Engraved books (11 resultados)
Idioma: Inglés
Editorial: Mckinlay, Stone & Mackenzie, 1912
- Tapa dura
Librería: Mountain Books, Kent, CT, Estados Unidos de AmericaMountain Books
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 4 estrellasCondición: Usado - Regular
EUR 6,76
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Quarter Leather. Condición: Fair. No Dustjacket. Hard to find book. The spine is damaged, most of the leather is lost on it, the book is still together, and the marbled boards have some wear and signs of age. Inside light yellowing--but still tight. Email us for a picture, we ship fast. Engraved Frontspiece (ilustrador).
Book Collecting & Library Monthly August 1969 No.16 / Edward S Ellis 1840=1916 works published (5 pages) / Sotheby's book auctions of June 1969 prices realised (7 pages) / John Galsworth "Somewhat Of Lawrence Durrell" / Lawrence Durrell "Faces" (1934) - poem / Ulysses Bookshop's 1930 catalogue / Laurence Whistler "An Engraved Window To Edward Thomas And Helen His Wife" / Books For Sale & Books Wanted lists
B Hutchison (Editor) / Edward S Ellis 1840=1916 works published (5 pages) / Sotheby's book auctions of June 1969 prices realised (7 pages) / John Galsworth "Somewhat Of Lawrence Durrell" / Lawrence Durrell "Faces" (1934) - poem / Ulysses Bookshop's 1930 catalogue / Laurence Whistler "An Engraved Window To Edward Thomas And Helen His Wife" / Books For Sale & Books Wanted lists
Editorial: Book Collecting & Library Monthly, 1969
- Tapa blanda
- Publicación periódica
Librería: Shore Books, London, Reino UnidoShore Books
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 5 estrellasCondición: Usado - Bueno
EUR 9,62
Envío por EUR 12,84Se envía de Reino Unido a Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Soft cover. Condición: Very Good. 36 pages. Edward S Ellis 1840=1916 works published (5 pages) / Sotheby's book auctions of June 1969 prices realised (7 pages) / John Galsworth "Somewhat Of Lawrence Durrell" / Lawrence Durrell "Faces" (1934) - poem / Ulysses Bookshop's 1930 catalogue / Laurence Whistler "An Engraved Window To Ed…ward Thomas And Helen His Wife" / Books For Sale & Books Wanted lists.
Editorial: David R. Bodine Pub.
- Tapa dura
Librería: Terrace Horticultural Books, St. Paul, MN, Estados Unidos de AmericaTerrace Horticultural Books
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EUR 27,01
Envío por EUR 6,11Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Hardcover. Condición: Very Good. Estado de la sobrecubierta: Dust Jacket (c). First American Edition. Copyright Date: 1979 Sm Quarto, 1980, PP.141, Text Of Practical Information On These INdoor Plants By Frances Perry, Includes A Note By Ray Desmond On Benjamin Fawcett , A Beautiful Book. Sixty Four Multiple Engraved Wood Block…Printed Color Plates By Benjamin Fawcett Are Taken From Two Victorial Books, Beautiful Plants By E. J. Lowe And Rare Beautiful Leaved Plants By Shirley Hibbard (ilustrador).
Idioma: Inglés
Editorial: R. F. Simpson, Philadelphia Pa, 1868
- Tapa blanda
Librería: Arroyo Seco Books, Pasadena, Member IOBA, Pasadena, CA, Estados Unidos de AmericaArroyo Seco Books, Pasadena, Member IOBA
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 4 estrellasMiembro de asociación: IOBA
Condición: Usado - Aceptable
EUR 230,96
Envío por EUR 6,99Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Soft cover. Condición: Good. 8 Pp Including Insides Of Covers, Leaves Printed On One Side Only, Color Illustrations On Every Page, Covers Printed In Red And Green. Extensive Catalog On Rear Cover Indicates This Is Part Of The "Uncle William's" Series, One Of Four Series From This Publisher "All Original. From The Highly Popular…Pens Of Lawrence Lovechild And Others, Embellished With . Illustrations Engraved On Wood . By Croom & Brightly, Gilbert And Gihon, Waitt, Downes, And Other Eminent Artists, From . Designs. By Darley And Croome." The Name Lawrence Lovechild Probably Dates From A Lovechild Pseudonym Of Ellenor Fenn In The Uk, Writing Popular Children's Literature Until Before 1813. The University Of Chicago Library Website Credits These To Circa 1867-1869; A Recent Commercial Listing Of One Of These Books Published By Cotton In 1860 Leads Ius To Deduce From These That Cotton;'S Plates May Have Been Taken Over By Simpson And Then Used For Books Issued Circa 1867-1869, Or That Simpson Issues Pre-Date Cotton And Are Actually Circa 1850'S And Taken Over From Gihon Or From Keller & Bright Of Philadelphia. Illustrations Engraved On Wood . By Croom & Brightly, Gilbert And Gihon, Waitt, Downes, And Other Eminent Artists, From . Designs. By Darley And Croome (ilustrador).
