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

Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. First Printing of this publication, octavo size, 239 pp. From the jacket flap: "The Dao De Jing is one of the richest, most suggestive, and most popular works of philosophy and literature...This edition is distinguished by the literary quality of the translation, its new renderings for a number of the stanzas, and by Roberts' knowledgeable contextualizations." ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in quarter red cloth with ivory paper over boards, gilt lettering stamped onto the spine; octavo size (8 5/8" by 5 5/8"), pagination: [i-vi] vii-xii, 1-226 [1, colophon]. In the publisher's dust jacket, unclipped yet unpriced, summary of the book on both flaps, short bio of translator on the back flap. ___CONDITION: Volume fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and the text entirely free of prior owner markings; a short pencilled… Read More

San Francisco: (Printed at the Yolla Bolly Press for) The Book Club of California, 1991. Limited First Edition. Hardcover. Fine. One of 400 copies, quarto size, [112] pp., with original purchase invoice from the Book Club laid in. A biography and bibliographical checklist of George Wharton James (1858-1923). James was the author of over twenty major books and hundreds of lesser works on the American West. The son of a basket maker, and ordained Methodist Minister, James traveled from England to the United States in 1881, and settled in the Fresno area. James was a passionate student of the American West, and traveled and photographed the region extensively. He was also an enthusiastic collector of books, Indian baskets and blankets, and photographs. His life had many controversies, especially his personal life, the most well known being that long-running feud with Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859-1928), a California writer and editor of "Land of Sunshine" who charged James with plagiarism, and… Read More

[Montagnola]: Officina Bodoni, 1924. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. One of 225 copies, unnumbered, folio size, 24 pp., in French. Written by Frederick the Great (1712-1786), king of Prussia from 1740 until his death, this letter contemplates suicide as an alternative to surrendering in battle; the king had just experienced a devastating defeat at Kolin during the Seven Years' War, as well as the death of his beloved mother (per Mardersteig). The epistle, written to his close friend Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens (1704-1771), is a poignant examination of heartfelt and human desperation. Printed by the Officinia Bodoni, a highly-regarded private press owned and operated by Giovanni Mardersteig (1892-1977), the book exhibits a gorgeous binding of vellum and paste-paper, with intricate patterns carved into the deep blue paper; the Press was known for its superb standard in printing and bookmaking, often doing commission work for other publishers, such as the Limited Editions Club and… Read More

[New York]: The Limited Editions Club [printed at the Press of A. Colish], 1967. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine/very good +. Kredel, Fritz. Number 351 of 1500 copies, quarto size, 240 pp., signed by Fritz Kredel, with LEC Monthly letter and announcement. Ballads - or, "the singing of story" - have a long history within many cultures. Part of the interest of a ballad is that it is of "unknown authorship that tells a story in a special way" - take, for example, a favourite that has been printed and illustrated by many, in many different ways - the ballad of "Frankie and Johnny"...."for he was her man, but he done her wrong" (p. 150). The Limited Editions Club has chosen sixty-nine ballads "worthy of being saved" and presents them either by land of origin or (we think more interestingly) by subject, e.g., "Murder Ballads". (n.b., above quotes from the Monthly Letter.) To our mind, the true joy of this work are the thirty-six woodcut illustrations made by Fritz Kredel (1900-1973), a German-born… Read More

[Shaker Heights, Ohio]: Wind & Harlot, 1991. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. No. 52 of 74 copies, miniature book, [30] pp. Edward Lear (1812-1888), although being an artist and illustrator himself, is remembered mostly today for his nonsensical works, particularly his limericks. One of the most recognizable of these is "The Owl and the Pussycat", who "dined on mince and slices of quince, [w]hich they ate with a runcible spoon..." "The Jumblies" was the first poem in Lear's "Book of Nonsense", published in 1846, and has delighted generations with its nonsensical story of the jumblies whose "heads are green & their hands are blue...." This wonderful miniature book was printed letterpress by Robert Baris of the Wind & Harlot press, with the illustrations hand-coloured by his wife, Bonnie Baris. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full green paper over boards, white paper spine label with black lettering, marbled endpapers, title page and an additional six full-page illustrations hand-coloured by Bonnie… Read More

