Search Results: Titles starting with O from Rare Illustrated Books

Sydney: Kemp & Fairfax, 1842. First Edition. Rare, and very fine: a presentation copy (inscribed on the front endpaper to Walter Wrottersley "from the translator") of an unusual publication for this period in Australia, a translation of an obscure commentary on Aristotle. Almost nothing of a philosophical bent was published in Australia before the 1850s and the creation of the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne. Perhaps the earliest philosophical work printed in Sydney? Elwin says that he translated part of the eighteenth-century writer Metastasio's critical observations on the Poetics in order to place "such portion as appeared to be likely to engage the attention, as well from the nature of the immediate topic, as from the spirited manner in which it is treated... within reach of the English reader". Metastasio, or Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, is best known today because Mozart used his "La Clemenzo di Tito" as the basis for his libretto. Ferguson originally entered the translator as Elwin… Read More

London: Methuen, 1962. First Edition. A tour-de-force through the indigenous art of the South Pacific and Australia with high quality image reproduction. Small quarto, numerous tipped colour plates throughout, publisher's cloth; near fine copy with a worn slip case.

Cologne: Konemann, 1995. Text in English, German and French. A definitive set on the indigenous arts of the South Pacific, featuring masks, jewellery, utensils, weapons, boats, decorated skulls, tapa, ritual ornament and much more. Most of the artefacts have been selected from non public-access institutional collections and private holdings. The expert photography by Olaf Wipperfurth and exacting colour plate reproduction give full justice to the wide range of artefacts shown, many of which have not been recorded in publications previously. The descriptive text is both concise and scholarly, making this work a good reference set and a sumptuous visual resource. Two large octavo volumes, continuously illustrated in full-colour throughout, handsome black cloth bindings with gilt lettering; a very fine set in crisp dust-jackets, both housed within the publisher's slipcase.

Edinburgh: Printed by the Ballantyne Press for George Allen, 1902. In this exquisitely well-printed book, Ruskin eloquently discusses the proper education of women, among other things. Drawing examples from literature and poetry, from the work of romantic poets like Dante Rosetti and great playwrights like William Shakespeare, Ruskin argues for the moral superiority of the fairer sex, and, at the mercy of his velvety prose, Ruskin's picture of the ideal woman shows a beauitful and nurturing domestic goddess. Elegant typography composed within decorative floral borders. Octavo, original gilt-lettered vellum with cloth ties, edges uncut, a fine copy.

Berlin and Frankfurt, 1930. Only individual sections of this item in the German National Library in Leipzig can be traced by us (dated there "1938?"). It is a quite superb catalogue from the company founded in Bockenheim near Frankfurt in 1878. The headquarters were relocated to Berlin in 1928. The fact that Berlin is placed in front on the title-page perhaps thus suggests the 'thirties, as does the typography and layout. Kabel was a display type of the late twenties however (Klingspor, 1927), so the GNL date seems too late. The printed leaves have repeated motifs (by A. Brinder? Goovaerts, GIP) in different colours and on different papers. In addition to coloured and black offset printing, the book displays special inks such as poster colours, gloss and opaque. Octavo, bound in paper-covered canvas boards, titled in blue, red, black and green in 'Kabel-style', canvas back with screws, 21 cm x 14 cm, 224 leaves + text, with 224 leaves, each with a colour sample (partly in multi-colour printing, also… Read More

London: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930. Hartley. Signed limited edition, printed on Japanese vellum; this is number 29 of 1350 copies. This copy bears a presentation inscription in English and Hebrew to Dr. Robert Wallace, Vice-Chancellor of the University, from Rabbi Falk, September 1936. Rabbi Falk's immense literary collection is now housed in the Rabbi L. A. Falk Memorial Library at the Great Synagogue in Sydney. Small quarto, colour frontispiece, illustrated throughout, a fine copy in the original polished calf, blind decorated in relief.

London: Cassell & Co, 1906. Detailed history of English engraving with ample biographical information on artists and description of the evolution of various processes: line engraving, mezzotint an stipple work. Octavo, original green gilt lettered cloth, frontispiece and numerous black & white plates, mild flecking to covers, aside from some foxing this is a very good copy.

Greenwich (Conn.): Literary Collector Press, 1905. The standard work on papiers peints, illustrated with real examples from the grand old homes and estates of New England. The value of this book lies in the images of rare papers photographed in private homes, providing a record of some designs now impossibly rare: a superlative resource for the study of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century design and interior decoration. Limited edition, quarto, 83 plates, some colour tipped-in, rebound in attractive grey quarter cloth with gilt spine label, endpapers renewed, near fine copy.

Woodbridge: The Wood Lea Press, 1998. Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell. A collection of woodcuts and linocuts by artists associated with the Omega Workshops and the Hogarth Press forming comprehensive study of the work of many important print artists including Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell, Henri Gaudier- Brzeska, and Dora Carrington. Deluxe edition limited of 105 copies, bound in quarter morocco with decorated boards, 360 x 260mm, black and white illustrations and tipped-in colour plates throughout, accompanied by a separate portfolio of woodcuts, a fine copy in publisher's cloth solander case.

London: Burberrys Limited, 1930. Important work on men's fashion. Presentation inscription by Burberry director, A. Ralph Burberry. "For Safety on Land, in the Air, or Afloat, There's nothing to equal THE BURBERRY COAT" Scarce book promoting the firm's association with pioneers, explorers and the sportsmen who wore Burberry apparel in all manner of climates and landscapes to accomplish great feats. Covers Artic and Antarctic expeditions, fishing, flying, motoring, mountaineering, travel, naval and military - with a focus on the classic gabardine Burberry trench coat. A well-put together volume amassing an abundance of first person testimonies. Also includes an appendix on Macintosh's method of rendering fabrics waterproof (Glasgow, 1823). Octavo, bound in original cloth made from Burberry gabadine with paper label, 248 pages, a fine copy.

