Search Results: Titles starting with L from Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts

[London], 1928. 313 x 248 mm. (12 1/2 x 9 7/8"). 21 pp., [1] leaf (colophon). SUPERB TERRA COTTA-COLORED CRUSHED MOROCCO, LAVISHLY GILT, INLAID, AND BEJEWELLED, BY RIVIERE & SONS (stamp-signed on front turn-in), upper cover with border of inlaid turquoise morocco, inlaid green morocco frame tooled with gilt rose leaves and inlaid with 22 ivory morocco blossoms, each with a dark blue cabochon stone at center, a border of terra cotta morocco lettered in gilt with first lines of "Endymion" by Keats ("A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases / It will never pass into nothingness: But still will keep a bower quiet for us, and a sleep / Full of sweet dreams and health and quiet breathing"), a thinner band of turquoise morocco enclosing a large central panel of green morocco richly tooled with curling fronds of foliage emanating from turquoise morocco hearts at corners and bearing numerous inlaid ivory morocco blossoms, central recessed medallion of turquoise morocco with gold metal "J… Read More

Paris: Ambroise Vollard, 1930. No. 22 OF 30 COPIES on japon ancien and with an extra suite of plates on Montval paper, from a total edition of 340. 330 x 250 mm. (13 x 10"). 2 p.l., 249, [1] pp., [6] leaves. PLAYFUL DARK BLUE CRUSHED MOROCCO TOOLED IN GILT AND BLIND BY GEORGES CRETTÉ (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), covers and spine with all-over design inspired by the book illustrations, consisting of blind-tooled waves, some touched with gilt, scattered gilt breakers and small sail boats, smooth spine with gilt lettering, gilt-ruled turn-ins, navy blue watered silk endleaves, all edges gilt, original paper wrapper illustrated by Dufy bound in. Housed in the original matching morocco-trimmed chemise lined with kidskin and its morocco-lipped slipcase. WITH 94 ETCHINGS BY DUFY, including a pictorial wrapper, 16 plates, 24 full-page illustrations, 15 full borders, and an illustrated table for the binder, along with numerous vignettes. With an additional complete suite of the illustrations on… Read More

Paris: [Printed at the Eragny Press, Hammersmith, for] Le Livre Contemporaine, 1912. No. 48 OF 116 COPIES, this copy printed for Roger Braun. 217 x 156 mm. (8 1/2 x 6"). 105, [3] pp. Publisher's flexible green lambskin, gilt lettering to upper cover. Printer's device in colophon, titla page with delicately colored botanical frame set with six vignettes, 18 vignette head- or tailpieces and nine historiated initials designed and engraved by Lucien Pissaro and printed in colors, 12 PLATES BY CAMILLE PISSARO, engraved by Lucien Pissaro and printed in color. The Artist and the Book 247; Tomkinson, p. 66; Ransom, p. 264. ◆Spine lightly sunned, free endpapers with offsetting from doublures (as almost always with this title), just the vaguest hint of foxing, but a very nearly fine copy--clean, fresh, and bright internally, in a binding showing virtually no signs of use. This is one of the most memorable Eragny books: a private press "artist's book" pairing illustrations designed by Impressionist painter… Read More

Paris: H. Floury, 1903. No. 7 OF 12 COPIES printed on Imperial Japan vellum with an extra suite of illustrations in black and white on China paper, and AN ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR BY LÉON LEBÈGUE, not reproduced in the book. 265 x 198 mm. (10 1/2 x 7 3/4"). 55, [3] (blank) pp. Translated from the Italian by Anthoine Le Maçon. HANDSOME HONEY-BROWN CRUSHED MOROCCO BY CHAMBOLLE-DURU (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with gilt fillet border, central panel framed by onlaid and modelled panels in dark brown and caramel-colored morocco, blind-stamped with heraldic animals (lion, griffin, dragon, stag, boar) and cresting floral roll, raised bands, spine compartments with gilt fillet frame, blind-stamped fleuron centerpiece, gilt lettering, turn-ins with gilt cresting floral roll, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Original pictorial wrappers bound in. Preserved in the original matching morocco-trimmed chamois-lined marbled board slipcase. Text within decorative borders, 41 decorative initials, 23… Read More

