Fine Press Shelfies

It has been a while since we have seen any collection photos. I have an idea about how to do shelfies that are a bit more engaging than just, here: look at my stuff.

I propose the following guidelines, which you can follow or not depending on how civil and agreeable you feel at the moment (I'm not your dad).

1. One shelf, not a whole bookcase, focused on some theme or organizing principle. One shelf makes it easier to see details and also facilitates thinking like a curator.
2. One photo per comment. Make it count. Posting additional comments is fine, but...
3. Wait a day or two before posting another, so we get some nice variety in browsing. Or at least wait until a few others have posted in the interim.
4. No discussions or arguments about what constitutes fine press! Each comment author gets to decide. But if the majority of the titles on your shelfie weren't printed using some relief method, maybe consider your life choices.
5. Annotate or not as per your whim. It's likely we will discover some new titles to add to our wishlists based on this exercise given the variety of interesting member collections.

Here is some template HTML code that will hopefully make posting easier. Just replace the IMGURL text within the link to your image file (this should be a file type such as jpg or png; if it ends in "html" that is probably not what you want).

<img src="IMGURL" width=600 >

If you're looking for a good image host, my current favorite remains postimg.cc

And, to get us started, here's one of mine, theme is poetry.

For some organized chaos, enjoy my shelf of un-shelfable books (yes, there are still some I haven't figured out how to fit in)

Since I just mentioned Pinocchio in another thread, here’s my Tallone foreign-language section, which exemplifies both my reluctance to cut new Brodart and my fear of cleaning vellum.

>3 NathanOv: Well, I see the Red Angel Press, how is the Two Pond Press Island Whale? I have just one from that press that I like but it's a very different book than this one in terms of approach (more about the text and less about the artistic features).

>5 LBShoreBook: I would say it’s very much an artist’s book / object, but one with fine press production values and plenty of text to read which is key for me.

I think the design concept was prioritized too much over readability, at least in the main section of the book, but the text is a truly fascinating compilation with scholarly merit.

>2 abysswalker: What Rilke is that?

>7 Nightcrawl: Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, Limited Editions Club, 1981

All the Folio Society's giant limited editions plus the Rotz Atlas from the Roxburghe Club.

Some oversize books, up top of the bookcases.

>10 Chemren: Oh, impressive stuff! I still need to buy my first Ashendene book and want it to be illustrated, so there aren't many options. Tutte le Opere de Dante Alighieri Fiorentino perhaps? 😄 Le Morte d'Arthur is more realistic though.

>11 Lukas1990: Or Daphnis et Chloe. Some nice woodcuts by Gwen Raverat interspersed throughout that one.

Some nice shelves here!

This is mine for tall books on ancient and medieval stuff:

>11 Lukas1990: I am definitely missing the Ashendene D'Arthur on my shelf!

>13 SebRinelli: I didn't realise The Odyssey is THAT thick. Also, I need that Cupid & Psyche (the regular version). I own the Dialogues of Creatures but it is a bit damaged - I am still waiting for a specialist to repair it.

>15 Lukas1990: no, you’re right. It’s a custom made solander to preserve the near fine binding

>13 SebRinelli: I would just like to say that that is a beautiful copy of the Mabinogion… Hoping that someone could make a facsimile at some point in the future

>9 wcarter: Is the red slipcase next to "Holy Land" part of that set?

18: No. I think that is Music for King Henry, another Folio oldie.

Apologies for the sub-standard photo. Some of my smaller, thinner books in no particular order. I have more, but they are not on a shelf, but in archival enclosures.



In case you're wondering, the three black ones on the far left are LECs: Book of Psalms, Vathek and the Rubaiyat. The black one to the left of "The Prince of Peace" is Diary of the Delphic Oracle from La Ginestra, a superb book. And the one on the far right which got partly cut off is a Calliopea Press book, A Tear in the Eye of the Eagle.

>19 supercell: Oh. Thank you.

Here are some of my favourites (as I've admitted elsewhere, I tend to shelve my most favourite books together - easier to stare at them all lovingly, or grab them in case of fire).

>18 PartTimeBookAddict:
>19 supercell: is right, it is Music for King Henry.
See https://www.librarything.com/topic/349609

>23 wcarter: Thanks. It looks like it could be an additional map set.

The main categories on this shelf are smaller Golden Cockerel books on the left, a few Letterpress Shakespeare, and a number of Whittington Press books (shelved spine-inwards on the right; sorry, I know that makes the picture boring).

A few other objects of potential note are
(1) my only Nonesuch Press edition—Florio's Montaigne;
(2) my copy of Nomad Letterpress' Coastline, an all-time favourite, and their 2020 Vision;
(3) two treasured Gibbings books—Glory of Life and XIV Engravings on Wood;
and (4) Weeds and Wild Flowers from Two-Horse Press.

>20 Glacierman: is that the pennyroyal Salome on the right?

>26 filox: No, nothing that fancy, I fear. 'Tis but the lowly Heritage Press edition.

There are several No Reply titles, a Petrarch Press book, and several from Sutton Hoo along with those from lesser known presses, etc. And one Cummington Press book.

Trying the instructions for the first time--fingers crossed!

This is a shelf with the fine press books that fit on it--keeping some of the Heavenly Monkey together (but others are too big!).

>28 Flaubie: lovely! Which edition is that Book of Ruth?

>29 abysswalker: Thank you! Ruth is the 1896 Dent edition, with illustrations by William Brown MacDougall. The binding is by Miss C.A.L. MacRae.

A Century for the Century shelf. Apologies for the terrible photo. I will have my artist daughter take subsequent shots.

https://i.postimg.cc/858V6vCM/Century-for-the-Century-shelfie.jpg


Top (horizontal):
Keynes, Geoffrey - "William Blake's Water-Colour Designs for the Poems of Thomas Gray", Trianon Press (1972) - 3 vols

Left to right:
Bowning, Robert - "Men and Women", Doves Press (1908) - 2 vols
Shakespeare, William - "Hamlet", Cranach Press (1930)
Bible - "Cantique des Cantiques de Salomon", Cranach Press (1931)
Homer - "The Iliad", Limited Editions Club (1931)
Homer - "The Odyssey", Limited Editions Club (1931)
Homer - "The Odyssey", Emery Walker, Wilfred Merton and Bruce Rogers (1932)
Hornby, C. H. St. John - "Ashendene Press Bibliography", Ashendene Press (1935)
Joinville, Jean de - "The History of Saint Louis", Gregynog Press (1937)
Hunter, Dard - "Papermaking by Hand in America", Mountain House Press (1950)
Ovid - "Metamorphoses", Limited Editions Club (1958)
Catullus - "Poems", Abattoir Editions (1979)
Merwin, W. S. (tr) - "Robert the Devil", Windhover Press (1981)
Allen, Lewis and Dorothy - "The Allen Press Bibliography", Allen Press (1981)
Hamady, Walter - "Papermaking By Hand", Perishable Press (1982)
Butcher, David - "The Stanbrook Abbey Press, 1956-1990", Whittington Press (1992)

Two of my favorite presses on one shelf. I buy a fair amount of their output and always look forward to their next announcements.



Tudor Black Press and No Reply Press

I always store my books resting horizontally rather than vertically. I know nothing is perfect, but there absolutely is more pressure placed on the bottom of a book than the top when vertical. BUT, again I know there's a lot of factors involved, so I'm not judging anyone, I do think vertically is more convenient :)

>33 astropi: That also saves the neck from craning to find titles! I do it too.

>33 astropi: What do you reckon the pressure is on the bottom book of a horizontal stack relative to the pressure on the bottom of each book in a vertical stack. 🤔

>35 LBShoreBook: The text block is always torquing the spine forward at the top, and the spine reinforcement piece is always finding the flat with the boards, often crushing a little. Horizontally, elements are achieving stasis, and the boards and paper, always moving with the change in humidity are aided by gravity, rather than by the uneven tension of the bookend on a shelf. Dust accrues, if it does, on the top piece only, and not embedding itself in the pages which are hard to clean. These are the reasons I store all my inventory horizontally.

