Softcover. NY, Archipelago Books, 1st transl. thus, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover in pictorial wrappers, 236 pages. Set in rural Denmark in the early 20th century, A Change of Time tells the story of a schoolteacher whose husband, the town doctor, has passed away. Her subsequent diary entries form an intimate portrait of a woman rebuilding her identity, and a small rural town whose path to modernity echoes her own path to joyful independence. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Chicago, Rand McNally & Co., reprint, 1927, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, orange cloth covers with color label on cover, 93 pages. Illustrated with full-page color drawings and b&w text illustrations by E. Mars and M. H. Squire. A classic collection of 65 children's poems. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Boston, Houghton Mifflin , 1st, 1911, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, green cloth stamped in dark green with gilt lettering, 431 pages plus publisher's ads. Color frontis and 7 b&w plates by Irma Deremeaux. Name on front endpaper, otherwise clean. Henry Augustus Shute (1856-1943) was an American lawyer, judge and writer, who was best known for his humorous stories of small-town New England life, particularly his series of Plupy books inspired by his boyhood in Exeter, New Hampshire.
Hardcover. NY, Archipelago Books, 1st, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 337 pages. A Dream in Polar Fog is at once a cross-cultural journey, an ethnographic fable and chronicle of the Chukchi people and a breathtaking adventure story. It is the story of John MacLellan, a young Canadian sailor who is left behind by his ship, stranded among the native people of the arctic coast. It is the story of one Chukchi community that adopts a crippled stranger and teaches him to live as a "true human being." During the long winter, John comes to know his new companions--first as untutored primitives, then in the romantic light of noble savages and finally as a real people who share the best and worst of human traits with his own kind. Tragedy strikes, and a life is lost and re-given; a man rises to take the place of a boy; wounds are healed with compassion, honesty and love. And when difficult times loom ahead, it is his new family that John will fight to preserve. Rytkheu's empathetic voice guides us across the magnificent landscape of the North and reveals all the complexity and beauty of a vanishing world. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1st thus, 1969, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Three hardback books in original slipcase, dust jackets with minor wear, books are clean, very good. Very Good black slipcase, minor wear and soiling. Each volume includes black-and-white images and illustrations, and full-color plates. 96 pp. A Grammar of Color: A Basic Treatise on the Color System of Albert H. Munsell. Includes an Introduction by Birren. 96 pp. The Color of Primer: A Basic Treatise on the Color System of Wilhelm Ostwald. Includes a Foreword and Evaluation by Birren. 96 pp. Principles of Color: A Review of Past Traditions and Modern Theories of Color Harmony. Fantastic set of books for referencing multiple aspects of color theory.
Hardcover. NY, Clark Austin and Smith, 1st, 1854, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, embossed brown cloth, 283 pages. This is the original 1854 edition. Mild water stain to margins of first 30 pages, scattered foxing throughout. A comprehensive exploration of the origins, practices, and beliefs of various secret societies throughout history, with a particular focus on Freemasonry. The book delves into the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of these societies, examining their rituals, symbols, and traditions. Arnold also explores the historical context in which these societies emerged, tracing their evolution from ancient mystery cults to modern-day fraternal organizations. The book provides a nuanced and objective analysis of these secretive groups, debunking myths and misconceptions while also acknowledging their enduring cultural significance. The secret societies of all ages considered in their relations with and influence on, the moral, social and intellectual progress of man. Through them came the new revelations of life, which contributed to the progress of Humanity. Contents: Importance of this History; Providential Character of these Institutions; Egyptian Mysteries; Secret Institution of Orpheus; Initiation at Eleusis; Secret Order of Pythagoras; Templars; Freemasonry; Second Period of Masonic History; Present Position of the Order; Christianity and Freemasonry; Thomas Paine's Essay on Freemasonry, with Comments. Gilt lettering on spine faded but readable. Bottom corner of front cover bumped. No markings.
Hardcover. NY, Alfred A. Knopf, 1st, 1938, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, green boards stamped with decorative design, 36 pages with Martin's striking artwork. Light shelf wear, no dust jacket.
