Search Results: Authors starting with B from Swan's Fine Books

Paris: Société du Livre d'Art, 1923. Limited Edition. Wraps. Very good. Jacquemot, Charles. No. XI of XXV copies on Japon imperial (Japan vellum), octavo size, 112 pp., with an extra suite of plates, all illustrations signed in pencil by the artist. Adrien Pierre Bagarry was a French Impressionist and Modern artist (1898-1949); we find no other written works by him online. Charles Jacquemot (1879-1946) was a fairly prolific French artist, whose works can be found within auction records. This poem consists of seven élégies, with eight full-page cuts bound in, each signed below the plate in pencil by the artist. There is also an additional suite of cuts, again, each signed below the plate in pencil. Not only did the artist sign all of the illustrations, but on the half-title page is an inscription (partially erased) signed by him, and on p. 47 are four lines written by him. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in the original wraps with a small illustration on the front wrap which is in addition to the eight… Read More

Oakland, California: Georgia Loring Bamford, 1931. Hardcover. Near fine/Near Fine. Octavo size, 255 pp. The life and work of Jack London (1876-1916) have been the subjects of many critical writings, and here Georgia Loring Bamford (1873-1966), a personal friend of London's, reminisces about London's life, his prominence in the literary circle in San Francisco during the late nineteenth century, his politics, and his influences. The book is both personal and factual, a look at one of California's significant literary figures. In addition to Bamford's own reminiscences as a close friend and contemporary of London's, included are inscriptions he wrote inside the books he presented to her husband, Fred Bamford (for example, in "War of the Classes", he wrote "Dear Comrade Bamford - Yours for the Revolution - Jack London"); also included are some of the many letters exchanged between the two friends - together, the book presents an incredibly intimate view of London which few biographers have captured.… Read More

[London]: The Golden Cockerel Press, 1948. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Webb, Clifford. One of 500 copies, quarto size, 253 pp., with prospectus. The Golden Cockerel Press came together in autumn of 1920, at a time when post-World War I society was ushering in a renaissance of creative minds, including another renaissance of the printing press as the artist's tool similar to that of William Morris and the arts and crafts printers of the previous century. The press worked with many notable artists including Eric Gill, Blair Hughes-Stanton, Robert Gibbings, and the artist for this work, Clifford Webb. Clifford Cyril Webb (1895-1972) studied art and is best known today for his wood engravings. He was a founder-member of the Society of Wood Engravers, and "was a prominent figure in the group of engravers whobrought about the revival of wood engraving in the 1920s, and benefited from the encouragement of Robert Gibbings and the Golden Cockerel Press" (n.b., quote from Webb's entry in Horne,… Read More

New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, Inc, 1950. Hardcover. Near Fine/near fine. Duodecimo size, 142 pp. English poet George Barker (1913-1991) wrote numerous works of both poetry and prose, often part of the New Apocalyptics movement, a refutation of the realism of the 1930s using mythical themes. "The Dead Seagull", although a work of fiction, draws from Barker's love affair with poet and novelist Elizabeth Smart (who also wrote about the affair in her book "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept"). A surprisingly scarce novel in the first or early editions, "'The Dead Seagull' is a work of great originality, a poet's novel written with the richness of colour, the concentrated violence of style that have distinguished George Barker's verse" (per the dust jacket flap). The date of publication and "First American edition" are noted on the front free endpaper by a prior bookseller. ___DESCRIPTION: Full orange cloth, black cloth spine labels with gilt decorative borders and lettering, title page… Read More

Berkeley: The Book Arts Club, University of California, 1934. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. One of 400 copies, quarto size, 307 pp. An indispensable bibliography for any collector of the smaller Northern California private presses. While some of the included presses have their own bibliographies (such as the Grabhorn Press and John Henry Nash), for many others this is the only bibliographical source available. Included are: The Eucalyptus Press, Helen Gentry, The Grabhorn Press, The House of Huntington, Johnck & Seeger, Lawton P. Kennedy, The Lantern Press (Gelber-Lillienthal, Inc.), John Henry Nash, The Old Garret Press, Ricardo J. Orozco, The Press in the Forest, The Press of Thomas C. Russell, Taylor & Taylor, The Westgate Press, The Wheatstalk Press (Carl I. Wheat) and The Windsor Press. Also included are "Institutions Cooperating with Presses" such as The American Institute of Graphic Arts, The Book Club of California and The Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound… Read More