While I see definite advantages to storing books horizontally, it seems to me that they would have to be of the same surface area, or nearly so, within the same stack. Otherwise the accumulative pressure of smaller books on a larger one might cause bowing or concavity in the lower volumes. Perhaps the amount is trivial in small enough stacks, however.

I believe that if books are firmly (not tightly) packed on a shelf, vertical is fine, even with big books, as pressure from adjacent books support the others.
And who amongst us has loosely packed shelves?

>33 astropi: let's have some horizontal pics!

It's also traditional in East Asia to store books in stacks horizontally.

In terms of preservation standards, vertical shelving with good bindings and reasonably close shelving seems to be fine, as is the practice in most rare book libraries and famous historical libraries such as the Samuel Pepys library.

>10 Chemren: Is that a custom box for the Valenti Angelo book? I've never seen a box/slipcase with that volume (assuming it's the 1976 BCC edition).

>40 kronnevik: It is the BCC edition in a custom box.

>10 Chemren: Nice, you've got some beautiful books. Which edition of Thucydides is that? Also am interested in the binding variant for the Ashendene Don Quixote. And how do like your OUP "John Fell"?

>42 Sport1963: the size and proximity to other Ashendene titles leads me to guess Ashendene, in a custom solander. Let's see if I am correct!

>43 abysswalker: You are correct. It is the Ashendene Thucydides.

Re: Quixote bindings - the bibliography states that the 200 paper copies were offered at 14 guineas for full pigskin binding and 10 guineas for linen spine and paper boards. It does not say how many of each were bound up. Mine is the linen spine.

John Fell: I was surprised at how big this thing was when I received it. Evidently, Stanley Morison was researching the material for this book, off and on, for much of his life, and unfortunately he passed away the day before it was released. The first half of the book is about Fell himself and the second half about the types. I found the first half more interesting than the second half, but both held my interest. The book is one of the more reasonably priced Century for a Century volumes.

Here's a more diverse shelf of presses, including quite a few with blank outward facing spines. See if you recognise any.



Presses represented include Old Stile, Incline, Sutton Hoo, No Reply, and Corvus Works.

>45 Shadekeep: Nice to see the English Aesop from Prelo in there!

>45 Shadekeep: which edition of Seneca is that?

>45 Shadekeep: I see La Ginestra's Diary of the Delphic Oracle immediately to the left of Ramsey Campbell's Decorations (Alpenhouse Apparitions/Chad Oness). And Philip Levine's Naming (Sutton Hoo Press) to the left of From the Almanack, 1726. And next to Naming (on the left) is Sweet Geometry by Pamela McClure from Sutton Hoo.

That's all I can ID.

Nice shelf!

>47 abysswalker: It’s the Dana Gioia text published by Aralia Press. A very fine edition!

Here’s a somewhat eclectic shelf:

>50 kermaier: Almost eclectic enough to hide that Chester River Heart of Darkness! What's the other Conrad title if you don't mind me asking?

>51 NathanOv: that one I recognize; The Secret Sharer (LEC).

>52 abysswalker: Correct!
Can anyone guess the 3 books without spine labels? :-)

Hint: 1 story and 2 slim volumes of poetry, all published within the past 5 years.

Well, as instructed, I have waited a few days, and here is another shelf. Random titles, with many different publishers, and totally different to my first post here.

A shelf with mid-size books more or less in order of their publication

I’m loving these shelfies!!

>46 ChestnutPress: >48 Glacierman: Well spotted, gents! As I expected from you both.

>50 kermaier: Great stuff, lots of top-notch No Reply in the mix there as well as other choice titles. What edition of Poe's Masque is that with the cream cover under clear wrap?

I wanted to add my own shelfie here, but looking online it seems that various image hosting websites are a bit dubious to use. Instead, if any of you are interested, I added my shelfie as my profile pic. The only common thread for the books there is that they are larger volumes that don’t fit my other shelves.

>58 ChestnutPress: You can use the Gallery here to host your images. Just upload them like you did with this one and then link them in the post, like so:

<img src="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d7/9d/d79dfd24ba06728636d573737674377424c4145_v5.jpg" width="600"/>



Choice titles, by the way! Coveting that Weeds and Wild Flowers from Two-Horse Press especially.

EDIT: And if you want to make the image clickable so that folks can see the original at full size, wrap the img tag in an a (anchor) tag, like so:

<a href="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d7/9d/d79dfd24ba06728636d573737674377424c4145_v5.jpg"><img src="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d7/9d/d79dfd24ba06728636d573737674377424c4145_v5.jpg" width="600"/></a>

The href value for the a tag should be the same URL as the src value for the img tag. It would be nice if there were a canned way of doing this on LT instead of resorting to HTML code, but there you go.

>59 Shadekeep: Oh quality! Cheers for the info! 👍🏻 Weeds and Wild Flowers is a very fine volume and well worth getting your hands on if funds allow. I do not regret splashing the money out on it!

Bit of a catch-all shelf with a few loose themes: Venice, music, birds, farming/gardening, Christmas, Sherlock Holmes, poetry, etc.

>58 ChestnutPress: The Psalms of David from Rampant Lion Press leaps out at me currently, having recently bought two copies in the last month. I bought one for myself and just today another arrived for a friend. It’s an unusual concept to be buying brand new books that are forty seven years old!

I would urge any collectors not owning this book to grab one whilst they are still available. In the UK the price is £200 delivered. Here is a short description;

The Psalms of David (1977)
Miles Coverdale’s translation, as used in the Book of Common Prayer. Hand-set in Eric Gill’s Golden Cockerel Roman – the first use of the type at the Rampant Lions Press – and printed on J Green mould-made paper. Bound by George Miller. 280 copies in quarter vellum with specially designed patterned paper boards, in an acetate wrapper.
152 pp. 34 x 23 cm. £200

Here is a link;

https://rampantlionspress.com/

Thanks
Paul

>62 paulm16: It’s a no-brainier of a book to buy, I reckon!

>61 kronnevik: Some very fine volumes, Mr Ronnevik! 👌🏻

>63 ChestnutPress: It feels like one of those rare things called a bargain.
Do you know what the original sale price was by any chance?

>65 paulm16: According to the RLP bibliography, the original price was £150 for standard copies and £225 for the specials bound in full vellum.

I always thought it was a pity that the original idea of a new edition of Eric Gill's Essay on Typography set in Golden Cockerel type was not pursued. Sebastian Carter's take on Gill would have been interesting.

The story is told briefly in the bibliography entry for The Psalms of David and at more length in the somewhat obscure Balancing Act

>55 SebRinelli: Nice! Custom box for the Allen Press Pushkin? Whose “The Lottery” is that?

>57 Shadekeep: it’s the Halcyon Press edition of Poe stories. This is the cover under the dust jacket:



Edit: With wood engravings by J. Buckland Wright :-)

>67 kermaier: That’s the Suntup numbered edition of “The Lottery.”

>67 kermaier:
>69 Nightcrawl: is right. My only Suntup, but a really nice one to have if one accepts digitally printed art in a fine press book.
The Pushkin is indeed in a custom solander. It‘s my favourite Allen Press book, even before Youth and the like.

>68 kermaier: Holy cow, JBW illustrations! This sucker is going on my search list, thanks kindly.

>71 Shadekeep: They’re strongly reminiscent of Blair Hughes-Stanton's illustrations in the Golden Hours Press “Dr Faustus” - i.e., great :-)

>61 kronnevik: I'm delighted to see the two Larkspur editions of Wendell Berry here. Can I ask for more information about the edition of Vegetable Gardening on the left of those beautiful books? I am also a proud owner of An Avian Alphabet, it's a wonderful book.

>73 jbrnewman:

Vegetable Gardening will be the nice little book by John Carey published by Rampant Lions in 1989.

>61 kronnevik:
I see the cloth binding of the Ascensius Press “North of Boston” — not many have a copy of that!

Which editions of the Sonnets are on the right? (One is an old FS with Valenti Angelo decorations?)

