[F0140] Brown, Michelle P., (commentary). The Holkham Bible
Picture Book. 2 Volumes.. Over 150 pictures painted with
exquisite tinted washes forms an entirely unique picture bible
and creates a fascinating view of a medieval artist's personal
devotion. Half bound in blue leather with buckram sides printed
with diaperwork pattern. Separate leather title label blocked
with a design by David Eccles in gold, red and blue. Gilded on
all three edges, with a ribbon marker. Printed on Swiss made
Furioso paper. Presented together with the Commentary volume by
Professor Michelle P. Brown in a buckram bound solander box with
a leather title label. Over 150 images, 84 manuscript pages. Book
size: 11" x 8". A unique manuscript, recreated in all its
original glory in an exclusive facsimile edition limited to 1,750
numbered copies. 'If I make it true and God grants me life, never
will you see another such book'. The artist's opening prayer has
been triumphantly realised: he has brought popular scenes from
the Bible to life in a manner that had never been achieved before
nor has been since. Dramatic composition, delicate colouring and
a humorous personal touch combine to make this a unique vision of
the Bible and of the medieval age which produced it. The Holkham
Bible abounds with details from the medieval world, A picture of
medieval London , from new developments in technology (a jointed
visor, ships depicted with innovatory rudders and bow sprits) to
familiar London landmarks in the Middle Ages. The centre of
medieval manuscript production was Paternoster Row, beneath the
spire of St Paul's (the medieval cathedral spire was taller than
Wren's dome), and this is depicted by the artist when the devil
tempts Christ to throw himself from the temple. Immediately
afterwards Satan takes Christ to a high place, which seems to be
the earliest depiction of Hampstead Heath with its newly acquired
windmill. The entire book hums with the hubbub of city life, but
underneath this delight in bustle runs a sincere dion that
reminds the viewer of the enormous appetite for and popularity of
sermons, miracle plays and religious frescoes among medieval
audiences. Instead of gilding in silver and gold, the artist has
chosen to use a form of tinted wash which was popular in earlier
manuscripts, but had almost disappeared in favour of heavier
ornamentation. The subtlety and naturalistic poses are more
reminiscent of the developments in fresco painting which were
sweeping Italy than of the stylised figures of medieval
illumination. The depiction of drapery, textiles and clothing
throughout the manuscript is exceptionally well realised, and
there are unusual diamond patterned backgrounds (known as
diaperwork) with figurative flowers and oak leaves painted in
red. In her Commentary, Professor Michelle P. Brown raises some
fascinating suggestions, noting similarities to the needlepoint
opus anglicarum for which London was famous. The artist uses time
lapsed compositions to enhance the dramatic nature of his story û
rather as a film storyboard might do. He frequently conflates
events into a single image for dramatic impact and to provide a
wealth of naturalistic detail. Hence in the depiction of the
Creator, overleaf, elements of the third, fifth and sixth days of
the creation are presented as it were simultaneously, producing a
sumptuous array of birds, beasts and bushes. Words have clearly
been added after the painting was finished the reverse of the
normal method of manuscript production. Instead of classical
Latin, the captions are written in Anglo Norman, with a strong
'franglais' flavour, since English words and phrases occasionally
slip in. This provides Michelle Brown with clues to unravel the
secret of the book's making in her Commentary. The artist seems
to bring a strongly individual approach to which scenes he
chooses to paint. Rather than following any known existing model,
he combined a mixture of sources: Scripture, entertaining details
from the mystery plays, episodes from an Anglo Norman account of
Christ's childhood, and Petrus Comestor's influential twelfth
century Historia Scholastica. This mixture gives us such
appealing scenes as Christ playing on sunbeams as a child and God
telling Noah to hurry up with the Ark so that he is forced to
finish the top section in wicker rather than wood. There are
moments, almost Chaucerian in their bawdy comedy, designed to
appeal to a less than 'aristocratic' audience Jesus tricks his
master by doing all his work with a miracle and Herod peeps down
Salome's skirt as she stands on her hands, her dance turned into
a tumbling acrobatic display. £250.00
Payment for this title by bank transfer only.
[F1786-4] Joyce, James. Ulysses. London Folio Society 2004
Limited and Numbered Edition Published on 16 June, 2004 to mark
the Centenary of the day on which the action of the book is set.
