Curiosities

Woodcut Bookplate of Sir Samuel James Way Bart – Chief Justice c1910

A striking woodcut bookplate, over 100 years old, of Sir Samuel James way (1836-1916). 13cm by 9.5cm in very good condition. This was the third bookplate commissioned by Way .. it bears his coat of arms which features three salmon working their way upstream against the current .. a metaphor … struggling against all obstacles towards success. His motto “Fit Via ci” loosely translating as “Where there’s a will there’s a Way” … so a hint of humour.

Sir Samuel was Chief Justice of South Australia and Lieutenant Governor. He was invited to the Privy Council but had to give it up partly due to confusion as to who was to pay him. He was knighted in 1899. He was a avid collector of art, objects and book. His private library was one of the greatest ever amassed in Australia … a large part of it on his death went to the Adelaide University Library where it increased the collection by 60%.

Sir Samuel James Way – Leading South Australian

$30.00

Updating cart…

Original Woodcut bookplate by Lionel Lindsay – 1958

Original woodcut bookplate by Lionel Lindsay for Keith Wingrove created in 1958. Signed in the plate.

Keith Wingrove (1910-1995) was an art and book collector. He had a strong interest in bookplates and commissioned a number of designs by both Lionel Lindsay (1874-1961) and his brother Norman Lindsay and other artists of note. Wingrove was very close to the brothers .. Norman wrote over 350 letters to him …

10cm by 7.5 cm with a strong contrasting image directly from the plate.

Collectable Australian Bookplate.

$60.00

Updating cart…

Original Woodcut Bookplate by Kalman Gaborjani Szabo noted Hungarian Artist – 1934

A very stylish bookplate, original woodcut by Klaman Gaborjani Szabo (1897-1965) commissioned by Dr Arady Kalman (1893-1964). Dr Kalman was an avid bibliophile and commissioned numerous high class bookplates for his collection. An example of this exact bookplate is held in the Balatoni Museum and included on the Hungarian and European digital archives.

15cm by 7.5 cm, smooth with high contrast from the original plate. Veros in manuscript the artists name, Hungary, 1934, woodcut. A little age but really a super example.

Rare well executed art deco bookplate from named European artist.

$70.00

Updating cart…

Le Morte d’Arthur – Sir Thomas Malory – Shakespeare Head Private Press Limited Edition 1933

Full title … The Noble & Joyous Boke Entitled Le Morte d’Arthur Nothwythstondying it Treateth of the Byrth Lyf and Actes of the sayd Kynge Arthur; of his Noble Knightes of the Rounde Table. Theye Merveylous Enquestes and Adventures. Thachyevynge of the Sanc.Greall and the Ende the Delourous Deth: and Departynge out of this Worlde of Them al. Wyche Boke was Reduced in to Englysshe by the Well Dysposyd Knyghte Syr Thomas Malory.

Two volumes, quarto, number xxx of 350 copies for sale (a further 20 copies were not for sale) with 22 woodcut illustrations. Original binding in terra cotta half Morocco over ivory buckram, flat spines with gilt titling, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Other edges untrimmed.

The revered Shakespeare Head, Saint Aldates Oxford, edition of the most famous of the Arthurian tales, reprinted from and resembling in layout and typeface the 1498 edition of Wynkyn de Worde kept in the John Rylands Library, Manchester.

Volume I comprises 4 initial blanks; half title; title with limitation on verso; prologus i-iv; table v-xxviii; Fyrste Boke to IX Boke 1-316 with woodcut in each; 3 final blanks. VolI comprises 4 initial blanks; half title; title with note to verso; Boke X – Boke XXI 1-373 with woodcuts to each and a further one in Boke XXI; notes 3; 3 final blanks. All as should be.

Written in the 15th century by Thomas Malory the sweeping Mort d’Arthur includes the youth of Arthur, the romance of Guinevere and Lancelot, the Quest for the Grail, the tragedy of Tristan and Iseult etc.

This superb work directly tied to the early days of printing in England, with broad margins, quality handmade paper and the impeccably reproduced typeface … all hallmarks of the Shakespeare Head Press.

The Shakespeare Head Press was started in 1904 at Stratford Upon Avon by Arthur Bullen after he had had a dream about finely printing all of Shakespeare’s works at his birthplace, something that had not been done before. Much of his equipment and initial typeface came second had from William Morris’s Kelmscott Press. After Bullen’s death in 1927 the business was moved to Oxford under its new owners Basil Blackwell and Bernard Newdigate who was the typographer. They continued in the Morris tradition. The building in which they operated was commandeered by the American allies in 1942.

King Arthur and his Legends and Death – Shakespeare Head Private Press edition.

$670.00

Updating cart…

Russian Arctic Islands – Mallet – 1719

An unusual hand coloured original copper engraved miniature map – Isle des Etat ou Staten Island (Ostrov Mestnyy) and Isle Maurice (Dolgy Island). From Beschreibung des Ganzen Welt Kreises … the German translation of Mallet’s great work on the Universe published by Johann Adam Jung in Frankfurt 1719.

Ostrov Msetnyy is in the Kara Sea south of Novaya Zemlya – Dolgy is to the west in the Barents Sea. The topography of the islands is contrasting Ostrov rather rugged and hilly whilst Dolgy is flat and pitted with lagoons. Sailing vessels very discretely engraved into the plate.

Paper size 20cm by 17cm; map area 15cm by 10cm. Good condition on wove paper. Unusually wide leading margin consistent with this printing.

Allain Manesson Mallet (1630-1706) was a French cartographer and engineer. He started his career as a soldier in the army of Louis XIV and became a Sergeant Major and an Inspector of Fortifications a role which afforded him the resources required to produce this treasure.

Early unique map of little known Arctic islands

$80.00

Updating cart…

Original Photograph Island of Ansoes – Dutch East Indies [West Papua) – 1939

A quality image 24cm by 18cm of the village on the Island of Ansoes [now called Palua Ansus], a small island south of Japen Island in the north of West Papua.

Photographer unknown but taken for the Publisher’s Photo Service [A Photo Library], New York. Dated August 21st 1939 on the rear with various ownership stamps and a caption, which reads …

“Dutch E. indies – Island of New Guinea … This entire village of Ansoes is built on piles which furnish protection both from disastrous floods and reptiles and preying animals from the dense surrounding jungles. Needless to say all visiting is done by native canoes.” i.e. the usual melodrama regarding the perceived primitive at the time of Tarzan the Ape Man.

We love the little guys put at the front of the scene playing local flute like instruments

Still a very isolated location … population at the last estimate was around 7,000 so we guess very little has changed.

Super image – very good clarity – photographic contrast.

$30.00

Updating cart…

Woodcut Bookplate of Sir Samuel James Way Bart – Chief Justice c1910

Original Woodcut bookplate by Lionel Lindsay – 1958

Original Woodcut Bookplate by Kalman Gaborjani Szabo noted Hungarian Artist – 1934

Le Morte d’Arthur – Sir Thomas Malory – Shakespeare Head Private Press Limited Edition 1933

Russian Arctic Islands – Mallet – 1719

Original Photograph Island of Ansoes – Dutch East Indies [West Papua) – 1939

Product Categories