[LEAF BOOK] An Original Issue of "The Spectator", Together with The Story of the Famous Periodical and of its Founders, Joseph Addison & Richard Steele
by Partridge, Eric
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- Signed
- Condition
- Near fine
- Seller
-
Walnut Creek, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
San Francisco: The Book Club of California [printed by The Grabhorn Press], 1939. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. One of 455 copies, folio size, 58 pp., with original leaf from "The Spectator" tipped in, with Ex-Libris of Alfred Sutro and postcard addressed to him written and signed by Eric Partridge. "The Spectator" was created in 1711 by Joseph Addison (1672-1719) and Richard Steele (1672-1729); published daily for the first two years, it served to inform people of subjects like literature and philosophy and to encourage educated conversation. Supposedly it was intended especially for female audiences, to make available subjects and education that might not have been offered to them otherwise.
This volume was printed by the estimable the Grabhorn Press for the Book Club of California, and includes a leaf from the March 9th, 1711, issue of "The Spectator"; this would have been a very early publication, and in fact is "Numb. VIII".
Originally, one of the Club's members, M. S. Slocum, was asked to write an essay for the book, but he declined because of his other work; thus Eric Partridge (1894-1979), notable lexicographer and expert on the period of Addison and Steele, was asked instead. Loosely laid into the volume (at one time tipped in, see "Description" below) is a postcard (postmark date 3 Aug 1939, the year of publication) with a short note in his hand pointing out an error in the book: after citing the page and line number of the error, he states "This error was, I see, in the typescript & I had failed to notice it...", he then signed the note "Eric".
There is indeed a pencilled correction to the page and line number in the postcard, possibly that of Alfred Sutro, whose Ex-Libris is on the front pastedown. Alfred Sutro (1869-1945), a lawyer residing in San Francisco, was an avid book lover and collector, and served the Book Club of California (in San Francisco) for decades: first as Vice-President from 1914 to 1925, then as President from 1925-1945 (during which period this book was published).
___DESCRIPTION: Quarter natural linen with marbled paper boards, tan paper spine label with black lettering, fore-edge uncut, beige endpapers, on the flyleaf is a small mounted piece of white paper titled "Errata" listing the corrections outlined by Partridge in his postcard, beneath that is some residue of the glue which was originally used to tip in the postcard, limitation page with printer's device in black, title page in orange and black with two black-and-white photographs captioned "J. Addison" and "Richard Steele", an original leaf of "The Spectator" tipped in onto a page with a red ruled border, facsimile of the handbill in the British Museum announcing the publication of "The Spectator", the pencilled correction to the appropriate page as set forth above; Baskerville monotype, American mold made paper, folio size (13.5" by 8.5"), pagination: [i-viii] [1-3] 4-49 [50], one of 455 copies, unnumbered. The postcard is addressed to "Alfred Sutro, Esq" at his home in Atherton, California, with two postage stamps carrying the profile of King George VI, postmarked "London, W.C., 11:15 am, 3 Aug, 1939", the back with no printing, just the hand-written note by Eric Partridge.
___CONDITION: Volume is near fine, with clean boards, straight corners, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and other than the mounted Errata slip and the pencilled corrections entirely free of prior owner markings; the bottom corners are rubbed (top corners unrubbed) and a few spots of foxing to the linen shelfback, else fine. The postcard is near fine, clean and without wear, the glue residue matching that on the flyleaf on the front beneath Sutro's address.
___CITATIONS: Grabhorn Press Bibliography, no. 312; BCC no. 56.
___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.
___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
This volume was printed by the estimable the Grabhorn Press for the Book Club of California, and includes a leaf from the March 9th, 1711, issue of "The Spectator"; this would have been a very early publication, and in fact is "Numb. VIII".
Originally, one of the Club's members, M. S. Slocum, was asked to write an essay for the book, but he declined because of his other work; thus Eric Partridge (1894-1979), notable lexicographer and expert on the period of Addison and Steele, was asked instead. Loosely laid into the volume (at one time tipped in, see "Description" below) is a postcard (postmark date 3 Aug 1939, the year of publication) with a short note in his hand pointing out an error in the book: after citing the page and line number of the error, he states "This error was, I see, in the typescript & I had failed to notice it...", he then signed the note "Eric".
