tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24173561567858904472011-12-24T07:48:56.794-05:00A blog by <a href="http://minsky.com"> <b>Richard Minsky</b></a><br> <br>Featuring <a href="http://minsky.com/art-american-book-covers.htm">Decorated Publishers' Bindings, 1870-1930</a>Rnoreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-35087272854211146572011-12-22T09:30:00.000-05:002011-12-22T09:30:21.438-05:00

Followers of this blog may recall the earliest known SWW cover, on the 1880 edition of Verses by Susan Coolidge. See the August 28, 2009 entry. Additional examples of her work were posted January 21, 2010. In 1891 Hawthorne’s Our Old Home was issued by The Riverside Press in a 2-volume limited edition, with 250 copies printed on Riverside Press watermarked paper, in a vellum binding with SWW

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-65012474972960571892011-09-30T09:57:00.000-04:002011-09-30T09:57:40.356-04:00

... Next month I will be presenting an illustrated talk on The Art of American Book Covers 1875-1930 in New York City.  The New York Public Library is hosting it.  1880Mid-Manhattan Library455 Fifth AvenueThursday, October 27 · 6:30pm - 8:30pm Author @ the Library presents: "The Art of American Book Covers: 1875-1930," with Richard Minsky, the recipient of the 2011 Worldwide Books Award for

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-45639590274957877062011-07-30T13:03:00.002-04:002011-07-30T13:07:59.526-04:00

Thomas Watson Ball was an art director at Harper's when this edition of Spun-Yarn was issued. He did use seahorses as a spine element a few years later on Light Freights, and there are some similarities with Ball's lettering styles, but there is not yet enough evidence to give this design a firm attribution. If you have seen any similar designs, please do comment. [unknown artist]Spun-Yarnby

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-48870328093390523292011-07-29T08:43:00.003-04:002011-07-29T08:46:57.395-04:00

The binding on Ziska is mis-described in the Stone bibliography* as "dark green patterned cloth," as though it was off-the-shelf material. It actually is signed Ethel Belle Appel cover art, in Art Nouveau/Egyptian Revival style, with her vertical EBA monogram  on the front cover. If you missed the previous post with EBA covers, click here. *    Kramer,  Sidney.  A History of Stone & Kimball

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-30818192119377615172011-07-28T04:35:00.000-04:002011-07-28T04:35:16.918-04:00

Lovers of American publishers' bindings might want to look at the Barnes & Noble 2012 Desk Diary. They asked me to write an introduction and provide images for every month and every week. The diaries are not yet in the stores, but if you go to the BN website by clicking all three versions linked below, and when you get there, click where it says "more" under the photo in the left column, each has

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-85274385399276229612011-07-26T09:47:00.002-04:002011-07-26T09:50:32.301-04:00

  Maurice B. Prendergast Friendship & Folly by Maria PoolL. C. Page, 1898   Maurice B. Prendergast Muriella or Le Selveby Ouida (Louise de la Ramée)L. C. Page, 1901White cloth was glued to the cover before stamping the pictorial cover of Muriella. This solved the problem caused by the whites that were available for stamping at that time, which flaked off easily.   

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-35566168473019300512011-07-24T20:24:00.000-04:002011-07-24T20:24:54.897-04:00

Olive Lothrop Grover[signed with OLG monogram]The Spirit Guest by Josephine RandRevell,1899 with the dust jacket (missing some pieces), featauring the same design: Unusual cover material and appearance.  An embossed pattern high-finish paper with random-grain pattern. It looks like the ink, which is a split fountain, is stamped into the paper about halfway the depth of the

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-20814252357799660302011-07-18T20:39:00.002-04:002011-07-18T20:41:38.534-04:00

Ethel Belle AppelSome Women's Waysby Mary Angela DickensR. F. Fenno, 1896 Ethel Belle AppelThe Descendantby Ellen GlasgowHarper & Brothers, 1897

Rnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-67145678326620621882011-07-12T12:58:00.001-04:002011-07-12T12:59:58.429-04:00

