Rare books from Appledore Books, ABAA

Cummington, MA: The Cummington Press, 1944. Boards. Very Good. The 1944 original printing of Robert Lowell's first published book, limited to 250 copies. THIS COPY BELONGING TO POET ROBERT DUNCAN, WHO SIGNED HIS NAME ON THE FRONT FREE ENDPAPER AND WHOSE WILDLY DECORATIVE 1945 BOOKPLATE (SHARED WITH AND UNDOUBTEDLY DESIGNED BY HIS PARTNER JESS COLLINS) ADORNS THE FRONT PASTEDOWN. A solid, presentable copy to boot. Clean and VG in its dark boards, with light offsetting along the panel edges, limited, very light blotching to the rear panel and its usual (in this case mild) fading along the spine. Introduction by Allen Tate. Also includes a handsome, custom-made chemise and printed slipcase, with its gilt-titled, dark-leather label along the spine.

Paris: Chez N. Pepingve (Avec Privilege du Roi), 1669. Full leather. The 1669 1st French edition --and 1st published edition-- of Gioachino Greco's seminal "Le Jeu des Eschets". Greco (c. 1600 - c. 1634) was the strongest player in Europe in the early 17th century and among the first to record entire games, not just particular openings or combinations. His vast influence (as cited by H.J.R. Murray, among other historians of the game) is keenly felt to this day. This copy is likely in its original full-leather binding, certainly in a contemporary-to-the-period binding. Solid and VG, with minor, forgivable wear along the edges and the preliminaries. The interior though is very clean, the pages surprisingly crisp and clean. Originally recorded by hand in Greco's native Italian, here translated --and issued in book form-- for the first time.

London: A. Dry, 1819. Full leather. Near Fine. ****IN A CONTERMPORARY CATHEDRAL BINDING, WITH 100 DELICATE HAND-COLORED PLATES****. The 1819 1st edition, complete with its 100 lovely hand-colored aquatints. Three sumptuous folio volumes, in wonderful condition, each bound in a contemporary-to-the-period full-maroon morocco. Highly decorated, with seven rolls in gilt and blind on each upper and lower cover, all edges gilt. A large cathedral stamped in gilt on each cover as well. Occasional offsetting from plates to adjacent text pages, occasional light foxing, hinges a bit rubbed but still perfectly sturdy. Decorative bookplates at each front pastedown and front free endpaper. The subtlety of the coloring of the plates and the majesty of the subject matter make this one of the great works of the Regency period. Tipped onto the front flyleaf of Vol. I is a 1 pg. ALS dated 1818, a large 4to from the author W.H. Pyne, discussing a plate for an engraving (not from this work). The set is housed in 3… Read More

1864. Letters. Very Good +. An impressive Civil War archive left behind by Union soldier George William Spencer of the 3rd New Hampshire Mounted Infantry. Created when Spencer was in active duty (1862 through mid 1864), the archive consists of a manuscript Spencer called "Second Expedition to Charleston, 1863", numbering 117 pages and detailing his experiences from April 3rd, 1863 through February 15th, 1864; A collection of 24 heartfelt letters to his Mother (mostly) and to his cousin Angie, all written between February 21st and August 6th, 1864, many showing startling narrative skill and conviction; and finally, 2 nicely-rendered drawings (one ink and pencil, the other exclusively pencil), both drawn in 1862, both initialed by George William Spencer. The ink and pencil drawing he titled "Regimental Cemetery" and the other, while untitled, may be even more engaging, depicting an active battle, with soldiers trapped in a house firing away at enemy soldiers circling the house. A downed soldier… Read More

Paris: Edition "Arts et Metiers Graphiques", 1933. Spiral bound. Very Good. SIGNED BY BRASSAI near the head of the opening page of Paul Morand's Introduction. A solid, very presentable copy to boot of the 1933 1st edition of this soaring achievement in pre-War photography and printing. Crisp and VG in its iconic card wrappers of a late-evening, cobblestoned Paris walkway, with light creasing and chipping along the edges. A touch of separation as well to the front panel along only the top 1" of the spiral binding. Internally, very sharp, with just a bit of light soiling to several pages of the Introduction. The remarkable gravures, all 62 of them, are all-but-pristine, deep and rich and magnficent. While Brassai's signature is not especially scarce, it is truly uncommon on copies of this, his masterwork and greatest achievement.

