Illus. in the text. 2 p.l., 20 pp. Small 4to, orig. printed wrappers bound in cont. red straight-grained morocco (upper cover with the slightest abrasions), single gilt fillet round sides, flat spine gilt, t.e.g. Paris: G. Masson, 1894.

First edition of this very uncommon bibliography of miniature books, based on the celebrated collection of Georges Salomon. He formed the largest 19th-century collection of such books, numbering about 700 volumes. They were later dispersed; many of them found their way into the library of Arthur A. Houghton Jr. and were sold at auction in 1979.

This copy, specially bound in fine... More

148 leaves, including the final blank), Roman letter (except for the two-line title in gothic type), 51 lines & headline, capital spaces with guide letters. Folio (290 x 188 mm.), late 17th-cent. panelled English speckled calf (rebacked with the orig. spine laid-down, minor staining to a few leaves in blank upper margins). Basel: J. Amerbach, 1494.

First edition of the “first bibliography to be compiled as a practical work of reference.”–Grolier Club, Bibliography, 7.

Tritheim (1462-1516), one of the leading polymaths of his age, was appointed the 25th abbot of the monastery at Sponheim in 1483. “One of the first... More

Numerous black & white illus., some full-page. [106] pp. Small folio (298 x 212 mm.), orig. printed pictorial wrappers. Antwerp: 1992.

The scarce first catalogue issued by the partnership of gallerist Van de Velde and bookseller Ceuleers. Their collaboration began in 1990. It offers an impressive array of rare artists’ books, multiples, exhibition catalogues, and important reference works. The first portion of the catalogue consists of materials related to Dada and Surrealism; the second is devoted to “Art after 1945.”

A near fine copy.

❧ Not in A. Desjardin, The Book on Books on Artists Books (2nd ed.: 2013). More

Many text. illus. [24] pp. 8vo, printed wrappers, staple-bound. Alsbach: 1978.

Scarce catalogue issued by an important publisher of artists’ books. We note works by Ulises Carrión, Fritz Schwegler, George Brecht, Alexander Schleber, Günter Uecker, Servie and Janssen. Carrión’s The Muxlows (1978) is offered for 12 DM. It is interesting to note that Carrión’s partner Aart van Barneveldt is listed as one of the distributors of the company’s publications.

The catalogue also presents the first four issues of Leaman’s Reaktion periodical, with contributions by Gibbs, Thomkins, Spoerri, Rainer, Carrión, Nannucci, Morellet, de Vries, etc. Each of the new publications is... More

[16] leaves. Small 4to, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards. Frankfurt am Main: N. Bassée, 1595.

The autumn 1595 catalogue of the Frankfurt Book Fair; WorldCat locates only one copy in North America. The Frankfurt catalogues, issued twice a year by Georg Willer starting in the autumn of 1564, created a revolution for the book trade. “Before that date printers visiting the fair must have had to write out by hand countless lists of new books to send to their customers: thereafter they could send copies of the fair catalogue to the local booksellers all over Europe, who in turn passed... More

[4] pp. Single folded A3 sheet, horizontal folds for mailing. Amsterdam: Art & Project, 1970.

A mailed example of this scarce and famously blank Art & Project bulletin by Ian Wilson (1940-2020). This was Wilson’s first collaboration with the Amsterdam gallery.

“Within the whole series of the Bulletins there are some that stand out for their embodiment of formal and/or conceptual concerns…the most radical Bulletin is number 30 by Ian Wilson. Other than its cover page, this Bulletin is completely blank…”–Clive Phillpot, ‘”Everything Just Floating’ — The Art & Project Bulletins,” Art & Project Bulletins 1-156, September 1968-November 1989 (2011)... More

[16] leaves, printed on rectos only. 8vo, printed white softcover, title on spine. New York: Self-published; Bern: Kunsthalle Bern, 1984.

Uncommon artist’s book by Conceptual artist Ian Wilson (1940-2020); from an edition of 500 copies.

“Wilson has also produced a number of artist books, each simply titled Section followed by a number. The word ‘section’ reminds me of how nations organize their constitutions according to ‘acts’ and ‘sections.’ […] Linguistically, a section also always implies a pre-existing whole. A section can only be derived from a whole. Chapters have a different connotation in that they are like building blocks toward... More

[77] leaves. 8vo, printed white softcover, title on spine, perfect-bound. New York: Self-published & The Greenwich Collection Ltd., 1990.

One of Ian Wilson’s rarest artist’s books; WorldCat records no copies in North America.

“Wilson has also produced a number of artist books, each simply titled Section followed by a number. The word ‘section’ reminds me of how nations organize their constitutions according to ‘acts’ and ‘sections.’ […] Linguistically, a section also always implies a pre-existing whole. A section can only be derived from a whole. Chapters have a different connotation in that they are like building blocks toward a whole... More

17 characters per column for prose sections; 20 characters per column for the versified sections; 32-33 columns per sheet. [Japan]: Kasuga-ban, mid-Kamakura period [13th century].

Two woodblocks, carved on each side in Japan in the 13th century at the Kofukuji Temple in Nara, containing text from juan four and five of the Lotus Sutra. These woodblocks were carved in Japan in the 13th century and are the earliest Asian woodblocks we have yet encountered.

The Lotus Sutra is the most influential of all sutra and “was highly influential in East Asia, inspiring both a range of devotional practices as well... More

Text illus. [20] pp. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff printed wrappers. London: 1995.

A rare workfortheeyetodo catalogue of European artists’ books. workfortheeyetodo was a bookshop established in London by Simon Cutts and Erica van Horn of Coracle Press, and Maggie Smith. From 1992 until 1997, the space hosted exhibitions, marketed old and newly published works, and maintained a choice reference collection. It offers the work of artists such as Endre Tot, Vautier, Valoch, Andre, Boltanski, Downsbrough, Kosuth, Broodthaers, Darboven, Kawara, Nannucci, LeWitt, Cutts, van Horn, Hamish Fulton, Alfredo Jaar, Kippenberger, Prince, Keith A. Smith, etc. With an assertive foreword on the state... More

50 juan in 20 vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [Hangzhou]: Zhejiang shuju 浙江書局, 1888.

An edition of the annotated bibliography of philological works by Xie Qikun (1737-1802). Philology, known as the “lesser learning” (xiaoxue 小學) in imperial China, comprised studies of the Chinese script and its history, phonological treatises and lexicographical works, and to a certain extent grammar. The category was generally subsumed under the “classics” (jing 經) division in Chinese bibliographies, even though its purview extended beyond the classics to issues of general linguistics. Xie wrote his Examinations on Philology, or “lesser learning,” to complement Zhu... More

Four vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, orig. stitching. Hangzhou: 1929.

First edition of this bibliography and index of the contents of the Siku quanshu [Complete Library of the Four Treasuries], compiled in 1773-92. For a detailed account of the making of this massive work, “an anthology to end all anthologies, an authoritative compendium of everything worthwhile ever written in Chinese, regardless of genre, epoch, or length” (Mark C. Elliott, Emperor Qianlong. Son of Heaven, Man of the World, p. 118), see R. Kent Guy’s The Emperor’s Four Treasuries. Scholars and the State in the... More