The edition was limited to 1760 copies. In full goatskin binding,
blocked with a design by Jeff Clements (a turquoise-blue leather,
with gilt and black decoration) with gold colour endpapers. In a
dark blue buckram-bound solander box blocked with Joyce's
signature in gilt on the front and used with special permission
of the Joyce estate and the title in gilt on spine side. The text
used is the one as issued in the 1998 Folio Society edition
(which takes the text of the 1926 second edition) set in Old
Style with Pastonchi display. Illustrated with 18 etchings with
gold leaf by Mimo Paladino. With gilded top edge and ribbon
marker, 758 pages, 18 plates, Introduction by Jacques Aubert and
a new, revised 2004 preface by the author's grandson Stephen
James Joyce. Paladino's etchings were first published in a
limited edition of 18 copies. In new condition. £325.00
Till 19th November, Sunday, 18.00 hrs UK time £ 275.00
Payment for this title by bank transfer only.
[F1780] Roberts, David. The Holy Land and Egypt and Nubia. 2
Volumes. Edition of 1,000, hand-numbered on a special limitation
page in both volumes. 2 magnificent volumes measuring 20" x 13 ¾"
published by the Folio Society. Bound in full canvas cloth
printed silkscreen in black and gold. Designs by Neil Gower
derived from Roberts’s originals. Gilded top edges, ribbon
marker. All 247 Lithographs In The First Ever Large-scale
Reproduction. ‘One of the richest folios that ever left the East’
David Roberts was an artist with ambition. Born in relative
poverty outside Edinburgh, he spent years developing his skills
as an apprentice and a jobbing artisan, graduating to a career
painting backdrops for the theatre, first in Edinburgh and then
in London’s Covent Garden and Drury Lane. By 1837, he had
achieved renown for his landscape paintings of the Rhine and
Spain. Unlike most artists, who relied on sketches brought back
by other travellers, Roberts had visited these countries himself.
His adventurous approach and his technical brilliance would serve
him well on the journey of a lifetime – an artistic pilgrimage to
Egypt and the Holy Land, the first ever undertaken by a British
artist. Roberts set off in August 1838, travelling from London to
Marseilles and on to Alexandria. From there he began his journey
up the Nile with a crew of six men. He was awestruck by the
landscape - 'I cannot express my feelings on seeing these vast
monuments' - and sketched the sights that caught his eye, whether
a group of crocodiles or architectural wonders such as the
Temples of Dendera and Karnak, and the pyramids of Gizeh, which
reminded him of the 'instability of all human greatness'. In
Cairo, he determined to record modern buildings as well as
ancient, and made sketches of minarets, alleys and market places.
His observations remain among the few records we have of the
early 19th-century city. Thanks to the intervention of the
Viceroy of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, Roberts became one of the first
Westerners ever to set foot in a mosque and sketch the interior,
making sure to discard his hog's-hair brushes before entering.
Ultimately continuing as far south as Abu Simbel, Roberts
produced over 100 sketches on his journey through Egypt: 'We
shall see what impression they make in England.'Roberts next set
his sights on Palestine. He travelled across the Sinai desert
along the route thought to have been taken by the Israelites when
they left Egypt for the Promised Land. He and his team rode
camels, wore Turkish costume and carried pistols, rifles and
sabres, as much as a disguise as for protection. They slept in
tents under the stars and took shelter in the Monastery of St
Catherine, where Roberts produced some of his most famous vistas
of the Holy Land. Jerusalem was closed to visitors because of
plague, but Roberts's luck held and he was able to enter during
Holy Week, along with a throng of pilgrims from all over the
world: Syrians, Armenians, Copts and Greek Orthodox, 'a vast
congregation gathered by one powerful impulse to do homage to the
most awe-filled place of recollection on the globe'. For Roberts,
it was a memorable culmination to an extraordinary voyage. As
well as having visited biblical sites from the Mount of Olives to
Jericho, he had assembled, as he put it, 'one of the richest
folios that ever left the East'. David Roberts was the first
British painter to make an artistic expedition to Egypt and the
Holy Land. The result of his travels was a picturesque vision of
the Near East that has been hugely influential ever since. Nearly
200 years later, his work is held in institutions such as the
Library of Congress in Washington and London's Victoria and
Albert Museum. This new Folio Society limited edition reproduces
all 247 of his lithographs for the first time on this scale. On
his return to London, Roberts sought a publisher for his work,
eventually signing a contract with Francis G. Moon for £3,000 -
an enormous sum, the equivalent of over £200,000 today. Critics
and the public lined up to praise Roberts's works when they were
first exhibited. The press lauded the aesthetic quality of his
art, its historical and topographical accuracy, and the grandeur
of its subject matter. Publication of the first edition was a
slow and enormously expensive process. It was printed in
sections, each one containing six hand-coloured lithographs
created from the original drawings. But Moon's investment paid
off. There was no shortage of subscribers, with Queen Victoria
(to whom the Holy Land series is dedicated) and Charles Dickens
among those reserving a set. Roberts's pictures had caught the
imagination of the British public and set a trend for Orientalism
in art that would continue to shape the way in which the West
perceived the East. Because of its scale, and the scarcity of
complete first editions, Roberts's work has rarely been
reproduced in its entirety and never before on this scale. In
this Folio Society limited edition, all 247 lithographs have been
reproduced from one of the few complete hand-coloured copies,
held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.
