Catalogue No. 10 (E-List) - Recent Acquisitions (June 2020)
How to order
Email: underthehillbooks@gmail.com
Terms of payment
All major credit cards and Paypal accepted. Please inquire if further details are needed. Items may be returned for any reason, upon notification by email, within seven days of receipt (return shipping is the responsibility of the customer). Libraries and institutions may apply for deferred billing.
Terms of shipping
Postage is additional, and items can be shipped via USPS or UPS.
California Arts & Crafts binding by Charles Frederick Eaton
1) Friendship. San Francisco: D.P. Elder and Morgan Shepard, 1902. Printed by Stanley-Taylor Co. 16 pages. A collection of poetry, brief comments, and quotations concerning friendship. Title in red and black with title vignette, ornamental border, and quotation of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Unsigned, but matches the work of Charles Frederick Eaton of “The Arts and Crafts” shop in Santa Barbara, California, and is on a title known to have other Eaton bindings (link). Bound in California redwood and suede, with ornamental iron straps extending from spine, and small abalone mounts. Eaton (1843-1930) studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, before settling in Santa Barbara. A widely-celebrated horticulturist and landscape architect, he was also well known as a designer who led a group of associate craft workers, including Robert Wilson Hyde, at “The Arts and Crafts” shop in Santa Barbara. In addition to his bindings, Eaton’s shop produced chests, frames, lamps, and a variety of other crafts. His work was heavily featured in the 1903 Arts & Crafts Exhibition in Minneapolis, and is discussed and pictured in Gustav Stickley’s “The Craftsman” (link). Measures approx. 5.75" x 8.75". Suede on outer spine has been replaced with sympathetic period suede. Small cracks to 3 of 4 abalone inlays. Suede pastedowns stained to upper portion, with corresponding stain to text.
A rare opportunity to own an Eaton binding.
SOLD
Mosher Press, bound by the Guild of Women Binders
2) Morris, William. The Defense of Guenevere. Portland, ME: Thomas B. Mosher, 1896. Limited to 100 copies on Japan Vellum, of which this is #87.
Bound in polished calf leather by the Guild of Women Book Binders with a design of gilt flowers, hearts, and tendrils to both covers. Title to spine, with single heart and tendril below. Gilt ruled turn-ins. Measures approx. 4.25" x 8.25". Some staining and darkening to boards, Some rubbing at top front corner. Small chip to front cover, along with edgewear & rubbing to covers and spine. Wear around the gilt gouges on upper half of back cover decorations.
SOLD
Paneled arabesque binding by The Club Bindery
3) Dimier, Louis. French Painting in the Sixteenth Century. London: Duckworth & Co., 1904. Black & white illustrations throughout.
Bound in full crimson morocco by The Club Bindery in 1907 with the covers divided into nine panels, and arabesque tools filling each of the corner panels on both covers. Spine decorated with title and author in second compartment and unique vertical gilt ruling in other compartments. Top edge gilt, gilt decorated dentelles and marbled endpapers. Leather bookplate to front pastedown (“E.S.D. / January 27TH, 1913”). Measures approx. 5.75" x 7.75". Light restoration to outer hinges, some rubbing to edges.
SOLD
A fascinating medieval pigskin & oak binding by Riviere & Son
4) Ricci, Seymour De; Claudin, A. Documents Sur La Typographie et La Gravure En France, Aux XVe et XVIe Siecles. Londres [London]: Maggs Bros., 1926. Pages: 2 preliminary leaves, 35, [1] pages, 721 facsimile on 346 plates (3 mounted, 1 folded, 2 double).
Bound in medieval style by Riviere & Son, with quarter brown pigskin spine, nearly ½" thick beveled oak boards, and silver clasps & hardware with pigskin straps. Spine features 5 large raised bands, blind ruling, title stamped in gilt to spine, and large medieval headbands. Top edges are gilt, rest are untrimmed. A few notations on front fly page regarding illustrations in the text. Measures approx. 10.5" x 13.75" x 3.75". Given its size and construction, in unusually nice condition–with some light rubbing to pigskin and small (1") closed crack to front upper hinge. Silver somewhat tarnished, but fits in with the overall aesthetic of this style of binding.
SOLD
Large two-volume Arts & Crafts binding from Douglas Cockerell at W.H. Smith
5) Collins-Baker, C.H. Lely and the Stuart Portrait Painters: A Study of English Portraiture Before & After van Dyck [two volumes]. London: Philip Lee Warner for The Medici Society, 1912. “Of this work 375 copies (of which 350 are for sale) have been printed on pure rag paper; also (for a subscriber) 30 copies (25 for sale) on hand-made paper, with an extra set of the plates. Of the ordinary edition this is no. 6.” 240 reproductions after the original pictures.
Bound in contemporary full blue-green crushed morocco by the W.H. Smith & Son bindery from a design by Douglas Cockerell, who managed the bindery from 1905 to 1914. (“In a statement printed in G.D. Hobson - English Bindings of J.R. Abbey, p. 170, Cockerell notes that bindings signed with the ‘WHS’ stamp during this period were specially designed by him” Bookbinding in the British Isles.) The bindings clearly reflect Cockerell’s aesthetic, with an Arts & Crafts design to the covers and spine of gilt nailheads, swirling Celtic-esque gouges, frames built up with fillets, and small dots inlaid in tan morocco. The volumes were bound for Charles Lyttleton (link), with the front and back covers of both volumes featuring his coat of arms at center. (“Arms: A chevron between three escallops, Crest: A moor’s head couped at the shoulders and wreathed about the temples, Coronet of a Viscount Helmet of a peer,” University of Toronto). The dentelles feature four gilt rules and tooling at corners, with patterned endpapers in tan, black, and blue. All edges gilt. Measures approx. 8.25" x 10.75". Some light edgewear, and faint discoloration and staining to covers. Two inlaid dots missing on the back cover of volume 1, one missing on the back cover of volume 2.
