Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - June - 2016 Issue

A Spring Catalogue of Books about Books from Oak Knoll

Spring Catalogue of Books about Books.

Oak Knoll Books has published their Catalogue 310 A Spring Catalogue of Books about Books. The catalogue is broken into separate sections, which gives a good idea of what you will find in a catalogue of "books about books:" Featured Books; Bookbinding; Book Illustration & Book Design; Book Selling, Collecting, and Publishing History; Fine & Private Press; Printing History & Type Specimens; Papermaking, Marbling, & Specimens; General Books-about-Books; Bibliography and Reference; and Miscellaneous. That final category allows for a few items that push the border of being books about books. Here are a few "specimens" from this catalogue

 

We begin with the most thorough examination of the man who was, if not the greatest book collector ever, the most voluminous. Sir Thomas Phillipps was a 19th century collector who made the most serious attempt of anyone to obtain a copy of every book and manuscript in existence. Of course, that is an impossible goal, but give Phillipps credit for trying. Every room in his home was filled to the ceiling with books and manuscripts, leaving barely enough room to get around. While he had a decent amount of money, he was always going broke as every cent he could find went to buying more works. While his book collection was large, it was his manuscripts that were of greatest note. Manuscripts, by their nature, tend to be one of a kind, and were it not for Phillipps' obsession, many that he saved would have been lost forever. After his death, Phillipps' collection was dispersed in a series of sales, that continued for over a century. Item 67 is the five-volume Phillips Studies, produced by the bibliographic scholar A. N. L. Munby. The set, which covers both Phillips' collection, his personal affairs, and the dispersal of his library, was published from 1951-1960. Priced at $450.

 

The reason it took so long to disperse the Phillipps' collection was partly because of its size and partly the will of Thomas Phillipps, who wished it remain together. It took over a decade before courts reduced Phillipps' stipulations which enabled the material to be sold. Over the next 50 years, sales were supervised by Phillipps' grandson, Thomas Fitzroy Phillipps Fenwick. In 1935, A. E. Popham published a catalogue of a specific portion of the material collected by Phillipps' still held at that time by Fenwick: Catalogue of Drawings Formed by Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart., F. R. S., Now in the Possession of His Grandson T. Fitzroy Phillipps Fenwick of Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham. It was privately printed for Fenwick. Thirlestaine House was also the residence and site of the collection for Phillipps. Fenwick died three years later, and in 1946 most of the Phillipps' collection of drawings was obtained by the British Museum. Item 46. $650.

 

As long as we are covering large, eccentric book collectors whose collections were sold many years after they died, how about William Beckford? Beckford inherited a fortune from his father, for which he had a very appropriate use – spending it. He spent a fortune building a huge Gothic estate, Fonthill Abbey, which he filled with books. Unfortunately, soon after its completion, he could no longer afford the place, which suffered from shoddy workmanship. He sold and moved to another fine residence, Hamilton Palace, where he remained until the end of his life in 1844. While he had sold many of his books earlier, Beckford still retained a major collection at the time of his death. It remained with the family for almost 40 more years until being sold by Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge from 1882-1884. Item 56 is the Catalogue of the First (to fourth) Portion of the Beckford Library Removed from Hamilton Palace. These catalogues include penned in prices and names of buyers in the margins. $800.

 

There have been some noted book forgers over the years, but none top Thomas James Wise. Wise was a highly respected scholar, collector, and bibliographer. Unfortunately, he helped support himself by constructing forgeries. Wise didn't just copy existing books, but he would invent earlier editions of known books, thereby creating books that were both unique and seemingly enormously valuable. He made this believable by inventing copies of books originally published in collections and creating first separately published editions. This was doubly troubling considering Wise's role as bibliographer because not only was he defrauding purchasers, he was including his invented editions in his bibliographies, thereby making them dishonest too. Wise was able to get away with this for four decades, but his creations raised suspicions, and finally it all became clear with the publication of this book – An Enquiry into the Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets. The expose was written by John Carter and Graham Pollard, published in 1934. Both authors have signed this copy. Carter, in 1970, with an inscription. Pollard, humorously, in 1973, writing after Carter's name, "Signature authenticated by Graham Pollard." Item 204. $550.

 

Here is one from the miscellaneous category. It is a framed broadside headed The Life and Age of Woman. The subhead expands, Stages of Woman's Life from infancy to the brink of the grave. It was created by Albert Alden, circa 1835. It displays seven images of women from ages 1-90. It depicts and describes each of the stages, consistent with role stereotypes of the day. The woman is shown in a separate illustration as nurturer, teaching her child from the scriptures. The woman reaches her peak at the age of 30 when she is "at the height of her physical and intellectual powers." It's all downhill from there. By 90, "we see all that remains of her who once tripped the light fantastic." Alden also created one of these charming pieces for men, but at least men don't reach their peak until 50 before descending into decline and decrepitude. Item 275. $2,500.