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. First printing, octavo size, 755 pp. The examination by John Barrell, Professor of English, University of York, on the three years following the execution of Louis XVI and its consequences upon those in Britain. Barrell "shows how the law of treason was adapted in the years following Louis's death to punish what was acknowledged to be a 'modern' form of treason unheard of when the [then-current] law had been framed" (n.b., from jacket flap). ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full navy blue cloth over boards, gilt lettering and rules stamped onto the spine, a few black-and-white illustrations bound in throughout, replete with footnotes; large octavo size (9 3/8" by 6 3/8"), pagination: [i-vii] viii-xvii [1, blank] [1] 2-737. In a pictorial dust jacket, unclipped (albeit unpriced), publisher's listing of other titles on the back panel, summary of book on the front flap, short author bio and picture on the back flap..… Read More

London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1929. Hardcover. Near fine/very good +. Rackham, Arthur. Octavo size, 123 pp. With Ex-Libris of J.M. Barrie which apparently is not unique, there being one other copy online as of this writing with the same plate. The ink looks genuine but the signatures are the same; interestingly, the library bookplates are tipped onto different pages. We can come up with several scenarios for the existence of these bookplates, but since the bibliographies are silent on it we cannot state anything with certitude. Mary Clarissa "May" Byron (1861-1936) was an author in her own right, but was best known for her abridgements of J.M. Barrie's works for children. This work, with six full-colour plates and fifteen black and white illustrations, all by Arthur Rackham, was an excellent gift for young readers. Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), born into a "typical middle-class Victorian family showed an aptitude for drawing from an early age, especially with 'fantastic' subjects. In the… Read More

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. Attwell, Mabel Lucie. First U.S. edition with Attwell illustrations, quarto size, 193 pp. Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) wrote numerous novels and plays for both children and adults, but he is best known for "Peter Pan", a hugely successful play set in the magical world of Neverland; the play has been performed many times and has been adapted in films and literary works. This volume is the first edition published in the United States with illustrations by Mabel Lucie Attwell (1879-1964); it would be reprinted several times and the true first is now somewhat scarce in the marketplace. During Attwell's career she would illustrate well over thirty books, in addition to posters, postcard and greeting cards. "Her pictures of chubby, winsome children enjoyed a tremendoud vogue in magazines and books for the young; and her [work]...continued to be incredibly popular through the thirties and into the forties" (n.b., quote… Read More

San Francisco: Paul Elder and Company (Printed by Taylor, Nash & Taylor), 1913. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Octavo size, 212 pp., inscribed by John Barry to Lincoln Steffens. A series of essays which, per the sub-title, deal "mainly with aspects of everyday living from a point of view less controversial than inquiring and suggestive". Each essay is relatively short and contain some timeless insights. Inscribed on the first flyleaf thus: "Lincoln Steffens / from his friend / John D. Barry / 1913". Interestingly, Lincoln Steffens (1866-1936) was likely the polar opposite of the author. An investigative journalist who was (per Wiki) "one of the leading muckrakers of the Progressive Era". Steffers visited early Soviet Russia in 1919 and was a proponent of their societal re-structuring, saying "I have seen the future, and it works." This one of the Paul Elder books printed by Taylor, Nash and Taylor; John Nash, of course, being the San Francisco publisher extraordinaire in the early part of… Read More

San Francisco: The Grabhorn Press, 1938. Limited Edition. Wraps. Near fine. One of 175 copies, quarto size, [6] pp. This volume is a tribute written during his lifetime to Albert M. Bender (1866-1941), an influential book collector and patron of the arts in San Francisco who supported artists such as Ansel Adams and Diego Rivera, printed by the inimitable Grabhorn Press. The text is reprinted from the San Francisco News of 11 January 1938, written by John Barry. Relatively scarce in the marketplace, with only one other copy online as of this writing. ___DESCRIPTION: Tan paper wraps with a string binding, lettering and printer's device (Grabhorn "P") in brown on the front wrap, fore- and bottom edges uncut, two initial capitals in red, colophon printed in red; Italian Old Style type, American moldmade paper, quarto size (11" by 8.25"), 6 unnumbered pages, one of 175 copies, unnumbered. ___CONDITION: Near fine, with clean wraps, a strong, square text block, the interior is clean and bright, and… Read More