>73 jbrnewman: Vegetable Gardening is my favourite book from the Rampant Lions Press. A wonderfully entertaining essay illustrated with the most beautiful Clare Melinsky linocuts. It always pleases me to see it on a collector’s shelf as I think it a hugely underrated little gem of an edition.

>61 kronnevik: Is far left the Old School Press second edition of ‘Venice Approached’, then to the right of ‘Venice Visited (thank you again for finding me a copy!)… is it the Old School Press ‘An Italian Dream’ followed by the Targ Edition of ‘The Four Seasons’? If so, it’s nice to see that, among a few others there, we share a good few in common on our respective shelves!

>72 kermaier: Love his work. I have two of his collections put out by Fleece Press, so gorgeous. I wouldn't mind snagging that Dr Faustus either!

>74 affle: Hard to go wrong with Rampant Lions, superb work across the board. Amazing that some titles are still directly available from Sebastian (https://rampantlionspress.com/list-of-titles/). I quite like The Unknown Masterpiece among those on offer.

>74 affle: >76 ChestnutPress: Thank you both! I will look into that one.

>73 jbrnewman:
Others have informed you correctly regarding Vegetable Gardening. It's indeed a wonderful little book. I enjoy the Larkspur Berrys immensely. Those two are both specials. I have a few more (though by no means all the Berry titles) shelved with smaller books.

>75 kermaier:
IIRC there are only 15 or so cloth copies. That means it's much more valuable than the comparatively ubiquitous (26!) full leather copies, right? ;)

Sonnets L-R are: Acorn Press (1982), Thornwillow (half leather), Heritage Press (not FS, though you're right about Valenti Angelo)

>64 ChestnutPress: >77 ChestnutPress:
Thanks! and correct on all counts. The only Old School Press Venice-related title not there (excluding the first edition of Venice Approached) is Into the Lagoon which, because of its wrap's buttons, is shelved elsewhere. The Targ Four Seasons (one of the many books you introduced me to) is simply a delight--truly amongst a small group of favorites. I've performed the Seasons at least a dozen times since last fall and it's been fun to periodically dip into those pages.

>28 Flaubie:
Those H-Ms are droolworthy. I'd like to just see some of those editions in person.

My least colorful shelf: Full set of LEC Shakespeare and the similarly bound large paper edition of Bruce Rogers' Paragraphs on Printing.

>82 kronnevik: I count at least 14 editions we share, which is pretty good going. We either both have good taste or bad, but I reckon the former! 😁

>55 SebRinelli: Always good to see a copy of LECs ‘The Secret Sharer’ on a shelf. I think this book slides under the radar of a lot of collectors, but it’s a superb volume. And usually available for a great price. The very moving ‘Planting a Sequioa’ is also a great edition (not that any of those shown aren’t!). It’s a fine selection

>54 wcarter: Is the ‘Letters to my Father’ the edition printed by Evergreen Press?

>50 kermaier: There are some excellent volumes there, representing some great presses

>45 Shadekeep: Diverse and wonderful!

>31 Sport1963: Some beautiful editions there!

>22 EdmundRodriguez: That edition of The Man Who Planted Trees is one of my all-time top ten.

Some of my favourites in a horizontal stack...

>90 Dr.Fiddy: Original ‘An Albion in the Antarctic’ or facsimile?

>2 abysswalker: Gotta love a shelf of fine press poetry. Really nice to see one of the Florence Press editions in there. I love the Florence type and it’s a great pity it never got used elsewhere.

>4 ChampagneSVP: what’s a slightly short piece of Mylar between friends! 😁

>91 ChestnutPress: Facsimile. I was too late to get the original...

>94 Dr.Fiddy: Most people were way too late for the original. The facsimile is a superb alternative though, and I am very glad to own one

>95 ChestnutPress: I'm very glad to own one of these too. It's superb indeed; and it's so that I almost can't believe all the efforts you took to digitally re-set and adjust the text of this edition! 🙌

>90 Dr.Fiddy: variation on this theme.



The topmost two aren't so much shelved as temporarily resting.

>92 ChestnutPress: another Florence Press title lurking here.

>97 abysswalker: I see that St Francis of Assisi atop of Bacon’s Essays!

>97 abysswalker: what editions of hamlet and little flowers?

Some of Barbarian Press books printed between 1983 and 2017.

>97 abysswalker:
Sight of Ivan Ilyich and the overcoat on your shelf prompted me to expand and update my prior shelfie:



Ivan only arrived today, I've given it pride of place next to Sylvae on my shelf.

Some more beautiful shelves here 😍

>90 Dr.Fiddy: that‘s really nice cloth for the Gawain Solander. I need to get one made, too.

>84 ChestnutPress: Thanks. I will hopefully add more. Your Instagram is a great source of inspiration. Sadly, many of those editions you feature are hard to come by.

>61 kronnevik: Among the many beautiful books on you shelf I spot 49 Days. I‘ll be hopefully adding this one to my collection this year!

>101 EdmundRodriguez: Wow! Running Rings has been on my search list for quite some time - I had no idea it was that large though.

>90 Dr.Fiddy: Fantastic! Some of the best fine press books from recent years, full stop.

>100 vadim_ca: Impressive! Personally coveting the Inishbream from that lot.

>103 NathanOv: It's in a (bespoke) slipcase shelved inwards (so you're seeing the back of case), which adds quite a bit of thickness, it is tall though (almost 15 inches I think).

>99 PBB: The ‘Little Flowers…’ is the very nice Florence Press edition

>100 vadim_ca: That’s a great selection, and only the second time I have seen the ‘Barbarian’ edition of Blue Roofs of Japan. Saying that, it’s also the only other time I have seen the Spencer too!

LOL I can't figure out how to get image posted in thread, I can open in new tab clicking on the icon above. I guess I like books more than HTML.

>102 SebRinelli: Very glad my Instagram is of use (if sometimes frustrating when trying to obtain copies of what you see). The hunt is part of the allure of fine press and I think my feed at least helps people better see whether an item is something they would like to track down. And as for your comment on 49 Days shown in Kronnevik’s shelfie, I can only humbly urge you to grab a copy sooner rather than later. It’s a very special edition and Greenboathouse editions are notoriously difficult to find once out of print.

>103 NathanOv: Running Rings is certainly a big un! I hope you eventually find a copy as it is jaw-dropping and firmly puts Paul L Kershaw at the absolute forefront of creative letterpress that rather defies what can be done with the process

>100 vadim_ca: Ah, Vadim, you and I are indeed kindred spirits!

>99 PBB: the upper Hamlet is the 1978 Tallone, the lower is the 1920 Julius Schroeder with Sepp Frank illustrations.

More on the Tallone Hamlet here:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/331303

>108 LBShoreBook: Is this what you were trying to post?

>110 ChestnutPress: Paul Kershaw’s Grapho Editions are some of my favorite books in my collection! Unfortunately, I missed Running Rings and The Amphibious Place before discovering his work and am yet to track down either.

>111 ChampagneSVP: Couldn't agree with you more - I was very confused there for a moment! LOL

That's a wonderful collection!

>104 Shadekeep: and >107 ChestnutPress: Thank you!

>102 SebRinelli: Yes, it's a beautiful box that was made by Taller Martin Pescador:
Gawain and the Green Knight, from Taller Martin Pescador

>104 Shadekeep: Thanks, and I totally agree, I also think they're some of the best recent fine press books 😊

>85 ChestnutPress:
No, its a Simon Randall limited edition Signed by artist Clare Melinsky No. 48 of 50. Four page facsimile of the original letters in a separate folder.

>113 A.Nobody: that looks familiar, yes

> That is the one I am thinking of, I believe. I think the colophon will say that John Grice printed it?

>114 NathanOv: All of his books are spectacular. I eagerly await the next!!

Given the recent run of "mostly one press" shelves, here's mine of Fleece Press. The two unlabeled slipcases among them are also FP titles, one of them my favorite from the press. Other presses are present as well.

>119 ChestnutPress:
You are, of course, correct. Printed by John Grice of Evergreen Press.

