50 Fine Books from Shapero Rare Books

Item 15 is perhaps the greatest of all private press books ever published. Shapero describes it as, “the most splendid book produced by the Kelmscott Press, and one of the finest illustrated books ever produced.” Kelmscott was the granddaddy of all private presses, formed late in the career of the artist, printer, social reformer William Morris. Of the works Kelmscott produced the greatest is The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, more commonly known as the Kelmscott Chaucer. It combined Morris' press work with 87 illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones. Work commenced in 1892, and continued for four years. Burne-Jones did his best to push his part along as quickly as possible, fearful Morris would not live to complete the work. Fortunately, he did survive long enough to finish the task, though this would be the last major work of Morris who died later that year. £57,500 (US $90,000).

Here is a work whose illustrations are “almost as magnificent as the birds they portray.” The title is A Monograph of the Paradiseidae or Birds of Paradise,and its author is Daniel Giraud Elliot. Elliot was a noted American zoologist, a founder of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He also made enough money to commission the publication of some spectacular color-plate books, hiring on outstanding artists to create the illustrations, while he prepared the text. For this work on the bird of paradise, he brought in German artist Joseph Wolf, who had worked for John Gould. Item 25. £35,000 (US $54,787).

Shapero Rare Books may be reached at +44 207 493 0876 or rarebooks@shapero.com. Their website is www.shapero.com.