Search Results: Titles starting with J from White Fox Rare Books and Antiques

6 inches across, 4.75 inches tall, 5 inches deep. This pair of J. B. bookends has the trademark celluloid detailing of the face and hands. It is, according to Kuritzky, the most authoritative source on bookends, of the greatest rarity, or a 5 on its 5 point scale. Some minor paint loss as per normal, but generally excellent condition. More photos available upon request.

New York: John J. Cooper, 1922. First Edition Presumed. Brochure. Good. Early crackpot dieting regimen. Includes ethnic stereotypes pertaining to body types -- Italians "are of the short type with a relatively heavy frame"; Germanic "are of heavy frame", etc. 12mo. 12 by 8.5 cm. Unpaginated. 16 pp., including cover. Scarce. Only copy recorded on OCLC at Rochester (Strong). Condition: front and back leaves detached. Tiny corner chip by upper joint affecting all leaves. A small stain on front cover.

Prague; London: Artia; Bancroft & Co., 1962. Near Fine. Kubasta, V.. 8 pop-ups and movable piece on front covers and a third within. Unusual format for double feature Kubasta! Stories begin on opposite ends and work towards centers. (In other words, both boards are the front covers.) Oblong, 10 by 8 inches, 26 by 20 cm. As always, he is faithful to the fairy tale while giving everything an up-to-date modern gloss. Some minor shelfwear, but tight, and everything still functions great!

1898. Card. . Very Good. With six highly unusual and beautiful mixed-media specimens of folk art, each of which is accompanied by a few lines of explanatory material on the source of materials -- and this exposition is in our view part of the value of the whole, as it makes explicit just how the doilies were made. The doilies are 16.5 cm in diameter, with a light mesh center onto which is mounted exquisite tropical fern leaves. This mesh is made of the tissue of the lace bark tree, we are told Surrounding this is a ring with original watercolored floral decoration using Jamaican flowers. The material used as the base is the papyus of a plant -- the explanation is not clear to us on this point. And the outer periphery is of fringe of fine soft fabric. The maker of these doilies, whose initials are "A. B. ?", describes the doilies as "nature in the tropics", where "she is most luxuriant", and one might also say that they are nature's trophies. With watercolored… Read More

Title page, with watercolored portrait of Gaynor, followed by 59 typed pages (58 paginated), mostly a novelized rendering of the movie star's life

Kyoto, Japan: Uchida Woodblock Printing Co., Ltd., 1955. Folio. . Near Fine. Brightly colored woodblock prints, all inspired by Kabuki plays. Folio, 39 by 35 cm. The prints are matted. The prints themselves (or the window of the mat) are 26.5 by 24 cm. These prints were surely intended to be framed and hung on walls, and so one seldom comes upon the full folio of 18 pieces intact as issued. It would appear that there are few institutions with collections of these Chuko Kabuki prints, but we do not trust OCLC necessarily to pick up all such holdings, given that the prints were issued in various formats over many decades. OCLC indicates that the National Diet Library of Japan and UCLC have copies dated 1941, but at least the latter copy appears to be in a smaller format than these. That said, this folio was unquestionably issued with the Western, and particularly American, market in mind. The title is rendered in English, and the U.S. was probably still occupying Japan at the time, and… Read More

Kyoto, 1900. Wraps. Thread stitching, stab binding. . Very Good. Wide range of designs featured, as appropriate for a lexicon -- floral, fauna, geometric, composite or hybrid, etc. Circa 1900. 8vo. 24 by 17 cm. Over 90 double-page spreads printed with a profusion of stylized color woodblock textile patterns. Condition: light foxing on wraps. Generally clean and fresh within the four volumes.

1872. Very Good. Meiji 5, or 1872. 22 by 15 cm. 57 pp, all but one with fine detailed woodblock prints of human anatomy. Light to moderate wear of cover. Sharp impressions within.

Leporellos. Very Good. N.d., circa 1900. 28.5 by 18 cm. Sixteen paintings, each measuring 28.5 by 36 cm, by an unknown hand. Paintings are of a flower vase, birds on branches, on a pipe or by the sea, a deer, pine cones, a cat, cranes, a woman having tea (perhaps), a tea kettle set among shoots of flowers, a butterfly above a stream, flower petals, foliage and insects. The paintings are done with bold, sure strokes. The paint is sometimes quite palpable. The style is simple, direct, economical. The paintings can each stand alone, but there is a cumulative impact from the album. Soiling and wear to the cover. About one third of the album remains blank and unused. The paintings themselves are clean.

Leporello. Custom cloth box.. Very Good. 17.5 by 12 cm. 24 panels, with each color woodblock illustration occupying two panels. It would appear the leporello is recounting an episodic story, but not one with a single central character. Whatever the case, portrayed is not a pretty picture of Japanese society. Light soiling to the leporello cover. A tiny pin sized hole piercing the upper corner of a number of the panels. A closed tear along the first fold.

Tokyo: T. Hasegawa. Ribbon ties. Near Fine. N.d. Originally issued in 1899, according to Sharf. This would appear to be a later, but early, edition. 8vo. 19 by 13.5 cm. Unpaginated, 14 leaves, plus cover. Colorful illustrations throughout, sometimes full page, sometimes spilling over to a second page or two paged, sometimes overlapping text, all in the quintessential Hasegawa style. Light wear. A lovely copy overall.

