Private Press & Artists' Books
From our early days we have established a leading reputation as a dealer in private press
books. Our first catalogue, entirely devoted to The Art of the Printer, appeared
in 1949 and contained 850 books. Today, our stock ranges from the press-work of the
1880s to creations by contemporary artists and printers.
As well as works from the major houses such as The Golden Cockerel, Kelmscott,
Nonesuch and Eragny Presses, and Officina Bodoni, we deal in works by contemporary
British printers such as Parvenu Press and Whittington Press. We also are
proud to offer productions from presses of international renown such as
Barbarian Press in Canada, and The Perishable Press in the United States.
We offer an extensive selection of titles concerning typography, bookbinding,
and other areas of bibliographic interest. The visitor to our shop is sure
to find our shelves well-stocked with old favourites and unusual novelties.
Enquiries from collectors seeking specific rarities are always welcome.
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Lorenz (Angela). Sir Thomas’more or Utopia Impaled: A Memento Mori More’s’mores as Metaphor for More’s Mores and More’s Mors, in Morus | | | | |  | Bologna, Italy, 2007. One of an edition limited to 26 numbered copies signed by the artist. Box: various dimensions. Book: 6 cm x 6 cm. Text letterpress printed on 16-page concertina of mulberry paper by Wolfe Editions in Portland, Maine. Marshmallow and Graham crackers made with cotton pulp from Israel. Presented in cardboard replica of chocolate box with brass wire handle. Fine copy. Angela Lorenz’s latest work is a tribute to Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), a lawyer, writer, practising orator and trained grammarian. Her research into Thomas More led her to believe that he ‘played the fool his whole life’: this included punning on his name, which contains Latin suggestions of death and folly, as well as (important for this artist) the seeds of reference to the mulberry tree. The texts, sandwiched between the life-like paper replicas of graham crackers, comprise examples of More’s ‘gallows humour’ while in prison and prior to his execution, as well as scatalogical exchanges between More and Erasmus. The book is accompanied by a marshmallow on a stick, made entirely from paper fibres, branded with an image of More based on a portrait by Holbein. The image references the American snack known as ‘Smores’ as well as the more tragic image of More’s head impaled on a spike after his execution. | | | | | |  | £650 | | | |