Monmouthshire: The Old Stile Press, 1990. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Martin, Gillian. Letter "P" of 26 special copies, quarto size, 67 pp., signed by Gillian Martin, with a separate insert. The two stories collected here are little-known works of prose by English artist and poet Edward Lear (1812-1888), best known for his literary nonsense poems and for popularising the limerick form. The stories are bound together, sharing a single spine and covers with the two front covers and their texts upside-down in relation to each other: a way in which, according to the Old Stile Press, "Lear would have approved". This publication from the Old Stile Press is generously illustrated by Gillian Martin, a UK artist. "Strongly influenced by all things mid-century, Gillian combines traditional ink and paint with digital medias to create quirky illustrations" (n.b., quote from the web site of King and McGaw). For this special lettered edition, Martin has hand-coloured both half-title pages, frontispieces… Read More

Dublin: Wm Curry Junr & Co, 1839. First Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. Phiz (Hablot K. Browne). First printing in book form, octavo size, 350 pp. First edition in book form of Lever's first book. Illustrated by Phiz (Hablot Knight Browne), written by Charles Lever (1806-1872) who, while a doctor by training, turned towards writing as a way to raise funds. Lever began publishing "The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer" in 1837 in serial form, publishing the stories in book form in 1839. Due to the success of Harry Lorrequer, Lever went on to write "Charles O'Malley" (1841), "Jack Hinton, The Guardsman" and "Tom Burke of Ours" (both in 1843) which, although Lever had never taken part in a battle himself, contain "some splendid military writing and some of the most animated battle-pieces on record." (Wikipedia). Lever's writing was highly-regarded in his day, and Anthony Trollope "praised Lever's novels...when he said that they were just like his conversation". ___DESCRIPTION: Custom bound in green… Read More

[Berkeley]: Tangram, 1990. First and Limited Edition. Wraps. Fine. One of 200 copies, octavo size, 20 pp., inscribed by Denise Levertov on the half-title page. Priscilla Denise Levertov (1923-1997), recipient of the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry and a Guggenheim Fellowship, was socially active in the 1960s and 70s, serving as the poetry editor for "The Nation". Later she would teach at Brandeis University, MIT, Tufts University, and Stanford University. During her lifetime, she would eventually write and publish twenty-four books of poetry, along the way garnering multiple awards and honors. Her biography on the web site of The Poetry Foundation describes her writing thus: "Her work embraced a wide variety of genres and themes, including nature lyrics, love poems, protest poetry, and poetry inspired by her faith in God." This copy inscribed by her in the year of publication, simply: "With love from / Denise / Christmas 1990". These poems would later be published by New Directions in 1992 as part… Read More

[Winona]: [Sutton Hoo Press], 2004. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Jacobsen, Cheryl. One of 13 copies of the deluxe edition, duodecimo size, 64 pp., signed by Philip Levine. Philip Levine (1928-2015) won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1995, the Ruth Lillly Poetry Prize in 1987, and was named the Poet Laureate of the United States for 2011-2012; this publication by the Sutton Hoo Press features a long poem by Levine with calligraphic marks by Cheryl Jacobsen running through each page. This volume is the deluxe edition and comes in a clamshell box. ___DESCRIPTION: This copy one of the special edition of 13 copies lettered in Greek, with a special binding and housed in a black clamshell box made by Judi Conant (out of a total print run of 200 plus artist's proofs). These copies are bound in a lap-component binding with blue leather on the spine and fore-edge and Fabriano Roma, a hand-made cover paper over the boards, decorated endpapers, printed on Johannot, a French mouldmade paper, calligraphic… Read More

Iowa City: Empyrean Press, 2012. Limited Edition. Broadside. Fine. No. 127 of 150, broadside, signed by Philip Levine. This broadside features a poem by Philip Levine (1928-2015), who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1995, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 1987, and was named the Poet Laureate of the United States for 2011-2012. Printed in a limited edition of 150 copies on the occasion of the author's reading during "The Examined Life" conference at the University of Iowa on the 20th of April, 2012. The illustration is based on a watercolour by Deborah Zisko, who often creates watercolour collages of the Iowa landscape; below the artwork is a signature in pencil, presumably that of the artist. ___DESCRIPTION: Broadside with brown and black type, grey initial capital, colour illustration based on a watercolour by Deborah Zisko; Rialto type, Rives Heavyweight paper, broadside measures approximately 13" by 9.25" with the printed area being approx. 11" by 7", one of 150 copies, this number 127,… Read More