One of the stranger American literary figures was Herman Scheffauer (1878-1927), the San Francisco poet and protégé of Ambrose Bierce who moved to Germany and became a propagandist during WWI, was indicted in abstentia for treason by a Federal Grand Jury in 1919, and committed suicide eight years later, jumping out the window after murdering a woman in his apartment. He is of interest to us

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-82529246331138483972011-07-03T10:12:00.000-04:002011-07-03T10:12:28.566-04:00

Cover art by George Wharton Edwards, with GWE monogram. John Ship, Mariner by Knarf Elivas [pseud. Frank (Mackenzie) Savile] New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company,  ©1898

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-50852024264608085592011-06-29T08:36:00.001-04:002011-07-01T08:02:45.632-04:00

Now that the Third Exhibition has been delivered to its permanent home at the Boston Athenaeum, I have cabinets and shelf space for 350 books that have been piling up and stored in boxes. I still have to finish binding the Deluxe Edition of the Catalog of the Third Exhibition, and then will start documenting the next group. There are many fabulous designs that have been waiting their turn. 

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-72234736386698172122011-06-29T05:20:00.000-04:002011-06-29T05:20:41.149-04:00

The entire collection of books in the Third Exhibition of American Decorated Publishers' Bindings, 1872-1929 has been acquired by the Boston Athenaeum. Once it has been integrated into their catalog the books will be available for researchers in the Special Collections Reading Room. http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/45

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-12915470897522413272011-05-21T10:26:00.002-04:002011-05-21T10:31:31.011-04:00

This week a Ball arrived that I have been after a decent copy of for several years:  Thomas Watson BallA Romance of Summer Seasby Varina Anne Jefferson-DavisHarper & Brothers, New York, 1898 The book is scarce for several reasons. Besides the beautiful cover and any literary merit, the author was the daughter of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, and lived a short and tumultuous life.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-1466332784160333372011-05-11T18:46:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:24:23.719-04:00

Very pleased to let you know that the 2011 Worldwide Books Award for Publications was awarded for The Art of American Book Covers 1875-1930 by The Art Libraries Society of North America. Here's a webcam snapshot: If you are in Holland, you might enjoy the review of The Art of American Book Covers 1875-1930 in Boeken over Boeken (Books about Books). If you are near Den Haag, the Koninklijke

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-11727439837721868252010-12-02T09:20:00.002-05:002010-12-02T09:35:16.250-05:00

If you are looking for something beautiful and inexpensive for someone who loves books, The Art of American Book Covers 1875-1930 is perfect. It was designed in gift book format, is exceptionally well produced in full color with images of about 150 gorgeous books, has a top quality gold-stamped cloth binding, and rave reviews of the content. If you tried to get a copy earlier this year and

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-49755757197595193022010-08-17T16:43:00.000-04:002010-08-17T16:43:26.696-04:00

There's a nice review of The Art of American Book Covers 1875-1930 today in the Huffington Post.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-69122250320392883642010-05-24T07:03:00.003-04:002010-05-24T07:18:10.725-04:00

   Gilian the Dreamer by Neil Munro Dodd, Mead, 1899cover by Thomas Watson Ball, unsigned The covers of T. W. Ball were completely neglected by scholars of binding design for many years. Gullans and Espey did not mention him in their 1979 essay in Collectible Books, despite listing “The Major Designers” and “Other Noteworthy Designers.”  Ball worked in several distinct styles and rarely

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-36577778429278053352010-05-05T07:44:00.000-04:002010-05-05T07:44:31.946-04:00

The Art of American Book Covers, 1875-1930 is now in bookstores and available online. Here are some quotes, with links to the full review: Fine Books & Collections"Whether you curl up and read it, shelve it for reference, or place on the coffee table, this is one book you don’t want to miss." Library Journal"A perceptive introductory essay makes excellent use of both small illustrations

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-13619537389572702112010-03-25T10:32:00.005-04:002010-03-25T10:41:52.397-04:00

One of the most beautiful techniques employed on publishers' bindings was stamping in bright and matte gold. This could be accomplished with a single impression of a specially engraved die. Microscopic textures were added to parts of the image by various processes. Physical methods would be to engrave a stipple or cross-hatch pattern with a burin, or to roll or press a pattern with a mezzotint

