Essex War Welfare 1939 – 1945

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• THE NOBEL LAUREATE IN FINE PRESS FORM

  

  Mann, Thomas (1875–1955)

  Mann, Thomas (1875–1955) A Sketch of My Life [Signed by Thomas Mann] [Harrison of Paris] [Limited to 75 Copies on Imperial Japanese Vellum] SIGNED THOMAS MANN — A MASTER OF MODERN LITERATURE IN A LUXURY PRIVATE PRESS EDITION

  $2,400.00

  Blind Horse Books [ABAA]

  A beautifully preserved signed copy of A Sketch of My Life, one of only 75 copies printed on Imperial Japanese vellum by Harrison of Paris. Issued shortly after Thomas Mann received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929, this edition presents the author’s autobiographical reflection in the refined format that became central to Monroe Wheeler’s vision of modern fine press publishing. Signed by Thomas Mann and originating from the Harrison of Paris / Monroe Wheeler archive, this copy combines literary importance, exceptional materials, and fine press design. THE AUTHOR AT HIS MOMENT OF RECOGNITION.A Sketch of My Life offers Mann’s own account of his early years, family background, education, and the development of his literary career before international recognition transformed him into one of Europe’s most celebrated writers. Published at the height of Mann’s reputation, the work captures a moment of reflection before the political upheavals that would reshape his life and the literary world of the 1930s. A MODERN FINE PRESS STATEMENT.Harrison of Paris, founded and directed by Monroe Wheeler, sought to unite distinguished literature with exceptional design, typography, and materials. This edition demonstrates Wheeler’s early commitment to restrained elegance rather than traditional decorative excess. The Imperial Japanese vellum issue represents the finest state of the publication, emphasizing material quality, typography, and craftsmanship. This edition brings together Thomas Mann’s literary importance with Monroe Wheeler’s distinctive approach to modern fine press production, creating a copy of interest to collectors of twentieth-century literature and book arts. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Octavo, approximately 8.25 inches tall. Quarter-bound in vellum over stiff paper boards. Original protective slipcase. Printed in France for Harrison of Paris. Printed on Imperial Japanese vellum. [10], 11–75 pages. Includes the rare errata slip noting the increase of the limitation from 50 to 75 copies. CONDITION: Fine. The vellum remains creamy and bright. The text block is pristine. The original slipcase is solid with only minimal shelf handling. An exceptionally well-preserved example of this limited Harrison of Paris production. LITERARY SIGNIFICANCE: THE NOBEL YEARS—A WRITER AT THE SUMMIT Thomas Mann remains one of the defining literary figures of the twentieth century. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929, he entered the 1930s as one of Europe’s most respected novelists and intellectuals. This autobiographical work reflects Mann’s own understanding of his literary development at a pivotal moment, shortly before exile and political conflict transformed his personal and professional life. THE MAKING OF MODERN FINE PRESSThe Harrison of Paris edition represents an important early expression of Monroe Wheeler’s approach to fine publishing: combining major literary voices with carefully considered typography, materials, and production. SUBJECTS: Thomas Mann; Nobel Prize Literature; Harrison of Paris; Monroe Wheeler; Fine Printing; Private Press Books; German Literature; Literary Autobiography; Modernism; Vellum Bindings; Limited Editions, Fine Press; Signed Books; Literary Autobiography; Limited Editions; German Literature; Modern Literature. less

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  Offered for Sale by: Blind Horse Books [ABAA]

• FREEDOM FOUND ITS VOICE

  

  Davis, Daniel Webster (1862–1915)

  Davis, Daniel Webster (1862–1915) Weh Down Souf and Other Poems [Elizabeth Geary Arts & Crafts Binding; William L. Sheppard Illustrations]

  $425.00

  Blind Horse Books [ABAA]

