Search Results: Titles starting with S from Jonathan A. Hill, Bookseller, Inc.

[77] leaves, printed on rectos only. 8vo, printed white softcover, title on spine, perfect-bound. New York: Self-published; Milan: Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, 1990. Scarce artist's book by Conceptual artist Ian Wilson (1940-2020); WorldCat records just one copy in North America. Co-published with Giuseppe Panza (1923-2010), one of the greatest collectors of postwar American art, this book repeats a single phrase - "Absolute Knowledge" - 76 times. Panza was one of Wilson's most important clients and owned many of the artist's Discussions. "Wilson has also produced a number of artist books, each simply titled Section followed by a number. The word 'section' reminds me of how nations organize their constitutions according to 'acts' and 'sections.' [...] Linguistically, a section also always implies a pre-existing whole. A section can only be derived from a whole. Chapters have a different connotation in that they are like building blocks toward a whole. After all, a chapter can be incomplete while a… Read More

[34] leaves. 8vo, printed white softcover, title on spine, perfect-bound. New York: Self-published; Toronto: Art Metropole/David Bellman, 1984.<br /> <P> Artist's book by Conceptual artist Ian Wilson (1940-2020), now scarce; printed in an edition of 500 copies.<br /> <P> "Wilson has also produced a number of artist books, each simply titled Section followed by a number. The word 'section' reminds me of how nations organize their constitutions according to 'acts' and 'sections.' [...] Linguistically, a section also always implies a pre-existing whole. A section can only be derived from a whole. Chapters have a different connotation in that they are like building blocks toward a whole. After all, a chapter can be incomplete while a section is always complete to the extent that it is a section. As such, naming his artist's books Section followed by a number is homologically related to Buddhist or Hindu sutras, collections of canonical texts… Read More

Manuscript on paper with one map, 14 full-page, & about 20 smaller illus., finely drawn in brush & various colors. 53 folding leaves. 8vo (295 x 195 mm.), orig. blue wrappers (rubbed & a little worn), manuscript label on upper cover with "Sendai Kanoko" written, new stitching. [Japan]: from final page (in trans.) "copied 1839." The earliest survey of the wealthy Sendai fiefdom - known as the Sendai Kanoko - was prepared in 1695. At that time, the domain was led by Tsunamura Date (1659-1719). The survey was part of a nation-wide effort in the Genroku era to increase the amount of new farmland and improve irrigation works. When Tsunamura finally was able to exercise his own authority (following the famous succession feud Date Sodo), he ordered a series of public-works projects including building windbreaks and improving flood controls and irrigation. He also sponsored the construction of numerous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Many of his efforts were incorporated into the Sendai Kanoko, which… Read More

73; 67; 57; 70; 69; 56; 52; 74; 73 folding leaves. Ten juan in nine vols. Large 8vo, orig. wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: from final leaf of final volume (in trans.): "ninth month September 1619." First movable type edition printed in Japan, and a very rare book; there is apparently no copy in WorldCat. There is an example in the National Diet Library. The book is of unknown authorship, but both its contents and the extant editions suggest that it was written in the Yuan period (1271-1368). It lists the family names of prominent Chinese lineages arranged by pronunciation. The arrangement is based, first, on the four pitch tones of Middle Chinese (level, rising, departing, and entering) and, second, on the rhymes as listed in the Song-period rhyme book Guangyun 廣韻 [The Expanded Rhymes]. The arrangement of Guangyun was familiar to all highly educated individuals in this period and can be compared to alphabetical order in European languages. The Great Collection of Lineages was thus clearly a… Read More

Four vols. Small 8vo, orig. printed wrappers (some dampstaining throughout), orig. stitching. Shanghai: Zhonghua shu ju [Zhonghua Book Company], 1936. The series Sibu beiyao [Essential Writings of the Four Branches of Literature] (1920-33), consisted of edited reprints of 336 titles of rare literary and historical collections organized according to the classical method of the four categories of learning. The series was the brain-child of the enterprising Lufei Kui (1896-1941), educational reformer, pioneer of script reform, and founder of the Zhonghua Book Company, in 1912. The company soon became the second-most influential publishing firm in Republican China, surpassed only by the Commercial Press. The present work is the bibliographical précis of the early and later editions of the books included in the collection (congshu). The handsome typeface is known as Fangsong ti, new Song-style characters, used by Lufei Kui in many of his books. A very good set. In spite of the dampstaining, the text is… Read More

