Printing History

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Now viewed in a favourable light, Panizzi was a controversial figure in his own time, being dubbed a ‘fat pedant’ by Thomas Carlyle, who was moved to press for the creation of the London Library as a result of the Italian’s high-handed behaviour. On 7 x 4 cm piece of grey paper, presumably cut from an album. No othe writing on the slip other than Panizzi's compact and disciplined signature 'A Panizzi.' In good condition, lightly aged, Strips of sunning at top and right edge, but nowhere near the signature. See scan.

from the end of a letter. A good example of Crane's stylized and distinctive signature. Reads: 'Believe me, / Very truly yours, / Walter Crane'. The top part of a cropped 'P S' is present at bottom left. See Image.

Three pieces of ephemera from a golden period of English children’s book illustration. All three items printed on shiny paper, and all worn and discoloured. ONE: ‘Hodder & Stoughton’s Christmas List’, with advertisement for Edmund Dulac’s edition of A. T. Quiller-Couch’s ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ on cover. 20pp, folio. With rusting staples. Folded once. Undated, but containing items published in 1910, apart from the cover item, which appears to have been published in 1912.

Strongitharm’s entry on the British Museum website is the main source of information about him. In 1841 ‘John Strongitharm’ is listed in the Royal Calendar among the ‘Queen’s Tradesmen’, ‘In the Department of the Lord Chamberlain’, as ‘Seal Engraver’. The present item is an well-executed and carefully hand-coloured steel engraving of the royal arms (lion and unicorn), topped by a banner with ‘LORD CHAMBERLAIN’S OFFICE’. Engraved in small letters beneath the image: ‘Strongitharm, Waterloo Place’. Printed on a somewhat-aged and lightly worn piece of thickish laid paper, 11.5 x 6.5.

Two attractive pieces of Curwen Press ephemera. 'Cornucopia' is scarce: no copy at the British Library, and the only two copies on JISC at Lancaster and Aberystwyth. The 'Short History' is better represented. ONE: 'Cornucopia'. 12pp, landscape 12mo. Stapled into illustrated wraps. Printed in brown on cream paper. Booklet designed by James Shurmer, with text by Basil Harley. Many illustrations of unicorns arranged in eight 'plates'. Internally in good condition, but front cover grubby, and blank back cover stained. TWO: 'The Curwen Press / A Short History'. 39pp, small 4to.

Two sprightly illustrations - bright, fresh and detailed - in vibrant colours (cobalt blue, light blue, pink, red purple, black, green), each with the background painted in gilt. The illustrations would appear to be genuine, but may be copies. Each is on a rectangle of vellum, and both are remarkably clean if indeed seven or eight centuries old. Each has traces of glue from previous mounting on the reverse. No text or other design on either side of the pieces. Both have ‘MISSAL RHEIMS’ in pencil above the illustration, and ‘1ST VELLUM’ at foot. ONE: On 7.5 x 12 cm piece of vellum.

An interesting item, providing a sidelight into the process of Victorian scholarly editing and publication. Fitchew’s letter is 2pp, 4to, on the outer pages of a bifolium; the inner pages being filled with notes (citations?) in a minuscule hand, possibly the recipient’s. In good condition, lightly aged and worn, and folded for postage. Addressed to ‘H. W. Wilson’ and signed ‘E. H. Fitchew’. The letter begins: ‘Dear Mr. Wilson / I think it is possible we may want a little more letterpress, but probably not much. Up to end of pt. 7 we have used 82 slips.

An attractive collection of chromolithographs, suited to display. The plates are all in good condition, laid down on the aged and sometimes damaged leaves of a small 4to (17 x 21 cm) album with good tight bevelled-edged binding in dark brown cloth, on which an embossed stylized pattern of foliage and two storks is printed in black with the word ‘ALBUM’ on the front cover and blind-stamped on the back cover. The album has an ornate title page, printed in red, with illustration of flowers, branches and a butterfly, together with the word ‘Album’ and publishers’ details.

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. He published two dozen works on calligraphy, and Pepys described him as ‘the famous writing-master’, and employed him to engrave his slide rule, but it is as an arithmetician that he is remembered: two works published shortly after his death, purportedly from his manuscript, gave rise to the expression ‘according to Cocker’. It has not been established which one of Cocker’s works the present item comes from (his earliest, ‘Pen’s Experience’, is lost). In black ink on one side of a 17 x 11 cm piece of laid paper.

