Catalogue No. 5 (E-List) - Recent Acquisitions (October 2019)
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The first printing of the Rubaiyat in America
1) [Edward Fitzgerald, translator]. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the Astronomer-Poet of Persia. Boston: James R. Osgood, 1878. The first printing of the first American edition (from the third London edition), and published in an edition of 500 copies (Potter). Printed on recto side only, within a red border. Publisher’s brick red cloth with gilt and black lettering and decoration. Gilt lettering to spine. All edges stained red. 12mo. Some light wear to corners. Small stamp to front pastedown.
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A William Loring Andrews title in original dust jacket and slipcase
2) Andrews, William Loring. New York as Washington Knew It After the Revolution. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1905. Limited to 135 copies printed on handmade French paper. Title page, frontispiece, 13 head-bands and tail-pieces designed and engraved by Sidney L. Smith, and 3 facsimiles. Bound in Japan vellum with gilt lettering to spine and front cover. 8vo. Slipcase browned and small tears to bottom. Dust jacket well browned with small chips and tear up halfway on the rear spine hinge. Book has been well-protected–an absolutely beautiful copy under the jacket, with just a small amount of browning to spine. Bookplate of Justin Turner, collector and author of American history, on front pastedown.
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Bound with George Parker Winship’s gilt monogram by Riviere & Son
3) Vita De Sancto Hieronymo. Cambridge, MA: The Cygnet Press, 1928. The first book from Philip Hofer and George Parker Winship’s Cygnet Press. This life of St. Jerome and its woodcut illustrations are drawn from the Lorenzo de Rossi edition of Jerome’s letters, first published at Ferrara in 1497. Bound in light brown morocco by Riviere & Son, featuring a pattern of Winship’s monogram with a swan stamp centerpiece, “THE CYGNET PRESS” tooled in gilt around the left, right, and top of the boards, the digits of the year “1929” in the corners (presumably the year this was bound), and the initials of the The Cygnet Press proprietors at the bottom. Two bands and title to spine. Gilt-ruled dentelles. Top edge gilt. Housed in a worn leather and marbled paper solander case. 12mo. Some rubbing to edges and some spots to covers.
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Binding in calf and inlaid by The Monastery Hill Bindery
4) Whittier, John. Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, 1892. ALS from Whittier bound in at the front of the book. Designs by E.H. Garrett. Frontispiece engraving of Whittier. Bound in full tan calf leather by The Monastery Hill Bindery with tooling in carbon extending from the bands and culminating in inlaid hearts in red morocco, surrounded by a stippled border. Grey, white, and lavender marbled endpapers. Top edge gilt. 12mo. Some rubbing to extremities and light stain to front cover.
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A charming copy, bound by The Lakeside Press
5) [Tennant, Pamela]. The Book of Peace. London: Privately Printed at the Chiswick Press, 1900. Illustrated with black and white plates by William Blake and Bellini, designs by Madeline Wyndham and Andrea della Robia. Compiled by Pamela Tennant (Lady Glenconner). Bound in full royal blue calf leather by The Lakeside Press of Chicago (during the tenure of Alfred de Sauty), with gilt lettering to spine, raised spine bands extended to blind tooled leaves on the covers, and “EMH Her Book” stamped in gilt on the front cover. Grey endpapers. Top edge gilt. What makes this particular volume unique is the amount of material laid in, including a variety of love letters, photographs, and other notes from an adoring fiance/husband to his betrothed–as this volume looks to have been a gift to Elsa Marshall (the “EM” of “EMH”) for their wedding. 8vo. Fading to spine.
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Gilt and doublures by The Hampstead Bindery
6) Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. Sonnets from the Portuguese. London: George Bell & Sons, 1898. Decorated borders and initials by J.A. Duncan and Christopher Dean. Bound in dark brown morocco by The Hampstead Bindery with an interesting design on both covers made up of curved gouges and floral tooling. Title in gilt to spine. Wide gilt-tooled turn-ins with doublures of Japan vellum. Thick gilt-ruled Japan vellum flyleaves. 16mo. Some spots to covers and light rubbing to extremities. Some darkening to spine and bumping to corners.
“The Hampstead Bindery was founded by Frank Karslake in 1898, as a brother organisation to the Guild of Women-Binders. At one time it had a staff of seven including Alfred de Sauty, Harold Karslake and [P.A.] Savoldelli, and the prospectus announced: ‘Its workmen are professionals of great experience in the best English and Continental ateliers… every book that is bound is never repeated unless ordered’. It appears that the men trained the women, and possibly lent a hand with their bindings. The Guild and Hampstead Bindery held a joint exhibition from 1st December 1898 to 30th January 1899 and there were sales of their bindings at Sotheby in 1900, 1901 and 1904. The last was described as the final sale and by that time the binderies presumably ceased to exist” (Maggs).
