52 pp. Small 8vo, pictorial dust-jacket, staple-bound. Cambridge: U.K.: n.d.

Scarce catalogue published by bookseller Louisa Riley-Smith. She founded her firm in 1985 and was the exclusive distributor of Art & Project Bulletins. 783 listings. Fine. More

Many black & white illus. 1 p.l., 40, [1] p. Small 8vo, pictorial dust-jacket, staple-bound. Cambridge, U.K.: n.d.

Scarce bookseller catalogue issued by Louisa Riley-Smith. She founded her firm in 1985 and was the exclusive distributor of Art & Project’s legendary Bulletins. This catalogue has 406 listings, including rare artists’ books and art monographs. Fine. More

Edited by G.D. Hobson. 130 fine reproductions (12 in gold & color) & 46 facsimiles in the text. Title printed in red, black, & gold. Large thick 4to, orig. cloth (endpapers foxed as always), red morocco lettering piece on spine, t.e.g. London: Privately Printed at the Chiswick Press, 1940.

Limited to 180 numbered copies, signed by Major Abbey and G.D. Hobson. This sumptuously produced catalogue, the only authoritative survey of the history of bookbinding in the British Isles, is especially valuable on account of the wealth of fresh information given in the detailed descriptions of a magnificent series of specimens... More

53 fine plates on 30 sheets. 2 p.l., xxxix, 99, [4] pp. 4to, cont. Spanish green morocco, cover with gilt fillets round sides, flat spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine, characteristic Spanish marbled endpapers, a.e.g. [Madrid: en la Imprenta Real de la Gazeta, 1781].

First edition — and a superb copy in contemporary Spanish green morocco — of one of the most beautiful and influential of the Spanish writing books; this work and that of Palomares, published in 1776, made Spain an 18th-century center for calligraphy and fine handwriting.

The calligraphic world of later eighteenth-century Spain was formed... More

Frontis. containing a scene of a library (outer margin carefully strengthened on verso). L (incl. the frontis.), [10], 336, 387-733 pp. 12mo, cont. vellum over boards. Bologna: Manolessi, 1673.

First edition of the very rare catalogue of the books donated by Aprosio to the library which was to bear his name. "Angelo Aprosio of Ventimiglia was in correspondence with most of the learned men of his day, and they sent him many books to read. Aprosio's catalogue of 1673 is a small duodecimo list of these gifts in alphabetical order of the donors' names. The purpose of such a fantastic method... More

64 pp. Large 4to (275 x 215 mm.), orig. pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1997.

A rare Art Metropole catalogue, with the upper wrapper illustrated by Garry Kennedy. Presents an impressive range of artists’ books, multiples, audio recordings, videotapes, and exhibition catalogues.

In excellent condition. The previous owner has marked several listings with yellow highlighter.

❧ See “Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006,“ on the National Gallery of Canada website. More

Pictorial wrappers designed by Buren & several black & white illus. Unpaginated. Large 4to (268 x 198 mm.), pictorial wrappers (spine sunned), staple-bound. [Toronto: 1983].

A rare catalogue published by Art Metropole, with wrappers designed by Daniel Buren. Art Metropole, founded in 1974 by General Idea, was the first large-scale distributor of artists’ books and publications in North America.

Very good copy, a trifle browned. Unrecorded on WorldCat. The previous owner has annotated a number of the entries in pen and red marker.

❧ See “Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006,“ on... More

Many black & white text illus. [64] pp. Small 8vo (210 x 135 mm.), orig. pictorial wrappers (spine worn), staple-bound. Toronto: 1976.

Art Metropole’s very scarce third catalogue of books, periodicals, films, and videotapes. Two years before Printed Matter was established in New York, Art Metropole became the first large-scale distributor of artists’ publications in North America. The collective General Idea (AA Bronson, Felix Partz & Jorge Zontal), which had been working with printed matter since the creation of FILE in 1972, founded this artist-run space in 1974.

Expanding greatly on Art Metropole’s previous catalogues, which primarily featured North... More

Black & white illus. (some full-page). 47 pp. Large 4to (277 x 205 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto: 1977].

[with]:

—. [From upper wrapper]: Supplement to Catalogue No. 5, Editions by Artists. [10] pp. (incl. inside wrappers). 4to, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Toronto: 1978.

Two rare and early catalogues issued by Art Metropole, the first large-scale distributor of artists’ books and publications in North America; offered with the subsequent Supplement distributed in the summer and featuring artists’ editions. The first catalogue offers dozens of works by European artists such as Abramovic, Beuys, Boltanski, Broodthaers, Buren, Darboven, Dibbets, Ehrenberg, Filliou, Fulton, Graham, Rebecca... More

Unpaginated. 59 pp. & ads. Large 4to, orig. printed wrappers designed by Holzer, staple-bound. Toronto: 1989.

[bound with]:

—. [From first sheet]: Catalogue Update, December 1989. Eight stapled sheets, printed on both sides. Toronto: 1989.

All three parts constituting Art Metropole’s thirteenth mail-order catalogue, including the “Catalogue Update” and a laid-in sheet of new publications not found in either of the previous. The first catalogue was designed by the artist Jenny Holzer. In this publication, “Artists’ bookworks” are denoted, this time with a triangle. The catalogues presents an impressive and vast range of materials, including video and audio works.

Fine copy... More

Many illus. 77 pp. & ads. 4to, orig. pictorial wrappers, upper wrapper by C. Andre, staple-bound. New York: 1977.

A celebrated issue of the intrepid New York newsprint art magazine, which ran from 1973 to 1978. This issue was devoted to the subject of “artists’ books” and introduced many to the then embryonic concept. It opens with an “Idea Poll” that solicited responses to the relevance and potential of artists’ books. Responses from Acker, Baldessari, Carrion, Buren, Denes, Hoffberg, Huebler, Kaprow, Kostelanetz, LeWitt, Lippard, Nannucci, Piper, Schneemann, Steir, Tuttle, Weiner, are recorded. They project a mix of optimism and fatalism... More

Illus. throughout and first & last leaves stamped. Unpaginated. 8vo, printed wrappers, staple-bound. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Library, May 1984.

An uncommon exhibition catalogue, conceived and designed by Craig Dennis, and the books were selected by Kira Obolensky. “Paginations demonstrates the wide diversity of theme and format one finds in bookworks. In addition, the selections represent existing categories for contemporary bookworks (e.g. concrete poetry, political and feminist expression, the flip book, the found object book…). All these works challenge the monetary preciousness usually associated with art objects. Produced in large numbers, they are relatively inexpensive to... More