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Guaranteed
to Fit: The Collectible and Rare Book
by
Kirsten Berg
In the thousands of pounds of glossy color gift catalogues mailed out every season, in the endless hours of television commercials aired between Thanksgiving and the third week of December, there will be something noticeably missing: The collectible and rare book.
Prohibitively expensive? Not necessarily. Printed in Latin and bound in vellum? Perhaps. Beautiful, one-of-a-kind, the perfect gift? Absolutely.
Give
the gift of history
Someone you love loves history. Has read
every New York Times Bestseller title on
every epoch, monarchy, revolution, movement and
-ism known. Thrill them this season with
their very own piece of history — gift-wrapped.
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Libretos
de Opera Tosca
by Giacomo Puccini
Adelina Patti was the diva of her time.
She was as famous for her immense wealth
and scandalous lifestyle as for her voice.
An ad for her brand of face cream graces
this libretto of Tosca.
The
Mountain World, 1954, Signed
by Marcel Kurz
A golden age of climbing on Everest described
in detail by the men who were there. Signed
by eight members of the 1953 expedition
to Mt. Everest.
The
Luftwaffe: A History, Signed
by John Killen
A comprehensive look at German airpower
from 1915 to 1945, from biplanes to the
Ar 234, the first turbo-jet bomber. Signed
by fifteen WWII German Aces.
East
India Register and Directory for 1843
by F. Clark and Richard Francis Burton
The young Richard Burton set out for the
First Afghan War, only to find it concluded
by the time he arrived in India. Perhaps
that was for the best, as Burton was destined
to become the most famous Orientalist of
his time. Not just an author of Consulate
reports (he left much of that work to his
wife) Burton is still known as the translator
of the Book
of a Thousand Nights and Night.
Die
Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie
by Albert Einstein
E=mc 2. 'Nuff said.
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Give
the gift of literature
We all have our favorite authors, our best-loved
books. Who wouldn't want their favorite title
in a first, signed, or specially bound edition?
Here is an infinitesimal sample of our selection...
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Nothing
More than Murder, First Edition
by Jim Thompson
Thompson titles just get better with each
reading. Here's a chance to replace a worn-out
paperback with the first edition.
Tales
of the South Pacific, Signed
by James A. Michener
Michener's first book, written when he was
in his thirties, which later became the
basis for the musical South Pacific.
One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, First UK Edition
by Ken Kesey
Kesey's first book. Genius from the start.
Little
Gidding, First Edition
by T. S. Eliot
The last poem of Eliot's Four Quartets.
Titled after a 17th-century Anglican community,
this is a poem that speaks of love and spiritual
renewal.
The
Mists of Avalon, First Edition
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Some say it's fantasy, some say science
fiction. Does it matter? It's a darn good
read.
Sanctuary,
First Edition
by William Faulkner
Faulkner's sixth novel. This copy is rebound
in full leather. Some of you fell in love
with Faulkner in high school and still carry
the torch. More and more collectible as
each year passes, Faulkner is one of the
authors we don't see very often in first
edition.
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Give
the gift of wonder
Rumor has it that we were all children once.
Though some of us have grown up, we still absolutely
love some of the books we read over and over and
over again as kids. Nostalgia? Let's just say
it's cheaper than therapy.
Give
the gift of beauty
Some might think of a book as a mere vessel of
information, or as an inanimate object that entertains
us during long plane rides. Such views merely
scratch the surface of the history, the function,
and the possibilities of the printed and bound
pages we generically call a "book."
There is an innate beauty in a finely made volume.
Sometimes, when form follows function and true
creativity shines through, the "book"
becomes "art."
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Art
of Illuminating, as Practiced in Europe
from the Earliest Times
by W. R. Tymms and M. D. Wyatt
Some of the most beautiful pieces of art
from the medieval world are illuminated
volumes, written out and illustrated by
hand. Hundreds of pages of samples are found
here, in color.
The
First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid
by Oliver Byrne
Never thought of geometry as art? Take a
look. A landmark volume in printing history,
as well as a classic text.
Australian
Flower Paintings of Ferdinand Bauer
by Ferdinand Bauer
For several hundred years, botany has been
the subject of some of the finest artists
known. In this elephant folio twenty-five
color offset lithographic plates reproduce
selected pieces of Bauer's work.
Select
Chinese Painting in the National Palace
Museum, Six Volumes
from the National Palace Museum
Published by the Museum, this set has been
issued with a varnished box with sliding
front. A beautiful and unusual way to showcase
the volumes inside.
Selections
from the Early Ballad Poetry of England
and Scotland
by Richard John King
It's not the full morocco binding, the gilt
stamping, inner dentelles, or marbled endpapers
that elevate this volume of poetry from
the category of fine binding to that of
art. It's the double fore edge painting
that makes this beautiful book extra special.
My
World of Bibliophile Binding
by Kerstin Tini Miura
Some artists use a canvas as their medium,
others clay or marble. Kerstin Tini Miura
makes art out of books.
De
Bello Judaica [and] De Antiquitate Judaeorum
Contra Apionem
by Flavius Josephus and Rufinus Aquileiensis
and Ludovicus Cendrata
Printed in 1480, this copy of De Bello
Judaica is beautiful. The very paper
it's printed on is fabulous: creamy and
fresh after over 500 years. The marginalia,
in faded copperplate, only enhances the
book's aesthetic qualities. Bound in a parchment
sheet from a missal, this is one of the
most original and fantastic bindings in
our selection. (Though this selection may
be priced out of your gift-giving budget,
admit it: "just looking" is part
of the fun.)
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Give
the gift of a book
Our love affair
with the printed book has continued unabated
for hundreds of years. Unlike the "must
have" electronic toy of the season,
or an over-hyped kitchen appliance, books
are tactile, emotive, and have a personality
all their own. And if you're hoping to please
almost anyone —
the amateur astronomer, gourmet cook, poet, pre-law
student, railroad enthusiast, science-fiction
fan — on your list, you might find that
a collectible and rare book is the perfect
fit.
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