Search Results: Design from Rare Illustrated Books

London: Day & Sons, lithographers to the Queen, 1852. First Edition. THEORY GENERAL PRINCIPLES 'It has been well remarked, by no less a man than Locke, "that the mechanism of the arts contains more true philosophy than the systems of philosophers : " and in that observation he has perhaps only echoed the great dogma of Lord Bacon, "that the history of the mechanical arts is the most important branch of true philosophy." These two splendid apophthegms, pregnant as they are with meaning, had been adopted with remarkable felicity by the French Encyclopédists, as mottoes to that portion of their great work which treats of the industrial arts. The English are indebted for the proud position they at present occupy in the world of manufacture, and the reputation they have gained for the intrinsic excellence of their productions, to their deep and preserving recognition of the absolute utilitarian importance of the studies recommended by these and other great economists ; it is, however, only very… Read More

Vienna, 1939. A rare an unusual collection of original hand-painted fashion designs produced in Vienna before the outbreak of the Second World War. All seventeen designs are original artworks. Some feature ornate and carefully crafted crepe-paper whorls and rosettes, presenting the elegant fashion items as textured three dimensional forms. The plates comprise designs for a range of items and accessories - six pairs of shoes, ten pairs of gloves, and a parasol - all signed by the talented artist ‘Kropej'. It is known that Miss Kropej studied under the care of Emmy Zweybrück-Prochaska, who operated a privately owned art and craft school in Vienna from 1915. The school taught a range of skills in the decorative arts, and was renowned for wonderful toys and textile design. The school closed in 1939 when Emmy Zweybrück- Prochaska was forced to emigrate for the United States where she continued to work in textile design and the illustration of children's books. This collection of work by Miss Kropej is… Read More

Paris: Dan Niestlé, 1926. By the influential French architect, Charles Letrosne (1868 -1939), chief architect of Civil Buildings and National Palaces, first chief architect of the Paris World Exhibition of 1937, and officer of the Légion d'Honneur. A contemporary of Le Corbusier, Letrosne is also known for the remarkable concrete architecture of the zoo at Vincennes. Letrosne's Murs et Toits pour les Pays de Chez-Nous ‘served as a catalyst for the restoration of damaged communes all over France: including even those villages that had been left uninhabited by peacetime rural exodus!' Golan, Romy. Modernity and Nostalgia: Art and Politics in France Between the Wars, p.27. Two volumes, oblong folio, colour plates tipped in and many line drawings printed in pochoir; in original folder with ties, some restoration.

London: St Martin's Publishing Co, 1912. First Edition. An early book on the engineering and construction of automotive parts, with a special emphasis on metallurgy. 'An account of modern metallurgical science applied to automobile engineering, including detailed descriptions of the principal processes involved in the production and testing of iron and steel, together with a collection of micrographs and charts graphically illustrating the influence of heat treatment on metals.' The book is well illustrated with photo plates of factory equipment and production, smelting and. Quarto, bound in original red cloth, photographically illustrated throughout, previous owner's inscription, near fine.

Greenwich (Conn.): Literary Collector Press, 1905. The standard work on papiers peints, illustrated with real examples from the grand old homes and estates of New England. The value of this book lies in the images of rare papers photographed in private homes, providing a record of some designs now impossibly rare: a superlative resource for the study of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century design and interior decoration. Limited edition, quarto, 83 plates, some colour tipped-in, rebound in attractive grey quarter cloth with gilt spine label, endpapers renewed, near fine copy.

Woodbridge: The Wood Lea Press, 1998. Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell. A collection of woodcuts and linocuts by artists associated with the Omega Workshops and the Hogarth Press forming comprehensive study of the work of many important print artists including Roger Fry, Vanessa Bell, Henri Gaudier- Brzeska, and Dora Carrington. Deluxe edition limited of 105 copies, bound in quarter morocco with decorated boards, 360 x 260mm, black and white illustrations and tipped-in colour plates throughout, accompanied by a separate portfolio of woodcuts, a fine copy in publisher's cloth solander case.

Sydney: RICHARD McKINNEY STUDIO, no date. Black & white photographic portrait by J.R.T. Richardson of Percy Neville Barnett at work in his studio tipping in book-plates. Black & white silver gelatine print, 162 mm x 210 mm, officially stamped by artist and sitter, in near fine condition.

Windsor Locks, CT: C.H. Dexter and Sons, n.d.. Trade catalogue: from the paper mill of C.H. Dexter & Sons, established in the early years of the 19th century, with examples of nineteen colour paper samples, beautifully illustrated in the style of art nouveau. Stationery fetish aside, this is an important document in the development of printing history, with historical and cultural significance. Quarto, bound in pictorial wrappers, sewn, original ties intact. rubbed on rear panel and nicked at edges, a very good copy, internally clean and unmarked.