There is indeed a pencilled correction to the page and line number in the postcard, possibly that of Alfred Sutro, whose Ex-Libris is on the front pastedown. Alfred Sutro (1869-1945), a lawyer residing in San Francisco, was an avid book lover and collector, and served the Book Club of California (in San Francisco) for decades: first as Vice-President from 1914 to 1925, then as President from 1925-1945 (during which period this book was published).
___DESCRIPTION: Quarter natural linen with marbled paper boards, tan paper spine label with black lettering, fore-edge uncut, beige endpapers, on the flyleaf is a small mounted piece of white paper titled "Errata" listing the corrections outlined by Partridge in his postcard, beneath that is some residue of the glue which was originally used to tip in the postcard, limitation page with printer's device in black, title page in orange and black with two black-and-white photographs captioned "J. Addison" and "Richard Steele", an original leaf of "The Spectator" tipped in onto a page with a red ruled border, facsimile of the handbill in the British Museum announcing the publication of "The Spectator", the pencilled correction to the appropriate page as set forth above; Baskerville monotype, American mold made paper, folio size (13.5" by 8.5"), pagination: [i-viii] [1-3] 4-49 [50], one of 455 copies, unnumbered. The postcard is addressed to "Alfred Sutro, Esq" at his home in Atherton, California, with two postage stamps carrying the profile of King George VI, postmarked "London, W.C., 11:15 am, 3 Aug, 1939", the back with no printing, just the hand-written note by Eric Partridge.
___CONDITION: Volume is near fine, with clean boards, straight corners, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and other than the mounted Errata slip and the pencilled corrections entirely free of prior owner markings; the bottom corners are rubbed (top corners unrubbed) and a few spots of foxing to the linen shelfback, else fine. The postcard is near fine, clean and without wear, the glue residue matching that on the flyleaf on the front beneath Sutro's address.
___CITATIONS: Grabhorn Press Bibliography, no. 312; BCC no. 56.
___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.
___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.
Details
- Seller
- Swan's Fine Books (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 21102905
- Title
- [LEAF BOOK] An Original Issue of "The Spectator", Together with The Story of the Famous Periodical and of its Founders, Joseph Addison & Richard Steele
- Author
- Partridge, Eric
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Limited Edition
- Publisher
- The Book Club of California [printed by The Grabhorn Press]
- Place of Publication
- San Francisco
- Date Published
- 1939
- Keywords
- Fine Press, Grabhorn Press, Leaf Book, Spectator, Joseph Addison, Book Club of California, BCC, Essays
Terms of Sale
Swan's Fine Books
We cheerfully accept returns for any reason within 30 days, so long as the book(s) is/are returned in the same condition as when sent. We will refund the price you paid for the book, plus shipping if the book was misdescribed.
About the Seller
Swan's Fine Books
Biblio member since 2017
Walnut Creek, California
About Swan's Fine Books
Swan's Fine Books specializes in Fine Press, Illustrated Books, and Books About Books. We also carry a wide array of general antiquarian stock and recently acquired a very nice collection of modern lit. Enjoy browsing our web site and visit our brick-and-mortar shop if you are in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- ABAA
- ...
- Tipped In
- Tipped In is used to describe something which has been glued into a book. Tipped-in items can include photos, book plates,...
- Spine Label
- The paper or leather descriptive tag attached to the spine of the book, most commonly providing the title and author of the...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Device
- Especially for older books, a printer's device refers to an identifying mark, also sometimes called a printer's mark, on the...
- Text Block
- Most simply the inside pages of a book. More precisely, the block of paper formed by the cut and stacked pages of a book....
- Errata
- Errata: aka Errata Slip A piece of paper either laid in to the book correcting errors found in the printed text after being...
- IOBA
- ...
- Folio
- A folio usually indicates a large book size of 15" in height or larger when used in the context of a book description. Further,...
- Marbled Paper
- Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or...
- ILAB
- ...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Facsimile
- An exact copy of an original work. In books, it refers to a copy or reproduction, as accurate as possible, of an original...