Parigi [Paris]: Appresso Agostino Delalain et al., 1771. 235 x 145 mm. (9 1/4 x 5 7/8"). Two volumes.. LOVELY CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO "RELIURE DE PRÉSENT" DESIGNED BY GRAVELOT AND EXECUTED BY DEROME LE JEUNE, covers with French fillet frame, floral cornerpieces, flat spines bordered with double gilt rules and elaborately decorated in gilt: title within draped and foliate border surrounded by literary, warlike, and pastoral emblems, two leafy sprays extending from small cartouche at the lower end; attractively gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED THROUGHOUT: including two frontispiece portraits, two engraved titles with large vignettes, engraved dedication plate, 20 FINE ENGRAVED PLATES, 20 HAUT DE PAGE VIGNETTES (tondo portraits of characters), AND 23 ADDITIONAL PLATES (14 TAILPIECE VIGNETTES AND NINE VERY LARGE ENDPIECES (normally referred to as "vignettes," but occupying most of otherwise blank pages), ALL AFTER DESIGNS BY GRAVELOT. Cohen-de Ricci 974-75; Ray… Read More

Venezia [Venice]: Stampata da Giambattista Albrizzi, 1745. First Edition with these Illustrations. 465 x 325 mm. (18 1/4 x 12 3/4"). 14 p.l. (including two frontispieces), 253, (i.e., 252), [1] leaves, followed by the final plate (complete). SPLENDID CONTEMPORARY MARBLED CALF, VERY PROBABLY A PRESENTATION BINDING BY THE PUBLISHER, expertly restored incorporating original sides and backstrip, covers quite ornately gilt with wide frame composed of two intricate rolls and gilt rules, central panel with elaborate cornerpieces of curling leaves, volutes, and floral tools, very large oval centerpiece composed of two concentric Baroque-style frames heavy with plumes, scallop shells, flowers, volutes, and many small tools encircling a similarly framed center oval topped with a coronet; raised bands, spine attractively gilt in compartments with large central fleuron and lavishly scrolling cornerpieces, two red morocco labels, densely gilt turn-ins, Albrizzi's special daubed endpapers, all edges gilt. WITH 84… Read More

Firenze [Florence]: David Passigli, 1844. 85 x 53 mm. (3 3/8 x 2 1/8"). 3 p.l., 326, [2] (section title), 327-659 pp. Contemporary stiff vellum, charmingly gilt, covers with graceful gilt frame of volutes and flowers, central ornament formed by similar tools, smooth spine tooled with gilt volutes and flowers forming central panel with gilt lettering, a small gilt bird of paradise above and below this, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. WITH SPLIT FORE-EDGE PAINTINGS visible when the book is open at the section title for part II, the painting on the first half of the leaves A SWEEPING CITY VIEW OF JERUSALEM, that on the second part featuring THE DOME OF THE ROCK ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT. With engraved frontispiece portrait of the author and two engravings depicting scenes from the poem, all with original tissue guards. Front pastedown with engraved armorial bookplate of William Dunville. ◆Corners lightly bumped, one spot of light rubbing to gilt on upper cover, isolated spots of faint foxing, but A VERY… Read More

Venetia [Venice]: in casa de' Figliuoli di Aldo, 1545. Second Printing. 310 x 212 mm. (12 1/4 x 8 3/8"). [234] leaves. Modern dark brown crushed morocco, raised bands, gilt titling to spine, gilt-ruled turn-ins, leather hinges, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. With Aldine device on title page and final page, and 170 WOODCUTS, nine of which are full-page (count includes tablets with typeset text within, as per Mortimer). Mortimer 131; Sander 2057; Essling 1199; Adams C-2414; Kallendorf 302; Renouard 133:14; EDIT16 CNCE 12823; USTC 823513. See also: John Harthan, "The History of the Illustrated Book" pp. 80-82; and Martin Lowry, "The World of Aldus Manutius," pp. 120-25. ◆Title page with faint discoloration in two small marginal spots (to remove indications of ownership?), one leaf in last gathering a little browned, final three leaves (including colophon) with repair to fill small worm trail, occasional quite trivial spots to margins; in all other ways, A VERY FINE COPY--the text remarkably clean,… Read More