Each of the two items attributed to Wright in pencil note on reverse. Both in good condition, lightly aged. ONE: On 11 x 17.5 cm piece of paper. At head: ‘Book Plate of Morrall A[?] vox stellarum vox Dei’. At foot: ‘M. J. Morrall’. (Unlikely to be the Brooklyn architect of this name active at this time.) Up left-hand margin: ‘Mr. Edward Morrall / Mayor 1885-6’. Down right-hand margin: ‘Presented to Mr Edward Morrall Quay House Bridgnorth’. Full achievement, from crest to motto, with colours indicated. TWO: On back of 9 x 11 cm printed ‘at Home’ card.

One page, 4to, dulled and stained, edges chipped in places, fold marks, text clear and complete. See Image. Text: [...] Our 'Lord Herbert of Cherbury' was issued in a limited edition of 300 copies at 4 guineas, and went out of print immediately after publication. I think however that you may still be able to obtain a copy through Mr. [J.] Kyrle Fletcher [added in Maynard's hand of Newport Mon] | We have a copy of Herbert's 'Life of King Henry VIII' which has not, to my knowledge, been reprinted since the 1649 edition, which you have.

Four pages, 16mo, bifolium, some staining, closed tear on joint, but text clear and complete, as follows: I am sorry that I cannot give you the information about Charles Keene that you ask for. I know that he made some drawings on wood for me - for 'yellow backs' but forget what they were, remembering only some were for Bulwer Lytton's novels, nor do I remember the date, but it was when he had a large top room, over an Engineer's shop in the Strand, about opposite Norfolk Street, before he drew for 'Punch'.

Four pages including address panel, 4to, bifolium, edges dulled, a little foxing. He outlines what he has done (sending things?), in a one page letter, and, on the other two pages, given a detailed account of what he has done for the bookseller from December 1787 to May 1788, including "brochures" (pamphlets). The recipient has noted when he replied. See images on my website.

On one side of a piece of paper, roughly 28 x 21.5 cm. On aged and worn paper. The engraving, roughly 11 x 13 cm, placed at the head of the page, is a head and shoulders portrait of Hampe, depicted in an oval frame, with inscription in Greek wound round a staff with snake (recalling the rod of Asclepius) and laurel sprig. Kauffmann's name engraved at bottom left and Burke's at bottom right. Beneath the engraving is a 27-line inscription beginning: “IOHANNES HENRICVS HAMPE | SIEGENA-NASSOVICVS | MEDICINAE DOCTOR DVISBVRGENSIS CLIVORVM'.

[4] + 47pp., 8vo. In printed wraps. Internally in fair condition, on aged paper, with slight staining to the corners; in worn and chipped wraps. A handsome production, as one might expect from one of the nine founders of the Grolier Club, with a two-page introduction followed by a full-page reproduction of the Ascensius printer's device, and 47 examples of pages set in various point sizes of Cushing, Ancient Roman, Jenson, Satanick, Louis XV, and Century Roman. No copy on COPAC, six American and one French on WorldCat.

The collection is in good condition, lightly aged and worn, apart from Item Seven. ONE: Autograph notes by Newberry on the firms of 'Chiswick Press Tooks Court' and 'Wm. Griggs & Sons Ltd. Peckham'. 4pp., 12mo. Closely written, with corrections. The first section concludes: 'Jacobi was certainly an experienced and successful printer of fine printed volumes and H.M. paper. William Morris drew inspiration from Chiswick Press that led to his founding the Kelmscott Press. His first experiments in the use of type designed at K. P. were carried out under Jacobi. C. P.

The 40 items range in size from 25 x 19cm to 5 x 4.5cm. All in good condition, lightly-aged, and all but five laid down on the grey paper leaves of a heavily-worn album, with back cover loose, and with ownership signature of Sir Michael's wife Elisabeth Clapham at head of first page. The couple married in 1935, and one of the 40 items is a card with text in red featuring Elisabeth's maiden name. It conveys 'Good wishes for Christmas & the New Year from Elisabeth Rea | 6 Barton Street, S.W.1'.

2pp., 4to. On bifolium, with reverse of second leaf addressed to 'Rev. T. Greenwood, | Leeds.' In good condition, on aged paper, with slight discoloration to second leaf. BBTI lists Gawtree as active in Leeds between 1817 and 1822; he took over the Leeds Intelligencer in 1818. The first paragraph reads: 'An opportunity has very unexpectedly occurred this morning of sending a packet. - I inclose you Blackwood, wch. we recd. uncommonly late this month.

Both 48pp., 4to (Part II paginated 49-96). Both in printed blue wraps, with front cover carrying the ownership inscription of R. R. Lloyd. Both with stamps of the St. Albans' Architectural & Archaeological Society, and small taped label to wraps. Both in good condition, on lightly-aged paper, in chipped and worn wraps. Part I reprints seven items from 1641 to 1645 (the first: 'Diurnall Occurrences from 27. December to the 3. of January 1641.