>118 LBShoreBook: Ooh, some gems there! I spot a couple from the Ascensius Press, including another copy of the cloth bound “North of Boston”.
And a nice little selection of Melville, with “The Lightning-Rod Man” and the Indulgence Press “Bartleby”!

Wow, this thread is really putting my wallet at a risk...

>121 Shadekeep: Sensuous Lines is amazing. And still available directly from Simon Lawrence at the Fleece Press.

>125 Chemren: Indeed, and it's a peach of a book!

>123 kermaier: Thanks! You keyed in on my primary collecting interests, Melville and Ascensius Press titles. I just acquired Suntup's Yellow Wallpaper because Scott Vile did the printing. I also own a copy of Song of the Broad-Axe, which is far too large for the shelf in my picture.

>106 ChestnutPress: Thanks. I've looked at it before online but did not recognize it from that angle
>112 abysswalker: Thanks. Tallone books look great but I don't think an unillustrated Hamlet would be the one I'm likely to buy

>128 PBB:

If you’re interested in an illustrated hamlet, large format, printed on beautiful paper, bound in full leather over wooden boards - perhaps the edition with lithographs by Henry Moore?

I love seeing your shelves. It's really nice to see such diverse collections of books. I want to add what is/was my Thornwillow cloth bound shelf. As I inevitably ran out of shelf space I started to add some smaller volumes horizontally in front of them, since there was some space left. That got slightly out of hand over the last year(s) and now the Thornwillows are almost invisible in the back.

>130 c_schelle:

That’s an intriguing looking assortment. I’m curious, what are the 3 (& more)volumes stacked above “the little prince” ?

My Joyce shelfie, minus the new TW Ulysses I've got to make room for. There's a couple more Joyce editions in random places about the house, ha ha.

>131 sanvito: above the Little Prince are the English version of Prelo Prints Aesop's Fables, Per Sephone by No Reply Press (bound in cave paper) and Old Men in Cloth Caps by Gordon Thomson published by Gillian Stewart (Juju books). In the left stack in the black solander is Fahrenheit 451 published by super terrain. It's quite gimmicky as it's printed on heat sensitive paper and can only be read when hot, e.g. by holding a lighter directly to the page.

>130 c_schelle: Lovely stuff, and somewhat appropriate to see No Reply in front of Thornwillow, given Griffin's past association with Luke. Also good to see another shelf with the Prelo Aesop!

>135 Sport1963:

These are beautiful. Paper specimen books are some of my favourite. I don’t yet have any of the great Dard Hunter tomes. But I’d be curious from your own collection, if any single work on fine papers particularly stands out to you?

>133 c_schelle: thank you. I quite like less typical smaller bindings, and the cave paper looks very attractive. As for Fahrenheit 451, I hadn’t heard of the edition until reading your reply - it actually looks quite interesting at least from the pictures online - I wonder, does the text only stay visible whilst heated, or is it a one time process? (& of course, have you ”burnt/read” your book yet ?)

>136 sanvito: Dard Hunter Jr.'s two volume work "The Life Work of Dard Hunter" is my favorite. Hunter was a fascinating man. I would like to add his "Primitive Papermaking" (1927) to my collection one day.

The papermaking book I really covet is Thomas Tindale's "The Handmade Papers of Japan" (1952), with all its specimens, some of which date back to the eighth century. I had a chance to peruse it at the April book fair in Manhattan. It was quite a treat.

>129 sanvito: Looks like a very impressive book, can't find too many pictures of the illustrations online so don't know if it would be the one for me. There would also have to be 10 times more copies on the market than there are now for me to afford a copy.

The books in the bottom left of your picture are more realistic for me. I've been trying to decide on Nonesuch vs 1933 vs 1950 LEC Don Quixote and think I will go with the Nonesuch.

>139 PBB: Have you checked out the 1930s LEC?

I forget the exact year.

>140 SDB2012: >139 PBB: between the 2 LECs I much prefer the 1930s edition. Marvelous and quite unique paper, nice translation (I forget if the LECs both use the same translation, but I know the 1930s one is good).

>140 SDB2012:
>141 abysswalker:
I like the look of the 1933 LEC, and on the George Macy Devotees page others have recommended it. The case seems poorly made and any available copies don't have it in acceptable condition.
Still leaning towards the Nonesuch over the other two. I'd be willing to buy that one without the slipcase.

>142 PBB: >142 PBB: the Nonesuch Don Quixote is one of my favourite books. The handmade paper is unique, it has the qualities of the best western handmade papers, and the lightness of the kind of papers normally only found in the eastern tradition. In addition, the Nonesuch Don Quixote has illustrations which are probably my favourite of any illustrated 20th century book (indeed, even more than the Cranach Hamlet). The typography is simple but flawless, the drop caps are gorgeous. And in addition to all that, the book happens to be actually readable - sometimes an unusual thing for a fine press book. The translation is pleasant, the binding is excellent, beautiful, simple, and strong.

>139 PBB: I was lucky to get a copy of the Moore Hamlet for a fraction of the usual price. But I suppose all of us book lovers can reluctantly benefit from living in a time when neither books nor Shakespeare are overly valued, so that these things do turn up quite randomly at more affordable prices. Personally I like the illustrations, perhaps because I like Henry Moore. The Typography is nothing show stopping, but very nicely done.

>138 Sport1963: the Tindale volume looks wonderful. I don’t have it, but I have a few Japanese specimen books, and the variety & quality of eastern handmade papers is endless. One unusual book I love is the Nelson Stevens specimen book from the early-mid 20th century. It’s unusually affordable most of the time, and showcases the gamut of beautiful papers available commercially at the period when it was made, and with interesting typography by the likes of Bruce Rogers, Van Krimpen, Mardersteig, etc.

>143 sanvito: that's a strong rec!

>142 PBB: I bought one with the idea of rebinding because the insides are in great shape but the covers- ouch. But I acquired one that was already rebound so I have one available for anyone looking for a project.

>134 Shadekeep: Definetly fitting to combine Thornwillow and No Reply Press. I just wish I had enough space to display them all properly. I wish I was early enough to get the german version of Aesop, but I'm definetly happy with the english version. I'm looking forward to their new project with more of the small booklets.

>137 sanvito: It stays only visible while hot/warm. You could put it in the oven to be readable, but as soon as it cools down it is black again. It's definetly not a reading copy.

Weak theme here, a few horror-leaning titles along with some press books I'd like to keep away from the sun. The three chapbooks up top are the Pegana Zothique stories, waiting for a properly sized case to become available.

Anyone with a copy of The Age of Malygris needing a new home, get in touch. My copy of The Age of Whelming is lonely.

>148 abysswalker: Good mix! Delighted to see three Tudor Black Press titles in there as well.

>150 Sport1963: Does my little eye spy a couple of Sutton Hoo books in that photo? For sure I spot Delmira Agustini's A Flock of Scarlet Doves, no?

>150 Sport1963: Curious if your Riverside Press Montaigne is unopened. I’ve seen three copies at auction and they were all unopened. Folks didn’t seem to read this Rogers gem.

>150 Sport1963: Nice mix! What's the stab-bound title on the shelf?

>150 Sport1963: Lovely to see Haiku na Feirme among those. A beautiful edition on the most gorgeous papers!

>153 Shadekeep: That's the "Tao Te Ching" from the Providence Press. Very cool little book, and one frequently brought down from the shelves. For sanity preservation purposes.

EDIT: A big whoops on my part, that stab-bound book in the photo is "No Harm Done" by Gary Young. A wonderful book designed and printed by Chad Oness, proprietor of the Sutton Hoo Press, in the Driftless Region of Southeast Minnesota. My favorite passage in this book is the poetry of constructing a sushi roll...

>153 Shadekeep:
https://www.thewholebookexperience.com/2019/12/29/tao-te-ching-by-lao-tzu-publis...

>155 Sport1963: >156 bacchus.:

How charming! Thank you both, looks like one to get.

