What They’re Bringing
A Preview of the 49th Annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair, April 3-5th
Fine Books asked the dealers showing at the ABAA fair at the Park Avenue Armory in New York this month to name a few favorite things they are packing into their trunks. Following are their selections and descriptions, listed alphabetically by dealer. In some cases prices are given. –Ed.
Charles Agvent
Mertztown, Pennsylvania
Folio edition of McKenney and Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America with hand-colored lithographic plates after Karl Bodmer and others.
Fantastic Martin Luther King, Jr. letter about nonviolence and segregation, beautifully framed with portraits of King and Gandhi.
Aleph-Bet Books
Pound Ridge, NY
Fine first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Frank L. Baum (George M. Hill 1900). Large 8vo, pale green cloth stamped in red and green, 261p., tiny bit of rubbing to rear bottom edge which also has faint soil, light mark on endpaper, otherwise perhaps the brightest fine copy we’ve seen in a while. Illustrated with 24 wonderful color plates and other text illustrations by W.W. Denslow. This is a superb copy of one of the most famous children’s books of all times. $38,000.
Signed limited first edition of The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (NY:Reynal & Hitchcock, 1943). 8vo, cloth, [93]p. Housed in a lovely custom leather box. Published in America before France due to Nazi occupation of France. Limited to 525 copies signed by Saint-Exupery. Illustrated in color, the limited edition of this beloved classic is rare. $22,000.
Antiquariaat Forum BV
Netherlands
Pieter van der AA. La Galerie Agréable du Monde…Leyden, Pierre Van der AA, (1729). 66 parts in 20 vols. The rarest book ever to be found complete. With richly engraved double-page allegorical frontispiece within rich ornamental borders, engraved vignette on 66 titles, all titles printed in red and black, 6 double-page dedications printed in red within black ornamental borders, and over 3935 fine engravings on 2571 double-folio leaves (maps, charts, town views, squares, streets, views, costumes, historical and religious scenes, illustrations of costumes, religious and juridical customs, ancient relics, coins, alphabets, scenes and objects from daily life, animals, plants, buildings, palaces, gardens, churches, mosques, gods, activities, etc.), mostly double-page, several folding to large folding, and often within a large variety of separately printed ornamental borders.
GHEYN, Jacob II de. Waffenhandlung von den Rören. Musquetten und Spiessen. The Hague,(1607-) 1608. Magnificently contemporary coloured copy of De Gheyn’s famous military manual. From the library of the last margrave of Bergen op Zoom, the grand son of Leopold Philippe, Duke of Arenberg. Engraved title with the coat of arms, engraved title and imprint on three separate pieces of paper mounted, and 117 full page engraved plates, all magnificently coloured and lavishly heightened with silver and gold by a strictly contemporary hand, showing exercises with the firelock, the musket, and the pike.