IN QUEST OF THE PERFECT BOOK
Published by Little, Brown & Co, Boston, 1926
- Used
Seller: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
AbeBooks seller since March 21, 2000
Condition: Used
£ 10,016.12
Quantity:Â 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
228 x 160 mm. (9 x 6 1/4"). 8 p.l., 316 pp., [1] leaf. SPECTACULAR MOSAIC MOROCCO BY CURTIS WALTERS (signed in gilt on rear turn-in), covers with animated repeating ogival pattern inlaid in several hues of morocco (black, navy blue, light blue, light brown and orange), separated into three panels by thin strips of red morocco and gilt rules, THE COVERS WITH APPROXIMATELY 662 INLAYS IN TOTAL, raised bands, spines compartments ruled in gilt and inlaid with a similar design, gilt titling, NAVY BLUE MOROCCO DOUBLURES bordered with strips of eggplant and red morocco and four gilt rules, navy blue watered silk endleaves, top edge gilt, others trimmed on the rough. Housed in a marbled paper chemise with red morocco back and matching (slightly worn) slipcase. With color frontispiece and printed tissue guard, 48 black & white plates, one double-page specimen reproduction, and numerous in-text illustrations and specimen page reproductions. With tipped-in "Compliments of the Author" leaf SIGNED by Orcutt. Clizbee, "Curtis Walters, American Binder" in "The American Book Collector" (August, September 1932), pp. 124-34 (this binding pictured in the second plate). Copy included with this item. Very slight offsetting from plates and the odd trivial imperfection internally, otherwise a fine copy IN AN IMMACULATE BINDING. This splendid mosaic binding is a tour-de-force of design and craftsmanship from an underappreciated American binder who specialized in this technique. The foreword to the 10 December 1957 sale catalogue of his bindings at Parke Bernet says that they "constitute a splendid group of American mosaic bindings such as have never been offered for sale before. . . . The description of bindings is always a difficult matter; it becomes practically impossible when one is faced by the stunning variety of complex patterns of colored mosaic inlays which Mr. Walters has assembled with infinite patience, extraordinary skill and sophisticated taste . . . He has invented and brought to perfection a new technique whereby the most intricate inlaid designs can be achieved by a few simple tools, without the use of dies or punches; gilt dots, circlets and fillets are generally applied with restraint. . . . It need hardly be added that all of Mr. Walters' bindings are made of the very finest leathers available, and that their workmanship reveals consummate craftsman[ship] down to the smallest detail." The present item was lot #25 in that sale. Walters became interested in bookbinding around 1900, and studied with such prestigious workshops as William Matthews, the Club Bindery, and Henry Stikeman. In "Hand Bookbinding in the United States Since the Civil War," Thompson tell us of Walters' work: "The infinite variety of design permitted by mosaic work is combined with Walters' marvelous delicacy in color schemes, finely conceived geometric patterns, and tasteful use of gold leaf to produce books that no Americans save perhaps the artists of the Club Bindery could have matched. The utter simplicity of Walters' methods (he used but four tools) belies his perseverance and devotion to his art. Only infinite patience and consummate skill could have produced Walters' bindings." The article by Azalea Clizbee in the accompanying copy of "The American Book Collector" describes Walters' technique for creating his mosaic bindings using only the simplest tools, with plates depicting eight of his bindings, including this one. Although very secondary here, the text is, appropriately, a celebration of book arts--printing, binding, and illustration--by William Dana Orcutt (1870-1953), typographer, printer, and book designer. After graduating from Harvard in 1892, he went to work for the University Press there. He created several typefaces, most notably "Humanistic," based on the humanist hand of 15th century scribe Antonio Sinibaldi. With Daniel Updike and Bruce Rogers, he established the Boston Society of Printers in 1905. He was the author of several works on pri.…
Seller Inventory # ST20086
Bibliographic details
- Title
- IN QUEST OF THE PERFECT BOOK
- Author
- (BINDINGS - MOSAIC BINDING, CURTIS WALTERS). ORCUTT, W. D.
- Publisher
- Little, Brown & Co, Boston
- Publication year
- 1926
- Edition
- First Trade Edition.
- Dimensions
- 228 x 160 mm. (9 x 6 1/4").
- Seller catalogs
- Bindings - Modern (1970-present), Books on Books & Reference
Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 2 to 7 business days | 2 to 4 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 7.48 | £ 11.22 |
Payment methods
- Bank Wire Transfer
- Check
- Money Order
Specialty
Early Printing, Bindings, English Literature, Illuminated Manuscripts, Rare Books, Fine Illustrated Books, American Literature, Press Books, IncunablesAssociation member
Seller's business information
Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
OR, U.S.A.
Terms of sale
Payment: We accept checks, money orders, Visa, Master Card, American Express and wire transfers. If you are a first time customer, we wait for payment to be received before sending out your order.
Shipping: Shipping and insurance are extra. We usually ship USPS Priority, but other options available to the client including FedEx, or UPS.
Returns: Your satisfaction is unconditionally guaranteed. If you buy an item from us and discover that you are not satisfied with it, you may return it within 10 days of receipt for a refund, so long as the item has not been damaged.
Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books
2205 NW Nut Tree Lane
PO Box 504
McMinnville, OR 97128
Email: info@pirages.com
Ph: 800-962-6666 or 503-472-0476
Fax: 503-472-5029
Tax ID No. 93-1163989
Employees: Cokie Anderson, Michal Alkoff, David Clark, Tammy Opheim
Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books is a sole proprietorship.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, Oregon, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.