>155 Sport1963: Norman Clayton prints really beautiful work. I have a few bits he has done of Dana Gioia’s poetry

>157 Shadekeep: I can also recommend this one, though worth noting that it's a creative/nontraditional translation.

>159 abysswalker: Thanks, and that appeals to me. It's easy enough to find conventional translations of foundational texts, I like to seek out the unusual ones.

>154 ChestnutPress: I agree. And the blue linen bound book next to that is also from The Salvage Press - "Winter". I think that title is under-appreciated from a literary and a value perspective.

>152 Chemren: Check. Mostly unopened, except for the first few pages of Book I. Someone gave up after page 24.

>151 Glacierman: Good eye sir. You are correct.

>161 Sport1963: I agree about ‘Winter’. A really strong production!

>155 Sport1963: I thought so! Just wasn't absolutely sure. I am very fond of Chad's work....

Another Shelfie with my prize Joyce edition and lots of other fine press goodness. Bonus points if you can guess the two lacking spine labels.

>166 jveezer: Lovely! Is the blue spine in the pink slipcase the Fine Press Poetry Eight World's Wives?

Like many people, my fine press journey began with the LEC. Here's a favourite shelf with some great titles from the first few decades of the club. Don Quixote was a recent acquisition.

It's interesting to see so many shelfies here with books in cabinets. I've recently switched a lot of my collection from open bookcases to cabinets with doors, and I am enjoying the change. In some ways it's a shame not to be able to see the books all the time, but it's also nice not to think about dust and light.

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths: I have had all my books behind closed doors to protect them from dust and light for years now. I couldn’t entertain the idea of them being on open display, slowly getting faded and dust-ridden!

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths: Nice to see slipcases in such fine condition. After transatlantic shipping I often receive them in much worse shape. From my experience I dare to say that even elite booksellers or auction houses often don't pack their books well.

LEC Don Quixote is very high on my wishlist. I don't own any editions of this classic which is a shame.

Also, I store my books behind closed doors too. Unfortunately there's no space anymore. It is a huge challenge to rearrange all the books after each new purchase, so I can fit the new book in without any risk of damage.

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths:

You certainly go for F+/NM LECs! Amazing shelf.

>168 ChestnutPress: I can definitely see the advantages of doors! Another benefit: most of my TBR pile - more like a 'TBR bookcase' - is now hidden so I can't see it taunting me.

>170 GusLogan: Thanks! At the beginning, I always waited for copies where the spine/label of the slipcases were in nice shape, because that's how I wanted to shelve them. It's always a nice bonus to get a fine slipcase, but since then I've become much more relaxed about slipcase condition or even if there's one at all. I've had cloth slipcases made for some of the nicer early LECs where the original cases fell apart, and I think you end up with something much nicer overall. Well, in my opinion, anyway.

>169 Lukas1990: Wow, what a cabinet of wonderful fine press treasures. Yeah, space quickly fills up... especially with books of that size :) I guess the large red one is the Bruce Rogers World Bible? What is the other large book you are storing horizontally on the left?

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths: It is indeed. One of my favorite books of poetry.

>171 GardenOfForkingPaths: You're correct on the red one. The oher large book is a 1933 German facsimile of The Nuremberg Chronicle. It is printed on nice laid paper.

>169 Lukas1990: I have also started resorting to books in drawers, now that rearrangement of shelving is no longer an option due to overcrowding. I need a dedicated library extension building!! 🤣

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths: I'll echo what many have said of your LEC slipcases, they are in absolutely amazing condition. I know one or two LEC completists that would happily fork over quite a bit of cash for slipcases that Fine. Certain collectors want THE best copy, hard stop. These are worthy of a Morgan Library exhibition.

>175 Sport1963: Well, that's nice to hear, thanks! Some of those were from Different Drummer. He sometimes has early LECs in remarkable condition, and his prices are usually pretty fair. On the whole, though, I've had most success on eBay rather than with established booksellers.

Here’s my shelf that I reorganized today, I took out the middle shelf of my bookcase so I could stand all the T A L L books up for once.

Also thanks to the poster earlier in the thread that recommend the orange binders. I have neglected to order any actual inserts for them as of now, but they do fit very well.

In case I mess up posting the image is also in my gallery showcase. Happy to share more about any of the books if there are questions.

>177 ensuen: Nice, you were able to get some of the Lighthouse Grande PUR binders. I started filling the seventh chapbook one this week.

Lovely to see one of the few copies of The Island Whale from Two Ponds Press there, kudos on that!

>178 Shadekeep: Thanks! The illustrations inside are well worth the price. I’m still relatively early in my career, but I’m happy I was able to push past my price sensitivity and get it. I’ve had a lot of fun looking at the pictures available and seeing how the illustrations evolve during the run of the edition. If there are any other works that have the same style (hand drawn or the same “journal” feel), I would love some recommendations.

Her other works to the left, are both worth a read if you (both _you_, and the other forum readers) haven’t already picked up a copy. Between Two Ponds Press and her gallery (currently Bromer IIRC), there should be 1-2 copies available for each of the three works.

Edit: My main point of interest for collecting is books that can only exist in Fine Press or basically wouldn’t work as an e-book. Not to hijack the thread, but happy to get any recommendations for artists, books or presses that are in that theme.

>177 ensuen: Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the large 4to next to Memento Mori : Memento Vivere> is Gerald Cinamon's monograph on E. R. Weiss, also from Incline Press.

>180 Glacierman: It is! The presswork that Graham Moss does is truly stunning. There weren’t really any videos online when I looked, so I bought it on sort of faith, and I’m really impressed by it. Roughly 80% of the pages have some sort of insert or special printing or binding going on.

>181 ensuen: Yeah, it is an awesome book, without doubt. Graham sent me a prospectus for it back when he first announced it, but it took me a few years to get to where I could acquire it. I got my copy directly from Graham. There's a few copies left...he found some unbound sheets lurking in the shadows and had them bound.

>179 ensuen: I just checked out MONARCH on Anneli Skaar's website, it does sound like a treasure! Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

For richly illustrated books and catalogues raisonné I would recommend Fleece Press. Much of what Simon produces you won't see anywhere else, and they certain need to be physical books rather than digital.

Intima Press does magnificent volumes of superlative quality. I would love some day to have one of Mindy's unique masterwork editions.

For livres d'artiste in general you can peruse Vamp & Tramp Booksellers, such things are their specialty.

There's more to recommend, but that should be a good start at the moment. And I'm a big fan of Incline Press as well, Graham and Helen do delightful work. If you don't have the latest, Singing Aloud, I recommend it, and I'm excited about their forthcoming Punch & Judy.

>179 ensuen: "My main point of interest for collecting is books that can only exist in Fine Press."

I have a similar collecting philosophy! You're probably already aware of Foolscap and Nawakum Press, as well as Amy Borezo's own publications via Shelter Bookworks.

I'd also look into Pie In The Sky Press for similar nature-focused artist books (still very much fine press with lots of text to read), as well as Lone Oak Press (texts that are mostly unique to fine press and have fantastic art reproduction) and Red Angel Press (creative bindings and unique approaches to illustration, such as bas relief, translucent double sided artworks and more).

I also second Intima press - their illuminated texts are incredible.

Littoral Press does a mix of Objet d'art and artists books, but some of their more substantial artists books are worthy of fine press collections as well.

By the way, it's cool to see the whole Solastalgia trilogy together on one shelf - I didn't realize Monarch was now available so will have to reach out!

>183 Shadekeep: Thanks for the recs! Fleece press is very much new to me, I suspect I’m going to be making an order from them some time soon. Vamps and tramps is new as well, I’ll have to pull out my laptop and look through all the pages in a sitting or two.

My last (and only so far) Incline Press order was just before Singing Aloud came out, so I appreciate the mention. I probably should see if the presses I like have an email list or something.

>184 NathanOv: thanks for the recs too! I actually have one of Amy’s books coming in a week or two, which I am very excited about. Pie in the sky press is very to my taste aesthetics wise, there’s a book or two that they have that I’m giving myself a couple days to think before I pull the trigger.