New York: Harper & Row, 1977. Cloth. Fine/Near Fine. A remarkable copy of this examination of the relationship of Marina and Lee Oswald, authored by the only person --Priscilla Johnson McMillan-- who demonstrably knew both JFK (from his years as a young Senator) and Lee Harvey Oswald (while in Russia). INSCRIBED BY BOTH MARINA OSWALD (on the first blank endpaper) AND PRISCILLA MCMILLAN (on the tile page) TO THE SAME JFK RESEARCHER. IN MARINA OSWALD'S CASE, THE INSCRIPTION HINTS AT THE DIFFERENCES (AND EVENTUAL FALLING OUT) SHE AND THE AUTHOR WOULD HAVE OVER THE BOOK'S CONCLUSIONS AND IN PRISCILLA MCMILLAN'S CASE, THE INSCRIPTION IS WARM AND GENEROUS. A gorgeous copy to boot of the October 1977 stated 1st edition (with the correct number bar following the statement). Clean and Fine in a crisp, price-intact, Near Fine to Fine dustjacket. Thick octavo, a number of crisp black-and-white photos accompanying McMillan's text. Truly a collector's copy, in all-but-pristine condition and arguably… Read More

New York: Robert H. Dodd, 1915. 1/2 Vellum. Near Fine. A handsome example of the 1915-1928 1st editions of this exhaustive study of the iconography of Manhattan Island, complete in 6 thick quarto volumes. Each volume bound in the publisher's original 1/2 vellum over gilt-decorated, navy-blue cloth. Clean, tight and very impressive. All volumes easily VG+ to Near Fine, with just a touch of light soiling at a bit of the vellum. Internally immaculate, with no writing or markings to any of the volumes. Top-edges gilt, deckled fore and bottom-edges. Hundreds of plates throughout, mostly engraved, a small number (including frontispieces) in a rich chromolithography. "Three hundred and sixty copies have been printed on English hand-made paper (including this one) and forty-two on Japanese vellum". An imposing, lovely set in its earliest incarnation.

San Francisco: The Arion Press, 2014. Fine. A sumptuous 2014 offering by the Arion Press of San Francisco, celebrating the 100th title of the Press with this lovely reprinting of Whitman's timeless "Leaves of Grass". #155 OF 275 COPIES PRODUCED (all of which apparently sold out very quickly to the Press's subscribers) plus an additional 15 copies, "numbered in Roman, for complimentary distribution". An immaculate copy: Light-brown wooden boards backed by a grass-green morocco spine. Folio, deckled fore and bottom-edges. Introduction by Harvard's formidable Helen Vendler (who has worked with Andrew Hoyem on a number of Arion Press titles), this text based on "the text of the 1855 first edition". Also includes a pristine example of the publisher's printed, light-green cloth slipcase. From the colophon: "'Leaves of Grass' is the one hundredth publication of the Arion Press. The book was designed and produced under the direction of Andrew Hoyem. The types are Goudy Californian (designed for the… Read More

Berlin: Rudolf Mosse Buchverlag, 1926. Boards. Very Good +. INSCRIBED BY ERICH MENDELSOHN (TO "ALFRED TRETZ"?) on the front free endpaper. A very presentable copy to boot of this 1926 true 1st edition. Solid and VG in its printed mustard boards, with even offsetting along the top 20% of the front panel (and along 5-10% of the rear panel), very light scuffing and rubbing to the boards, and slight bowing to the front cover. Internally very clean, with no writing or markings to speak of and all 77 gravure plates in superb condition. Folio, highly-evocative black-and-white photos by the formidable German architect Erich Mendelsohn (1887-1953) of a number of America's great urban centers of the mid 1920s (including New York, Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo). Very uncommon as such, signed in any fashion by Erich Mendelsohn.

Leningrad: Leningrad Society of Architects, 1931. Gut. Very Good +. By pionering Russian Modernist architect Iakov Tchernikov (aka Yakov Chernikov). Also featuring an Introduction to Russian Constructivism by Erikh Fedorovich Gollerbakh. Published by Leningrad Society of Architects, 278 graphic text illustrations (many of them woodcuts), 44 full-page plates by Chernikov printed by letterpress. Solid, tight and VG+ in its duotone gut, with very light soiling at the panels. Tall quarto, text exclusively in Russian (in Cyrillic). A wonderful example of post-Revolution illustrated bookmaking in Russia.

