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Book Catalogue Reviews - February - 2008 Issue

More Children's Books from Aleph-Bet Books

The first appearance of Pinocchio came in this issue of Giornale per i Bambini.

The first appearance of Pinocchio came in this issue of Giornale per i Bambini.


Item 222 is not exactly a children's book though it comes from Walt Disney. The title is Winter Draws On --Meet The Spandules. It was prepared by the Safety Education Division, Flight Control Command of the U.S. Army Air Force, published during the war in 1943. Walt Disney is listed as the illustrator, though it was illustrated by his animators, possibly Bill Justice who drew Roald Dahl's Gremlins. Spandules are a form of gremlin, and they cause problems for airplanes, so pilots need to be on the lookout. Personally, I don't think I would like to fly with a pilot who received his flight safety training from Walt Disney. $850.

Item 346 is a surprising book, Indian Anecdotes, circa 1840, by Rufus Merrill. Generations later, white children would still be taught that Indians were "savages," yet this early title reverses the portrayals, depicting the Indians in a positive manner. For example, "Hospitality is a prominent trait in the Indian character... They have a high sense of honor, justice and fair dealing." $350.

Here is a book that will never make the NRA's bestseller list: The Hare; or Hunting Incompatible with Humanity: Written as a Stimulus to Youth Towards a Proper Treatment of Animals. This anonymously authored 1802 book shows surprising concern for animals. It is an anthropomorphic story of a hare, forced to flee the hunting of his family, who finally finds refuge with a kind family. Along the way, the author argues with religious fervor against savage attacks on the works of creation. Item 242. $600.

Aleph-Bet Books may be reached online at www.alephbet.com, or by phone at 914-764-7410.

Rare Book Monthly

  • ALDE, Apr. 8: GUEVARA (ANTONIO DE). Histoire de Marc-Aurèle, Empereur Romain, vray miroir et horloge des Princes. Paris, Pierre et Galliot du Pré, frères, 1565. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: HEURES DE LA VIERGE. Horæ in laudem beatissimæ virginis Mariæ ad usum Romanum. Paris, Charles L'Angelier, 1556. €4,000 to €5,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: MONTAIGNE (MICHEL DE). Les Essais. Édition nouvelle, trouvée après le deceds de l'autheur… Paris, Abel L'Angelier, 1595. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: [ROJAS (FERNANDO DE)]. Celestina, tragicomedia di Calisto et Melibea, tradotta de lingua castigliana in italiano idioma… Venise, 1531. €2,000 to €3,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: CAMÕES (LUÍS DE). Os Lusiadas. Lisbonne, Pedro Crasbeeck, 1613. €2,000 to €3,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Bruxelles, Roger Velpius & Huberto Antonio, 1611. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: LA FONTAINE (JEAN DE). Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris, Denys Thierry et Claude Barbin, 1678-1694. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: CERVANTES (MIGUEL DE). El Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid, Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: DIDEROT (DENIS) ET JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT. Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. Paris, 1751-1765. €15,000 to €20,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. LAMARTINE (Alphonse de). Les Laboureurs. Poème tiré de Jocelyn… Lyon, J. A. Henry, 1883. €8,000 to €10,000.
    ALDE, Apr. 8: [LIVRE TISSÉ]. Livre de prières tissé d'après les enluminures des manuscrits du XIVe au XVIe siècle. Lyon, [A. Roux], 1886. €5,000 to €6,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Books, Manuscripts & Objects from Three Important Collections
    Open for Bidding 2-17 April
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: [Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun]. Le Roman de la Rose, [Geneva or Lyons, c.1481], first printed edition of the most important medieval French vernacular poem. £200,000 to £300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Castiglione. Il libro del cortegiano. [Venice], April 1528, first edition, in a magnificent binding by Jean Picard for Jean Grolier. £100,000 to £150,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Jacobus de Cessolis. Schachzabelbuch, Strasbourg, 1483, von der Lasa copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: World Championship, 1972. A collection of 84 press photographs of the famed match between Spassky and Fischer. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Sotheby’s, Apr. 2-17: Ben Franklin. Autograph letter signed, to Lord Shelburne, British Prime Minister, during peace negotiations, November 1782. £15,000 to £20,000.

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