12 columns per page, 23 characters per column. Printed in Hangul & Chinese characters throughout. 56; 48; 55; 50; 62 numbered folding leaves. Five vols. Large 8vo (330 x 215 mm.), orig. wrappers (wrappers somewhat rubbed), old stitching. Kyŏngsang: Provincial Government Offices, 1862. A scarce translation into Korean, printed in Hangul and Chinese characters throughout, of the main text of the Document Classic, one of the oldest texts in the Confucian canon. It has been traditionally ascribed to several authors, including the Duke of Zhou. The Document Classic (or Book of Documents) contains documents purporting to originate with the earliest Chinese rulers, with many documents in the form of addresses by the kings or their ministers. This Korean translation was printed at the provincial government offices of Kyŏngsang in southeastern South Korea, probably in 1862. The translation appears to have been first published in 1820. Like other vernacular translations of classical Confucian texts, this… Read More

19 sheets, printed on both sides, stapled. Eindhoven: Van Abbemuseum, [1976]. A scarce exhibition check-list for Brouwn's 1976 solo exhibition at the Van Abbemuseum. All 270 works that were displayed are listed here, as in the exhibition catalogue published the same year. Each work is concisely described in Dutch. Near fine; small tear to the final sheet. ❧ Harry Ruhé, ed., stanley brouwn: a chronology (2nd ed.: 2005).

31 folding leaves. Large 8vo (305 x 190 mm.), orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers slightly soiled), new stitching. Yeongju: 1774. First edition, and very rare, of this gazetteer for the Confucian Three Peaks Academy (WorldCat 46318280). The word "gazetteer" is used in reference to a genre of East Asian historical and geographical texts generally known in Korea as ŭpchi 邑志, which translates roughly to "local treatises." The now rare word "gazetteer" is used in analogy with a similar genre that existed in British India. It was not unusual for Korean gazetteers to be published by a local Confucian academy, as seems to be the case here. Confucian academies were important centers of intellectual life in Chosŏn Korea. Several of the leading thinkers of the era spent parts of their career teaching at academies, thus creating a following. The Three Peaks Academy (Sambong sŏwŏn 三峰書院) was founded in the village Valley of Three Peaks (sambonggol 三峰谷) in 1654. The colophon… Read More

Title within typographical border. 8 p.l., 303 pp. Small 4to, 18th-cent. mottled calf (carefully rebacked by Trevor Lloyd, some occasional browning & soiling), spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: J.M. for R. Wodnothe, 1655. Third edition, greatly enlarged (1st ed.: 1651), of one of Hartlib's most substantial works, consisting chiefly of letters to Hartlib by Cressy Dymock and Robert Child. "The Legacie deals with a large variety of subjects, among which are Saint Foine; Ploughs and Carriages; Digging, Setting and Howing; Smut and Mildew; Orchards; Hemp and Flax; Manuring; Bees; Silke-worms; the general ignorance, and various experiments, etc. The reference to the cultivation of lucerne in England is stated by Miss Aslin to be the earliest extant, but the distinction between the various grasses is so vague in these early works that it might be difficult fully to substantiate this remark."-Fussell, I, pp. 43-44. Very good copy.

Color illus. pasted on upper wrapper, 15 color photographs pasted-on and 15 black & white illus. [56] pp. Square 4to, peach printed wrappers. Düsseldorf: CCD Galerie; Hamburg: PPS Galerie, 1986. One of 800 copies; scarce artist's book by Martin Kippenberger (1953-97). The title refers to Ed Ruscha's egg yolk painting Sand in the Vaseline (1974, van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven). "On the left-hand pages of the illustration section, there are 15 identical reproductions of a black and white photograph taken by Kippenberger's father. On the right-hand pages Kippenberger has pasted-in coloured illustrations of collages he created using postcards and photographs collected and taken during his visit to Brazil 1986... "Apart from the illustrations, the book contains a text co-authored by Kippenberger and Albert Oehlen 'When one has no particular desire to write about photography, one writes the following,' a biography, a list of solo and group exhibitions and eight blank pages for notes.'"-Koch. In… Read More

Black & white illus. Unpaginated. 12mo, silver printed softcover. Torino: Galleria Narciso, 1972. Rare Giancarlo Sangregorio (1925-2013) exhibition catalogue, we locate no copy in North America. Essay by Luigi Carluccio, biography, list of exhibitions, plates, and exhibition check-list. Near fine copy. Galleria Narcio Catalogue no. 111.