Editorial: London: Routledge, Warne, & Routledge, c.1858., 1858
- Tapa blanda
Librería: Minster Gate Bookshop (est. 1970), YORK, Reino UnidoMinster Gate Bookshop (est. 1970)
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 5 estrellasMiembro de asociación: PBFA
Condición: Usado - Aceptable
EUR 270,50
Envío por EUR 21,59Se envía de Reino Unido a Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Condición: Good. Tall 8vo., pp.(viii), pictorial paper wrappers, 8 hand-coloured wood-engravings by Edmund Evans; edgeworn, (occasionally extensive) horizontal closed tears from fore-edges, with archival tape repairs, a good+ copy of this extremely scarce illustrated chapbook.
Más imágenesSixteen Poems in Verse & Wood
[Fine Press Books]. Bockes, Bernard. Wood cut & engraved by George Lockwood.
Editorial: Boston: The Cricket Press, 1945., 1945
- Tapa dura
- Firmado
Librería: Joe Maynard, Nashville, TN, Estados Unidos de AmericaJoe Maynard
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 5 estrellasCondición: Usado - Excelente
EUR 315,15
Envío por EUR 6,82Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Hardcover. Condición: Fine. Limited Edition. Limited edition numbered 74 of 150 copies SIGNED by the author and illustrator. Square quarto, stitched binding, publisher's brown papered boards with paper labels to front cover and to spine, marbled endpapers (fine). vinyl record in pouch at rear. Publisher's matching brown papered…slipcase (some rubbing, chipping to corners, faint oil discoloration to one panel, else good or better). Signed by Author(s).
Más imágenesIdioma: Francés
Editorial: [Printed by Maison Quantin for] Société des Amis des Livres, Paris, 1887
Librería: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, Estados Unidos de AmericaPhillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 3 estrellasCondición: Usado
EUR 16.387,69
Envío por EUR 8,74Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
232 x 152 mm. (9 1/8 x 6"). 4 p.l., IV, 29, [3] pp. LOVELY CARAMEL-COLORED CRUSHED MOROCCO BY PAGNANT (his invoice for the considerable sum of 550 FF tipped onto front flyleaf), THE BOARDS CUT OR "PIERCED" TO AN "ORIENTAL" DESIGN, covers with elaborate frame of pointill? tooling and decorative roll enclosing cut-outs revealing g…reen satin swags and panels surrounded by floral gilt sprays, central panels with seven floral sprigs, their five petals cut out and backed with red satin, four red satin-backed dots at corners, smooth spine densely tooled in gilt, with five thin pierced windows backed with green satin, turn-ins with inlaid green morocco frame tooled with in gilt, red morocco squares at corners, pink and gold floral brocade silk pastedowns and endleaves, all edges gilt. Original blue paper wrappers bound in. Housed in the original fleece-lined brown morocco pull-off box (short split along one edge expertly repaired). ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT, the text in elegant italic script, four pages of text with engraved frames, with two engraved portraits of the author, both in two states (one before letters), and with 14 vignettes in the text, three of these hand-colored. WITH TWO ORIGINAL WATERCOLORS SIGNED BY ALBERT LYNCH, one on the verso of the front flyleaf, and one on the verso of the title page. SIGNED in the colophon by project participants Octave Uzanne, Albert Lynch, E. Gaujean, and A. Lecl?re, and by the director of the printer Maison Quantin, L. Henry May. Front flyleaf with morocco ex-libris of Francis Kettaneh and engraved bookplate of Samuel Putnam Avery; ALS from H. d'Orl?ans bound in following the members list. See: Silverman, "The New Bibliopolis: French Book Collectors and the Culture of Print 1880-1914" (2008), pp. 21-88. A SPARKLING COPY INSIDE AND OUT. Epitomizing the type of strictly limited, magnificently produced books that became objects of desire during the Belle Epoque, this volume was created under the direction of collector and taste-maker Octave Uzanne. Fin-de-si?cle Paris saw the emergence of a new type of book collector, as documented by Willa Silverman in "The New Bibliopolis." The scholarly bookworm who searched the stalls of the bouquinistes for 17th century volumes was replaced by the wealthy, educated man (and it was almost always a man) of refined taste, who disdained dull, calf-covered volumes in favor of new, exquisitely produced books. The leader of these new bibliophiles was Uzanne (1851-1931), whose "aesthetic manifesto" promised, in Silverman's words, to require "illustrations, typography, paper, and bindings such as had never been seen before, produced with the most modern techniques." Publishers and bibliographic societies vied to offer exclusive limited editions with such distinguishing characteristics. A founder of the Soci?t? des Amis des Livres, Uzanne was