The Philosophy of Limited Editions

Westport: Privately Printed. Near Fine with no dust jacket. 1929. Limited Edition. Softcover. Faintest sunning to the edges of the wraps. Tail corner of front wrap has tiny, light crease.; The author's essay on why limited editions should exist in the wide world of publishing, reading, and collecting. "Why do the heathen so furiously rage against limited issues, large-papers, first editions, and the rest? For there is certainly more to be said for than against them. Broadly speaking, all such 'fads' are worthy of being encouraged, because they maintain, in some measure, the expiring dignity of letters, the mystery of books." "If writers and publishers only gave a thought to what they are doing when they generate such large families of books, careless as the salmon with its million young, we should have no such sad alms-houses of learning as Booksellers' Row, no such melancholy distress-sales of noble authors as remainder auctions. A good book is beyond price; and it is far easier to under than over sell it." "Let us not vulgarise our books, as she has done her stars and flowers. Let us, if need be, make our editions smaller and smaller, our prices increasingly 'prohibitive,' rather than that we should forget the wonder and beauty of printed dream and thought, and treat our books as somewhat less valuable than wayside weeds." Excerpted from the author's Prose Fancies, published in 1894 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. Prose Fancies was a compilation of 25 of the author's essays on books, writing, poetry, publishing, and life's mysteries, all published in the periodicals The Speaker, The Star, The Illustrated London News, and The Sketch. Born Richard Thomas Gallienne, the author affected the surname Le Gallienne in early adulthood. A prolific author, his life was tumultuous, encompassing affairs with Oscar Wilde, actor/playwright Wilson Barrett and numerous women, and three wives who dealt with his debt-ridden, alcoholic, womanizing, unstable life. This is one of a limited edition of 207 copies. Printed in the recently renovated barn of Richard Ellis, founder of The Georgian Press, printer, and book designer. This book does not carry his own imprint, but was likely printed for a collector to distribute as a keepsake, as such printings comprised much of the press's output. In 1933, Ellis sold the Press to George Macy, who, in the same year, reset and reprinted the text as a keepsake for members and friends of his Limited Editions Club. On watermarked, laid paper in sewn, laid stiff wraps with the "MBM" watermark of Ingres d'Arches MBM paper. Head edge trimmed, deckle fore and tail edges. Title between rules on the light brown wraps. Paginated [4], 5-14, [1]. This is a small, simple, straightforward book without ornament, intended to expound on the limited edition and be a testament to good printing. Not found in Ransom, and scarce. In clean, Near Fine condition.; 12mo 7" - 7½" tall; 19 pages .