The Intima press output is interesting, but for a couple of the items I may have to track down more photos or a video online. It’s hard to explain exactly, but it’s hard to get a sense for the works via the photos on the site.

—

Happy to see more people excited about Monarch, it’s a smaller edition (10 numbered, 5 IIRC artist proofs), so there’s not a ton of discussion online. If you have enjoyed her other works, I’d really recommend it.

>185 ensuen: One other press you may wish to check out is Effra Press. I am working on placing my first order with Nick now and his stuff looks very impressive online. His titles are small limitations, in part because for many of them each one is illustrated by hand. He also casts type, which I how I learned about him originally, as some of the presses I like get type from him. Happy to share my experience when my books arrive if it's of interest.

>186 Shadekeep: That would be great, the books look fantastic. I’m based in the US, so my interest is a little academic unless the press owner responds to my email/instagram DM. He does have similar taste to me in fountain pen ink so that’s always a plus.

>187 ensuen: Good timing, I just got an email from Nick. He is putting together my order. The only hitch is that he's just discovered the paper grain for Monologue for voices is wrong for binding on the standards, so he is only able to offer the specials. Turns out I'm the first person to ask about him, so he didn't notice the problem until now.

To stir things along in this thread, the photo below includes about 1/3 of my limited and fine edition books.

>189 wcarter:
Many shelves appear to have a sheet covering the tops of the books. Is this some sort of cloth to limit dust accumulation on the tops of the books?

I saw this idea in the library of a French chateau many years ago where leather strips were laid across the top of the books to prevent dust accumulating. I have not used leather but heavy felt backed vinyl which works very well and protects the books wonderfully.

This includes a few very recent acquisitions, including from >3 NathanOv: and >34 SuttonHooPress:

>192 jbrnewman: Nice little collection. I see we have at least two in common: Larkspur Press' Encounter and Ask the Fellows Who Cut the Hay from Ploughman's Parrot Press. And it appears you are rather fond of Wendell Berry, or I miss my guess. ;-)

>192 jbrnewman: anyone would think you like Wendell Berry! 😁
A very fine selection from some great presses. Nice to see what look to be some Press on Scroll Road in there

>192 jbrnewman: Very nice indeed. It looks very stately.

My interest has been piqued. On my bookshelves I have to tilt my head to the right to read the spines on all my books. I note there are several in your collection that are the other way around. Berry's The Rise for example. Is this a peculiarity of a particular press or is something else at play?

>195 Pendrainllwyn: I believe the convention in continental Europe was/is for spine titles to be printed bottom to top, whereas the opposite is true in anglophone countries. Not sure why!

>196 cyber_naut: A ha! Thank you.

>195 Pendrainllwyn:
Some Folio Society books in the 1960s had spine titles that went from bottom to top. No idea why.

195-197: Indeed, bottom-to-top is the convention for South America and Central / Southern / Eastern Europe (e.g., Germany, France, Russia). The Nordic Countries, the Netherlands, the UK, along with its many estranged colonies, generally do things right, but even there bottom-to-top can be a peculiarity of a specific press. For example, the Folio Society originally used to print their titles bottom-to-top - and only switched direction sometime in the 1980s.

While I don't know the answer either I would think the Anglo-style top to bottom orientation makes more sense. Unless I'm missing something obvious (which tbh does happen often with me); when you lay a book flat on a surface with the front board facing upward, y'know a natural position when you actually open a book up, the title on the spine is readable. In order to get a bottom-up title to be legible you'd have to place it with the front board facing down and I don't know in what circumstance that would make any sense to do since I don't know anyone outside of Asian countries who reads a book back to front.

Thank you for the compliments.

>193 Glacierman: You do not miss your guess, Wendell Berry (and his friendship with Gray Zeitz) are the reason for my initial interest in fine press art. I would love more of Merton's work to be available fine press. George Ewart Evans is another, more recently discovered, favorite.

>194 ChestnutPress: Indeed! I have the four on this shelf (the two Wendell Berry, the Henry Mitchell, and David Kline's Three Essays) and I'm fortunate to have The Mad Farmer Poems on a taller shelf where it can fit.

>195 Pendrainllwyn: Others have already provided better answers, but Gray Zeitz' work at Larkspur Press is the primary reason that so many of my spines read bottom to top.

>192 jbrnewman: A lovely selection, always heartening to see a shelf rich with Larkspur. And nice to see Rorer's An Idea of Geometry among the titles as well!

>202 Shadekeep: I was so pleasantly surprised with An Idea of Geometry, it's a wonderful little book. I have more of a struggle not buying everything printed at Larkspur than finding work to like.

I've also since added Pastoral Elegies from Barbarian Press to this shelf, which I cannot recommend highly enough.

>96 Dr.Fiddy: Just seen that I missed this response. The resetting of the text was something that I needed to do for the best of the edition, but for the sake of my sanity something I’d not do again!!

>204 ChestnutPress: I suspect that oftentimes these types of efforts don't get the wow factor they deserve from the public eye. I recall that James was very enthusiastic about the digital typesetting and that encouraged me to think a little deeper about what that might entail. I would be happy to read about your method if you happen to have a blog post or article about what worked and what didn't.

I was fortunate enough to be able to read the facsimile edition and am grateful for the wonderful reading experience. I can appreciate the time needed to set the text in the digital method, but it was worth it; the result makes for a lovely read. As you mention that this isn't something you would do again, this makes this edition even more or a rarity since digitally setting type isn't an undertaking I can even imagine many other people would be willing to attempt.

Thank you, from a reader who enjoyed the fruits of your labor.

>205 Tuna_Melon: Thank you for this kind message. It’s actually really difficult to properly explain what I ended up doing (and why) without writing a pretty lengthy essay! When discussing it with James, I was actually sending him screenshots of what I was doing while trying to explain it. I will try and think of a way I might be able to accurately describe what I did. Leave it with me for a day or two!

As for digitally setting type for fine press being a rarity; far from it! It gets done all the time. What doesn’t get done all the time is that the text is finely adjusted word-by-word, line-by-line (and sometimes even letter-by-letter in places) throughout the whole setting! That’s the level only obsessive idiots like myself go to! 🤣

>206 ChestnutPress: But it pays off in the end! The Tale of Sinuhe is much better for your obsession, sir. And I can't wait to see the final product....

>207 Glacierman: Cheers! I agree it is worth it, but it’s overly-painstaking work for the small handful of people that would really know the difference! It’s mostly worth doing from a personal standpoint; I believe if a job should be done to its best, even if it is a rod for my own back sometimes. 😁

I’m also looking forward to seeing the finished Sinuhe. One can only fully judge the successes and failures of their work at the final stage. I do know that the colophon page looked pleasing, though, with Max having done a very fine job of the presswork.

Loving all the shelf porn and honored to see some of my books in the stacks. Here's one of mine, more to come if anyone's interested. Most of these are tasty early 20th century work.

>209 DWPress: Are those tiny books in the gaps of the wood between your shelves?

>209 DWPress: what's that edition of Prufrock?

>209 DWPress: A quality mixed bag, Chad!

>211 filox: my guess is the edition of No Reply Press
https://www.noreplypress.com/archive/prufrock

>209 DWPress: Nicely eclectic mix! Great to see the Merker biblio among the mix, too, as well as what looks like an NRP title.

Meanwhile I got the first of your books onto my own shelves as well. And nice they are!

>210 921Jack: Yes, old pocket sketchbooks from my back country camping days.

>211 filox: No Reply edition indeed!

>214 Shadekeep: Thanks!

Some of the unlabeled spines are treats from Incline Press, Riverside, Sign of the Dolphin, Brier Hill Press and a Steven Sorman artists book. The Aldus book is a leaf book from the Grabhorns with a really nice page from the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.

Another shelf:

>209 DWPress: what's the story with all the old library books? Did you stumble across a sale of a bunch of them some time? I often thought ex library books, though shunned by collectors, are a nice way to affordably sample nice books.

>215 DWPress: Oo, you have the Mayflies book! Some other choice titles, too. What press did that Philobiblion? And I'm very curious what the Andrea Rescued book is, as well as the Charcoals.

