Dec

1

Mabinogion

Filed Under Pre 1910, Pre 1920 | Leave a Comment 

This is a unique book!  It was sent in by a rare book blog reader.  If anyone can provide any details about this book, we would greatly appreciate it!

Here is the information sent with the photographs:

The cover is green cloth, and the figures you see there are stamped rather deeply into the cloth. The edges of the pages at the top of the book are gilt, but the sides and bottom of them are ragged and uneven and seem hand-cut. There are no illustrations other than the one in the photos, and this and the title page were done by one Mr. Norman Ault.  All the copyright page says is
 
First edition: printed 1902.
Second edition, revised and enlarged, printed 1904
 
Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co.,
At the Ballantyne Press
 
The title page (pictured) says:
THE MABI
NOGION
MEDIAVAL WELSH
ROMANCES TRANS-
LATED BY
LADY CHARLOTTE
GVEST
WITH NOTES BY
ALFRED NVTT
AND PVBLISHED BY
DAVID NVUTT AT
THE SIGN OF THE
PHOENIX
LONG ACRE 1904
 
It is dedicated to the memory of Lady Charlotte Guest.

Mabinogion Front

Mabinogion Frontispiece

Mabinogion Title PagE

Mabinogion Spine

Mabinogion Back

Aug

14

Pictures for the Little Ones

Filed Under Religion, Childrens Books, Pre 1900, Pre 1920, Illustrated | 1 Comment 

Publisher: Protestant Episcopal Society For The Promotion Of Evangelical Knowledge

Published Date: 1870

Contains several black and white plates.

Bookseller:

The New Street Book Shop
515 N New Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018 (USA)
Phone: 610 868-3411

scan0001.jpgscan0002.jpgscan0003.jpg

After an exhaustive internet search I have not been able to find another copy of this book nor any information about it via Google or Yahoo. If you know anything about this book or it’s approximate value please leave a comment or email us at: rarebookblog@gmail.com

Thank you!

————————————–

Thank you Steve Gertz from David Brass Rare Books for the following comment to this post:

Bookmark and use the Karlsruher Virtualler Katalog (KVK) http://www.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/hylib/en/kvk.html
as a primary resource way beyond Google or Yahoo searches. KVK has records for just about every institutional library in the world as well as integrating WorldCat (OCLC).KVK and WorldCat are used constantly by members of the trade to see how rare a title is, to sort out various editions of a title,etc.,etc.
Alas, no records whatsoever for this title, beyond what was apparently a reprint NY: Whittaker, n.d. (c.1900). Based only upon the info provided, yes, the book is rare but with little collectable value; a weak title as a children’s book, illus. book, theological book. Slap $75-$100 on it and see what happens; you can always lower the price. Higher than that? You’ll have to spin and weave quite a tale to pump it up.

Best,
Steve Gertz

David Brass Rare Books

Aug

10

Rare Book Blog - Benefits of this site!

Filed Under About This Site | 1 Comment 

Read more about the idea for this site here.  To summarize, here are the benefits of this site:

  • The site will grow into an extremely useful research tool as content is added each week.  The site is searchable and each entry will be categorized.
  • This site is another avenue for myself and fellow booksellers to promote, on the web, some of our more unusual inventory.  If you submit a book that you would like to be featured on this site we will gladly list the name and contact information of your business or a link to your website!
  • This site will be a great learning tool as far as what to look for when we are purchasing our inventory!
  • It’s a great forum for the experts in the book industry to share their expertise and to promote themselves!  We will post the website information or business details of any book expert that can contribute! 

Aug

10

The Arabian Nights
(Illustrated By Rene Bull)

Filed Under Rene Bull, Pre 1920, Illustrated | 2 Comments 

Publisher: Dodd, Mead & Company

Published Date: 1912

Contains 20 Coloured Plates

Front BoardScan of black & white illustrationfour.jpgthree.jpg
Bookseller: 

The New Street Book Shop
515 N New Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018 (USA)
Phone: 610 868-3411

Notes:

We are looking for additional information about this book.  No other copy of this edition appears to be available for sale online.  Possible first edition?

Contributions:
Thanks to Steve Gertz from Dave Brass Rare Books who kindly contributed the following information:

Info on the book and Rene Bull can be found at:

Arabian Nights Books

and

http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/author_profile.php?id=743

OLCL notes a British edition London: Blackie & Son, n.d. 352pp., 15 plates.

Though Bull was an Irish artist the London edition cannot be assumed by using the standard Follow The Flag formula - to be the first edition: Fewer plates than the 1912 NY:Dodd, Mead edition and the Blackie edition is undated. I think it safe to say that the 1912 Dodd, Mead edition is the true first.For further documentation and reference see Houfe, Dictionary of British Book Illustrators & Caricaturists 1800-1914.

Best,
Steve Gertz
David Brass Rare Books