San Francisco: Industrial Indemnity Company, 1955. First Edition. Wraps. Fine. Adams, Ansel. Octavo size, 26 pp. The fascinating history of the land and building at 155 Sansome, commissioned by the Industrial Indemnity Company. Written by noted San Francisco historian Oscar Lewis (1893-1992, not to be confused with the New York anthropologist of the same name). With a photographic frontispiece by Ansel Adams, designed and printed by the noted San Francisco printing firm of Taylor & Taylor. ___DESCRIPTION: Original stapled green paper wrappers with title printed in yellow to upper wrapper, yapped edges, title-page printed in black and green, photographic frontis by Ansel Adams, illustrations in text; octavo size (8.25" by 5 1/8"), [1-4] 5-26 pp. ___CONDITION: Fine overall: the wraps clean, the stapled binding strong, internally bright and clean, and entirely free of prior owner markings; a miniscule amount of wear to the yapped edges, still a fine copy. ___POSTAGE: International customers, please… Read More

San Francisco: The Book Club of California [Printed by Edwin & Robert Grabhorn], 1933. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine/good. Parker, Arvilla. One of 240 copies, octavo size, 57 pp., with prospectus. Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548-1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him, among many other places, along the California coast and Japan. This edition of his voyage was printed by the Grabhorn Press, one of the most highly renowned private presses in America during the twentieth century, run by brothers Edwin and Robert Grabhorn. Interestingly, the Grabhorns had F.W. Goudy design a type face for them called Franciscan; this book is the first use of that type for a complete text. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in light blue paper boards with printer's device on the front and back boards, tan cloth spine, white paper spine label with black lettering, tasteful Ex-Libris on the front paste-down, first word of foreword, first two words of Vizcaino's letter,… Read More

Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1987. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. One of 176 deluxe hardcover copies, octavo size, 325 pp. Percy Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), an artist as well as an author, is known as the developer of "Vorticism" (so named by Ezra Pound), a style of geometric abstraction. He would eventually turn more and more to writing, and "is now regarded as a major British artist and writer of the twentieth century" (n.b., quote from Wiki). ___DESCRIPTION: Teal cloth shelfback over paper boards, the front board with a reproduction of an illustration by Lewis, paper spine label, orange endpapers, coloured title page; octavo size (9 1/4" by 6 1/4"), pagination: [1-4] 5-325; this no. 144 of 176 deluxe hardcover copies (total hardbound edition 476). With original opaque acetate publisher's jacket. ___CONDITION: Volume fine overall, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely… Read More

Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1986. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine/near fine. One of 126 deluxe hardcover copies, octavo size, 427 pp., signed by Paul Edwards. Percy Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), an artist as well as an author, is known as the developer of "Vorticism" (so named by Ezra Pound), a style of geometric abstraction. He would eventually turn more and more to writing, and "is now regarded as a major British artist and writer of the twentieth century" (n.b., quote from Wiki). ___DESCRIPTION: Rust cloth shelfback over paper boards, the front board with a reproduction in colour of an illustration by Lewis, paper spine label, orange endpapers, coloured title page; octavo size (9 1/4" by 6 3/8"), pagination: [1-4] [tipped-in signature page, verso blank] 5-425; this no. 15 of 126 deluxe hardcover copies (total hardbound edition 376), signed by Edwards on a tipped-in page. With original opaque acetate publisher's jacket. ___CONDITION: Volume near fine, with clean boards, straight… Read More

Santa Barbara: Black Sparrow Press, 1984. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine/near fine. One of 226 deluxe hardcover copies, octavo size, 315 pp., signed by Bernard LaFourcade. Percy Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957), an artist as well as an author, is known as the developer of "Vorticism" (so named by Ezra Pound), a style of geometric abstraction. He would eventually turn more and more to writing, and "is now regarded as a major British artist and writer of the twentieth century" (n.b., quote from Wiki). ___DESCRIPTION: Gold cloth shelfback with illustrated paper boards, paper spine label, yellow endpapers, coloured title page, with some black-and-white reproductions of illustrations by the author throughout; octavo size (9 1/4" by 6 1/4"), pagination: [1-4] [tipped-in signature page, verso blank] 5-313; this no. 186 of 226 deluxe hardcover copies (total hardbound edition 626), signed by LaFourcade on a tipped-in page. With original clear acetate publisher's jacket. ___CONDITION: Volume fine, with clean… Read More

