Artists' Books, Private Press and More from the Kelmscott Bookshop

The Kelmscott Bookshop has issued their Catalog 22 of Artists' Books and Private Press, Literature, & More. While some books are older, this is not the place to find antiquarian works. Many are very recent, only a few years old or less. What you will find here are very beautiful and creatively designed books. The text may have been written years ago, but even here, the books are often recent. Subjects important to the artists themselves frequently make up the topics. However, the text may not be that important anyway. These are books that can be appreciated even by people who cannot read. Here are a few of them.

Ed Ruscha is one of the most notable creators of artist's books, though his art has crossed many mediums. Painting, drawing, and photography along with books are among the mediums in which he has worked. He is one of the earliest participants in the pop art movement. Now 88 years old, he has been active longer than most. This item goes back to when he was much younger – 1971. The title is brief – Records – with the cover displaying the title in black on red wrappers. The records displayed in this book are the round, musical type. It contains pictures of 30 album covers and the records themselves. Musicians whose records are displayed are diverse, including the Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, James Taylor, Leon Russell and Leslie Gore. Priced at $900.

This is perhaps an odd title for an artistic, private press book. From the Bird & Bull Press in 1982, the title is Japanese Paper Balloon Bombs: The first ICBM. I guess these could be called intercontinental ballistic missiles, though a bomb floating in a balloon is certainly a very primitive form of missile. Americans have been free from wars on home territory since the Civil War but this story recalls the one lethal attack during that period. Japan floated bombs over the U.S. during World War II and one hit on May 5, 1945, killing six people near Bly, Oregon. This book describes that incident along with “the laborious and painstaking efforts required to build and test these bombs. The book includes a thin folder with a diagram identifying the parts of these bombs, housed in a slipcase covered by the same cloth as used for the book covers. $195.

Next is a much later edition of Herman Melville's Moby Dick; or the Whale. It was illustrated by Barry Moser and printed in 1979 at the Arion Press. There were 265 copies printed, but this is one of only five bound in luxurious white leather. Press owner Andrew Hoyem kept one the copies, this one was held by a private collector, and the location of the other three is unknown. No copy has appeared in the market or at auction before. The 24-page prospectus describes it as “one of the most elaborate printing ventures ever to be undertaken by an American press, and nothing will be spared in the effort to make it the finest of books.” Poet William Everson called it a feat of craftsmanship unexcelled in modern printing, and it was listed by the Grolier Club as one the 100 most beautiful books of the twentieth century. It is housed in a custom box with a title label printed on the same white leather used for the binding. $50,000.

This next book is entitled Listen: notes from the field. Published in 2024, this is copy number 11 of 25, signed by Rebecca Chamlee, the book artist. It was published by the Pie in the Sky Press, but it is about something else that appears in the sky. She is also a self-taught naturalist, which leads to the subject matter – birds. She is a backyard bird watcher, though she explains in the prospectus, “Away from home I'm more of a bird listener. I hear them everywhere.” The book, she continues, is “a personal investigation into the sounds of birds; what the vocalizations mean and how they differ from bird to bird.” Of course, you can't really duplicate a sound in print. However, the book is accompanied by an Audubon bird call toy and a separate volume, Listen to the Corvids. They come in a hinged box with a slot in the box under the book for the bird call toy. $2,150.

Speaking of birds, here is another, though he spelled it differently. This is Art in America, a collection of poems by Bobby Byrd, illustrated by David McLimans. McLimans was a graphic designer and illustrator who won the Caldecott Honor for his first book. This book was published by the Perishable Press in 1998. The writer was not the better known songwriter and performer of the same name known for his association with James Brown.

The Kelmscott Bookshop Rare Books may be reached at 410-235-6810 or info@kelmscottbookshop.com. Their website is www.kelmscottbookshop.com.