London: William Clowes & Sons, 1886. First Edition. Thomas Riley. With sections on the individual states of Australia, promoting Victorian gold and wine, the minerals of Queensland and New South Wales, pearls from Western Australia, and the goats and merino sheep of South Australia. Also includes a study of the architecture of India, and with mentions of 16th century Maltese armour from the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, silk weavers from Cyprus, Chinese embroidery from Hong Kong, tea from Ceylon... The diamond exhibition in the African court was said to be the most popular. "It is hoped that this volume of Reminiscences may prove acceptable to four classes of persons: firstly, to those living in Great Britain and Ireland who take an interest in the progress made by their brethren beyond the seas; secondly, to those who, coming from India and the Colonies to participate in the imperial gathering and to judge for themselves of the results of colonial labour and enterprise, may wish to take home… Read More

Melbourne: The Specialty Press, no date. Illustrated catalogue of shop fittings and display cases for department stores and apparel. There is a case constructed of polished timber and clear plate glass designed to hold umbrellas, a gent's hat case, trays for knitted ties and sox and gloves, a charming fit-out for a chemist's dispensing department, a lovey little design for a retractable shop assistant's seat, boot store fittings, high-class drapery counters, glass counters for cakes and sweets, and a fascinating construct called the "Island Showcase". Designed by a Melbourne company based in South Yarra. Rare. Quarto, bound in decorated paper wrappers, 42 pages, illustrated with black & white photographs and line drawings throughout, near fine.

Paris: Degorce, 1931. Paris Expo 1931. Degorce. Twenty five original lithographs from Degorce. Preface by Marèchal Lyautey. With commentary by Andrè Maurois. Bound in the original illustrated wrappers, 245 mm x 320 mm, colour frontis and 24 full-page colour illustrations; a few marks on wrappers, occasional slight foxing otherwise a fine copy.

SYDNEY: ART IN AUSTRALIA, 1932. First Edition. Decadent art deco publication with a splendid assortment of colour advertisements. Illustrated by many notable Australian artists, reproducing Will Ashton in oil and J.J. Hilder in watercolour, and includes a series of beautiful photographs of the Sydney Harbour Bridge by Harold Cazneaux. An article titled 'Our Glorious Surf Beaches' is supported by a suite of images of the Surf Life Savers. Quarto, silver-gilt decorated paper wrappers, 80pp, a very good copy indeed.

Paris: Les Éditions Albert Lèvy, 1931. First Edition. Saude, Picasso, Moholy-Nagy, Leger, Rodchenko, Exter and Bel Geddes among others.. An extremely attractive copy of one of the finest theatre books of the last century. Illustrated with hundreds and thousands of pictures of the costumes, set designs and productions of avant guarde theatre in Europe, Russia and the United States. Illustrations are both photographic and brilliantly coloured in bright pochoir process pigments. Designers include Picasso, Moholy-Nagy, Leger, Rodchenko, Exter, Bel Geddes and directors Meyerhold, Brecht, Reinhardt, Piscator... in fact just about everybody of importance in avant garde theatre in the 1920s. Folio, 380 mm x 280 mm, no. 52 of an edition limited to 615, 124 heliotype plates printed one side only, most with multiple images, 37 of which fully or partly coloured with pochoir stencils in the studio of J. Saude, 35 pp. title, introductory text, and indexes to designers, directors and productions, some pages with… Read More

London: Biba, 8211. First Edition. Barbara Hulanicki, founder of the Biba fashion house, was the woman who popularised the miniskirt, brought celebrity fashion to the high street, and rewarded working women by selling gorgeously decadent clothes and accessories at prices they could afford. Her gorgeous mail-order catalogues feature an extremely early shoot by the young Helmut Newton, classically atmospheric work by Sarah Moon, stunningly debauched images by James Wedge, and playfully by Harri Peccinotti; designed by John McConnell with drawings by Moira MacGregor. The Biba newspaper, "Welcome to the new Biba", was published to celebrate the opening of Biba's new department store in Kensington, London in the September of 1973. Infused with style, informed by Art Nouveau, and inspired by Sarah Bernhardt, the grand Biba department store offered "the kind of very feminine clothes she [Bernhardt] might enjoy if she had lived in London now, instead of Paris then." A stylish and beautiful archive of iconic… Read More

Paris: Office Technique Pour l'Utilisation de l'Acier, 1935. First Edition. This impressive publication is a record of a competition for a grand large-scale exhibition building at La Defense on the outskirts of Paris. The competition was organised by O.T.U.A., publishers of the magazine l'Acier [steel], to exemplify the spectacular possibilities of steel in modern building. Thirteen invited entrants accepted the challenge with varying success. Results range through art deco monumental, severe modernist, and near-visionary. Detailed information is given for each entry: area plans, perspective views, plans, elevations, engineering details and calculations, materials and services. Folio, numerous photogravure plates, plans, elevations and details, black leather spine, coloured decorative boards edged with white leather (scuffed). Binding signed 'Barast', apparently one of a number of special copies for presentation, this copy numbered '8' and inscribed to M. Bruneton.

Canada, no date. Dynamic and engaging advertisment for soap detergent, pre-dating the advent of washing machines. One sheet, doubled-sided colour printing, 280 mm x 215 mm, faint fold lines, crisp corners, in very good overall condition.