Fine press book with wood boards?

Given the use of wood boards in Folio's latest LE, are there any fine press books which have wooden boards? My LEC Origin of Species has wood-VENEER (not wood) boards.

>1 punkzip: Off the top of my head, Thornwillow uses wood boards for some of their highly limited states

Arion Press’ Kora in Hell and Old Stile Press’ The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson come to mind.

>2 NathanOv:

Yes, for example the Grove Edition of Thornwillows Parable of the Sower was bound in Leather and Burl Ash Boards (I don't have a copy, but it looked very nice in the pictures).

Whilst not actually solid wood boards, I will still mention The Man Who Planted Trees LEC, which has mulberry bark on the covers as it is pretty beautiful (that one I do have).

>1 punkzip:

The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson from the Old Still Press is quite similar in this regard, with thick, solid wooden boards and beautiful grain. This is a book worth acquiring.

The Married Mettle Press's version of Billy Budd is bound in bronze with wood boards

Leaves of Grass by the Arion Press has wood boards. I don't have the prospectus handy to know whether they are veneer or solid and they don't have info on their website that I could find (epic fail Arion...).

And just because I love the book, though I acknowledge it is deeply problematic, the LEC edition of Uncle Remus has a wood veneer slipcase.

>7 jveezer:

Books and Vines says "The binding for Arion Leaves of Grass uses wooden boards with oak veneer, stained yellow-tan"

Grabhorn Leaves of Grass is solid wood I believe (owned it briefly. "morocco over beveled Philippine mahogany boards" says bonhams auction house). Grabhorn's Travels of John Mandevile also has quarter leather over wood boards.

>1 punkzip:
>8 MobyRichard:

In addition to the Grabhorn Leaves of Grass, their other masterpiece The Voiage of Sir John Maundevile has a near-identical binding - quarter morocco with thick solid wooden boards.

>9 dlphcoracl: "In addition to the Grabhorn Leaves of Grass, their other masterpiece The Voiage of Sir John Maundevile has a near-identical binding - quarter morocco with thick solid wooden boards."

Wow, was not aware of this volume! Do you happen to own a copy? The illumination does not look as extensive as the Foolscap Travels of Sir John Mandeville, but that's a beautiful binding and with copies available at a very similar price point to the Foolscap Mandeville, it's tempting to upgrade to a version of the full work ...

>10 NathanOv: I wish the Foolscap Mandeville was available at any price point. Missed this and haven't seen it on the secondary market. Probably because it is really good and no one is going to let it go..

>11 punkzip: Well pending some research on the Grabhorn edition, and hopefully hearing others' opinions of it, I may very well be letting mine go ... Definitely a hard decision though, since it's not a work I'd be likely to keep two copies of, but the Foolscap is truly magnificent.

>12 NathanOv: I'd definitely be interested if you are :).

I love my Foolscap Mandeville (originally Sorion's copy)! One of the favorites in my collection.

>12 NathanOv:

FYI........

The Grabhorn Press edition of 'The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Maundevile, Which Treateth of the Way to Hierusalem, etc.', and the Foolscap Press edition of 'The Travels of Sir John Mandevile BEYOND the Holy Land' are entirely different works. The Grabhorn edition describes his journey TO the Holy Land and the Foolscap edition describes his adventures AFTER he visited the Holy Land.

Technically a wood slipcase, but see Robinson Jeffers Granite and Cypress, Santa Cruz, CA: Lime Kiln Press (1975). One of 100 numbered copies of Robinson Jeffers' poem, printed on handmade Hayle paper and housed in a freestanding cypress case inlaid with a square of granite. Signed by William Everson. 33 leaves. 12¾x17¼, Bound in full Naturgewebe (a coarse German cloth) lined with Uwa Japanese paper, spine open-laced with deerskin rawhide from California. Slipcase sculpted from Monterey Cypress wood with a window of granite from Jeffers's stoneyard. Quite expensive in the market.

https://clarklibrary.ucla.edu/blog/granite-cypress/

>15 dlphcoracl: Are you sure about that?

Both seem to be based on the 1725 Cotton MS, and while Foolscap does excerpt one particular section of the text, I’d assumed by the page count that the Grabhorn is the complete work.

>17 NathanOv:

I have them side by side and I am comparing them chapter to chapter. They are entirely different works in many respects. Aside from a different text, the Grabhorn is very different stylistically. It maintains the 'Ye Olde Englishe' text whereas the Foolscap English language is modernized. The Grabhorn edition is printed in a very unique typeface, the Bibel Gotisch designed and cut by Rudolf Koch, uniquely suited to this text. Finally, the Grabhorn edition features 32 medieval woodcuts and 34 large hand-illuminated initial letter by Valetni Angelo in red, aqua blue and gold.