Andrea Rescued is one of the quirky and wonderful books from Mark McMurray and his Caliban Press.

>216 ubiquitousuk: The books with library marks came from one collection of maybe 50 books that was gifted to me probably 25 years ago by the daughter of George Kenyon Hebb who was the principal in Evans-Winter-Hebb in Detroit and president of the United Typothetae in 1924-5. They are all gift books from his peers like George Jones, Morris, Grabhorn, Updike, Dwiggins and more. Most of them are inscribed to GKH by their makers with short notes, photos and other ephemera still inside. GKH had a lending library in his office and checked these books out to any of his workers who were interested in bettering their skills by observation. All of them have GKH bookplates in them too which were designed by Thomas Cleland. A lot of them also have a library card sleeve glued into the front cover as well.

These books did more for my education in fine press than anything else and I continue to draw inspiration from them. They were given to me because Anne Hebb knew I would value them and they'd not end up in institutional stacks somewhere. Someday I hope to do a book describing the experience of getting these gems. They were all in rough shape when I got them, some I intend to rebind.

>217 Shadekeep: The Philobiblon is a 600th anniversary edition from 1945 printed by Peter Beilenson, published by Philip C Duschnes, NY.

Charcoals of New and Old New York - Pictures and text by F. Hopkinson Smith and published by Doubleday in 1912. Really nice tipped in lithos of the charcoal drawings.

>218 dlphcoracl: correct, that one is from Mark.

>218 dlphcoracl: >219 DWPress: Thanks! I've been meaning to add Caliban Press to the search list. This title seems elusive, but there are others with promise.

>215 DWPress: Don't have the Lacroix book on arts of the Middle Ages, but I do have Military and Religious Life in the Middle Ages .... (Chapman & Hall, 1875). It resides in a bespoke chemise and slipcase. And you have an issue of Matrix amongst all those nifty items. That, to me, is a real treasure.

>215 DWPress: Is the big brown one on the right the Nonesuch Mask of Comus?

>222 Chemren: No, it's a box full of page specimens from printed books going back to the 15th century. Treasures.

I've plenty more shelves but I'll leave you with this last one that contains most of the books printed here at DWP:

>223 DWPress: Really nice slate of titles, both your own and other presses. Is the reddish one with raised bands one of your editions? It's luverly, what's the title?

>224 Shadekeep: These are all DWP - I am, essentially, Mad Parrot and Chester River as well and all these were printed and (with one exception) bound here. There's also a couple books done by apprentices. The books over 14" and ephemeral stuff is elsewhere. These represent the standard editions with a couple nicer bindings thrown in like the one you asked about which is a deluxe Winter Walks, the pale green next to it is the standard.

>225 DWPress: You are far too many talented people. You need to share it around. 😊

Chester River is on my get-list too. Just gotta remember where I buried all those mason jars of krugerrands...

The Gwasg Gregynog special bindings shelf, plus some other GG exotica which also need an oversize shelf. Six of these books are 'Copy 1', done for the chairman of the Press Lord Kenyon. Notes to follow, since I can't seem to include them below the photo in this post.

Brief notes on some of the books, mainly for those not featured in Anthony Dowd’s The Special Bindings of Gwasg Gregynog for one reason or another:

Thomas Olivers of Tregynon: not in Dowd, but a (modest) special binding nevertheless. One of 15 copies in quarter-leather by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, handmade Arnold paper (unusually for the special bindings, for which in every other case the ’special’ aspect was restricted to the binding itself, plus sometimes extra sets of prints). In a custom solander box done to match the style of the GG boxes.

Llyfr Ionas: a one-off binding of sheets, done by Dowd himself in the course of his learning more about the craft by taking a bookbinding course. Quarter-leather over raw silk-covered boards.

Selborne: not in Dowd (curiously), although fully documented in the colophon and the 1991 Descriptive Catalogue as one of 25 copies in full leather. Perhaps its only failings are being rather plain, and the identity of the binder being nowhere mentioned.

Descriptive Catalogue: out of the 25 (although probably not all completed) special bindings, this is one of 5 ‘super-specials’, identically-bound but with the addition of a large portfolio of ephemeral material and a larger solander box to hold it. A forerunner of the later and better-known ‘Miscellanea’ collections.

The Story of Heledd: custom solander box done to match the style of the GG boxes, as it was supplied in only a plain card slipcase

The Special Bindings of Gwasg Gregynog: a magnificent James Brockman binding, my personal favourite, not in Dowd and thus avoiding a Gödel-like self-referential loop

Miscellanea I (2005): the ‘super-special’ red edition and the special green edition. The box for the green edition was optional at extra cost, done to match the red edition of which all 30 were supplied in a box. There was also an optional box for the ordinary (blue) edition, although I’ve never seen one.

Miscellanea II (2010): the special red edition of 25 copies (for this later Miscellanea collection, there were just two variants, the red, and the ordinary edition, confusingly in green this time). Or perhaps they should be considered as super-special and special respectively, to align the colours with Miscellanea I?

Miscellanea III (2023): the special edition (15 copies) done last year as part of the projected re-revival of the Press.

Newhaven-Dieppe: a well-known commission for Dennis Hall's Previous Parrot Press, this being the ‘Exemplary Edition’ aka super-special, of 18 copies.

Murmura Maldwyn: an obscure commission of 2003, just nine copies done of which only four were for sale. Housed in a hessian sack with wooden peg closure.

That leaves twelve more special bindings still on the desiderata list (discounting the single specially-bound copy of Chwe Cherdd, 1985, done for Eric Gee on his retirement), but it’s slow going!

>227 BillWoodbridge: I love seeing such dedicated collections. An inspiring feat to have have amassed these.

>227 BillWoodbridge: Magnificent! Do you collect their standard bindings as well? If so, I would love to see pictures of your other GG shelves. Do you have a personal favourite in your collection?

>227 BillWoodbridge: Great collection! Do you have any special bindings of good old Gregynog press? One of my priced possesions is The Revelation of St. John The Divine but it has a standart binding.

>229 ChestnutPress: Thank you!

>230 GardenOfForkingPaths: Yes, I do collect the standard bindings as well, plus the ‘intermediate’ bindings. That’s my term for the (roughly) 17 books that had limitations of typically 50-100 copies in a superior binding (usually quarter-leather) to the ordinaries, but not full-fat special bindings. I also try for the ephemera, but that’s another story. Thanks for your interest - I’ll post a couple of further shelfies of those books in the next few days. A personal favourite is difficult – it’s probably Wrenching Times with the fantastic Gaylord Schanilec colour engravings, although a more obvious answer is Of a Feather (the GG magnum opus?) and a close second/third is the Agnes Miller Parker pair by Ian Rogerson.

>231 Lukas1990: No, alas, the special bindings of the pre-war Press are above my pay grade! Barring a few really rather plain ones, prices quickly zoom into the stratosphere of course, so as a completist by nature I’d always be frustrated. I do however collect the standard books, and the Revelation is my personal favourite of those (including the mighty AMP Esope), a fantastic thing to have. And its standard binding is rather beautiful too. Is its companion, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, on your desiderata list? It’s annoyingly different in size despite being such a close cousin, but I had a dual-slipcase made to house them both and conceal that fact! I think the Revelation just has the edge though – the format is nicer, the typography is less cramped and the Lamentations engravings, though magnificent, get a little repetitive after a while.

>232 BillWoodbridge: Yes, Lamentations of Jeremiah is very high on my wish-list but my most wanted book is Life of Saint David. I missed a couple of opportunities, this and last year, to acquire it... From Gwasg Gregynog I would like to get that Giraldus Cambrensis. The standart binding would be enough. Not sure why I'm waiting so long haha.

The dual-slipcase sounds like a nice idea.

>228 BillWoodbridge: Thank you for posting. A stunning collection of a most excellent Press. I missed a chance to bid on a special binding of "The Mountains of Wales" this past Thursday at the Hindman Chicago auction. Had I been paying attention to the early lot number 23, there was a bargain to be had. The item did not receive a bid and went unsold. I do not believe there was a minimum bid set for that lot either.