Booklet, [16pp., 16mo, inc. paper covers. foxing, mainly good condition. Two copies listed on COPAC, Edinburgh and the National Library of Scotland.

The eight images are arranged in four pairs, each on the central pages of an 8vo bifolium. Dimensions of page: 24.5 x 16cm. Dimensions of image: 9 x 14cm. In fair condition, on lightly-aged and creased paper. Irving is shown in five roles, including Lear, Shylock, and Becket. Also present are two portraits of Irving out of character, and a picture of the exterior of a dilapidated building. Presumably intended for an early twentieth-century biography.

xii.[460].[48]pp, 8vo, hinge strain, cover showing signs of wear and tear, marking throughout, fair condition only. The [48] page section at the back is an Appendix containing a Catalogue of relevant Books and MSS. exhibited. Luminaries like Gurney-Salter and Isaac Pitman participated. Inscribed on title "W.B. Gurney & Sons | 26 Abingdon St Westminster" (" W B Gurney & Sons LLP (Gurney's) was established in 1735 by Thomas Gurney. It is one of the country's longest surviving businesses.

1.Of Printers' Flowers ("Contributed to the B. Franklin No. of the AMERICAN PRINTER", Pelican Press, 1922)2.[FOUR SPECIMEN PAGES] "IN THE FOUR SPECIMEN PAGES WE SHOW […]"3.New Year's Card (Pelican Press, 1923)4.[Programme] Victoria House & Pelican Press Annual Outing to Margate on Eleventh June MCMXXVII 5."A Christmas Greeting sent by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Meadem and Family […] (Printed by A.H.M [Arthur Meaden, Works Manager] at the Pelican Press […]).6.Sundry Christmas Cards to Walter Corrie & Family, many sent by people (and families) listed on 5. (Programme for Outing), i.e.

1p., landscape 12mo. Good, on lightly aged and creased paper. The letter reads: 'Dear Mr. Shorter: | You were so good as to admire the Stevenson printed by Doubleday, Page & Co., which was my handiwork to a large extent, and so, I am sending you a copy of a little book written and made by me many years ago, which I hope may interest you for an idle quarter-hour, (if you ever have one at your disposal). | Wishing you all the compliments of the season. | Yours sincerely | Walter Gilliss'.

Cloth-backed boards, [16]pp. + frontis., 4to, edges and corners rubbed, sl hinge strain, Title on upper cover, frontis (illustration of Bentley bindings), pages within red borders. This is an offprint (no. 44 of 50 copies only) of Sadleir's essay in "The Colophon" in 1932, which later appeared in a slightly revised form in "Nineteenth-Century Fiction", vol.II, revisions of "style rather than content". This copy was apparently acquired by Roger Senhouse, co-owner of Secker & Warburg, in 1936 (according to a note by Alex Fothergill, bookseller, former owner).

One page, 8vo, laid down on another paper, fold marks and slightly crumpled, trimmed with loss of part of "K" of "Knebworth" only, otherwise text clear and complete. "It is with many thanks that Ireturn your Ladyship's Poems [...] I must differ from your Ladyship in the remark that 'Tragedy is not the field for female powers- I cannot help particualrly admiring the nobleness of the characters you have described, & the sentiments they atter are such as Man should utter.

An interesting assemblage of twenty-six items relating to a leading figure in twentieth-century British typography and design. David Kindersley's best-known work (in conjunction with his third wife Lida) is the iconic gates to the British Library at Euston. The collection is in very good condition. Among the items are three booklets, four keepsakes, one brochure, and ten letters and cards. ONE. Copy of David Kindersley's book 'Eric Gill, Further Thoughts by an Apprentice (London: The Wynkyn de Worde Society, 1982). 12mo, xii + [iv] + 24. Finely printed in green printed wraps. Very good.

12mo, 2 pp. 34 lines. Text clear and complete. Fair, on lightly-aged paper. He received Walford's manuscript and 'did free my spirit, as I promised I would, without loss of time'. The matter is now in the hands of the printer of the Daily Telegraph, who, 'at the time of going to press, is master of of the situation, and often delays, from night to night, giving a place to our best-loved paragraphs.' Turner marked his copy with 'a mem to the effect' that it should be shown to 'Mr. Arnold'.

12mo, 16 pp. Unbound, unstitched and unopened. A half-sheet folded three times to make eight leaves. Reproduction of early engraving on first page, vignette of country scene on last page, three illustrations of tools and a further thirteen numbered figures in text. Text and images clear and complete. Publishing details, with price of '1/2d' printed upwards along inner margin of last page. On aged paper, with slight damage to the margin of the first leaf. This single issue scarce: no copy on COPAC. Chambers Miscellany was originally published between 1844 and 1847.