Search Results: Titles starting with J from Swan's Fine Books

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

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. fine/fine. 2nd impression (printing), octavo size, 620 pp. From Oxford University Press, "Written by an internationally renowned Bach scholar; Explores Bach's interaction of the special character of John's gospel; First work to look at the St. John Passion and the Cantatas for spring 1725 as they would have been originally heard; Expands on the author's well-known concept of tonal allegory." From the dust jacket flap, "...a fertile examination of this group of fourteen surviving liturgical works. Renowned Bach scholar Eric Chafe begins his investigation into Bach's theology with the composer's 'St. John Passion', concentrating on its first and last versions.... Beyond providing a uniquely detailed assessment...Chafe thereby uncovers a range of theological implications underlying Bach's creative approach itself... an enlightening exploration of the theological and liturgical contexts within which this music was first heard."… Read More

New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1980. First Edition. Hardcover. fine/near fine. First printing, no Newbery Medal on the dust jacket, octavo size, 224 pp. Taking its title from the Bible, "Jacob Have I Loved" is the story of twin sisters and their tumultuous relationship as the elder twin, Sara Louise, struggles for recognition in her family; it is a coming-of-age novel set in a small fishing town in the Chesapeake Bay. Katherine Paterson (b. 1932) creates a moving story of community and conflict; Paterson has written numerous children's books, most notably "Bridge to Terabithia", and has won many awards for her writing, including the Hans Christian Anderson Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, the Newbery Award (twice), and the National Book Award (twice). This volume is the first edition of Paterson's book, which won the Newbery Medal in 1981, the year after it was published. The dust jacket art is by illustrator and fantasy artist Kinuko Craft (b. 1940), who… Read More

San Francisco: The Book Club of California [printed by Patrick Reagh], 2008. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. One of 275 copies, quarto size, 228 pp., with prospectus. This publication by the Book Club of California is a biography of the life and work of notable San Francisco-based printer James Weld Towne (1829-1917); he was a prolific printer of periodicals and books on numerous subjects, and a lengthy bibliography of printed material follows the text. The book is printed by Patrick Reagh (b.1948), son of Los Angeles photographer William Reagh, who has printed numerous fine press editions at his own imprint. ___DESCRIPTION: Full purple cloth, copper lettering and ornaments on the spine, frontispiece a black-and-white photograph of James Weld Towne, title page with green and red floral border with illustrations in black and purple and black lettering inside a pink rectangle, four pages of colour facsimiles of printing by Towne, black-and-white photographs and facsimiles of Towne's work… Read More

Paris, New York: Flammarion, 1988. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. Quarto size, 224 pp. Printed in France and published for an exhibition held at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and Smithsonian Institution, New York and Washington, D.C., in 1998. Rene Jules Lalique (1860-1945) was one of France's foremost Art Nouveau jewellery designers, becoming one of the most famous world-wide in his field. His name even today is synonymous with creativity, beauty and quality. This book reviews the innovations he introduced, his reception in America, how he influenced fashion, etc. The book is replete with glorious full-color pictures of many of his creations as well as vintage photographs highlighting his life and era. ___DESCRIPTION: Navy blue cloth boards with light blue lettering on the spine, white endpapers, replete with color and some vintage black and white photographs, pictorial dust jacket displays pictures of two of his works on the front and back panels. ___CONDITION: Book is in fine condition… Read More

[Champaign, Illinois]: Sports Publishing Inc, 2000. First and Limited Edition. Full leather. Fine. Number 235 of 250 copies, octavo size, 224 pp., signed by Jim Otto, Cliff Branch, Ray Guy, Ken Stabler, George Blanda, Alan Miller and Billy Cannon. The Oakland Raiders, perhaps more than any other team in any sport, brings iconic images to mind: The Silver and Black, The Pirate, The Black Hole, with the the fans showing up for games painted and costumed in fearsome attire. For fifteen seasons Jim Otto played the center position, undergoing nine knee operations during his career and seventy-four total operations during his lifetime, even having a near death experience from infection after one of the surgeries. This is the story of his pain, his love of the game, his devotion to team and teammates, with many chapters focusing on the great players, coaches and owners he was affiliated with during his playing career. The book is signed by Otto, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, and several… Read More

Los Angeles: Glen Dawson [printed by William M. Cheney], 1955. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. One of 200 copies, duodecimo size, 35 pp. Harry "Ward" Ritchie (1905-1996) founded The Ward Ritchie Press, a fixture in the Southern California literary landscape, in 1932. He was responsible for publishing thousands of books, including over 750 which were designed by Ward Ritchie himself. Ritchie was therefore the natural selection to author this book in the "Early California Travels Series" on printing in California. The volume includes four original examples of early California printing tipped in, including an invoice from Bradshaw & Co. dated August 3rd, 1854; an invoice from James Patrick ("Importer of Butter") dated June 23, 1852; a bank draft drawn on Page, Bacon & Co., Bankers, dated Juine 9, 1854; and a stock certificate for 100 shares in the Chance Silver Mining Company, dated May 7th, 1874. A fascinating look at "job" printing in early California, by one of the pre-eminent California… Read More

South Hampstead [London], 1917. No binding. Near fine. Rackham, Arthur. Original sketch printed to recto only, dimensions: about 7" by 4.5" A wonderful original drawing by Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), done in simple, flowing lines, depicting a Civil War-era soldier carrying a flag which seems to be flowing in the breeze; beneath which Mr. Rackham wrote two lines from the poem "John Brown's Body", thus: "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering / in the grave / BUT HIS SOUL GOES MARCHING ON". Beneath is written "with kindest regards [space] Arthur Rackham". The sketch is on letterhead with the printed address of 16, Chalcot Gardens, South Hampstead N.W., with the numeral "3" written next to the address, and the date writted above of "3.4.17" - since Mr. Rackham presumably used the British convention for dating, we assume this means "April 3, 1917". Arthur Rackham married in July of 1903, and although they began their life together at another address (3, Primrose Hill Studios), they "shortly" moved to the… Read More

