name of José Zambrano was once found dead by a Pica-Pica plant (the… Read More

"Pulcinoelefante" is an Italian publishing house founded by Alberto Casiraghi (or Casiraghy).
The books are hand printed using movable types on the high-quality Hahnemühle paper produced in Germany. Annually "Pulcinoelefante" publishes hundreds of small plaquettes formed by a text (aphorism or short poem), accompanied by small engravings or original drawings made by artists. Each edition is published in a very small number of copies hors de commerce.
"[…] Piegata dal vento della vita, sub specie mutationis, l'opera di Alda Merini, in un flusso inarginato, si muove dalla narrativa alla poesia, dall'eros al mistico, dall'informe alla forma, dal terrestre al celeste, dal vissuto al sognato.
E' significativo notare il profondo legame di Alda Merini con le edizioni Pulcinoelefante di Alberto Casiraghy (edizioni veloci, stampate in giornata). Si attua una produzione sconfinata di Alda Merini, dove si riconferma un'intuizione consequenziale: una sorta di frase infinita nella temporalità, nella durata… Read More

(mm 197x150); pp. (24) covers included. Original chromo-lithographed covers, background in black tones (Petrushka riding in on a book on the front cover, stylized composition on the back). A very nice copy.Only edition, very scarce.Unique édition de ce livre de peintre. Ouvrage pour les enfants illustré par la figure majeure de la réorganisation des arts dans les années postrévolutionnaires. David Shterenberg (1881-1948) étudia à Odessa, aux Beaux-arts de Paris, puis à l'Académie Vitti, élève, entre autres, de Van Dongen ; Salon d'automne de 1912, Salon des indépendants de 1912 à 1917. Après la révolution, il devint commissaire pour l'art et son influence sera considérable dans l'évolution artistique de son pays. Membre fondateur du Komfut (futurisme communiste) avec Osip Brik et Vladimir Mayakovski, il exposa en compagnie de Kandinsky et Rodchenko, Chagall et Altman, enseigna aux Vkhutemas et sera en charge des expositions russes de Berlin en 1922, Internationale de… Read More

San Juan Capistrano, California:: Inkswine Press,, 2021.. Edition of 5 variants. 14.5 x 11 x 0.5 inches, (37 x 28 x 1.25 cm); 13 pages. Graphite frottages on vellum over foil titles on 140lbs rag paper. Covers with quarter Kraft-tex leather binding. Title label on front board. Signed and numbered. Dirk Hagner: "A series of 11 exquisite graphite rubbings of breads from around the world. All pieces are one-of-kind images, gathered in a hand-made book binding. This project combines the oldest cultural staple of human kind, bread, with the oldest way of printmaking, rubbings, or as printmakers call it, frottage*."  Using printmaking and rubbings, Hagner presents a lovely visual discourse of bread of the world. It is a reminder of how much bread and the partaking of it together is so much apart of the many cultures of our world. This simple act of sharing bread has a sense of friendliness and comfortable interaction whether it is a bagel, a baguette, or a bun.

London: Elliot Stock, 1898. A superb example of a vellucent binding. Cedric Chivers (1853 -1929) of Bath revived the technique of painting under vellum. Chivers would execute his paintings on paper which was covered with a translucent skin to form the binding, The covers were then lightly tooled with gold. It is rare to find such a finely preserved fine binding. Signed by Chivers. In 'Days and Hours in a Garden', 19th century Scotish artist and writier, Eleanor Vere Boyle (1825 -1916) takes us through the months of the year, the cherry blossoms, the rooks, the wild ivy etc. etc., reminiscent of a modest walled-garden 'Walden' by Thoreau. VIII MAY "There have been just one or two sweet days, when the white Cherry orchards shone softly against the sky of serenest blue; days when we did not but revel in the joyous present, forgetting quite that ever it could be that "rough winds do shake the darling buds of May" Octavo, vellucent binding, top edge gilt, frontispiece, small woodcut illustrations… Read More

Land Marks Press,, 2021.. Edition. 14 folios, each 8.5 inches high x 22 inches wide. 12 folios archival pigment printed on archival rag paper. 2 folios letterpress printed from photopolymer plates on BFK Rives. Housed in custom portfolio box. Numbered. Signed by the artists. This is a limited edition of 15 copies, signed by the artists. Prospectus: "This new limited edition artist's book addresses collective experiences of loss and isolation, and explores notions of private, civic, and global space, refracted through the medium of books, and inspired by 'four cubits,' the Jewish concept of personal space. Employing a shared repertoire of images developed through virtual communication, each artist worked alone in her studio - Andi Arnovitz in Jerusalem, Lynne Avadenka in Detroit and Mirta Kupferminc in Buenos Aires - to create their individual book pages." Artist information included in prospectus. Lynne Avadenka, project: "'The House Is in the Book:… Read More

Portland, Oregon:: Diane Jacobs / Scantron Press,, 2021.. 13.5" x 13" x .25" closed; 36 pages. Processes: wood engraving, reduction woodcut, linoleum cut, etching, handset letterpress metal type, pressure printing, silk-screen printed book cloth, unique eco printed end pages, and mono print centerfold . Signed and numbered by the artist. Diane Jacobs: "Etchings of animal ink drawings in various colorful ecosystems and habitats appear among the text, documenting the changing seasons. The stories weave multiple Native voices that underscore the value of friendship, reciprocity, interdependence, and cooperation. '"Owed to The Mountain' cultivates a powerful story that inspires knowing a place deeply, sharing Indigenous wisdom, and building a community that turns its love for a mountain into action. Mt. Hood has the 6th largest carbon stores of all National Forests in the country! By galvanizing a movement that advocates for the US Forest Service management plan… Read More