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-65786137753482055032010-02-26T21:58:00.005-05:002010-02-26T22:02:23.140-05:00

I am pleased to announce that George Braziller is publishing a trade edition of my work on American Publishers' Bindings titled The Art of American Book Covers, 1875-1930.  It will be in full color and have about 150 images. It will have a stamped full cloth cover, in keeping with the content. Above is a scan of the sample from the bindery. It is a practical demonstration that the effects

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-15065569812959617672010-01-21T05:01:00.002-05:002010-05-12T05:15:32.040-04:00

 [This was originally posted Friday, October 9, but had a technical problem and had to be reposted.] The first post on this blog showed the 1881 cover of Mr. Bodley Abroad, a design decades ahead of its time. Here are four more covers that are clearly by the same artist: The Bodleys on Wheelsby Horace E. ScudderHoughton, Osgood and Company The Riverside Press, Cambridge, 1879 Printed paper

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-27628012084602758612010-01-21T04:40:00.000-05:002010-01-21T04:40:46.358-05:00

Among the first of the artists who transformed commercial binding design, Sarah de St. Prix Wyman Whitman was a hard working visionary who in many ways represented the modern woman. She was a successful portrait painter, had a stained glass workshop, and designed hundreds of books for Houghton, many with simple lettering, like Timothy’s Quest below.   Timothy’s Quest by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-67654715878866661222009-09-06T04:40:00.034-04:002009-09-06T08:59:24.554-04:00

Continuing yesterday's topic, here is an example of a series of books issued by L. C. Page with the related design format for each title available in red, white or blue cloth.  It appears that all three colors were available simultaneously for each title. One interesting aspect is the use of a white cloth panel glued onto the red and blue books instead of white stamping.  White stamping was

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-2704879023550125782009-09-05T06:56:00.002-04:002009-09-05T07:03:51.883-04:00

Many books were issued in several variants of the same design. Some are on well defined subsequent printings or editions, or from the same dies used by a different publisher, while others are on copies that appear bibliographically identical. There are many possible reasons for this, as a related current discussion on the Exlibris listserv indicates. Books were issued in several colors to appeal

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-21368924962245586562009-08-29T09:46:00.005-04:002009-08-29T10:37:22.978-04:00

. The New Day A poem in Songs and Sonnets by Richard Watson Gilder Illustrations engraved by Henry Marsh 1 New York: Scribner, Armstrong, and Company, 1876 17.8 x 13.5 cm [Design often attributed to Helena DeKay Gilder] 2 Gold stamped peacock feather on blue cloth over beveled boards. It is a brilliant example of the engraver’s art—both in the quality of technique used to execute it, and the

Rnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-26167544187354428652009-08-28T15:41:00.011-04:002009-08-28T16:49:55.526-04:00

.Fly-Leavesby C. S. C. (Charles Stuart Calverley)New York: Holt and Williams, 187217 x 11.5 cmThis binding was recognized early on as an important departure from existing cover designs. In the landmark 1894 exhibition "Commercial Bookbindings" at The Grolier Club, this book was chosen as: ...an excellent example of the beginnings from which came the modern commercial cover of the first class.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-32349175261929571212009-08-26T10:42:00.006-04:002009-08-26T11:05:10.065-04:00

Monday's New York Observer had an article about the "new" trend in publishing--eliminating the dust jacket and stamping directly on the cover of a hardbound book.The New Thing: Books Without JacketsThere has been some discussion of this among the rare book community on the Exlibris listserv. One of my comments was that the design that illustrates the article, No Impact Man, appears to be a

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2417356156785890447.post-56289046256424848602009-08-26T06:54:00.000-04:002009-08-26T07:25:28.194-04:00

This blog is about book covers. The posts will mainly be about the "Golden Age" of American publishing, the period from about 1875 to 1930 when stamped cloth bindings brought innovative art and design into the homes of the reading public.In the sidebar you can read posts from other blogs that present more recent cover art, which is mostly paperback book cover or dust jacket design.Not all books

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