determined that the books issued under the Society's imprint meet his exacting standards, writing that he "intended to oversee the smallest details and to intervene hands-on as well in the drawings, etchings, vignettes, page layout, and the rest." The printer here, Maison Quantin, saw him as the firm's "inspirer and moral director." (Silverman, p. 30). Uzanne proudly signed the colophon here, as director of the project, along with the artist and the engravers. The beautiful engraved text, etchings, and watercolors invoke the 18th century in both style and subject matter. "Aline" is the story of a former shepherdess who becomes a queen in India, and who is reunited with a long-lost lover when he is appointed ambassador to her court. The setting may be India, but the illustrations depict costumes straight from the French court of Louis XVI. The binding here also takes the 18th century as inspiration, employing a piercing technique seen on the popular Almanacs of that period and revived in the late 19th century by French master L?on Gruel, who noted the challenges the method presented. The binder here, Edouard Pagnant (1852-1916), was.
Más imágenesCHOIX DE CHANSONS MISES EN MUSIQUE . . . ORNÉE D'ESTAMPES PAR J. M. MOREAU. ("CHANSONS DE LABORDE")
(FRENCH ILLUSTRATED BOOKS). (MUSIC). (ENGRAVED BOOKS). LABORDE, BENJAMIN
Editorial: Chez de Lormel, Imprimeur de l'Academie Royale de Musique, Paris, 1773
- Primera edición
Librería: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, Estados Unidos de AmericaPhillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 3 estrellasCondición: Usado
EUR 8896,17
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237 x 160 mm. (9 1/4 x 6 1/4"). Engraved throughout. Four volumes. Tasteful contemporary crimson morocco, gilt, covers with triple fillet border, floral garland at corners, crossed trumpets with laurel branches at center, smooth spines in gilt compartments with floral sprig within an oval catkin wreath, two tan morocco labels, g…ilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt (restorations to head of two spines). ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT: Engraved decorative title page and dedication page in volume I, three engraved frontispieces by Le Bouteux and Le Barbier in volumes II-IV, one of these a portrait of the dedicatee La Dauphine Marie Antoinette, and 100 FULL-PAGE PLATES, the 25 in volume I designed and engraved by Moreau le jeune (all with tissue guards), those in volumes II-IV engraved by Masquelier and Née after designs by Le Barbier, Le Bouteux, and Saint-Quentin (about one-third of the plates with original tissue guards). Without the separately printed portrait of Laborde issued in 1774 and found in some copies. Cohen-de Ricci pp. 534-38; Ray 49 (pp. 90-91), p. 76; Lewine, pp. 266-68. Spines slightly and evenly sunned, a hint of wear at corners, but the bindings otherwise beautifully preserved, with only the most trivial imperfections; internally with isolated inconsequential foxing or small stains. A VERY FINE CONTEMPORARY SET, the lovely bindings scarcely worn, the margins extremely ample, the contents clean and fresh, and THE ENGRAVINGS RICHLY IMPRESSED. Dedicated to the crown princess Marie Antoinette, this opulent production--offered here in fine contemporary morocco--beautifully displays the music, fashion, and aristocratic antics of Louis XV's court, perfectly encapsulating the French Rococo. According to Cohen-de Ricci, "This bookone of the most beautiful of the 18th centuryis perhaps, along with 'Contes de La Fontaine,' the most delightful, by virtue of the grace of its subjects and the variety of the costumes depicted therein." It contains some of the most elegant and memorable engravings to be seen in any French work of the period, and they transform a book of (perhaps more than occasionally vapid) songs into a profoundly pleasurable visual experience. The author, Benjamin de Laborde (or Jean-Benjamin de La Borde, 1734-94), was the hunchbacked valet of King Louis XV. In consequence of the monarch's indulgence of his favorite, de Laborde's songs were given a presentation described by Ray as being of "the utmost sumptuousness," the entire work having been produced by engraving. The first volume, which Cohen-de Ricci, Ray, and Lemire unanimously proclaim a "masterpiece," is graced by plates that were both designed and cut by Jean-Michel Moreau (called Moreau le jeune, 1741-1814). Ray says that the work done by Moreau le jeune during the 1760s "showed him to be the equal of the established rococo masters Boucher, Eisen, and Gravelot," and that in his work during the 1770s, "he carried all before him." So, Moreau was in his prime then when he executed these charming scenes, often of courtship, set in pastures, pleasure parks, and elegant interiors; they