£1,350.00 till Sunday 19th November 18.00 hrs UK time £ 1100.00
Payment for this title by bank transfer only. + Forwarding by UPS
in the UK, by DHL abroad
[F0176-3] TOLKIEN, J.J.R.,. The Hobbit or There and Back Again.
One of the Folio Society's hand numbered limited edition of 1750
copies. Quarter-bound in Moroccan goatskin leather, with sides of
hand-woven pure Indian silk. Illustrations drawn by Eric Fraser
from original designs by Ingahild Grathmer (pseud. of the Queen
of Denmark). Gilded top edges, with ribbon markers. Calligraphy
on spines and slipcase by John Andrew. Slipcase bound in full
Moroccan goatskin leather, with scalloped edges. (2002 )
Illustrated by Francis Mosley, printed at the Bath Press, 245
pages. An immaculate copy
£375.00 till Sunday evening 19 November £ 295.00
Payment for this title by bank transfer only.
[F0176] TOLKIEN, J.J.R.,. The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit. The
Silmarillion 5 Volumes.. 2002 (2001 ?) /2004. One of the Folio
Society's hand numbered limited edition of 1750 copies.
Quarter-bound in Moroccan goatskin leather, with sides of
hand-woven pure Indian silk. Illustrations drawn by Eric Fraser
from original designs by Ingahild Grathmer (pseud. of the Queen
of Denmark). Gilded top edges, with ribbon markers. Calligraphy
on spines and slipcase by John Andrew. Slipcases bound in full
Moroccan goatskin leather, with scalloped edges. 1328 pages in
total for the Lord of the Rings. Together with The Hobbit (2003)
and the Silmarillion (2004 ) Illustrated by Francis Mosley,
printed at the Bath Press, All volumes have the same limitation
number. Payment for this title by bank transfer only. Forwarding
by UPS in the UK, by DHL abroad £1,250.00
till Sunday evening 19 November £ 995.00
[F1784] BEERBOHM, MAX. Zuleika Dobson. Folio society, 2008,
Illustrated by Michael Kirkham. Bound in buckram, blocked with a
design by Michael Kirkham. Set in Baskerville with Berolina
display. Frontispiece and 8 colour illustrations. Size: 9" x 5¾",
216 pages. The dazzling daughter of a curate and a circus-rider,
Zuleika Dobson is the world's most celebrated conjurer, and is
used to men falling in love with her. When she arrives at Judas
College, Oxford, to visit her grandfather, her beauty and charms
very nearly cause a stampede among the undergraduates. The Duke
of Dorset is particularly smitten, but Zuleika insists that she
can never love anyone who is not impervious to her charms. When
the Duke disregards an ancient family curse and sets his heart on
Zuleika, the comic and fanciful become blended with the poignant
and tragic in this uniquely English fable. Max Beerbohm was a
critic, essayist, caricaturist and perennially sought-after
dinner-party guest in smart Mayfair circles. Zuleika Dobson is
his only novel and a joy to read. Romantic, witty and satirical,
it is a sparkling fantasy of university life in Edwardian
England, and undoubtedly draws on his own time at Oxford as a
member of Oscar Wilde's set. Beerbohm creates a magnificently
eccentric golden world, where the Duke rides a polo pony down the
street and the statues of Roman emperors break into a sweat at
the sight of Zuleika’s beauty. Zuleika Dobson was rapturously
received at the time of its publication in 1911. A product of a
golden age of English literary humour, it is a rare combination
of beauty and comic oddity reminiscent of Saki and Wilde –
perfectly captured, in this edition, by Michael Kirkham's
charming modernist illustrations. new copy £14.50
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