Kyoto, Japan: Uchida Woodblock Printing Co., Ltd.. Folio. . Near Fine. Brightly colored woodblock prints, entitled "Girl Playing Hanetsuki Game", "Flower Arrangement", "Girl Washing Hands", "Tea Ceremony", "Dancing Girl", and "Girl Playing Hand-Drum". N.d., circa early 1950s. Folio, 39 by 27 cm. The prints are matted. The prints themselves (or the window of the mat) are 25 by 18.5 cm. These prints were surely intended to be framed and hung on walls, and so one seldom comes upon the full folio of six pieces intact as issued. It would appear that there are few institutions with collections of these Kyo-Maiko prints, but we do not trust OCLC necessarily to pick up all such holdings, given that the prints were issued in various formats over many decades. That said, this folio was unquestionably issued with the Western, and particularly American, market in mind. The title is rendered in English, and the U.S. was probably still occupying Japan at the time, and regardless, had a strong presence in… Read More

Japan, 1842 (Tenpo 13). Block. Near Fine. Collection of Japanese songs, with many fine woodcut illustrations, 13 of which are fully colored, 106 others are two toned or tinted, by Matsukawa Hanzan (1818-1882). (Three leaves with red and blue background as well.) Oblong, 11.5 by 18 cm. Approximately 500 leaves, each printed on both sides, and bound with ribbon and two corners set off with fabric, in a large block binding. The songs were intended to be played by koto and shamisen. Light wear. Overall, very well preserved.

Japan. Leporello. Very Good. N.d., circa 1900. 183 by 151 mm, when closed. Mounted watercolors are of waterflow, a crane, other birds, flowers, fish, insects, landscapes, a fantastical depiction of men painting the foot and leg of a giant (or tiny men doing that of an ordinary man, or some other interpretation), a giant mask being lifted by children, other human studies. The watercolors are notable for their bright, vivid colors, their sharpness and precision of detail, their elegant spare composition. While each illustration can stand on its own, and the subject matter is by no means uniform, there is something quite alluring about the entire ensemble, as if they are meant to be of one piece. Based on the chop impressions, though, they appear to be by several artists. To appreciate their beauty, of course, one has to see images, or better yet, the pictures in person. Light to moderate wear of the fabric pastedown on the cover, with light soiling and some minor holes or spots of worn fabric.… Read More

1935. Cloth on boards. String tie. . Good. Bright, vivid and fantastical illustrations from Japanese folklore, Samurai legend, martial and equine traditions, and other patriotic-tinged stories. Showa 10, or 1935. Oblong, 18 by 38 cm. 60 color plates, with text captions generally in a narrow column on one side. The imagery jumps off the page, with not a few of the illustrations having the illusion of real dimensionality. The color adds to the electricity of the scenes depicted. A few of the plates have crayon scribbles or writing. The cloth on the boards is heavily soiled, and the string tie binding has some looseness, as might be expected from the extreme oblong shape. Fabric mostly perished on the spine.

1802. NA. Very Good. Dated Kyowa 2, which is 1802. 126 by 29.5 cm. With three watercolor paintings, the largest, arrows in a quiver, and Japanese calligraphic text between the images. Light to moderate wear.

Wraps. Very Good. 25.5 by 17 cm. 38 pp., 24 of which are very colorful botanical plates, and of these, a few of those facing one another can be viewed as a single larger illustration, but either side also holds its own. Peonies, poppies, of flowers like them, with big splashes of red, bright white, yellow, orange, purple, and stems of green. Text in Japanese, with a few flower names at the end rendered in Latin as well. Light soiling and wear.

Hardcover. Very Good. N.d., circa 1905. 35.5 by 27 cm, opening vertically. The woodcuts are generally about 30 by 24 cm, give or take (they are not all the same size). They are of varying topics, including then modern Japanese officials in Western-style uniform and regalia, sumarai and warriors, horsemen, religious ceremonies, performances, beautiful ladies, etc. In other words, a wide variety, not including views and scenery (as the primary subject matter, that is). We believe that the album might have been created as a salesman's sampler or the like, but we are not completely certain of that. Essentially, they are a lovely collection of assorted colorful Japanese plates. Sunning to part of cloth patterned binding (and darkened where a book must have sat for a long time). Ribbon ties.

March, 1877 (Meiji 10). Good. Depicting the Satsuma Rebellion. Each volume 17.5 by 11.5. Together, 32 pp., 31 of which have woodblock prints. The Satsuma Rebellion was the last major uprising of Samurai against the newly formed Meiji government. The rebellion was the subject of the Tom Cruise movie, "The Last Samurai". Covers with brightly colored woodblock prints.

Calf Spine. Lacquer boards. . N.d., circa 1900. Oblong, 27 by 35 cm. Nine leaves, with 20 painted surfaces (including inside of cover). Slots for 44 photos, now all empty, with two per page on first eight leaves and six per page on the final leaf. Photo slots sized for CDVs and cabinet photos of day. Paintings are typical evocative artwork one associates with Japan, and most suitable for something intended as a souvenir for Western visitors/tourists. Standing out in the artwork is the depiction of birds, which are colored especially vividly and even seem to exude a dimensionality. Throughout the artwork depicts a picturesque rural village, with its ladies wearing blue kimonos with bright red undergarments. Lacquer cover has bone relief for three Japanese ladies' heads. Condition: leather spine is rubbed, worn, somewhat dry or dried out. Losses to lacquer along edges and by front lower right edge, but not greatly detracting from the cover. Lacquer hair-line crack running horizontally by… Read More