Alphabets for Adults from The Veatchs Arts of the Book

- by Michael Stillman

Alphabets for Adults from The Veatchs Arts of the Book

An Insect Alphabet won't take you from aardvarks to zebras. It will, however, creep and crawl its way up from aphids to the zebra butterfly. Item 5 comes from the Beo Press, a 1991 work featuring the insect etchings of Anna Helper. Helper is an artist and printmaker who created this buggy alphabet while an undergraduate in college in 1990. There were only around 15 copies printed, even fewer for the Beo Press edition. This piece is an accordian-style printing, only 1 1/2” tall but opening to 65” long. Offered is a signed, printer's copy. Item 5. $400.

Item 53 is an original, evidently unpublished set of pen-and-ink drawings of the alphabet, on 26 specimens of Crane's bond or banknote paper. They are dated 1885. The artist has incorporated a drawing into each letter. The majority show a young woman, dressed in some historical style, engaged in some type of activity. Two letters depict males, while two show no one. The Veatchs have been able to discern the relationship between some images and the letter, such as “A” for arbor and “S” for snake. Others they can take a guess at, while some are totally baffling as to what is the connection between letter and drawing. $2,500.

The Veatchs Arts of the Book can be reached at 413-584-1867 or veatchs@veatchs.com. Their website is www.veatchs.com