  Born into slavery, Daniel Webster Davis transformed memory into poetry, creating one of the earliest and most beautifully produced African-American books of verse published at the close of the nineteenth century. Published just three decades after emancipation, Weh Down Souf occupies an important place in early African-American literature. Written by educator, lecturer, and poet Daniel Webster Davis, who was born enslaved in Caroline County, Virginia, in 1862, this collection preserves Black Southern speech, customs, beliefs, humor, faith, and daily life through poetry informed by lived experience rather than nostalgic recollection. Beautifully produced by the Helman-Taylor Company, the volume is further distinguished by an exceptional Arts & Crafts publisher’s binding designed by Elizabeth Geary and illustrated throughout by William L. Sheppard. A VOICE AFTER EMANCIPATION.More than simply a collection of dialect verse, the book represents an effort to preserve African-American folk culture during the Reconstruction era while presenting its author as a serious literary voice. Particularly noteworthy—and often omitted from modern descriptions—is the substantial appendix by John H. Smyth, the distinguished African-American diplomat, educator, journalist, and later United States Minister to Liberia. Smyth’s contribution places Davis within the emerging tradition of Black American literature and lends the volume additional historical and institutional significance. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION — ARTISTRY IN CLOTH AND PAPER.Publisher’s original decorative olive-green cloth over beveled boards, front cover and spine designed by Elizabeth Geary in a striking Arts & Crafts composition depicting stylized orange trees beneath a radiant rising sun within ruled borders. Spine lettered in black. Top edge gilt; fore and lower edges untrimmed and deckled. Printed on laid paper with full-page illustrations on glossy coated stock by William L. Sheppard. 7 inches tall. vi, [1], 7–136 pages, followed by glossary and appendix by John H. Smyth. An exceptionally handsome example of late nineteenth-century American book design. CONDITION: Very Good. The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean; light, even age-toning. Moderate shelf handling wear. The pictorial cloth remains unusually bright with remarkably little rubbing or fading. Spine lettering is sharp and fully legible. Top edge gilt retains an attractive bright finish. Interior remains clean with only occasional light foxing. Deckled fore-edge preserved. Several leaves retain unopened edges. An exceptionally well-preserved copy displaying far better than normally encountered. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE — An Early African-American Literary LandmarkPublished in 1897, Weh Down Souf belongs to the formative generation of African-American literature produced after Reconstruction by authors who had themselves experienced slavery or its immediate aftermath.  Davis sought to preserve Black vernacular speech, folklore, religious traditions, and community life while demonstrating their literary value to a national readership. The inclusion of an appendix by John H. Smyth reflects the growing network of African-American intellectuals working to establish a recognized Black literary tradition during the closing years of the nineteenth century.  Equally significant as a work of book design, the volume illustrates the emerging influence of the Arts & Crafts movement in American publishing through Elizabeth Geary’s memorable pictorial binding and William L. Sheppard’s accomplished illustrations.   EXPANDED NARRATIVE: FROM SLAVERY TO SCHOLARSHIP — Daniel Webster Davis belonged to the first generation of African-American writers whose lives bridged slavery and freedom. Born enslaved in Virginia, he pursued an education following emancipation, graduating from Richmond High and Normal School, where he received the Essayist Medal. He became an educator, lecturer, principal, civic leader, and widely respected public speaker whose writings sought both to preserve African-American vernacular traditions and to demonstrate the literary richness of Black Southern life. THE SOUTH AS HE KNEW ITThe poems collected here capture everyday experiences, religious faith, humor, superstition, family relationships, work, and rural customs in post-Civil War Virginia. While dialect poetry was widely published during the nineteenth century, Davis writes from within the culture he depicts, lending the work an authenticity absent from many contemporary literary treatments. His poetry stands alongside the broader movement that sought to establish an independent African-American literary voice during the decades following Reconstruction. MORE THAN A PREFACEAdding substantially to the book’s importance is the appendix by John H. Smyth. Far more than a simple editorial note, Smyth’s contribution situates Davis among the leading Black intellectuals of his generation. As a journalist, educator, diplomat, and later United States Minister to Liberia, Smyth represented one of the most influential African-American public figures of the late nineteenth century. His presence expands the volume beyond poetry into a document of African-American literary advocacy and cultural history. A BOOK DESIGNED TO ENDURE.Collectors will also appreciate the book as an outstanding example of American decorative publishing. Elizabeth Geary’s striking Arts & Crafts cover design ranks among the more memorable pictorial cloth bindings of the 1890s. The stylized orange trees, radiant sunburst, restrained typography, and harmonious palette reflect the influence of the American Arts & Crafts movement rather than the elaborate Victorian excesses of the preceding decade. William L. Sheppard’s full-page illustrations complement the poems with sympathetic and accomplished interpretations that enhance both the literary and visual appeal of the volume. Taken together, the literary importance, attractive production, and historical context make Weh Down Souf a compelling crossover collectible, sought by collectors of African Americana, Reconstruction history, Southern literature, decorative bindings, and nineteenth-century American poetry. GENRES: African Americana, American Poetry, Reconstruction Literature, Southern Literature, Decorative Bindings, Arts & Crafts MovementSUBJECTS: Daniel Webster Davis, African American Poetry, Reconstruction Era, Virginia Authors, Black Dialect Poetry, John H. Smyth, Elizabeth Geary, William L. Sheppard, Arts & Crafts Book Design, Decorative Cloth Bindings, African American Education, Nineteenth-Century American Literature. less