London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1911. Limited Edition. Vellum. Near Fine. Goble, Warwick. One of 150 copies, the Edition de Luxe, quarto size, 316 pp. The text of this book is based on John Edward Taylor's translation from 1847. Giambattista Basile (1566-1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. The earliest form of this work was published in 1634 and 1636 under a pseudonym, by his sister, in two volumes. It languished and then received attention when praised by the Brothers Grimm as the first "national" collection of fairy tales, and contains the earliest known versions of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel. His collection of stories became known as the Pentamerone because it was loosely modeled after the Decamerone of Boccaccio. Warwick Goble (1862-1943) was an illustrator specializing in Japanese and Indian themes; his interest in Japanese style is evident in his work, and had an affect on later illustrators including Virginia Frances Sterrett. Among… Read More

[Newtown, Pennsylvania]: Bird & Bull Press, 2000. Limited Edition. Folio. Fine. Bates, Wesley W.. First printing, limited to 150 copies, 14 pp. Wesley W. Bates (b. 1952) is an artist whose work is held in private collections in Canada, the United States, England, Ireland, Australia, Spain, Japan and China. Known as one of Canada's most accomplished wood engravers, Bates has since ventured into book illustration. William Morris (of Bird & Bull), when planning for the book "The Foresters" (a poem descriptive of a 1300 mile trek from philadelphia to niagara falls in 1804) had originally intended for Gaylord Schenilac to provide the engravings; however, he was so pleased with Bates' work that he obtained permission to print and offer them as an independent set (n.b., from Wesley Bates' online CV and Biodiversity Heritage library). ___DESCRIPTION: Thirteen complete wood engravings plus engraved title sheet, encased in a plain paper wallet; sheets measure (8 1/2" x 11"), images range in length from 6… Read More

France: Presses du Belvedere, 2010. Hardcover. Fine. Large octavo size, 912 pp., all text in French. A must-have for any dedicated oenophile; this dictionary explains, through both text and pictures, all of the aspects of the Burgundy region and its wines. Replete with reproductions of photographs and drawings in black-and-white throughout, while a substantial section at the back presents, in colour, labels, posters, maps, and more. Interestingly, the only (few) other copies of this work we see online as of this writing are softcover, this copy hardcover. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in decorated paper over boards, title page in brown and black, the text (all in French) presented in two columns, burgundy red ribbon marker; large octavo size (9 3/8" by 6 5/8"), pagination: [1-9] 10-911 [1, colophon]. ___CONDITION: Fine, with clean boards, the corners unrubbed, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; the top front… Read More

Buenos Aires: (Colombo), 1958. Limited Edition. Wraps. Near fine/near fine. Number 45 of 48 copies on Fabriano, quarto size, [12] pp. A lovely small book of poetry (in Spanish), with woodcut illustrations in purple and green. Offered as issued in unbound signatures in original wraps, with original glassine jacket. ___DESCRIPTION: Heavy paper self-wraps covered with pale pink paper, itself covered with a glassine jacket, white endpapers, unbound leaves, printed in purple, green and black, textual illustrations, Fabriano paper, quarto size (10" by 6.25"), [12] pp., limited edition, this number 45 of 48 copies on Fabriano (total edition of 64). Note that the date on the title page is 1953 (MCMLIII) while the colophon carries the date of 1958. ___CONDITION: A bright clean copy, practically without wear, marks or foxing, in the original glassine; other than some minor bumping at the head of the backstrip, a fine copy, a lovely example. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that… Read More

London: R. & J. Beck, Ltd, 1938. Hardcover. Near fine. Octavo size, 264 pp. Richard and Joseph Beck were founders of R and J Beck (est. 1843), the firm which manufactured and sold optical instruments such as microscopes and, later, cameras. They were nephews of the famed Joseph Jackson Lister (1786-1869) who developed the achromatic lenses for use in microscopes which, for the first time, allowed resolution detailed enough to adequately reveal plant and animal cell structure. Conrad Beck, presumably part of the family (we could find little information on him online), published several books intended to instruct the average person on their use. This book is the third (per the Preface) by this author on the topic of the microscope, this containing "the information given in the writer's two previous books...with a considerable amount of fresh matter." Mr. Beck has geared this book towards the user of the microscopic instrument, rather than the designer of such. He explains "it is the endeavor of… Read More