Rome: Valerio & Luigi Dorico; Venice: Tolomeo Gianicolo, 1547-48. FIRST EDITION. 183 x 96 mm. (6 3/8 x 3 3/4"). 8 p.l., 175, [1] (blank), 181, [3], 184, [6] leaves (final blank). Three volumes bound in one.. APPEALING PERIOD-STYLE RED MOROCCO, GILT, BY FRANCIS BEDFORD, covers framed by gilt and blind rules, gilt leaves at corners, gilt lettering in central panel, raised bands decorated with gilt, panels tooled in blind with floral rolls, gilt-ruled turn-ins, edges gilt and elaborately gauffered. Title within architectural woodcut frame, printer's full-page Golden Fleece device at end of second and third parts, a double-page diagram showing Belisarius' camp, and a double-page woodcut map of Rome. Adams T-954. ◆Leaves lightly pressed (in keeping with bibliophilic fashion at the time of binding), but not washed, a hint of wear to joints, spine lightly (but uniformly) sunned, short faint scratch to lower cover, but all these imperfections trivial, and AN ALTOGETHER VERY FINE COPY, especially smooth,… Read More

Paris: Henri Floury, 1927. No. 270 OF 274 COPIES on vélin d'Arches (of a total edition of 302). 245 x 192 mm. (9 1/2 x 7 1/2"). 84, [2], pp., [1] leaf (colophon). Publisher's color illustrated wrappers, original glassine. With 76 illustrations including wrapper image by André Hellé, hand colored in gouache via pochoir stenciling by J. Saudé. ◆Half-inch joint split at spine head and tail, mild edgewear, glassine with many small chips to spine and edges, but AN EXTREMELY APPEALING COPY, the fragile book quite solid, and internally quite clean, fresh, and bright, with very rich coloring. Illustrated with great charm in vivid colors, this volume is comprised of two Loti stories that harken back to his childhood in the city of Saint Pierre on Oléron, an island off France's Atlantic coast. "House of Grandmothers" and "Miss Anna, A Very Humble Doll" are memoirs intended for children of all ages. "Pierre Loti" is the pseudonym for Julien Viaud (1850-1923), who wrote popular novels at the same time… Read More

Lyon: Jean Du Pré, 1491. 330 x 238 mm. (13 x 9 3/8"). Double column, 50 lines in bâtarde type. Attractively matted. Paragraph marks in red or blue, two three-line initials in red or blue, A WOODCUT (88 x 78 mm.) DEPICTING A PROPHET ADDRESSING THE CONGREGATION IN A TEMPLE. Remnants of mounting tape to verso. Goff R-347; ISTC ir00347000; not in BMC. ◆A sprinkling of tiny wormholes (not affecting woodcut or legibility of text), a couple of minor marginal smudges, but a clean, fresh, and very appealing leaf. .

Madrid: Imprenta Real, 1779. FIRST EDITION. 235 x 150 mm. (9 1/4 x 6"). 10 p.l., 126, XL pp., [1] leaf (errata). EXCELLENT CONTEMPORARY CRIMSON MOROCCO BY DEROME LE JEUNE (his ticket with address of Rue St. Jacques on verso of front free endpaper), covers framed with thick and thin gilt rules, raised bands, spine compartments with central floral sprig surrounded by a lozenge of small tools, volute cornerpieces, gilt titling, gilt-rolled turn-ins, gilt edges, cobalt blue paste-paper endpapers. WITH SIX CHARMING ENGRAVED ALLEGORICAL PLATES after G. Ferre. Front pastedown with morocco bookplate of Mortimer L. Schiff and small book label with a gilt cipher on a red peach. A Large Paper Copy. Palau y Dulcet IV, 107; RSIM B VI, 429; MGG VI, 1403 f.; Gregory-Bartlett I, 129. ◆Three minute dents to front board, a hint of wear to bands and corners, isolated faint foxing, blank recto of frontispiece leaf and blank verso of final leaf with faint blue shadown from endpapers, but all of these quite trivial,… Read More