Oakland: The Westgate Press [printed by Alfred and Lawton Kennedy], 1948. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. One of 235 copies, octavo size, 79 pp. John Henry Nash (1871-1947) was one of the pre-eminent printers in the early part of the 20th century, printing high-quality editions at his printshop in San Francisco. He quickly gained a reputation for exceptional precision and attention to detail from his earliest years as a printer, when he was in complete charge of design and production for Paul Elder under the Tomoye Press imprint, and later formed a part of the firm Taylor, Nash and Taylor. He opened his own establishment in 1916 which he operated successfully until the early 30s, when, as a result of the changing economy following the Great Depression, continuing was no longer possible. This work provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of the man himself as well as his operation. Written by Joseph Fauntleroy who worked for Nash first as a compositor and subsequently as… Read More

San Francisco: The Book Club of California, 2006. Limited First Edition. Hardcover. Fine. One of 250 copies, quarto size, 75 pp. John Ignatius Bleasdale (1822-1884) was a Catholic clergyman, who took his knowledge of wine making from Victoria to California during the early days of the California wine industry. The Book Club of California publication number 221. ___DESCRIPTION: Original burgundy cloth, white label with black lettering on backstrip, fifteen illustrations including frontis; quarto size (10.25" by 7.25"), [i-v] vi-viii, 1-67 pp., limited first edition, one of 250 copies. ___CONDITION: A fine copy; the covers clean and without wear, free of sunning, the binding strong and square with solid hinges, the interior clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; crisp, clean, as new. ___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… Read More

Bs. As. Argentina [Buenos Aires]: (D. Francisco A. Columbo), 1958. Limited Edition. Wraps. Fine/near fine. Veroni, Raul. One of 62 copies on Ingres Ecoles, octavo size, [8] pp., initialed by the artist in pencil on the plate. A lovely version presenting the English on the left with the Spanish translation on the right of Keat's poem "Lines Supposed to Have Been Addressed to Fanny Brown." Offered as issued in unbound signatures in original wraps, with original glassine wrapper. ___DESCRIPTION: Paper wrappers with glassine jacket, white endpapers, unbound leaves, printed in light-brown and black, frontispiece and printer's device at colophon, Ingres Ecoles paper, octavo size (9.5" by 6.25"), [8] pp., limited edition, this one of 62 copies on Ingres Ecoles (total edition 75), initialed by the artist on the frontispiece. ___CONDITION: A bright clean copy, with no wear or foxing, in the original glassine, fine other than a miniscule amount of wear to the glassine wrapper. ___POSTAGE: International… Read More

Springfield, MA: McLoughlin Bros., Inc, 1939. Hardcover. Very good. Clyne, Geraldine. Quarto size (oblong), [7] pp. "The Jolly Jump-Ups" is a pop-up book by Geraldine Clyne featuring the Jump-Up family and their escapades as they move to a new house. Showcasing charming illustrations by Clyne, each page contains a full-colour pop-up scene of the family with a short descriptive narrative, creating an interactive story of these beloved characters. ___DESCRIPTION: Red cloth spine, full-colour illustration with title on the front board, green paper over the back board, cardboard pages, six full-colour pop-ups by Geraldine Clyne; oblong quarto size (7.75" by 10.75"), 7 unnumbered pages. ___CONDITION: Volume is very good; pop-ups are clean, strong, and intact, with straight corners, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, and entirely free of prior owner markings; boards with some minor soiling, slight overall edgewear, and some slight wear to the hinges, but still strong. ___POSTAGE:… Read More

[Monmouthshire]: The Old Stile Press, 2004. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Fine. Lemaire, Angela. Letter B of 26 copies of the special edition, quarto size, [44] pp., signed by Angela Lemaire. The writings of Thomas Traherne (ca. 1636 - ca. 1674) were largely ignored for two centuries after his death, until two of his manuscripts were discovered by chance in a bookstall in London; subsequently, Traherne's work, particularly his poetry, was widely read and was influential in the poetic sphere in the twentieth century, particularly the Metaphysical and Romantic movements. "Joys", published by The Old Stile Press, takes its text from excepts from "Centuries of Meditation" and "The Poetical Works of Thomas Traherne", each of which were published in the 1930s, long after Traherne's lifetime. The writing depicts a childlike love for God and nature and an appreciation for the luminous and mystery in the world; the "passages. . speak of the search for the pure vision of infancy - that vision which… Read More

London: Secker & Warburg, 1986. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/fine. First printing, octavo size, 304 pp., signed by Nicholas Mosley. Nicholas Mosley (1923-2017), 3rd Baron Ravensdale, 7th Baronet, was graced with Diana Mitford as step-mother at the age of nine. He developed a stammer and was treated by Lionel Logue - the very same therapist who would treat King George VI, which story was told in the 2010 film "The King's Speech" which garnered multiple awards on both sides of "the pond". Mosley authored at least twenty novels, including "Hopeful Monsters" (1990) which won the Whitbread Book of the Year award. This novel, "Judith", is the third novel in "Catastrophe Practice", which is "based on the interlocking fortuntes of the characters" (n.b., per DJ flap). ___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full pink textured paper over boards with gilt lettering on the spine, signed by Nicholas Mosley in black ink on the title page; octavo size (8 5/8" by 5 5/8"), pagination: [i-vi], [1-2] 3-298. In the publisher's… 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