East Hampton, New York:: Barry McCallion,, 2018.. Edition of 3 variants. 13 x 10"; 18 text pages, 9 original linoleum block prints. Handwritten text on beige Rives BFK paper. Lino prints enhanced with acrylic inks and paints. Includes two original carved blocks of the prints adhered to the interior of the box. Signed and numbered by the artist McCallion has handwritten the text of Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado". The text is accompanied by McCallion's original artwork. Poe's short story is a revenge plot with the resulting punishment.  McCallion's lino cuts begin with the narrator meeting his "friend" Fortunato on the street at Carnival time. He lures Fortunato to test a cask of Amontillado. Our next image is of the long and winding spiraling staircase that Fortunato descends to the catacombs (the next lino image). The images continue as the fate of Fortunato is revealed. The last image being that of the narrator building a wall… Read More

Redmond, Washington:: Mari Eckstein Gower,, 2022.. Edition of 5. 11 x 7"; 14 spread. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper. Materials: laser cut plexiglass; walnut and cherry woods; vintage buttons, linen tape, thread. Drum leaf binding with linen tape timeline on a 6 x 6 ½ x 1 in laser cut spool, extending to 76". Housed in a 12 5/8 x 8 ¼ x 2 ¾" layered box. Signed and numbered by the artist. Text, paintings, and ecoprints by Mari Eckstein Gower. Engineering and fabrication by Kat Gower. Mari Gower: "In 1914 Martha, the last passenger pigeon, died in the Cincinnati Zoo, becoming the icon for human-induced species extinction. 20 years earlier, people thought such an event impossible. At their peak the birds migrated in flocks numbering in the billions. They were the most numerous avian species on the planet. It's hard for those numbers to sink in. Even more difficult is that after 100 years of habitat loss and overhunting their numbers had reduced to… Read More

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:: Borowsky Center,, 2022.. Variable edition of 128. 12" x 6.25'" (closed); 12 accordion folds. Flag structure. Printed by Amanda D'Amico & Erica Honson on a Heidelberg Offset Printer in the Borowsky Center for the Publication Arts at the University of Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. End covers fold out to reveal additional imagery and colophon Signed and numbered by Matthews. Laid in a folding lightweight portfolio with velcro and slit and slot closure. Signed and numbered by the artist. Artist statement: "'Homage to NMAAHC' is an expressive flag book that serves as a celebration of the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC). Inspired by multiple visits to the museum, Sarah Matthews felt compelled to create a work that captures her personal response and learnings. The book's foundation consists of a digital collage, featuring photos taken during her museum visits.  "During her vonHess… Read More

Artist book in the "International mail art event and simultaneous exhibitions in three cities--NYC, Denver, Seattle." Presented in 1990 with Women's Studio Workshop (NY) in an edition of 60, "distributed to 50 people around the world in the fields of politics, art, the media, science, education, and religion who held positions on both sides" (Sollod Studio, 2023).
A unique and provocative piece of American political history, art activism, third-wave feminism, and the continued struggle for human rights and reproductive freedom. Owned by a selection of world leaders and policy and public-opinion influencers* (see the complete distribution list below), this artifact is scarcely offered for purchase. As relevant now as ever, this exceptionally rare volume is an exhilarating addition to any collection.
This is the signed artist's proof. Twenty-four accordion-fold leaves bound in cloth cover boards. Lithography, relief, and hand-coloring printing methods with Bembo typeface on Rives heavyweight paper.
27 x… Read More

El Sobrante, California:: Lisa Kokin,, 1993.. One-of-a-Kind. 3 x 8.5 x 2.5"; 10 leaves. Materials: globe parts, leather, paper. Mixed media collage. Binding two holes with leather cord. Lisa Kokin: "'Si Fidel!' is a book made out of a cut-up globe. The text relates to a dream in which I became a close confidant of Fidel Castro. Only when I was sure he completely trusted me did I reveal that I was a lesbian." Lisa Kokin uses a variety of recycled and found materials to make book art. She says: "My definition of 'book' is open-ended, a freedom which is in many ways attributable to my lack of formal book art training. I am blissfully unaware of all the rules I am breaking as I go about my routine of sewing, stapling, riveting and otherwise reassembling objects to transform them into something readable. My books address themes which have preoccupied me for many years -- loss, the rescuing of memory, cultural and sexual identity, and a critique of the… Read More

El Sobrante, California:: Lisa Kokin,, 1993.. One-of-a-Kind. 7.5 x 9.5 x 4"; 16 pads making 32 pages. Materials: rubber; latex-coated mini-pads; leather; photo transfers; found objects. Mixed media collage. Bound with leather run through two holes in each leaf sewn to rubber glove. Covers made of rubber glove, rubber balloons and top of rubber hot water bottle. Includes cloth pathology bag. Lisa Kokin, Mixed Media Books: "My definition of 'book' is open-ended, a freedom which is in many ways attributable to my lack of formal book art training. I am blissfully unaware of all the rules I am breaking as I go about my routine of sewing, stapling, riveting and otherwise reassembling objects to transform them into something readable. My books address themes which have preoccupied me for many years -- loss, the rescuing of memory, cultural and sexual identity, and a critique of the prevailing social values." In this mixed media book Kokin uses text from a Scientology… Read More