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Lovely art nouveau binding “a la Burns”
7) Burns, Robert. The Poetical Works of Robert Burns. London: Henry Frowde, 1896. Frontispiece portrait of Burns. Bound in full russet brown morocco with a striking Scottish art nouveau design of tendrils, leaves, and thistles–both buds and blooms. Similar design to spine, with author to second compartment. Decorated turn-ins and grey, light blue, pink, and white endpapers. All edges gilt. Silk page marker. 8vo. Some light rubbing and small closed crack to top 2" of rear outer hinge.
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Cockerell-influenced binding by Alfred Hackman, student of the Central School of Arts & Crafts
8) Ballantyne, R.M. The Coral Island. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1899. Bound in black full grained morocco by Alfred L. Hackman of the L.C.C. Central School of Arts and Crafts (taught by Peter McLeish), with decoration in the style of Douglas Cockerell, including a rectangular dual leaf border pattern to the front and back covers. Triple gilt rule to edges of cover. Curved gouges and leaf tool to spine, with title to second compartment. Ruled turn-ins with leaves at corners and grey endpapers. 8vo. Slight bumping to corners.
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Subtle inlaid arts & crafts binding
9) Rimington, A. Wallace. Colour-Music: The Art of Mobile Colour. London: Hutchinson, 1911. First edition. An early book on what is now called synaesthesia–the ability to see colors in music. Illustrated extensively in color and black & white. Bound in full cordovan morocco leather, with a geometric design of fillets and small green and red inlays to covers, and spine with similar inlays in a circular pattern. Japan vellum flyleaves, with design of gilt nailheads to rear doublure and front and rear turn-ins. Front doublure appears to have had a bookplate at one point (design of a crown atop a “W” can still be seen faintly). All edges gilt. 8vo. Slight edgewear, corners bumped, small closed cracks to top ~1" of front and rear hinge. Joints rubbed, but solid.
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Striking inlaid lily to front cover for Bumpus
10) Watson, William (editor). Lyric Love. London: Macmillan, 1892. Golden Treasury series. Bound in full dark green morocco leather for Bumpus (likely by Morrell) with inlaid iris to front board and small gilt decorations to corners. Gilt title to spine; all page edges gilt. White watered silk endpapers with elaborate gilt turn-ins. 16mo. Leather on spine faded to brown and some small spots of wear to corners.
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A Chivers binding in calf, in the style of Alice Shepherd
11) Dobson, Austin. Proverbs in Porcelain. London: Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1893. Illustrated by Bernard Partridge. Bound by Cedric Chivers in full light brown calf leather, with a dual gilt border on the front cover enclosing a modeled leather design with the title within a cartouche surrounded by roses and stems, interspersed with gilt dots. Spine with a panel containing modeled leather work of roses, and the turn-ins with gilt rolls and fillets. Floral patterned endpapers, top edge gilt. 8vo. Wear to spine tips, rubbing to hinges, wear to edges and corners, and some staining to cover and marks to spine.
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Arts & crafts decorated vellum binding
12) Southey, Robert. Two Love Stories: from the Doctor etc. London: R. Brimley Johnson, circa 1900. Published in The York Library series. Bound in full vellum, signed “19 ITR 03” on rear turn-in, with a beautiful arts & crafts design in gilt and painted red flowers and green leaves. Yapp edges tooled with a gilt rule and dots. Triple gilt rule and small red dots to corners of turn-ins. Light blue endpapers. 16mo. Some fading and burnishing of gilt on covers.
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A beautiful Christmas manuscript by Margaret A. Adams
13) [Illumination and calligraphy by Margaret A. Adams]. On Christmas Days. Title-page lettering and illustration of Madonna and Child illuminated in red, blue, green, black, and gold. Initial letter in green & yellow. Text written in black ink and rubricated in green. Bound (presumably by Adams) in olive brown limp vellum, yapp edges, front cover hand-lettered in black ink. Handwritten dedication page, which reads: “To Marjory, / gratefully, from M.A.A., / December 11th, 1911. / “We two are friends”, tells everything. / Yet if you must know, this is why: / Because she is she and I am I. / E.V. Lucas.” [1, dedication], [1, blank], [11] [6, blank], [2, colophon] pp. 8vo. Some light edgewear and fading to covers. Ties missing.
Margaret A. Adams was the author of Ye Olde Alphabet of Shrewsbury, compiled and illustrated in 1907. Regarding the creation of the present work, which is an essay about children and the Christmas holiday, Adams writes to her friend Marjory: “It is an ancient and honoured custom that on our birthdays we should send each other some message of greetings, and so this little bundle of ideas on Xmas'es is sent to you by one whom you know by the name of Anne. I do not suppose the ideas in the bundle are very new, but I have just put them down, and sent them you for what they are worth.“
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Under the Hill Books
Owner: Nolan Goodman
Minneapolis, Minnesota
underthehillbooks@gmail.com
www.underthehillbooks.com / www.lorenzschwartz.com