SOLD
Simple, striking binding for Bumpus
6) Spenser, Edmund. Epithalamion and Amoretti. London: John & E. Bumpus Ltd, 1903. Limited to 250 copies, of which this is #198. Frontispiece etching of Spenser by C. Bird and central title page vignette of Elizabeth Boyle. Text features elaborate engraved initials and small in-text etchings as head and tail-pieces.
Bound in full kelly green morocco for Bumpus (likely by Riviere & Son), with large Tudor roses in each corner of the covers with two dual-ruled frames to the center. Small Tudor roses to four of the six compartments of the spine with title and author in the other two. Gilt ruled turn-ins with small Tudor rose at top and bottom corners. Measures approx. 5.5" x 8.5". Some light rubbing to spine bands, darkening to spine, and small (1.5") closed crack to top edge of front hinge.
SOLD
Binding by Cedric Chivers, featuring a vellucent panel from H. Granville Fell
7) De La Tour Landry, Geoffrey. The Booke of Thenseygnementes And Techynge That The Knight of The Towre Made To His Doughters. London: George Newnes, 1902. Limited to 56 copies on handmade paper, of which this #3. Frontispiece, additional title page, and 5 full page plates by Garth Jones are present in two states; the first on handmade paper, colored by hand, and the second in black & white on Japan Vellum. Initial letters printed in red.
Bound in full deep purple morocco by Cedric Chivers, with a vellucent panel of a knight on the front cover by H. Granville Fell, with gilt fillets, gouges, and leaves accenting the lower portion of the panel. Spine lettered in gilt with similar gilt fillet and leaf design. Gilt tooled turn-ins with marbled endpapers. This volume was number XXXVI in Chivers’ Books in Beautiful Bindings catalogue (circa 1905). The catalogue also mentions that Chivers “…purchased the whole of the edition de luxe [The Book of Thenseygnementes], on large paper.” Measures approx. 7.25" x 9". Some light rubbing to edges and covers very slightly bowed.
SOLD
Beautiful inlaid Arts & Crafts binding by “EJLD” (Edith Diehl?)
8) Arnold, Edwin. The Light of Asia or The Great Renunciation (Mahabhinishkramana) being The Life and Teaching of Gautama, Prince of India and Founder of Buddhism. London: Trubner & Co., 1885.
Bound in full dark green morocco with inlays of red, olive green, and gold constructing a stunning circle of hearts, leaves, flowers, and dots in the center of the front board, with the title and author in gilt at the top and bottom, and similar inlaid design as surrounding border. (I count 182 separate inlays just on the front cover.) Five raised bands with inlaid flower and gilt work in 5 compartments and gilt title to spine. Stylized leaves and red inlaid dots at each raised band edge. All edges gilt. Dark green end papers with red inlaid dots and gilt flowers in corners. Measures approx. 5" x 6.75". Front hinge repaired, along with rubbing to edges, rear hinge, and wear to spine tips.
Signed in gilt on the rear dentelle with a complicated monogram, which appears as overlays of the letters “EJLD” with the date “1906”. This could potentially be the signature of Edith Diehl (1876-1953), noted American bookbinder and the author of Bookbinding, its Background and Technique (1946). Diehl set up her bindery in New York in 1906, and her mother’s name was Josephine Lee Diehl.
SOLD
Rossetti in a simple Arts & Crafts binding
9) Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. Ballads. London: Ellis & Elvey, 1899. Photogravure frontispiece. Bound in cordovan crushed morocco with simple gilt ruling to covers and lovely arts & crafts spine, with three bands, and small flowers and fillets in the large central compartment. Gilt-ruled turn-ins and light blue mottled endpapers. Measures approx. 4.75" x 6.5". Some light rubbing and wear to covers. Slight foxing to pages.
SOLD
Stunning inlaid Riviere & Son binding on a Rubaiyat
10) Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. London: George G. Harrap & Co., [circa 1920]. Text printed in blue and black. With sixteen tipped-in color plates within decorative borders by Willy Pogany, and numerous text illustrations printed in blue. Bound by Riviere & Son in full deep red crushed morocco; front cover with a central oval panel of inlaid green morocco with Eve, the serpent and the tree of life inlaid in various colored moroccos. This central panel is surrounded by flowers and bunches of grapes in gilt, which in turn is surrounded by a border lettered “Oh, Thou, Who Man of Baser Earth Didst Make, / And Who With Eden Didst Devise The Snake, / For All The Sin Wherewith The Face Of Man / is Blacken’d. Man’s Forgiveness Give - And Take”. Rear cover with an oval panel featuring the snake twined around a large chalice, also surrounded by a floral border of flowers and bunches of grapes in gilt, which in turn is surrounded by a border of the same quote. Spine with five raised bands, four compartment stamped with smaller snake & chalice tool, and lettered in gilt in two compartments. All edges gilt. Decorative gilt dentelles with grape leaves and vines, with floral endpapers in black, red, white, and green. Housed in a red felt-lined cloth slipcase. Measures approx. 6" x 8.25". A superb copy.
SOLD