Search Results: Arts, Art History from Georg Schneebeli :: Rare Books & Prints

Lecture IV Architecture and History, pp. 1–33; and Lecture V Westminster Abbey, pp. 35–50. Lecture Architecture and History was first given by Morris as a paper read before the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) on July 1. 1884. Westminster Abbey was a paper written for the SPAB in June of 1893.
Description: Pale blue paper over boards, with the title page text reproduced on the upper front cover, cloth spine. Octavo: 21 × 14.5 cm; pp. [2] 50. Printed from 'Golden' type on fine mould-made paper.
Ref.: Walsdorf 77
Condition: Some age toning and soiling to covers (back cover has a slightly larger spot at the bottom), a bit of edgewear and slight sunning to spine. Usual age tanning to one side of free endpapers. Pages are clean and bright, hinges are sound.

A lecture delivered by William Morris at Burslem Town Hall on October 13, 1881. The 2nd of six lectures by Morris published in the same format.
Description: Pale blue paper over boards, with the title page text reproduced on the upper front cover, cloth spine. Octavo: 21 × 14.5 cm; pp. [2] 31. Printed from 'Golden' type on fine mould-made paper.
Inserted: Loosely inserted a printed note from the publisher indicating that the book may not be sold for a discounted price.
Ref.: Walsdorf 68
Condition: Minor age toning to covers. Endpapers and pages are clean and bright, hinges are sound. A very good copy.
Notes: Over the years this lecture has been one of the essays by Morris which has most often been reprinted, with special reference given to his words, "Time was when everybody that made anything made a work of art besides a useful piece of goods, and it gave them pleasure to make it […] if I have any worthy aspiration, it is the hope that I may help to bring about the day when we shall be able to… Read More

Catalogue for the exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zurich. With illustrations of 8 watercolours and an introduction by Bernhard Fiebicher (bilingual: German, English).
Description: Sewn as issued in publisher's printed paper wrappers. Quarto: 29 × 25 cm; unpaginated, [8]ll.
Condition: Covers with some minor shelf wear, internally sound, clean and unmarked.
Notes: Scottish painter Callum Innes (*1962) belongs to a group of teachers at the Glasgow School of Art who are concerned with the fundamental problems of 'light, gravity and space'. Innes himself focuses on the aspects of surface and colour in his acclaimed work, exploring the possibilities of monochrome colour application on canvas. He mixes his own oil paints and creates the most subtle nuances of colour through a special technique of addition and subtraction, 'revealing' the prepared surface with turpentine - a liquid and fluid solvent. The processual nature of his art remains visible. Since 1994, Innes has consistently developed these 'Exposed… Read More

First edition of the first published lecture by William Morris. Scarce in this exemplary state.
Description: Sewn as issued in publisher's printed light blue paper wrappers. Duodecimo: 18 × 12 cm; pp. 32.
Condition: Light age toning to edges of covers. Internally clean and free of marks. According to its age a near fine copy.
Notes: In 'The Decorative Arts' Morris first formulated his guiding principle that the decline in the artistic quality of the things around us was the result of the separation of art and craft, and that only a reunion of art and craft could lead to better design. Morris repeated and refined this idea in various lectures he gave between 1877 and 1885. It was also this principle that eventually led to the founding of the Kelmscott Press.

First edition. With the two loosely inserted original lithographs by Francis Picabia. Limited edition, number 336, printed on wove paper, from an edition of 365.
Description: Paperback, with a colour illustration by Picabia on the front cover. Quarto: 28 × 22 cm; pp. 33, [1]. 2 loosely enclosed original lithographs. Printed on wove paper.
Inserted: Loose enclosed the original publisher's subscription form.
Condition: Cover somewhat soiled, with some bumps and tears to the head and foot of the spine. Unfortunately without the glassine wrapper. Faint marginal toning to contents. Overall, however, a very good copy.
Notes: La loi daccommodation chez les borgnes (The Law of Accommodation in the One-Eyed), was conceived by Picabia as a screenplay for a three-part film in which the reader would "project the story onto the screen of his own imagination". Published in May 1928.