Hardcover. NY, D. Van Nostrand, 1st, 1949, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, green cloth covers with gilt lettering, 285 pages. Gertsch, who was a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, was the key authority of his day on spiders and identified over 1,000 spiders and close allies, including the brown recluse. This book is part of the New Illustrated Naturalist series curated by William Beebe, Robert Cushman Murphy, and Fairfield Osborn. Illustrated with color and b&w photos of spiders. Gutter cracked at title page, name stamp on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. Boston/NY, Houghton Mifflin, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 262 pages. Offers a compelling study that compares modern-day America to the rise and fall of ancient Rome, offering a series of warnings, nuanced lessons, and thought-provoking strategies designed to avoid the Roman Empire's fate. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, powerHouse Books, 1st, 2002, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket. 240 pages. Arms Against Fury examines the dramatic struggle of the Afghan people through the lens of Magnum photographers, dating back to co-founder George Rodger's documentation of the country's role in World War II. Ever since, Magnum's intrepid photographers have crisscrossed the country's striking landscape from the Central Asian steppes to the parched southern desert by way of the Hindu Kush mountains surrounding Kabul and the adjacent Panjshir Valley. As early as the 1950s, Eve Arnold and Marc Riboud filed unprecedented stories from a legendary Shangri-La, showing a small kingdom struggling for statehood against the forces of underdevelopment and unfortunate geographic position during the Cold War. The ultimate overthrow of the monarchy and brutal liquidation of Afghanistan's constitutional government in 1978 heralded the arrival of Soviet-style communism. Peasants in Nuristan rebelled immediately and initiated a jihad that was covered first by Raymond Depardon and then by Steve McCurry, and later by renowned photojournalist Abbas, who also focused on the progress of the mujahedin, who eventually faced a massive Red Army invasion and savage aerial bombardments. Clean copy.
Softcover. NY, Thames & Hudson/Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, reprint, 2006, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 160 pages illustrated in color. A colorful survey of the often provocative and always highly creative relationship between art and fashion. A crocheted wool coat of exuberant textures and glowing colors, a dyed and pleated silk vest of baroque sensuousness, a headdress of ribbon intricately ruched in the shape of a leaping fish, an evening gown made from shredded dollar bills, a kimono that carries art appliqued on its sleeve-these are just a few of the beautiful, imaginative, even surreal works of wearable art included in this richly illustrated book, published to accompany an exhibition at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Archipelago Books, 1st US, 2004, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 275 pages. First published in 1957 in Poland, Bacacay(a nod to his street in Buenos Aires) is a collection of 12 short stories by Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1968), one of the major European literary figures of the 20th century. Stunningly original in both style and content, these stories are often hilarious yet have an undercurrent of profound moral disquiet and horror when the respectable turns slowly but inexorably into the outrageous, conveying both the horrors of upper-class life and the deepest anguish of the human condition. Gombrowicz has perfect pitch for language; he revels in linguistic play, combining words in extraordinary ways. The commonplace and the everyday are juxtaposed with the bizarre and unsettling to make a world in which unspeakable subconscious urges have a habit of poking through the surface of ordinary life, leaving permanent scars. Bacacayis a brilliant series of satires on the limitations, quirks and phobias of the upper class. In Gombrowicz's hands, words create worlds. Clean, bright copy.
Hardcover. Berlin, self-published, 1st, 2019, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover in pictorial boards, 177 pages illustrated in color. Introduction by Toni Stooss, former Director of Museum Der Moderne, Salzburg. GERMAN TEXT. INSCRIBED BY ARTIST on the title page. Hasenauer was awarded a recognition prize of the ART AWARD of Strabag in 2006 and in 2008 he was the recipient of the Georg Eisler award for painting. Clean copy.
Softcover. Salzburg, Museum der Moderne, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 53 pages illustrated in color. INSCRIBED BY THE ARTIST on the title page. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Simon & Schuster, 3rd pr., 2000, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, color illustrations. Renowned artist and architect Maya Lin's visual and verbal sketchbook--a unique view into her artwork and philosophy. Boundaries is her first book: an eloquent visual/verbal sketchbook produced with the same inspiration and attention to detail as any of her other artworks. Like her environmental sculptures, it is a site, but one which exists at a remove so that it may comment on the personal and artistic elements that make up those works. In it, sketches, photographs, workbook entries, and original designs are held together by a deeply personal text. Boundaries is a powerful literary and visual statement by "a leading public artist" (Holland Carter). It is itself a unique work of art. Clean copy.