Venezia [Venice]: Appresso Carlo Buonarrigo, 1729. FIRST EDITION. 155 x 105 mm. (6 1/8 x 4 1/8). [1] p.l. (extra engraved title), 122 pp. Original cream-colored wrapper of heavy paper, silk ribbon stitching, remnants of old shelf label at foot of spine. Extra engraved title page depicting the Bucinotoro in all its glory, surmounted by the Lion of St. Mark, emblem of Venice. Front pastedown with bookplate of the duke of Arenberg, Castle Nordkirchen. Cicognara 4369. ◆Binding lightly soiled, front pastedown lifting, occasional faint yellowing to margins, other trivial imperfections, but still A VERY FINE COPY--clean, bright, and especially fresh, in its remarkably well-preserved (fragile) binding. This is a detailed account of the magnificent Bucintoro—a ceremonial ship used in the annual ritual in which the Doge of Venice was symbolically wedded to the sea— unveiled in 1729. The city known as La Serenissima had long been a major port for trade between Europe and points East, and the people… Read More

Paris: L. Carteret, 1907. No. 28 OF 50 COPIES "DE GRANDE LUXE. 303 x 212 mm. (12 x 8 1/2"). 80, [8] pp. HANDSOME DARK BROWN CRUSHED MOROCCO, INLAID IN THE ART NOUVEAU STYLE, BY HENRI NOULHAC (stamp-signed in gilt on front doublure), covers with inlaid hazel brown morocco frame creating four ogival compartments in the center panel, each containing an inlaid morocco thistle bloom in lavender, lilac, and hues of green, the spaces between the compartments inlaid with olive green morocco thistle leaves, raised bands, spine panels with inlaid interlocking hazel brown morocco chain links, gilt lettering, CRIMSON MOROCCO DOUBLURES, borders with multiple gilt rules and decorative rolls, dark brown watered silk free endleaves, leather hinges, marbled flyleaves, all edges gilt. Original paper wrappers bound in. With 23 original etchings by Alexandre Lunois, the etched title and printed title vignette in three states, the remaining illustrations in two states, for a total of 47 extra plates. Four-leaf… Read More

Paris: Charles Mendel, [1901]. FIRST EDITION. 232 x 154 mm. (9 1/8 x 6"). 228 pp., [6] leaves of advertisements. Original brown printed paper wrappers, spine and parts of upper cover expertly repaired. WITH EIGHT SILVER BROMIDE PHOTOGRAPHS mounted on heavy stock, a few plates (included in pagination) and other photographic illustrations in the text. ◆Wrappers a bit soiled, leaves a little yellowed with age, ads at end rather browned, but an excellent, very expertly restored, copy of an item difficult to find in any condition, the interior clean and fresh, with well-preserved photographs. This is a fascinating work at the intersection of science and photography in which Donnadieu demonstrates how photographing anatomical specimens under water improves the clarity of the image. Adolphe-Louis Donnadieu (1840-1911) was a professor of Natural Science at the University of Lyon and an early adopter of photography in his scientific pursuits. The present work describes the "physiographe universel"… Read More

Paris: de l'Imprimerie de Crapelet, an VII [1799]. 228 x 150 mm. (9 x 6"). Two volumes.. Very attractive 19th century red morocco by Capé (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in), French fillet border, raised bands, compartments with central quatrefoil surrounded by lacy gilt tooling, gilt lettering, gilt dentelles, all edges gilt. Housed in a later marbled slipcase. WITH engraved frontispiece by Gaucher and 21 ENGRAVED PLATES after Marillier, Monsiau, and Ponce (as called for), AND EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH 46 PLATES (comprised of a suite of 20 small plates, a suite of 21 large plates, and five portraits). Verso of front free endpaper with the bookplate of Jacques Bastenet. Cohen-de Ricci 1035; Graesse VI, 393. See also: Cohen-de Ricci 1047-48 for the plates by Moreau. ◆Two three-inch abrasions on one cover and a hint of wear to joints (both very well disguised by refurbishment), leather faintly soiled, but the decorative bindings still lustrous and quite pleasing, without any significant condition… Read More