Simply put, very different books.

On the Birmingham School of Art published by St James Park Press in 1/4 leather with wood boards. The second book from this press.

>18 dlphcoracl: Thanks for the comparison - however, despite the differences in language used it still sounds like the Grabhorn is Mandeville’s complete travels, rather than an abridgment like you said before. Is that correct?

>20 NathanOv:

It's been a while since I've read it, but I did also think the Grabhorn version is unabridged. That's one thing about a lot of Grabhorn books. They often lack an introduction and offer few production details so you have to rely on third-party data. I've never owned a Grabhorn book that came with a prospectus either...

>20 NathanOv:

It may be that the Grabhorn is an unabridged version and the Foolscap is an abridged version.
The Grabhorn Maundevile contains 31 chapters versus 19 chapters in the Foolscap Mandeville with greater amount of text.

That said, I will post photos so the LT FPF cognoscenti can fully appreciate how different these two books are stylistically.

Grabhorn Chapter III


Foolscap Chapter III


Grabhorn Chapter VI


Foolscap Chapter VI

>22 dlphcoracl: The Foolscap is absolutely abridged - as you said before, it only covers his journals beyond the Holy Land.

But yes, between what you and >21 MobyRichard: have said I’m confident now that the Grabhorn includes Mandeville’s complete travels. Thank you both!

I love wood boards and have a small collection, most of which have already been mentioned here:

Billy Budd - Married Mettle Press
On the Birmingham School of Art - St James Park Press
The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson - Old Stile Press
Parable of the Sower Grove Edition - Thornwillow (not received yet)
Aurora Australis - Folio (not received yet)
Roughing It - Allen Press (Wood Veneer)

And a couple on my always searching for list:
Leaves of Grass - Grabhorn
King Lear - Janus (I believe this one was bound in Birch, been trying to find one for months)

Seven Years in Tibet by the LEC is housed between wooden boards that are not part of the book binding.
See https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/49250188773/in/album-72157664291435...

The LEC Story of an African Farm is bound in bark.
See https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/49364337136/in/album-72157664291435...

My Messale di Giorgio di Challant Facsimile also has wooden boards.
See https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/51329951489/in/album-72157664291435...

If we're talking wood boards binding, I don't think it gets much better than Schanilec's Sylvae: http://www.midnightpapersales.com/sylvae.html
Bound in white oak boards from his estate, the deluxe state also comes with wood specimens. I doubt you'll find a book that gives you more wood than this one.

Also, I think The Analects of Confucious from LEC comes in a wooden box, though the book itself doesn't contain wooden boards.

>24 Esoterics:

There are a couple of copies of Grabhorn Leaves of Grass out there that have already been rebound to resemble original style. Maybe you'll see one at auction.

>24 Esoterics:
Yes, the Janus Press "King Lear" is bound in hand-stained/painted birch with an alum-tawed pigskin spine.

>21 MobyRichard:
I have prospectuses for my copies from the Grabhorn Shakespeare series, but I haven't seen prospectuses for their other work.

>27 MobyRichard: I’ve been hoping to see one pop up at auction for a while. Either rebound or a candidate to be rebound. Outside of auction, sellers are asking much more than I’m comfortable paying.

The LEC of William Tell is bound in wooden boards

>26 filox: Yes, thank you! Definitely MPS's magnum opus, and among the finest fine press books of the 21st century. Also, one just came up for sale on eBay today. $3,000 is a lot, but some collectors recently have been spending as much on unknown books — this is an acknowledged masterpiece.

>32 grifgon: What was the original price? Also a quick Abe search shows this in fine condition for $2985 - less than the eBay starting bid.

>32 grifgon: i think of Sylvae more as a livre d'artiste than fine press, but yeah it's their magnum opus. And i see we have similar ebay alerts :)

>34 filox: I don't know — it's definitely a publication, and I think it's far from being a BLOB of any sort. But insofar as the author, artist, craftsman, and publisher are all the same person, then yes, certainly a livre d'artiste in that sense.

My MPS alerts have been going wild lately! :)

>33 punkzip: I don't recall the publication price. I've seen one sell for $2,000 and another for around $4,000. This price range seems about right to me. The one on eBay has an interesting provenance, which perhaps makes it more or less attractive depending on who you ask.