San Francisco: The Roxburghe Club of San Francisco [designed and printed by Peter Rutledge Koch], 1986. No binding. Fine. Number 34 of 100 copies, elephant folio size, unbound portfolios containing selected pieces of ephemera, all in a clamshell box. A collection of material from printer-members, past and present, of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco; this impressive portfolio represents the work from numerous fine printers and designers, who were each asked to contribute work of their own choosing. The pieces range from small broadsides and keepsakes to whole booklets, and each piece is enclosed in a folded sheet with a short biography of the press on the front. Printers whose work is presented include: Susan Acker, The Feathered Serpent Press; Lewis M. Allen, The Allen Press; Valenti Angelo, The Press of Valenti Angelo; William P. Barlow, Jr., The Nova Press; Clifford Burke, Cranium Press; John F. Craemer, Mt. Tam Press; Mallette Dean, Printer; James Welsh Elliott, Taylor & Taylor; Donald R.… Read More

San Francisco: The Press in Tuscany Alley, 1994. Wraps. Near fine. Quarto size, [8] pp., with sample leaves. The grand prospectus for James Linden's comprehensive volume on Adrian Wilson's printed ephemera. Adrian Wilson (1924-1988) is known to all lovers of beautiful books; he started printing with Jack Stauffacher in 1948, and two years later set up his own printing house, called "At the Sign of the Interplayers", in his home in San Francisco. In 1952 he opened a shop with other printers in downtown SF; he went to England to study in 1958-59 and upon his return did free-lance work for the University of California Press and others. He and his wife, Joyce Lancaster Wilson (nee Harvey) established The Press in Tuscany Alley and, amidst publishing a dizzying array of books and ephemera, Wilson also was a published author, with his "The Design of Books" being regarded as a classic text on book design. The book itself contains a comprehensive list of more than 500 ephemeral items; it was published in a… Read More

[Oakland, California]: Littoral Press, 2002. Limited Edition. Accordion. Fine. Besold, Bobbe. No. 58 of 125 copies, quarto size, 28 pp., signed by Lisa Rappoport. As put forth on the first page of the book, " 'A Flame in the Heart' is dedicated to those we love with a blazing passion, to those we hope will burn in hell, and ideally, to the future separation of the two." A stunning production, with passions throbbing on every page; even the title page has a small illustration of a human heart set within flames. "Love and hate are here threaded together...One flame both warms and burns..." (from the colophon). Somewhat scare in the marketplace, as of this writing we see only one copy online; our search of OCLC locates fifteen institutional holdings. ___DESCRIPTION: Bound accordion style, the two boards covered with Thai Unryu reversible paper, the front board with a black paper label with red lettering, the pastedown endpapers being marbled papers in shades of black and red, some red lettering… Read More

New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/fine. First printing, quarto size, 277 pp., in cardboard slipcase. German expressionism focused on artist feelings, bright colors and simple shapes over earlier realism conventions. Here Lloyd explores the relationship between the German Expressionist movement to primitive arts and crafts: "This original and attractive book explores the forces that shaped German Expressionism in the years before the First World War...Lloyd argues that primitivism and modernity were the two poles of the German Expressionist movement...[and Lloyd] finds important links between the Expressionist approach to primitive arts and crafts and the ethnography, science, politics, art history, and popular culture of the era" (n.b., from jacket flap). ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full black cloth over boards, gilt lettering stamped on spine, black endapers, colour frontis, book replete with illustrations both black-and-white and colour; quarto size (11 1/8" x 9… Read More

San Francisco: Philopolis Press, 1909. First Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Duodecimo size, 45 pp. A small volume published by the Philopolis Press in 1909, telling in poem form within a Native American setting the age-old story of two lovers and the fate which divided them. The Philopolis Press ("Love of the City") was founded shortly after the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Led by Arthur and Lucia Mathews, a group of artists and writers who shared a vision of "the rebuilding of San Francisco as an urban utopia" came together and the Philopolis Press was born. For ten years they published books, ephemera, and a monthly magazine which addressed issues such as urban planning, public education, and govenment; in one article the term "Calitopia" was coined, "to realize the glories of mythical Utopia in California". (n. b., above quotes and much info from "American Arcadia: California and the Classical Tradition" by Peter J. Holliday.) Agnes Ruth Lockhart Sengstacken (1859-1948) was one of… Read More