Softcover. NY, Guggenheim Museum, 1st, 2008, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 315 pages illustrated in color. This volume accompanies the most comprehensive exhibition to date of the innovative body of work by Chinese-born artist Cai Guo-Qiang--best known for his spectacular artworks using gunpowder and fireworks. It presents a chronological and thematic survey that charts the artist's creation of a distinctive visual and conceptual language across four mediums: drawings made from gunpowder fuses and explosive powders laid on paper and ignited; explosion events, documented by videos, photographs and preparatory drawings; large-scale installations; and social projects, wherein the artist works with local communities to create an art event or exhibition site, documented by photographs. Featuring works from the 1980s to the present, this volume illuminates Cai's significant formal and conceptual contributions to contemporary international art practices and social activism. Generously illustrated more than 368 pages, this volume includes essays by Alexandra Munroe, David Joselit, Miwon Kwon and Wang Hui--along with some 60 documented plate entries. Clean copy. Extra postage will be required if shipped overseas.
Softcover. NY, Archipelago Books, advanced reading copy, 2016, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover in pictorial wrappers, 165 pages. Scholastique Mukasonga's Cockroaches is a compelling chronicle of the author's childhood in the years leading up to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In a spare and penetrating tone, Mukasonga brings to life the scenes of her family's forced displacement from Rwanda to neighboring Burundi. With a view made lucid through time and pain, Mukasonga erodes the distance between her present and her past, resurrecting and paying homage to her family members who were massacred in the genocide, but also, in movingly simple language, the beauty present in quiet, daily moments with her loved ones. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Ketchum ID, Dobler Hill Ltd, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 228 pages. In stunning photographs, Stoecklein shows cowboy and Western gear as it actually looked on the cowboys who wore them, and how the gear was used. A timeless resource for collectors, and western fans alike. A full color documentary of our Western heritage, including saddles, spurs, boots, hats, and attitude. Shows artifacts and collectibles from 1860 to 1920 as they were actually used by their original owners -- it's a true look into the daily lives of the men who settled the West. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Horn Book, 1st, 1977, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket, 359 pages. Using as a framework his two essays "Out on a Limb with the Critics" and "Coming to Terms with Criticism," Paul Heins has selected contributions which expand and elucidate "the invariable questions that beset the criticism of children's books: the classification, defense, and evaluation of children's literature." Included is the controversial exchange between Eleanor Cameron and Roald Dahl on the validity of the child as critic; Jane Langton's perceptive and original discussion of the fine distinction between fantasy and reality in literature; Alvin Schwartz's remarks on folklore and humor; Mary Orvig's consideration of Swedish books in translation; and treatments of individual titles such as Watership Down, Tom Sawyer, and A Wizard of Earthsea. Name and stamp on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. NY, Dover, reprint, 1950, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a lightly worn dust jacket, 638 pages. Originally published in 1556, Agricola's "De Re Metallica" was the first book on mining to be based on field research and observation--what today we would call the "scientific method." It was therefore the first book to offer detailed technical drawings to illustrate the various specialized techniques of the many branches of mining, and the first to provide a realistic history of mining from antiquity to 1556. In 1912, the book was translated by Hebert Hoover, future president of the U.S. and printed in a limited quantity. The book contains a wealth of material on alluvial mining, alchemy, silver refining, smelting, surveying, timbering, nitric acid making and hundreds of other aspects of medieval mining practice. Profusely illustrated. The machines are a highlight. There are dozens of winches, pumps and blowers, with axles, brakes, pipes, chains, buckets, toothed wheels and slotted collars. Clean copy.
Hardcover. NY, Atheneum , 1st, 1979, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, terra-cotta cloth covers, 240 pages. As Menolly uncovers magic and intrigue, mischievous Piemur discovers the rhythm of adventure in the final book in the Harper Hall trilogy, set within science fiction legend Anne McCaffrey's beloved and best-selling Dragonriders of Pern series. Mischievous Piemur is used to getting away with a lot. He has one of the most impressive voices at Harper Hall and, in the world of Pern, there are few things more important than the ability to sing and write songs. But when his voice begins to change, Piemur loses all confidence and questions everything he thought he knew about himself. Clean copy, no dust jacket.
Softcover. NY, Archipelago Books, 1st, 2023, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover in pictorial wrappers, 127 pages. Eastbound is both an adventure story and a duet of two vibrant inner worlds. Racing toward Vladivostok, we meet the young Aliocha, packed onto a Trans-Siberian train with other Russian conscripts. Soon after boarding, he decides to desert and over a midnight smoke in a dark corridor of the train, he encounters an older French woman, Helene, for whom he feels an uncanny trust. A complicity quickly grows between the two when he manages to urgently ask--through a pantomime and basic Russian that Helene must decipher--for her help to hide him. Clean copy.