>35 grifgon: The eBay description says "Condition: Fine". Then at the end: "slight scuffing on goatskin spine".

>26 filox: “ I doubt you'll find a book that gives you more wood than this one.”

I don't know about that, there are lots of nice books out there.

>37 What_What:
(snicker)

Following two very recent arrivals, I now have three books with wood boards. I'll resurrect this thread with a few photos.







Sylvae (Midnight Paper Sales) - this is my favourite binding (not just of these three books, but of any book I've ever met). Precision crafted and overflowing with the natural beauty of the materials. The wood itself is also intricately linked with the contents of the book itself.

Treasure Island (Conversation Tree Press) - a great (and bold) design choice. Also oak, which has great natural beauty. The purposeful distressing of the wood is a fine idea but I think executed slightly too far for my my taste (I feel I can "see" the purposeful damage which has been done, rather than just seeing old, well-worn, wood). This is the only one of the three where the leather from the spine continues over the board.

Catch-22 (Amaranthine Books) - this one is plywood rather than solid wood. Less conventionally attractive than the other two, but an appropriate design choice given the work and think it works well.

Fingers crossed for more wood in fine press bindings in the near future!

I see we have two wood board books from the Grabhorn Press up thread. I’ll throw in another - The Sante Fe Trail to California, 1849 - 1852: The Journal and Drawings of H.M.T. Powell (1931).

Also, coming soon, Master and Commander from Ampersand Book Studio, whose lettered editions have boards made from iroko wood salvaged from the H.M.S. Victory during it’s restoration.

The Tudor Black Press special of Arden of Feversham has oak boards.

>41 zachp: That's the first picture I've seen of the special edition - very nice

>40 Chemren: Aren’t the Grabhorn “Santa Fe Trail” boards tan cloth?

>39 EdmundRodriguez: Lovely, thanks for sharing! I wonder if any LEC or Heritage Press books used wood boards?

>39 EdmundRodriguez:
Who published Sylvie?

>45 wcarter: see post 26

>46 paulm16:
Duh!! Dumb me!! Thanks.
Copy for sale at Oak Knoll for a mere US$4000!

>45 wcarter: Midnight paper sales

>43 Nightcrawl: You are right. I just got a copy of this from the Bromer Books 50% off sale and it hasn't arrived yet. I think I crossed the wires with a picture of the Maundeville.

>47 wcarter: apologies, I've added the presses to my post now!

Sylvae is the most expensive book in my collection, but worth every penny (to me).

A few classic press books with wooden boards:

The Ashendene Dante folio. Probably the most magnificent book I’ve ever had the chance to hold (thanks to the Bridwell Library in Dallas)
https://www.whitmorerarebooks.com/pages/books/1826/alighieri-florentino-dante/tu...

The Essex House Prayer Book
https://www.forumauctions.co.uk/114126/Essex-House-Press.-Book-of-Common-Prayer-...

The Shakespeare Head Bede on vellum (the boards were hewn from beams in Brasenose College, Oxford). Only 10 copies made

The Victoria Psalter, Designed and Illuminated by Owen Jones, circa 1861
https://booksandvines.com/2015/05/18/the-victoria-psalter-designed-and-illuminat...

About the boards from B&V:

The binding is a creation of Owen Jones, a technique he called “relievo-leather”. In this particular instance the binding covers are made of full heavily molded and embossed brown calf leather (left to its natural color) applied over wooden boards, to give the appearance of massive boards made of carved wood.

As far as size, weight and amount of wood used, it would be hard to find anything larger than this massive facsimile:-

https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/51329951489/in/album-72157719676589...

>53 wcarter: You also reviewed this here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/333942

>54 mr.philistine:
Your memory is extraordinary!

>55 wcarter: You are too kind. I just followed the Flickr link - you left the LT link in the comments section. :)

I did an edition in 1995 with wood boards:

THE WORLD TREE: A collection of nature based poems by Bob Vance. Six engraving and mezzotint intaglio prints, 1 foldout, 2 pop ups, linoleum cut and 3 hand colored line cuts. Letterpress printed in the font Oxford on Fabriano Rosapina paper. Coptic bound onto mahogany or aspen boards with intaglio and letterpress printed leather spine. 28 pgs., 6 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches. Edition of 35 books, numbered, signed. $450.00

>57 DWPress: And I’ve been searching for a copy for years! There’s at least a half dozen books from your back-catalogue that I just can’t seem to find anywhere.

>NathanOv: Send me an email with your wishlist. There's boxes in the back of the cabinets I haven't opened in years lol.