London: Printed for Smith, Beck, and Beck [and published by] John Van Voorst, 1865. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. Quarto size, 153 pp. plus Plates. Richard (1827-1866) and Joseph Beck were founders of R and J Beck (est. 1843), the firm which manufactured and sold optical instruments such as microscopes and, later, cameras. They were nephews of the famed Joseph Jackson Lister (1786-1869) who developed the achromatic lenses for use in microscopes which, for the first time, allowed resolution detailed enough to adequately reveal plant and animal cell structure. At the time this book was published (1865) James Smith had joined the company (hence the name change to "Smith, Beck, and Beck"). According to Wiki "Smith is credited with helping to raise the status of the use of microscopes within scientific research." In the Introduction Richard Beck explains that "[t]he publication has been much delayed by various causes...[i]t may, however, be mentioned that a considerable amount of matter is now… Read More

San Francisco: The Book Club of California (printed by Robert Grabhorn and Andrew Hoyem), 1969. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. One of 500 copies, oblong elephant folio size, [178] pp. The Book Club of California publication number 133, being a sequel to Robert Becker's earlier club publication of 1964 (no. 118). This time Becker focuses on the map makers rather than the land cases, some of whom were anonymous, others well-known, most notably John Bidwell, James Alexander Forbes and Abel Stearns. "During the printing of this book, the original diseños, on loan to the Press from The Bancroft Library, were deposited at night in a vault of the Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco" (N.B., from the BCC bibliography). Included in the Exhibition of Western Books (Rounce & Coffin Club). ___DESCRIPTION: Quarter brown suede and brown cloth covered boards, yellow endpapers, title, printer's notice and list of maps in terra cotta and black, opening initial letter, rules, decorations and divisional titles… Read More

Cambridge: Rampant Lions Press for The Enitharmon Press, 1972. Limited First Edition. Folio. Fine. Arikha, Avigdor. Number XIII of XV copies, folio size, [24] pp., with an extra suite of three etchings, all of which are signed by the artist, signed by Samuel Beckett on the limitation page. "The North" is a paragraph extracted from the short prose work "The Lost Ones" originally published as "Le Depeupleur" Paris: Les Editions de Minuit, 1971, by Samuel Beckett (1906-1989). The story has no plot, but is rather a metaphorical exploration of the landscape of the unconscious mind, evoked through the image of a flattened cylinder and its crowded inhabitants. Avigdor Arikha (1929-2010) was a close friend of Samuel Beckett, who he met in Paris, where he settled after escaping a Nazi concentration camp. He is regarded among Israel's greatest postwar artists, and was named a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 2005. His images of "the woman vanquished" are chillingly somber, and darkly chaotic. A… Read More

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1860. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. First printing, octavo size, 390 pp., from the library of the Science Hill School. Catherine Esther Beecher (1800-1878) , the sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, was an outspoken educator and writer, and advocated for equal access to education for women. She founded the Hartford Female Seminary in 1823, where she taught for nine years; the founding of numerous other schools, particularly in the American West, are credited to her ideas on education. Although she was opposed to women's suffrage, she strongly believed in the social and intellectual importance of the home and women's positions within the educational and domestic spheres (n. b., info from the website of Women's History). In "An Appeal to the People", Beecher favours a personal examination of God's teachings in the Bible, valuing the agency of the people; she writes in the Introduction that ". . .people are endowed with principles of common sense by which they can… Read More

London: Eveleigh Nash, 1907. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. B. T. B. [Lord Basil Temple Blackwood]. First printing, octavo size, 80 pp. This collection of verses, intended as a parody of cautionary tales written for children, was written by Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), a prolific writer and poet as well as an avid sailor; he composed many poems of both comic and serious nature, and he would often collaborate with the noted writer G. K. Chesterton. Belloc wrote several volumes of children's poetry, often for the purpose of parody and humour, and these works brought him commercial success and acclaim. "Cautionary Tales" is illustrated by Belloc's friend and frequent collaborator Lord Basil Temple Blackwood (1870-1917), styled here as "B. T. B."; Blackwood's illustrations have a simplicity of style and capture the comic tone of the poems. ___DESCRIPTION: Full dove-grey paper, red lettering and black line drawing by Blackwood on the front board, title page with black line drawing of a lion… Read More