First edition of Gill's final collection of essays outlining his distributist philosophy on the relationship between man and work, industry and art. With an introduction by Mary Gill.
Description: Orig. navy blue cloth, pictorial decoration (St Thomas's Hands, 1935) blocked in silver to front board, titled in silver to spine, orig. dust jacket, lettered in red and black. Duodecimo: 19 × 13 cm; pp. 93, with 5 illustrations by Gill (frontispiece, St Thomas's Hands on title page, 3 illustrations in the text).
Condition: Dust jacket shows some small tears at head and foot, light soiling. Binding and contents in very good condition.
Notes: "Last Essays" contains a collection of essays written by Gill, entitled as follows: Art. Work. Private property. Education for What? Peace and Poverty. Art in Education. FiveHundred Years of Printing. The Leisure State. Secular and Sacred in Modern Industry.
Please note: Due to the low weight, the shipping costs may be lower than indicated. Please inquire with us about… Read More

A masterpiece of Chinese multi-block colour printing, masterfully reprinted, in exactly the same technique as the original and printed on the most magnificent paper.
Description: 4 vols. stab bound with gold speckled, ochre coloured paper wrappers, paper label with calligraphic lettering to front; housed in the original silk brocade folding box with calligraphic paper label and 2 bone clasps. Quarto 31 × 21 cm; unpaginated. With 283 woodblock prints on double-folded leaves (coloured [taoban], black and white, embossed [gonghua]).
Ref.: Cahill, Pictorial Colorprinting in China and Japan; Tschichold, 1970; Wright, Fashioning Biography
Condition: A near fine copy.
Notes: The late Ming/early Qing dynasty publisher Hu Zhengyan (ca. 1584–1674) is one of the most frequently studied figures in the history of Chinese prints. Hu came to Nanjing in 1619 and opened a print shop which he called Shizhuzhai (Ten Bamboo Studio). Hu was a successful publisher and businessman, producing a variety of books, for which… Read More

A lecture delivered by William Morris at the Working Men's College, London on December 10, 1881. The 3rd of six lectures by Morris published in the same format.
Description: Pale blue paper over boards, with the title page text reproduced on the upper front cover, cloth spine. Octavo: 21 × 14.5 cm; pp. [2] 45. Printed from 'Golden' type on fine mould-made paper.
Enclosed: Loosely inserted a printed note from the publisher indicating that the book may not be sold for a discounted price.
Ref.: Walsdorf 73
Condition: Minor age toning to covers, a bit of edgewear. Endpapers and pages are clean and bright, pages are unopened, hinges are sound. A very good copy.
Notes: In this lecture, Morris discusses pattern designing of various materials and predicts the influence and execution of floral and landscape motifs later found in the works of such people as Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1943) and the Rookwood Pottery Company (1880–1940).

First edition of one of the artist's major works and one of the most important art theories of the 20th century. Limited to 300 copies, of which this is no. 277.
Description: Original blue cloth binding, upper cover lettered in gilt; housed in original blue cloth slipcase. Oblong folio: 39 × 52 cm; pp.: [2], 112, [2]. Text and 350 drawings by the author printed in faksimile (title page in blue), 4 colour charts in the text, composed of a total of 53 tipped-in colour samples, each hand-painted in gouache on cardboard, 77 (122) tipped-in b/w and 5 colour illustrations.
Ref.: Bolliger 1977, 545; Rotzler 1978, 396; Wagner 2018, 74
Condition: The binding shows very little wear, the slipcase has some stains and surface scuffs. Occasional spotting to fore-edge of some leaves, otherwise in very fine condition for its age.
Notes: Johannes Itten (1888–1967) is undoubtedly one of the most influential art teachers of the 20th century. He developed his teaching methods between 1919 and 1923, when he was… Read More

