Rococo by Ralph Cheever Dunning (5 results)

hardcover. Condition: very good. Simon, Howard (illustrator). Limited. 3 tipped in drawings by Howard Simon (one signed). 22 pages, two-toned boards, paper label, uncut; spine & end-papers browned. Paris: Edward W. Titus, 1926. Limited edition. Number 31 of 500 copies on Holland Paper. The first book printed by Edward Titus at the Sign of the Black Manikin.

Hardback. Condition: Very Good Indeed. Howard Simon (illustrator). A limited edition poem by the mysterious poet Ralph Cheever Dunning, with three illustrations by Howard Simon. Ralph Cheever Dunning (1878-1930) was an American poet who moved to Paris in 1905. Apathetic regarding the publication of his own work, Ezra Pound convinced him to publish work in literary magazines. It is possible that he was addicted to opium, and he often 'forgot to eat', dying in Paris of tuberculosis and starvation. His other works include 'Hyllus', a play, and two poetry collections, one privately published.A limited edition.With three tipped-in illustrations by Howard Simon.This limited edition was meant to be signed by both author and artist, however, some were signed by both and many by just one of the two. This copy was signed by Howard Simon, the artist.A charming work by an uncommon poet, and prominent figure in Paris of the early twentieth century. In the original paper covered boards. Externally generally smart, with a little wear to the spine and edges. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are often unopened, and bright and clean. Very Good Indeed. signed by author. book.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Hardcover Octavo. gray and white papered boards, gray lettering, blue label on the front cover, no dust jacket, 21 pp signed by the artist #116 of 500 covers are lightly worn Standard shipping (no tracking) / Priority (with tracking) / Custom quote for large or heavy orders.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. The second of only three volumes of poetry to be published by Dunning during his lifetime and since. A Detroit native, Dunning (1878-1930) moved to Paris in 1905 where he dedicated his time to only a small group of poems, composed in the style of the late Victorian era, publishing his first collection of poems Hyllus: A Drama in 1910 (London: John Lane, The Bodley Head). Around 1924 Ezra Pound 'discovered' Dunning, a recluse and an addict, and ensured his publishing in the journals of the day; I have read even that EP supplied Dunning with drugs, which, considering Pound's mansarde et potage, one might believe. After Dunning received the Helen Haire Nevinson Prize from Poetry, A Magazine of Verse in 1925 the literati of the Left Bank began to heatedly debate Dunning's poetry. The push for vers libre, as had been happening for 20 years, had left the public finally numb to any vers à la Victorien; Dunning's advance of a style yet older struggled to be received, though it reads with a precision worthy of the Ancient Mariner. This book was the inaugural volume of The Black Manikin Press, one of the key expatriate presses of Paris in the 1920's later to print Anaïs Nin, D. H. Lawrence, Djuna Barnes, Henry Miller and more. No. 80 of 500 copies all printed on Holland, the first fifty not for sale, with three illustrations by Howard Simon. Signed by Dunning on the limitation page and by Simon under the frontispiece. Spine mottled with a small break at top (nothing lost); light fading to the edge of the boards; endpapers browned spilling over to adjacent blanks where cut short; stock otherwise fine throughout. No bibliography has been composed for Dunning. Signed by Author(s).

Condition: Near Fine. Illustrations by Howard Simon (illustrator). Limited Edition #473 of 500. The first book printed by Edward W. Titus at his Paris press At the Sign of the Black Manikin, Rococo inaugurated one of the key expatriate fine presses of the 1920s. Titus's imprint would soon publish Anaïs Nin, D.H. Lawrence, and other modernists, but Rococo marked the beginningcombining refined typography with Howard Simon's elegant woodcut illustrations. White parchment spine with gilt titles over blue-grey boards, blue paste-on label to upper cover. Three tipped-in illustrations by Howard Simon, the first signed in plate. 9 × 5.25 inches; [22] pages. Limited Edition #473 of 500.Bindings tight and square; text clean with light, even age-toning. Unopened after preliminaries. Moderate shelf wear with spine toning and faint soil. Endpaper offsetting present. Edward Titus (18761952), an American expatriate bookseller and publisher in Paris, founded the Sign of the Black Manikin Press in the 1920s. From his Rue Delambre bookshopneighbor to Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare and CompanyTitus merged literary modernism with fine-press craftsmanship, producing limited editions that championed both aesthetic innovation and freedom of expression. Rococo was his first publication, setting the artistic tone for later press milestones such as Lady Chatterley's Lover and early works by Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller. Ralph Cheever Dunning, an American expatriate poet associated with Ezra Pound's Paris circle, here meditates on beauty and transience in the refined, introspective voice that characterized early modernist verse. Simon's delicate engravings heighten its period grace and collectible appeal. Howard Simon (19021979) was an American illustrator, painter, and printmaker renowned for his woodcuts. His illustrations for Rococo exemplify his mastery of the medium, capturing the delicate intricacies of the poem's themes. Simon's work is held in numerous museum collections, and he contributed illustrations to several dozen books . Subjects: Black Manikin Press, Edward W. Titus, Paris Expatriate Printing, Howard Simon, Modernist Illustration, Modernist Poetry, Fine Press.