•  Publisher's light boards with printed dust wrapper, in Mylar protective jacket. Nearly new.  (23241)

Not only was the present copy inscribed by the printer to Carl Rollins of the Yale University Press (see below), but laid in are both the prospectus and aheartfelt typed letter signed addressed to Rollins, in which the writer ruefully expresses his chagrin over a controversy regarding his use of a printer's device for the Frankeleyns Tale prospectus that turned out, unbeknownst to him, to have been copied from a Rockwell Kent bookplate. Also present is abeautifully written manuscript letter from Bentley to Rollins; Bentley, who was clearly a calligrapher as well as a printer, thanks him for including his work in an exhibition called “The Work of Four Yale Men in Printing” and describes his current state of mind with regards to printing.

Provenance:  Inscribed by the printer: “To Mr. Carl P. Rollins with the compliments of the printer. Pittsburgh, September 23rd 1931.”

•  Publisher's quarter cream paper and gray-toned striated paper–covered sides, spine with printed paper label; spine slightly darkened, binding otherwise showing little to no wear. Inscription and laid-in items as above. A beautiful book, and one most gratifying in its accompaniments and fine printing associations.  (29653)

The seven books are printed in Latin with passages in ancient Greek and at least one instance of Hebrew, embellished with woodcut and factotum initials, pretty woodcut ornaments, elegant head- and tailpieces from both woodblocks and engravings, and sidenotes in the final section. The seventh book, Descriptio montis Atho by Joannes Komnenos (Comnene, 1657–1719), is printed mostly double-column with the original Greek text facing the Latin translation and a few openings with Latin and Greek on facing pages, followed by two small engraved views of Mount Athos from east and west. The final section is a treatise on ancient Greek and Latin by Burgundian jurist Jean Bouhier (1673–1746), called De priscis Graecorum ac Latinorum literis dissertatio.

•  Brunet, III, 1863. On the contribution of this book to paleography, see: B. Bischoff, Latin Paleography (1990); B. Manning Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible: an Introduction to Greek Palaeography (1981).   Contemporary full vellum, early ink title to upper spine, red edges; vellum soiled, nicked at head and foot of spine, shrunken revealing sewing at foot and a little springing the covers. Ex-library with two old pressure-stamps to title-page and a few old ink markings; light foxing to title-page and some others, hole from natural flaw in bottom margin of one leaf and tear in upper margin of another, inkstains on a few leaves, one smudge from press and just a few other spots, very minor offsetting from a few plates. Later pencil marginalia on one leaf. A volume both serviceable and integral to any library with Greek manuscripts or interested in them.  (30435)

•  Signatures sewn; sewing starting to loosen. Pages age-toned with light spotting, more pronounced to first and last few leaves. Corners bumped.  (27501)

Languages charted in these tables include “Tartares Mouantcheoux,” Tamoul, Telongou, Persian (ancient and modern), Armenian, Russian (ancient and modern), Coptic, Hebrew, etc., with the engraving done by master artisan Robert Bénard (fl. 1750–85).

•  Half green calf with green marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title; slight wear to corners and spine extremities. Lacking one plate (#25); another with a small hole outside image and a circlet of darkening around that, from a cigarette ash (#6). Light soiling and spots, a corner or two a little chipped or bent; a handsome gathering.  (24823)

•  Cary, Village Press, 132.   Publisher's black cloth, front cover with gilt-stamped letter medallion design, spine with gilt-stamped title; spine sunned unevenly and not unattractively, else a clean and good copy. Original plain slipcase, though worn and broken, is still associated as seems to be somewhat uncommon. A lovely and instructive book.  (28322)

•  Publisher's blue cloth, covers framed and stamped in blind, front cover and spine with elegantly gilt-stamped title; extremities rubbed. Two pages with offsetting from now-absent laid-in item; two small pencilled annotations. A few instances of light spotting; one leaf with outer margin chipped. A pleasing copy.  (30507)

•  Publisher's tan cloth, corners bumped, in handsome illustrated dust-jacket, a bit sunned. A very nice book!  (22344)

•  Publisher's printed paper wrappers, front cover with inked ownership inscription dated 1850, wrapper edges with blue ink smudges, spine with traces of now-absent paper reinforcement. Pages age-toned, some with blue ink smudges at edges, otherwise clean.  (29074)

This is numbered copy 1051 of 1500 printed; it wassigned at the colophon by the artist.

•  Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by the Limited Editions Club, 32.   Publisher's brown and orange cloth as above, spines with gilt-stamped titles; slipcase and wrappers lacking, bindings showing moderate shelf wear most pronounced at spine extremities. Clean.  (30404)

Additionally, both the Chinese and English texts are presented on a folded slip of paper, with additional commentary in Chinese characters only.

The ivory is mounted within a black frame affixed to a small square of gold paper, on red velvet, and contained in a beautiful, eminently displayable case covered in olive-green silk with a woven Asian-inspired knotwork pattern in bronze and blue, decorated with a Chinese-printed label on the front cover. The case closes with a fabric loop and white-painted wooden toggle.

•  Box as above, showing the faintest hint of rubbing to one corner, overall in excellent condition. Small compartment beneath presentation window seems to indicate a long slender item was at one point laid in, but it is difficult to say what that might have been.  (30544)

Upchurch's account of his life and accomplishments includes descriptions of the founding of various lodges and the establishment of their rules, his observations on visiting chapters in California and a number of other states, and (in passing) the poor living conditions in San Francisco's Chinatown; it is illustrated with portraits of the author, depictions of lodge charters and regalia, and other memorabilia. Poems and eulogies were added by Samuel Booth, the editor, who also did his best to shape the plain-spoken Upchurch's thoughts into publishable form while not making any attempt at literary polish.

Binding:  Publisher's roan, front cover with decorative gilt-stamped frame and gilt-stamped facsimile of Upchurch's signature ("Fraternally yours"), back cover stamped in blind. All edges gilt.

This is the original first edition, not a modern reprint. Actual holdings (as opposed to microform or online files) are uncommon in U.S. institutions.

•  Bound as above; rubbed overall most notably at edges and joints, front joint cracked but holding, spine with paper shelving label. Front pastedown with institutional presentation bookplate, lines unused. Pages faintly age-toned, otherwise clean; one leaf with small edge chip.  (29694)

•  Publisher's red cloth; dust jacket. Top of dust-jacket is a little frayed with tiny tears with slight loss of paper; short tears to front crease of the dust jacket at base of spine. A very good copy.  (21998)