represent the culmination of the Rococo style, delicate and lush without being cloying. Because of a quarrel between the artist and the author, the final three volumes were illustrated by Le Bouteux and by Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier (1738-1826). Le Barbier was one of the first great French neoclassical illustrators, and Ray declares the engravings here his "most sustained and accomplished series of illustrations, apart from that for Gessner's 'Oeuvres,'" and laments that the present work "has not received the attention it deserves." Le Barbier's compositions are characterized by charm, grace, and elaborate and convincing detail. This first printing presents the engravings at the height of their richness and power, which has been undimmed by the intervening centuries. With any copy of this work, the engravings will always take center stage, but here the tasteful cont.
Más imágenesEditorial: Chez F. Mazot, Paris, 1651
Librería: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, Estados Unidos de AmericaPhillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 3 estrellasCondición: Usado
EUR 5150,42
Envío por EUR 8,74Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
172 x 118 mm. (6 3/4 x 4 3/4"). [3], 34 leaves, 35-39, [1] pp., [2] leaves. LOVELY CRIMSON CRUSHED MOROCCO, GILT AND ONLAID, BY CAPÉ (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with onlaid green morocco cornerpieces and central quatrefoil, all filled and surrounded by delicate pointillé tooling in floral and paisley designs, raised…bands, spine compartments tooled in pointillé, gilt lettering, richly gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In a felt-lined, morocco-lipped marbled paper slipcase. ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT, WITH 38 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, consisting of one portrait, two allegorical religious scenes (including title), and 35 illustrations of the Holy Eucharist, 40 pages of engraved text, 37 of these with text flanked by full-length figures of saints, accompanied by other religious symbols at head and foot of page, two framed with vignettes of angels or the Madonna, one page with text only. Front pastedown with "A W F" book label of bookseller Adrian Fluhmann. Duportal, "Étude sur les livres à figures," pp. 244-45; Brunet V, 624; Graesse VI, 4; Leaves perhaps (very lightly) washed and pressed, but an extremely fresh, clean copy IN A SPARKLING BINDING. Covered by a luxurious binding by Capé, this is a particularly attractive copy of a sumptuously illustrated prayer book composed entirely of engraved plates. According to Duportal, it is "One of three important publications whose engravings reveal the trend characteristic of religious illustrations in France between 1601 and 1660." The work opens with a dedication to Charles d'Aubespine, Marquis de Châteauneuf (1580-1653), with a full-page portrait by Guillame de Gheyn (b. 1610). The bulk of the book is made up of two groups of plates. Those in the first group, appearing primarily on the rectos, contain prayers in Latin and French flanked by pairs of saints; gaps in the prayers are filled by naturalistic flowers, insects, and birds. Many of these plates also include a scene (or two) in miniature, depicting the life of one or both of the saints or a vignette of angels. While just two of these engravings are signed "J. Collin," they all appear to be in the same hand, which demonstrates an impressive level of finesse and delicacy, depicting graceful figures with sure, light lines. Duportal notes that this artist had a "talent charmant," and that well-executed dry-points of this type are quite rare in French books of the period. The second group of engravings appear strictly on the versos, and depict the performance of a part of the Mass, beneath a cloud in which appears a relevant scene from the life of Christ. They are all unsigned, and clearly by a different hand with more rustic features--possibly "copies of originals published abroad," according to Duportal. The book concludes with two leaves of text framed by gamboling putti and the Virgin. Copies of this work can be found with varying numbers of leaves and engravings (apparently the result of multiple reprintings with added material produced between 1651-53), but the present item can be distinguished as an early (if not the very first) edition, as it does not contain "Privilege du Roy" dated 1652 or 1653. Furthermore, our copy also contains the earliest state of the plates, without the "I N R I" initials on the cross found on the title page, and with the earlier state of the verso engravings (before they were substantially reworked). Our edition seems to be quite rare, with OCLC finding just one other copy with the same sequence of contents, at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Genevieve. The stunning binding by Capé looks just as fresh and lustrous as the day it left its workshop. One of the most distinguished binders in France in the middle years of the 19th century, Capé (d. 1867) was especially well known for the delicacy of his work--which can be appreciated to full effect in the present example. He was the binder to the Empress Eugénie, and Béraldi calls him "the Bozérian of the second Empire." This is precisely the k.