Limited edition of Maurice de Vlaminck's autobiographical text, this being no. 133, from a total edition of 320.
Description: Publisher's wrappers, titled in black. Quarto: 28.5 × 23 cm; pp. 202, [2]. With initials, ornaments and 6 original lithographs by Vlaminck.
Condition: Binding in very good condition despite some minor creases. Internally quite fresh and clean, some foxing (as usual) to margins and edges. Overall a well-preserved copy.
Notes: Maurice de Vlaminck (1876–1958) was probably as great a writer as he was an artist. In his most important autobiographical work, Tournant Dangereux (Dangerous Corner), he describes his path and his relationship to art in evocative texts based on a car journey. His credo was: "If you are a painter, look only at yourself". What counts for him is reality in its historical moment. For him, painting is the language of feelings. "I struck all the notes and translated all the feelings I could perceive into an orchestration of pure colours. I was a tender… Read More

First edition of the French translation reviewed by the Richardsons and collectors A. Rutgers and L.H. Ten Kate.
Description: 3 parts in 2 vols. Contemporary marbled calf, spine with raised bands and gilt in compartments, morocco label lettered in gilt. Octavo: 19 × 12 cm; (v.1): [14] ll., 216 pp., [3] pl.; (v.2): [2] ll., 238 pp.; (v.3): [2] ll., lxxii pp., [12] ll., 759 pp. Title page printed in red and black with engraved vignette. Red edges.
Condition: Spine ends and corners gently rubbed and bruised. A short tear to upper front joint of vol. 2. Some worming to front cover of vol. 1 and spine of vol. 2. Handwritten numbering on the front flyleaf: No. 359 (vol. 1), No. 360 (vol. 2). Some leaves somewhat browned, the first 80 leaves of vol. 2 somewhat soiled at lower margin.
Notes: Jonathan Richardson the Elder (1665–1745) and his son, Jonathan Richardson the Younger (1694–1771), were renowned specialists in Italian painting. Their description was published in 1722, based on notes taken by the… Read More

From the library of Will Carter, founder of the famous Rampant Lions Press.
Description: Sewn as issued in publisher's printed paper wrappers. Duodecimo: 20 × 13 cm; pp.: 21, [1] and 1 illustration (frontispiece) by Denis Tegetmeier.
Provenance: Small rectangular bookplates of Will Carter and Sebastian Carter to front wrapper verso, ownership inscription in pen to front free endpaper recto: Will Carter 1937.
Condition: Covers marked, slightly nicked and browned at the edges. Internally in generally very good condition.
Notes: This pamphlet comes from the library of Will Carter, or rather his son Sebastian (*1941). Will Carter (1910–2001) founded the famous Rampant Lions Press, which supplied Cambridge with all kinds of printing and letterpress work. The Rampant Lions Press has been the leading English private press of the postwar period, following handsomely in the tradition of the Golden Cockerel and Nonesuch Presses. The Rampant Lions location in Cambridge and its close ties to the university… Read More

A nice Victorian travel book of twenty-four original watercolour drawings dated 1898–1902.
Description: Original beige cloth binding, titled on front cover Ilfracombe 1898, Scotland 1901 and Wales 1902. Bookbinder's label on the front paste-down. Obl. octavo: 14 × 24 cm; pp. 24ll., [1 loosely inserted]. 24 watercolour drawings on Whatman's handmade drawing paper.
Provenance: Owner's name written in pencil on the front endpaper: G E Ruffles, Yooven Hill Cottage, Felixstowe, Suffolk.
Condition: Slight bow to front board, slightly soiled and showing some marks. Of the original 30 sheets of the sketchbook, 24 sheets with 23 drawings have been preserved. The loosely inserted watercolour drawing was painted on a different watercolour paper. The drawings, as well as the binding in very good condition.
Notes: This is a fine example of a travel journal from a period when people still recorded their impressions of their journeys by painting with brushes and watercolours. The watercolours by G.E. Ruffles of… Read More