Milano: Francesco Barbini, ca. 1880. 162 x 104 mm. (6 3/8 x 4"). 528 pp. Original printed paper wrappers (spine expertly repaired), upper cover with the image of a sleeping man in bedclothes reaching toward fortune personified as a blindfolded woman balancing on a wheel, ENTIRELY UNOPENED. With numerous full pages of woodcuts. Front cover with embossed stamp of Milanese bookseller Panzeri. ◆Tear across the cover carefully repaired, light scattered browning and foxing internally, but a very good copy of an ephemeral item. This is a charming work based on the southern Italian folk magic tradition of "smorfia," or dream interpretation, instructing the reader on how to convert nightly visions into lottery numbers. It includes some delightful woodcut illustrations of various small scenes and types of human and animal heads, with the lottery number each should suggest: the Arab head, for example, ought to incline one toward 3, the goat toward 81, the elephant 70, and so on. Also included are extensive… Read More

Paris: De l'Imprimerie de nouveaux caracteres . . . par Pierre Moreau, [8 Juin, 1644]. First Edition of this Translation. 175 x 113 mm. (6 7/8 x 4 1/2"). 8 p.l., 541 pp., [1] leaf (privilege). Translated by François Eudes de Mezeray. Attractive contemporary burgundy morocco, gilt, covers with three French fillet frames, the two inner frames with oblique fleurons at corners, raised bands, spine gilt in compartments with central fleurons, curling cornerpieces, gilt titling, marbled pastedowns, all edges gilt. Updike I, 207-08. ◆Boards a little spotted, leather a bit crackled, light wear to joints, minor offsetting on endpapers from glue used for turn-ins, leaves a shade less than bright with occasional small rust spots, but an excellent copy nevertheless, the text clean and fresh, and the solid, very pleasing binding with nothing approaching a condition issue. This edition of Grotius' famous treatise on the validity of Christianity features a lovely period binding and a charming cursive type… Read More

[Paris: René Muffat, 1861]. 152 x 102 mm. (6 x 4"). [9] leaves. Simple 19th century half morocco over marbled paper boards, flat spine with titling in gilt along length, marbled endpapers. Woodcut title page (laid down) with architectural border and printer's device, small woodcut illustration of the saint. Verso of front endpaper with inscription in French noting that this is a reproduction. ◆Extremities a bit rubbed and flaked, last leaf torn at foot with skillful early paper repair (no loss), title page slightly trimmed at head and backed, using 17th century paper, leaves slightly toned and soiled, one passage lined in margin in blue, otherwise the binding completely sound, and internally in excellent condition. This little devotional work retells the story of Saint Margaret, "virgin and martyr," one of the most popular of female saints. She was said to be a Christian maiden of Antioch, tortured when she refused to renounce her religion or her chastity. When the devil took the form of a… Read More

London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, 1714. FIRST EDITION, special issue on thick paper. 170 x 95 mm. (6 5/8 x 3 3/4"). With [2] leaves of ads at end of volume II. Three volumes.. Quite pretty contemporary rose-colored morocco, gilt, covers with gilt rule border, oblique floral sprigs at corners, smooth spines divided into compartments with central floral sprig within a lozenge of small tools, turnip tool at corners, gilt lettering, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Each volume with engraved frontispiece portrait of the dedicatee (the Countess of Burlington in volume I, Mrs. Bovey in volume II, and Mrs. Richard Steele in volume III. Title page of each volume inscribed in ink "Eliza. Steele" (see below); front pastedowns with printed book label of Francis Wedgwood; verso of front free endpaper of volumes II and III with engraved armorial bookplate of James Maidment; front flyleaves of volume I with 19th century ink inscription regarding the identity of a dedicatee and information on provenance… Read More