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  Offered for Sale by: Blind Horse Books [ABAA]

• Vellum-bound Vincent marque history, signed

  

  Vincent, P. C.; Harper, Roy

  Vincent, P. C.; Harper, Roy Vincent 50 Years of the Marque (Signed Limited, Vellum-bound)

  $2,012.96 *
  * estimated currency conversion

  84 Charing Cross Rare Books

  Vincent Publishing Company, 1977. Vellum Limited Edition. Hardcover. One of the signed limited run of 50 vellum-bound, with invoice signed by Roy Harper. VG+ 1977 1st ed Vincent hardback, stunningly produced with tipped-in photos throughout, an exquisite vellum-bound volume with high quality paper. Very light natural aging and shelf-rubbing, well-preserved tight and unmarked. The centrepiece of our Vincent catalogue. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 3kg. Category: Automobiles & Vehicles; Signed by Author. ISBN: 0905943007. ISBN/EAN: 9780905943008. 84cxrarebooks is the trading name of Cambridge-based bookseller Marino Guida, with 25 years experience in the trade. We guarantee the condition of all our books. Further images or a short video presentation of any book can be arranged on request. We send tax-free and tariff-free to EU, US/Canada and Australia/NZ with insurance included for peace of mind. Inventory No: 101469. Collectable – Very Good Condition. Item #101469 ISBN: 0905943007 less

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  Offered for Sale by: 84 Charing Cross Rare Books

• The Tarot of Marsilio: Down Here by Christopher Po

  

  Poncet, Christopher

  Poncet, Christopher The Tarot of Marsilio Down Here

  $1,100.00

  By The Way Books

  London: Scarlet Imprint, 2024. First edition. Limited edition of 915 numbered copies, 40 in this Fine Edition format; Hand-bound in full red morocco, custom marbled endpapers, gilt edges, silk ribbon, presented in a cerulean silk covered slipcase edged in red morocco; 13” x 9”; 185 pages with marking ribbon; Beautifully illustrated in color. Fine condition. Down Here is the first of a meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated three-volume work, The Tarot of Marsilio by Christophe Poncet; a landmark inquiry into the origins of the Tarot de Marseille. Against the prevalent view in the academy — that the tarot was never used, before the 18th century, for anything other than card games — Poncet argues that the Tarot de Marseille is a work of esoteric philosophy hidden in plain sight. less

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  Offered for Sale by: By The Way Books