Más imágenesEditorial: Chez F. Mazot, Paris, 1651
- Primera edición
Librería: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, Estados Unidos de AmericaPhillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 3 estrellasCondición: Usado
EUR 4213,98
Envío por EUR 8,74Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
172 x 110 mm. (6 3/4 x 4 1/4"). [3], 34 leaves, 35-39, [1] pp., [12] leaves. Fine old (contemporary?) red morocco, covers panelled with gilt fillets with flowering urn cornerpieces, raised bands, the spine densely gilt in compartments with scrolls and dots, two clasps, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT, WITH… 38 FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS, consisting of one portrait, two allegorical religious scenes (including title), and 35 illustrations of the Holy Eucharist, plus 44 PAGES OF ENGRAVED TEXT, 37 of these with text flanked by full-length figures of saints, accompanied by other religious symbols at head and foot of page, six framed with vignettes of angels, the Madonna, or scenes from the life of David, one page with text only. Contemporary ink inscription to the lower margin of the title page reading "In Archui. vitr." Endleaf with engraved armorial bookplate of Viscount Strathallan; front pastedown with the bookplate of John Evelyn. Duportal, pp. 244-45; Brunet V, 624; Graesse VI, 4. Trivial rubbing to the extremities, leather straps slightly worn but holding strong, but A SUPERB COPY, exceptionally clean, fresh, and bright internally, and in its solid and unsophisticated (and still very pleasing) binding. This is a particularly attractive copy of a sumptuously illustrated prayer book in its especially appealing original(?) 17th century binding. According to Duportal, it is "One of three important publications whose engravings reveal the trend characteristic of religious illustrations in France between 1601 and 1660." The work opens with a dedication to Charles d'Aubespine, Marquis de Châteauneuf (1580-1653), with a full-page portrait by Guillame de Gheyn (b. 1610). Then, the bulk of the book is made up of two groups of plates. Those in the first group appear primarily on the rectos, and contain prayers in Latin and French flanked by pairs of saints; gaps in the prayers are filled by naturalistic flowers, insects, and birds. Many of these plates also include a scene (or two) in miniature, depicting the life of the saint(s) or a vignette of angels. Just two of these engravings are signed "J. Collin," but they all appear to be in the same hand and demonstrate an impressive level of finesse and delicacy, with emotive, graceful saints depicted with sure, light lines. Duportal notes that our artist had a "talent charmant," and that well-executed dry-points of this type are quite rare in French books of the period. The second group of engravings appear on the versos, and depict the performance of a part of the Mass, beneath a cloud in which appears a relevant scene from the life of Christ. They are all unsigned, and clearly by a different hand with more rustic features--possibly "copies of originals published abroad," according to Duportal. The book concludes with text framed by gamboling putti and scenes from the life of Christ and facing full-page bust portraits, followed by the Penitential Psalms, each with elaborate illustrated frames depicting scenes from the life of David. Copies of this work can be found with varying numbers of leaves and engravings, but the present item seems to be an early edition as it contains the earlier state of the engravings on the versos (before they were substantially reworked), and it does not contain the "Privilege du Roy" with the date 1652 or 1653. Our copy comes from the books assembled by the famous diarist John Evelyn (1620-1706), a library that Quaritch's dictionary of English book collectors calls "a noble collection." De Ricci says that the finest books from the library bear Evelyn's monogram (as ours does), and this bookplate brings with it the expectation of remarkably fine contemporary condition. This copy also has the bookplate of Viscount Strathallan, possibly William Drummond (1810-86), Conservative MP and the second to hold the family title following the reversal of the attainder put in place after his family's participation in the Jacobite uprising.