London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1884. First Edition. First English book on Oriental rugs. Octavo, 11 lithographic plates including frontispiece, one in colour, folding map, four pages of publishers' advertisements; bound in olive green cloth, gilt-decorated pictorial boards with black lettering, an excellent copy of the first edition.

This beautiful drawing, probably from the period when Gaze was serving in the First World War, shows a little boy at play. It is titled in pencil "Lonesome". Born in New Zealand in 1885, a whimsical artist with outstanding talent, Harold Gaze is one of the more elusive Australasian children's writers and illustrators. We know little with exactitude about his life. After being rejected for active service, Gaze reputedly studied at various art schools in London for a period before publishing his first (recorded) book illustrations in New York in 1917: I Wish I Could Fly by Rose Strong Hubbell. At the close of World War I, Gaze moved to Melbourne and launched his career with The Wicked Winkapong in 1918. He exhibited at the Victorian Artists Society Annual Exhibition in May 1919 and over the next few years his work "established him as the most original illustrator of children's books after Ida Rentoul Outhwaite" (Holden). In 1927, commercial publishing success in the United States led Gaze to settle… Read More

Come away, O human child To the waters and the wild With a fairy, hand in hand..." -W.B. Yeats A charming drawing by Ethel Jackson Morris, inscribed with a passage of poetry by William Butler Yeats. A school of fantasy illustration emerged in Melbourne in the first part of the twentieth century, inspired by the work and commercial success of Ida Rentoul Outhwaite. Ethel Jackson Morris, along with Christian Yandell and Ethel Spowers, were at the forefront of this coherent artistic Melbourne phenomenon. Ink drawing on card, unframed, signed by the artist in the lower left hand corner, 240 mm x 110 mm, in lovely original condition.

Elizabeth (Betty) Deans Paterson (1894-1970) was an artist, cartoonist and book illustrator, born in Melbourne. The talented and beloved younger sister of Esther Paterson, with whom she often collaborated, one of Paterson's other most notable collaborations was with Australian author Ivan Southall. Together, they worked on several books, including "Ash Road" (1965), which won the Children's Book of the Year Award in 1966. Paterson's distinctive illustrations helped to capture the essence of the stories and engage young readers. In addition to her work as an illustrator, Betty Paterson also had a successful career as a cartoonist. She created comic strips for publications such as The Australian Home Beautiful, The Australian Woman's Mirror, The New Triad, The Australian Women's Weekly and The Bulletin, showcasing her talent for visual storytelling and humor. Picturing a young child in the red desert toasting a lizard over a camp fire - a majestic blue escarpment rising in the distance - this… Read More

A rare offering of a beautiful watercolour by Pixie O'Harris painted to illustrate the publication "Pearl Pinkie and Sea Greenie" (Angus & Robertson, 1935) Early works such as this one rarely come to market. Pixie O'Harris's second book, "Pearl Pinkie and Sea Greenie: The Story of Two Little Rock-Sprites" is a dainty example of magical storytelling, a vibrant and exciting underwater tale, beautifully illustrated with the artist's characteristic charm and grace. Born in Wales, Pixie O'Harris (1903 -1991) immigrated to Australia with her family when she was sixteen years old and became Sydney's contribution to the Ida Rentoul Outhwaite "Elves and Fairies" school of illustration.  With its bright, fanciful colour plates printed on high-quality paper, children's literature expert, Robert Holden writes that Pixie O'Harris' Pearl Pinkie and Sea Greenie was the most lavish children's book published by Angus & Robertson Ltd during the Depression. [HOLDEN, R. A Golden Age: Visions of Fantasy. Pymble,… Read More

Melbourne: Robertson & Mullens, 1934. First Edition. OUTHWAITE, Ida Rentoul. This charming work contains seven stories and the song, "Over the Water from Nowhere" with music by Kenneth L. Duffield. Oblong octavo, 18 full page black & white illustrations, vignettes throughout; patch of rubbing affects the front board, gentle preliminary foxing, a very good copy in the original decorated cloth.

London: Augener Ltd in Association with Adam and Charles Black, 1911. H. Willebeek le Mair [Henriette]. Henriette Willebeek le Mair (1889-1966) was a precocious child artist, her first book being published at the tender age of fifteen. She was actively encouraged by her parents and received instruction from the noted Parisian illustrator, Maurice Boutet de Monvel. Le Mair illustrated a total of fourteen books in her distinctive style characterised by gentle forms and subdued and sophisticated colouring. Before her conversion of Sufi Islam, Le Mair ran an nursery in her home and used the children as models for her art. The present edition is a very beautiful book: Adam and Charles Black were renowned for the quality and finesse of their colour plate reproduction. 'Our Old Nursery Rhymes' is one such book as the colour production is neither bold nor washed out and the publishers have faithfully reproduced the gentle tones the author intended for her beautiful plates. Oblong quarto, gilt lettering and… Read More

London and Sydney: Griffith Farran Okeden & Welsh, 1890. First Edition. First edition and rare. A most attractively-produced anthology of Australian and New Zealand stories and tales designed primarily for young people, highly evocative of its time. Authors include Rosa Praed, "Tasma", Mrs Patchett Martin, and Hume Nisbet. Illustrations are by H.J. Johnstone, T.J. Hughes, R. Carrick, Emily Harding, Marcella Walker and A.W. Wall. [Miller, p. 945; Muir, 4842; Wolff, 7857.]. Quarto, bound in original cloth-backed glazed pictorial boards, eight colour chromolithographic plates and other illustrations in the text, light scattered foxing, some edge-wear and rubbing but a very good copy.