Venice, CA: Venice Modern Art, 2019. Screenprint. Fine. Jean-Michel Basquiat. A Jean-Michel Basquiat Limited Edition Screenprint from an edition of 105 examples, created from an original artwork by Basquiat for the cover of the vinyl album "The Offs First Record" (1984). One of only 2 record covers Basquiat illustrated in his lifetime. Also includes 2 copies (1 still in shrinkwrap) of the 1984 1st pressing of the original album. The screenprint measures 31 1/2" x 31 1/2" in the frame, the work itself measures 26 1/2" x 26 1/2". The two-color silkscreen was created in 2019 in a tiny run (105 copies by John Brower of Venice Modern Art) and also includes a pristine COA from Brower in the rear pocket. A striking, very handsome Basquiat screenprint.

Atlanta: Dwoskin Incorporated, 1950. Decorative Cloth. Very Good. Very uncommon Frank Lloyd Wright salesman's sample book of his own wallpaper designs, circa 1950. 26 original sheets of wallpaper samples, in addition to 5 leaves of texts and photos. Though the covers do show some inevitable wear --and slight bowing-- internally the book is clean, bright and, most surprisingly, complete. The colors to the textured patterns --the wallpaper samples-- are strong and vivid. Light spotting and soiling to the front panel, notable abrading along the rear panel. Still though, very presentable. Folio, "Mr. Wright's genius for combining form, function and color is clearly reflected in this 'TALIESIN Line -- a unique and breathtakingly beautiful collection of fabrics and wallpapers that will add new charm and distinction to the American home, be it provincial, traditional or contemporary in flavor."

New York, 1897. Album. Near Fine. A wonderful piece of New York architectural history: The 1897 McKim, Mead and White original album of "Specifications of the Work to Be Done in the Erection and Completion of the House of W.C. Whitney, Esq., N.E. Corner of 69th Street and Fifth Ave. New York City". Overseen by Stanford White, this ambitious 6 year renovation (1897-1903) of the great "Stuart Mansion" ultimately cost William C. Whitney $3.5 million and was completed only a year before his death. The first 30 pages of the notebook are in a handwritten manuscript, the balance (the final 100 or so pages) in a typed manuscript. The dark-cloth album, solid and VG+ with its decorative blindstamping at the panels, measures 8 1/2" wide x 10 1/2" tall and also includes a laid-in 2-page handwritten letter from Charles McKim himself addressing the specifications of the renovation. Very scarce glimpse (probably the sole copy) into the world of one of the great New York architecture firms and their approach to… Read More

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961. Decorative Cloth. Very Good +/Very Good +. Paul Child. The 1961 AND the 1970 stated 1st editions. WARMLY INSCRIBED TO BOOT BY AUTHOR SIMONE BECK along the half-title of Vol. II. Both volumes clean and tight and at least VG+. Vol. II also includes a crisp, price-intact, VG+ dustjacket, with a couple of very small closed tears along the panel edges and a bit of light fading at the spine. Thick, uniform quartos, nicely illustrated throughout by Sidonie Coryn "based on photographs by Paul Child -- Technical Drawings by Paul Child" as well. An impressive example of the landmark set, in its original printings and very uncommon --probably even more so than if signed by Julia Child-- inscribed by Simone Beck.

John & Eileen Berryman, 1942. Wrappers. Very Good. A very important Association copy of John Berryman's scarcest title, this 1942 fragile, self-published, folded single sheet, limited to 60 copies. INSCRIBED BY BERRYMAN TO HIS GREAT COLLEGE FRIEND FROM COLUMBIA, ROBERT GIROUX, HIMSELF A TITAN OF 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE. Given Bob Giroux's strong link to Berryman (both personally and professionally), the primacy of this connection cannot be overstated. It was Giroux who edited and guided through Berryman's earliest published work at Harcourt, Brace and it was Giroux who both edited and published Berryman's later and final works (including Pulitzer and National Book Award winners) while running the eponymous Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Inscribed on the title to "Rusty", a well-known Giroux nickname in college reserved for close friends. The single beige sheet, measuring 8 1/4" x 6 1/4" wide and neatly folded in half to create 4 panels, has held up very nicely. Bright and crisp, with just a… Read More