Más imágenesEditorial: Giambattista Pasquali, Venetiis [Venice], 1740
- Primera edición
Librería: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, Estados Unidos de AmericaPhillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
Contactar con el vendedorVendedor de 3 estrellasCondición: Usado
EUR 4682,20
Envío por EUR 8,74Se envía dentro de Estados Unidos de AmericaCantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
FIRST EDITION. 132 x 90 mm. (5 1/4 x 3 1/2"). 20 p.l., 427, [5] pp. FINE CONTEMPORARY VENETIAN RED MOROCCO, GILT, covers with border of repeating botanical tools, raised bands flanked by decorative gilt rolls, green silk pastedowns, all edges gilt and gauffered. HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL PULL-OFF MARBLED CALF CASE, the book and its… case within a brown cloth chemise and matching slipcase. ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT, with numerous floral initials, 20 charming tailpieces, frontispiece and 15 full-page illustrations by M. Pitteri all designed by Giambattista Piazzetta. Front flyleaves with book labels of John Saks, Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow, and David R. Godine. See: Boorsch, "Venetian Prints and Books in the Age of Tiepolo," p. 20 and no. 98; Selby, Carol E., "A Small Masterpiece from the Eighteenth Century Publishing World." Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts, vol. 43, no. 3/4, 1964, pp. 60-63. âA hint of rubbing to extremities, one tiny abrasion to front cover, flyleaves with offsetting from binder's glue, one page with tiny ink spot in margin but AN EXTREMELY FINE COPY, ENTIRELY CLEAN, FRESH, AND BRIGHT internally, in a beautifully preserved binding and case. Preserved in its original pull-off case and in superb, unsophisticated condition, this is a very charming prayer book engraved by a trio of talented artists that is called "a small masterpiece" (in the "Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts" in 1964) and described in the June, 2013, Christie's catalogue of the Vershbow sale as "one of the most desirable Venetian illustrated books of the 18th century." The plates here were designed by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (1682-1754), a painter and illustrator whom Britannica calls "one of the outstanding Venetian artists of the 18th century." Piazzetta was known for his masterful use of chiaroscuro and dynamic compositions--both of which can be seen to great effect in the present work. The engravings were executed by a close collaborator of Piazzetta, Marco Alvise Pitteri (1703-86), whom Selby calls "one of the most able and popular engravers in Venice, being in demand for the reproduction of works of his most distinguished contemporaries." Using his own unique blend of engraving techniques, described by Boorsh as "unprecedented and unimitated," Pitteri is able to translate Piazzetta's animated compositions into a small-scale format, with figures that are beautifully highlighted and seem to glow on the page. But perhaps the most impressive part of this work is the text itself. What at first glance appears to be more than 400 pages of letterpress is in fact entirely engraved--an extraordinary feat of precision and patient craftsmanship by Angela Baroni, daughter of engraver Giuseppe Baroni. It seems likely that Angela learned the craft from her father, but little else is known about her life. Regardless, Angela's talents speak for themselves through this work. As Carol Selby tells us, "Engraving a book like this one is an undertaking indeed. . . . The more than 400 pages must each have been engraved in reverse on copper plates which, being almost impossible to correct, allowed little margin for error. The effect is charming, lively, controlled, but free." Thanks to the original (and very pretty) pull-off case, this little gem has remained in outstanding condition inside and out. The volume has a distinguished provenance, having belonged to collectors known for their taste and discrimination in the acquisition of a range of especially desirable books: John A. Saks (who bought it from Bernard Quaritch in 1981), then Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow, then David Godine, who bought it at the Vershbow sale (for $3,000).