I agree with your take on Schanilec's engraving work for "Wrenching Times" and would like to add an endorsement for the special binding of "Sundrie Pieces" by George Herbert. The binding description: "full multi-colored calf and goatskin, the calf dyed various shades of green, blue, purple, pink, and yellow, the pattern suggestive of a landscape with a small house in the foreground, spine and covers with goatskin inlay forming the shape of a cross when completely open, gilt halo radiating from behind the cross, smooth spine with gilt lettering, top edge dyed yellow; Suite of plates in a mustard yellow cloth box, housed together in a matching clamshell box lined with velvet, the box spine with dark purple goatskin label and gilt lettering"

Here's a photo:

>227 BillWoodbridge: I was recently reading Pradeep Sebastian's The Book Beautiful and I guess you know that he waxes lyrical about your Stanbrook Abbey collection. It's pretty impressive that you also managed such a serious assembly of Gregynog titles.

>228 BillWoodbridge: Beautiful collection! Echoing >229 ChestnutPress:, it's great to see such dedication and focus in a collection, even if it is just a portion of what you have. Much respect!

>234 Sport1963: Thanks very much. Yes, I saw that Mountains of Wales special binding come up. Could be a candidate for a post-sale offer perhaps? I’ve seen the special of Sundrie Pieces once, in the collection at Gregynog Hall in fact, and I too thought it was terrific – the special bindings, apart from the appeal of their artistry and craftsmanship, add such additional physical presence and heft to the books and that was really striking in this case. (Speaking of which: Giraldus Cambrensis special binding = another book in oak boards, which I don’t think has been mentioned yet in that thread). I kick myself for not stretching to the copy of Sundrie Pieces that went for a (relative) song at Forum a few years back, and then reappeared on ABE as these things sometimes do (now sold, I believe). I think your photo might be of that very one?

>235 ubiquitousuk: Thanks, yes, Pradeep was very kind to me to the point of embarrassment in his book, despite my scepticism when he first told me what the world needed was lengthy extracts from emails of me droning on about Stanbrook Abbey Press! One reason I moved on to Gwasg Gregynog, not to belittle in any way the excellence of that Press, was that Stanbrook opportunities were becoming so scarce as completion approached that collecting life was becoming somewhat boring.

>236 DenimDan: Thanks! I’ll post a couple more photos next week, but I don’t want to hog the thread.

Yes - more GG shelves please! It was always a pleasure to linger at their table during a slow Oak Knoll fair and page through the samples and scarf up prospectuses. Except the year David had to sit behind an empty table because the boxes of books had not quite the same flight plan....

>237 BillWoodbridge: Looks like "Mountains of Wales" did indeed go post-auction, as it now shows sold. I hope someone on the LT FPF was able to acquire it.

Your posts inspired me to make a move on a copy of "Of A Feather" that I have been eyeing for several months. While not a GG "special binding", it is a unique custom binding done in half morocco and polished walnut by a binder in the States. I'll post some pictures after it arrives.

The "Sundrie Pieces" photo is from a bookseller's site, I believe. My photography skills leave much to be desired, yet I am improving, albeit at glacial speed. I'll try to get some good pics of my copy and post them. I'll probably start a GG "special bindings thread" as I've a few GG specials, as well as custom bindings. I've got several George Fisher Gregynog special bindings too, so might as well try to post those up, if folks are interested.

>239 Sport1963: "I've got several George Fisher Gregynog special bindings too, so might as well try to post those up, if folks are interested".

Yes, please! Life of Saint David and Euripides among them, as I remember.

>239 Sport1963: Please do count me in for a Gregynog / Gwasg Gregynog special bindings thread. I was conscious it was slightly silly of me to start off a conversation about special bindings with a picture that shows every single one of them still in their boxes!

Re-arranged my books a little bit ant took some shelfies.

>242 Lukas1990: our tastes are highly aligned!

Who published the Emerson Nature?

>243 abysswalker: Bremmer Presse from Germany. It's in English. Very nice printing.

https://www.biblio.com/book/nature-emerson-ralph-waldo/d/1467664541?srsltid=AfmB...

>242 Lukas1990: Very nice selection! Is that the GCP True Historie of Lucian the Samosatenian lurking in the shadow of the Frankenstein? Fantastic book, ranks only just below the three GCP magna opera (Four Gospels, Canterbury Tales, Troilus & Criseyde) in my opinion.

>245 BillWoodbridge: Yes it is. Copy number 2! One of my favorites.

>242 Lukas1990: Such beautiful books. They do look very classy. It seems a shame to hide these beauties behind non see-through doors. It's none of my business, but I wonder if you have ever thought of using museum acrylic for your doors which would protect the books from dust and light but would let you see them all the time.

By popular request, here are two shelves of ‘ordinary’ Gwasg Gregynogs. Apologies for breaking the one shelf rule, but they make so much more sense when seen together since the books (annoyingly) have had to be separated by height rather than any more bibliographically justifiable scheme. I always hate having to resort to that, but otherwise I’d lose too much space from my overall shelving capacity.

Once the height split is done, each shelf is arranged by category with publications first, followed by commissions and collections of smaller items and ephemera (eg the various Miscellanea folders), and then by order of publication date within those categories.

Spot the missing books! (The ordinary copy of the Descriptive Catalogue is kept in my private press reference section, purely because shelf space is so tight here, the huge Parzival is on a separate super-oversize shelf and there are a couple out of sight behind the door frame on the left). As far as I know I’m lacking three variants of GG publications, all of them the ‘intermediate’ limitation in quarter-leather: Emynau Williams Pantycelyn, The Story of Heledd and Emynau Morgan Rhys. Plus one very obscure commission: Poems by E J Scovell (1991). I regard as out-of-scope the various Shirley Jones / Red Hen Press books for which Gwasg Gregynog undertook binding and typesetting, but not printing. Likewise I don’t collect GG-issued prints, or sets of prints, even when those are closely associated with the books (although I’ll probably make an exception for the Lover’s Song Book engravings at some stage).

>248 BillWoodbridge:
Impressive!

>248 BillWoodbridge: That's great to see them all together like that. Truly a bounty of wonderful books!

>248 BillWoodbridge: Do you have the private commission booklet that they printed for David Burnett (Nine Poets)?

>251 ChestnutPress: Yes - the small red booklet, bottom shelf, three to the left of the Gregynog Poets box. It has one of the sets of Simon Brett's loose prints laid-in, but sadly only seven out of the nine (missing Ovid and Blok). That corresponds with those that are listed as still available in the list 'Limited Edition Prints' of Autumn 2001 - the first reference I can find to the offer of separate prints. Editions of 50 copies of each were done, at £35.25 for each print (twice the price of the booklet!). Ovid and Blok must have been especially popular perhaps - unless they met with some sort of printing mishap and their edition sizes were smaller?

>252 BillWoodbridge: Very fine to have the individual prints also! You may well have already done so, but I wonder if it’s worth reaching out to Simon Brett to see whether he might have his own editioned copies of those missing two?

>247 Pendrainllwyn: I actually consider getting a new bookcase with glass doors. Might even be custom built.

>253 ChestnutPress: Good suggestion - thanks, I may well do that.

>255 BillWoodbridge: It’s really worth doing to get that full set, and Simon’s a great chap

Some of my oversized fine press items. Mostly from the Fleece Press. Mostly!

>257 TheTotalLibrarian: That's a fine selection! Your and my shelf have quite a lot of shared overlap, including the two at the end.

>258 Shadekeep: I guessed from some of your posts that we shared some collecting interests. I'm saving Treasure Island for a Christmas reading treat!

Oh my. The enormous Treasure Island has met its' match.

>257 TheTotalLibrarian: I think I recognise all except the green volume three from the right. What is that? Thanks!

>261 DMulvee: That one is: The Whittington Press: A Bibliography. 1982-93.

>259 TheTotalLibrarian: Good idea! I may do the same, especially if we finally get snowed in this year.