>59 DWPress: Don’t suppose you happen to have a copy of Heart of Darkness in any of those boxes? Haha

>59 DWPress: Thanks for the kick in the pants, Chad! I finally went back and checked out your catalogue properly. Was happy to find most titles I want are still available, so I sent an order. One I didn't find listed is Of Folly and of Madness: An Alphabet Book. Might you have that one squirreled away in the cupboard? I'd also be curious if there's a copy of The Chesapeake Voyages of Captain John Smith lying fallow somewhere.

AHHHHH! I should have clarified in that early comment that I wish I had 100 more Heart of Darkness to distribute. I forget how many people read this forum, that's quite a few emails this morning inquiring about this long gone book.

More on thread topic. I'm currently binding 3 copies of Ladislav Hanka's Scripta Naturae in wood boards with goat quarter bindings. Two copies will go to the artist and the other into my own collection.

>59 DWPress: Wow, email sent! I'm curious to see what you find. Hopefully no one else beat me to my top priorities - I left Heart of Darkness off my list, though if happen to find an extra ...

>61 Shadekeep: If you're able to find a copy of the John Smith book, I highly recommend it. I imagine it's the closest to the famed Heart of Darkness that the press has put out in terms of overall style, but I mostly just enjoy the exploration of the early American wilderness in an edition that evokes that feeling of nature and travel so well.

The Arion Press The Apocalypse: the Revelation of Saint John the Divine from 1982 and illustrated by Jim Dine has a wood binding. https://pbagalleries.com/lot-details/index/catalog/402/lot/124000/The-Apocalypse...

The book printed by hand in Garamond Bold in Monotype composition with 14 point for the words ascribed to St. John and 18 point for words ascribed to God and the angels, with Hadriano for verse numbers and Stempel Garamond Titling for display, on French handmade Apta Vélin from the Richard de Bas Mill. The binding, done in-house, is hand-sewn on a concertina and attached to oak veneer plywood boards, with a white alum-tawed pigskin spine. Edition of 150 copies, including 8 in a special binding (basically an additional wooden slip case), plus 15 hors de commerce.

Very expensive!

Poe's Cask of Amontillado from George Walker.

>65 Glacierman: I was debating whether or not to post that myself! I believe it’s the last available copy, and is very tempting especially being so close to publication price. I couldn’t get clarity on how the text is printed when I inquired, but the illustrations are printed on a Vandercook proof press by the artist.

>66 NathanOv: You can probably reach out to the artist to see how it was printed, the webpage is also unclear: https://www.george-walker.com/Limited_Editions/the-cask-of-amontillado.html

>67 921Jack: The index page for his limited editions simply states "hand printed."

Would be nice to know if it's letterpress and which paper...
The edition looks lovely.

>69 Ragnaroekk: The engravings are relief-printed on very nice hand-made Japanese paper, but "100% archival" for the text paper makes me wonder if other elements of the book were significantly downgraded.

>67 921Jack: I emailed that exact question, and only got a response that the book is out of print, but hand-printed engravings are available individually. So still no clarity on the text.

In a given catalogue, some books can be printed letterpress while others printed offset. Having said that, some of his books are fairly lengthy. I rather doubt he hand printed the text of those books. Coupled with the paper downgrade for the text and the evasive answer, I would conclude that the text is not printed letterpress for any of his books.

On one of his past books listing he mentioned letterpress for the text, but no mention of letterpress for the one under discussion is probably a sign it’s not. One of the fonts on the store listing looked like fairly recent digital font so would be polymer plates at best. Odd to be so evasive about it though, I feel like people would still be interested.

>70 NathanOv:
Wrote George aswell and he said that the text is letterpress printed, but not on which paper...

>73 Ragnaroekk: That's good to hear! Hopefully whoever in this thread inevitably picks it up can at least let us know if it looks machine made / mouldmade etc.

>74 NathanOv: I ended up getting it, the listing is still up, so tbd if I was actually the first.

>74 NathanOv:
A couple photos of the text. I caught a bit of the watermark and the printing of it’s of interest to anyone in the future. Can’t really place the paper though.

DWPress Managed to find a copy of the aforementioned Chesapeake Voyages of Captain John Smith, hurrah! It's from eBay so there's a bit of a dice roll involved. But it's listed in as-new condition, so I'm holding out hope. It's number 66 and I got it for $166, so clearly my pact with the Devil is bearing fruit. 😉

Was poking around Bromer's site and stumbled on The Poem Emerges from the Press at Colorado College. It's a collection of student poetry, but has wood veneer on its boards.