 

Oak Knoll Books may be reached at 800-996-2556 or orders@oakknoll.com. Their website is www.oakknoll.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: [Langland (William)]. The vision of Pierce Plowman, nowe the seconde time imprinted..., Roberte Crowley, 1550. £8,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: [Shakespeare (William)]. [Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies], second folio edition, [by Tho.Cotes, for Robert Allot], [1632]. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Bible, Czech Biblia Bohemica, first complete Bible printed in the Czech vernacular, Prague, August 1488. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Shabthai Tzvi.- Collection of four printed and illustrated broadsides detailing the appearance, rise and fall of the false messiah, Shabthai Tzvi, Augsburg, 1666-67. £40,000 to £60,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Leaf from the Beauvais Missal, in Latin, illuminated manuscript on parchment, [Northern France (perhaps Beauvais or Amiens)], [fourteenth century (c.1310)]. £4,000 to £6,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Aubrey (John). [Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme], manuscript in English, Latin and Greek, [c. 1693]. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: Byron (George Gordon Noel, Lord). Poems on Various Occasions, first edition, Harriet Maltby's copy, Newark, Printed by S. & J. Ridge, 1807. £30,000 to £40,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, second impression with dust-jacket, 1937 [but 1938]. £7,000 to £10,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Blake (William).- Thornton (Robert John). The Pastorals of Virgil, 2 vol., engraved plates by William Blake, 1821. £8,000 to £12,000.
    Forum Auctions
    Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper
    28th March 2024
    Forum Mar. 28: America.- Mount (William J.) & Thomas Page. The English Pilot…, [bound with] The Fourth Book, describing The West Indies Navigation from Hudson's-Bay to the River Amazones, 1721. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Oldfield (Henry Ambrose), Rajman Singh Chitrakar & others. An album of 160 photographs and 13 original artworks, (1833-1919), [c. 1850s-1880s]. £20,000 to £30,000.
    Forum Mar. 28: Audubon (John James) [and William MacGillivray]. Ornithological Biography…, 5 vol., first edition, presentation copy inscribed by Audubon, Edinburgh, 1831-49 [i.e. 1831-39]. £10,000 to £15,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Winston Churchill. The Second World War. Set of First-Edition Volumes. 6,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: A.A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard. A Collection of The Pooh Books. Set of First-Editions. 18,600 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Salvador Dalí, Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Finely Bound and Signed Limited Edition. 15,000 USD
    Sotheby’s
    Modern First Editions
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ian Fleming. Live and Let Die. First Edition. 9,500 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter Series. Finely Bound First Printing Set of Complete Series. 5,650 USD
    Sotheby’s, Available Now: Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. First Edition, First Printing. 4,200 USD
  • Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEADED JUDICIAL COLLAR. $80,000 - $120,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: ONLY KNOWN COPY OF THE ONLY BOOK BY THE REMARKABLE EVE ADAMS. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A COMPLETE RUN OF VISIONAIRE MAGAZINE THROUGH 2010. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: LAW REVIEW OFFPRINT SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY RUTH BADER GINSBURG. $3,000 - $5,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: META REBNER'S WORKING SCRIPT OF THE LOVED ONE. $1,500 - $2,000
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A KATHY GROVE PORTRAIT OF CYNDI LAUPER FOR THE FEBRUARY 1989 DETAILS COVER. $800 - $1,200
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A PLASTIC COAT BY MILLIE DAVID FEATURED IN SOHO NEWS STYLE SECTION, FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANNIE FLANDERS. $500 - $700
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A RUTH BADER GINSBURG JEWELRY BOX. $600 - $900
    Bonhams, Mar. 22 – Apr. 2: A SET OF JONI MITCHELL LYRICS FOR "IF I HAD A HEART." $2,000 - $3,000
  • 19th Century Shop
    Catalogue 198 just published
    19th Century Shop. Darwin and Wallace, first printing of the first paper on natural selection
    19th Century Shop. Shakespeare’s Poems, first collected edition
    19th Century Shop. Walt Whitman portrait inscribed with a Leaves of Grass poem
    19th Century Shop. Major Elizabeth Barrett Browning manuscript notebook
    19th Century Shop. Spock's Baby Book, original MS
    19th Century Shop. Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, the great celestial atlas
  • Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
    Part IX
    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [RUTH, George Herman “Babe” (1895-1948)]. Signed photograph. Circa 1930s. 191 x 248 mm. $1,500 to $2,500.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HARRISON, Benjamin. Document signed (“Benj Harrison”) as governor of Virginia, certifying the service of Daniel Cumbo, a Black Revolutionary soldier. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: ONE OF THE FIRST PRINTED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
    How History Unfolds on Paper:
    Choice Selections from the Eric C. Caren Collection
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: FIRST PRINTING OF LINCOLN’S IMMORTAL GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. $4,000 to $6,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: HIGHLY IMPORTANT MORMON ARCHIVE. ALLEY, George. Archive of 23 Autograph Letters Signed by Mormon Convert George Alley to His Brother Joseph Alley. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [AVIATION]. [ARMSTRONG, Neil A.] Aviation Hall of Fame Gold Medal MS64 NGC, Awarded to Neil Armstrong in 1979. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter Auctions
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: NEWLY DISCOVERED FIRST PRINTING OF "WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE... " FROM THE ONLY NEWSPAPER ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN LINCOLN’S SECOND INAUGURAL PROCESSION. $4,000 to $8,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: THE MOST IMPORTANT GEORGE WASHINGTON DOCUMENT IN PRIVATE HANDS; GEORGE WASHINGTON’S COMMISSION AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF, 1775, ONE OF ONLY TWO ORIGINALS. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: A VERY RARE ACCOUNT OF BLACKBEARD’S DEATH AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIRATE ITEMS EXTANT. $3,000 to $5,000.
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    April 18, 2024
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: EDISON, Thomas. Patent for Edison’s Improvements on the Electric-Light, No. 219,628. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Patent Office], 16 September 1879. $2,000 to $3,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: [VIETNAM WAR]. The original pen used by Secretary of State William P. Rogers to sign the Vietnam Peace Agreement, Paris, 27 January 1973. $10,000 to $15,000.
    Potter & Potter, Apr. 18: SONS OF LIBERTY FOUNDER COLONEL BARRÉ ANNOTATED TITLE-PAGE, “WHICH OUGHT TO ROUSE UP BRITISH ATTENTION”. $4,000 to $6,000.

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