Numerous woodcut illus. in the text. 12 vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers a little soiled), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Kyoto, Edo, Osaka & Nagoya: various publishers, 1850. First edition and a complete set of this finely illustrated book, the most comprehensive work on obstetrics published in Japan before the arrival of Admiral Perry and Western influences. "In 1850 Sansetsu or Gihaku Mizuhara (1782-1864), whose real given name was Yoshihiro, published his definitive work on obstetrics entitled San'iku zensho (sometimes referred to as Jyunsei-an san'iku zensho) in 11 volumes [actually 12 volumes], divided into three sections plus an appendix volume. The first section [Gaihen; External Care], comprising the first seven volumes, was on general obstetrics with text and illustrations describing placentation, monsters, the use of massage in obstetrics, obstetrical examination per vagina and per rectum, (primitive) positions for delivery, preparation of… Read More

Several full-page woodcut illus. 40; 37 folding leaves. Two vols. 8vo, orig. blue wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers. Osaka, Edo, & Kyoto: 1836. [with]: -. Sanka tangan zushiki [Illustrated Manual of Obstetrical Forceps Use]. Accordion-printed album with 33 double-page illus. Two parts in one vol. Thick 8vo, orig. boards (quite rubbed), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover. [Kyoto?]: 1837. First edition and a rare complete set, including the two volumes of illustrated text and the atlas, all in fine condition. "Perhaps the most fascinating of the old books on obstetrics in the writer's collection is a Japanese obstetrical atlas printed in one 'accordion-style' volume, composed by Sansetsu or Gihaku or Yoshihiro Mizuhara (1782-1864) and published in 1837 with the title Sanka zushiki. Mizuhara is now considered to have been the 'Semmelweis of Japan,' credited with saving many lives of both mother and child because of his knowledge and his inventions - different… Read More

[6] leaves, printed on rectos only. 4to, blue color-printed wrappers, stapled. Utrecht: Utrechtse Kring, 1969. Very rare Armando (1929-2018) exhibition catalogue, we find no example outside of the Netherlands. With text contributions by Carel Blotkamp, Hans Sleutelaar, and Henk Peeters. Begins with a list of the artist's paintings and exhibitions. In fine condition.

Scroll (210 x 3690 mm.), endpapers of gold with silk brocade backing, wooden roller. [Japan: late Edo]. This attractive scroll, executed by a highly accomplished artist, comprises of 12 erotic scenes (the well-known "set of 12" format), in vivid coloring, depicting a range of sexual activities. As in many shunga handscrolls, the paintings feature a sequence of lovemaking positions in no apparent order. The scenes are finely painted with considerable detail, employing much gold, silver, and other metallic pigments. Throughout, the artist has used a fine brush to achieve great detail of fabric, hair, and faces. All the women have elaborate hairstyles, and the kimono are very luxurious, with many layers of fabric evident. We learn much about the variety of kimono and obi belts of the period. 1. The first scene shows a man, with an erect penis, seated behind a woman, caressing her breasts underneath her kimono. The penis is highlighted with gold dust, and one of the inner layers of her kimono is… Read More

Scroll (290 x 5840 mm. including endpapers), silk brocade endpaper at front depicting a pair of Mandarin ducks (symbol for fidelity between two people), wooden core roller. [Japan: late Edo]. A fine erotic scroll with 12 paintings (the well-known "set of 12" format), in vivid coloring, depicting a range of sexual activities. As in many shunga handscrolls, the paintings feature a sequence of lovemaking positions in no apparent order, with no development, simply presenting a variety of couplings and sexual techniques. All the participants in this scroll have Heian-period hairstyles, and several of the couples are clearly aristocrats. In the scenes, the copulating figures are outlined only in black ink, while their private parts and robes are vividly colored. In one scene, we see a lesbian couple. One of the women is disguised as a man, and the other woman is tied up but able to insert a dildo in her companion's vagina. Three of the scenes depict ménage à trois situations involving one man and two… Read More

Scroll (320 x 5250 mm.), silk-brocade front outer endpaper, with floral drawing in color at beginning, wooden core roller. [Japan]: after 1823. The 12 finely rendered erotic drawings present on this scroll, in the famous "set of 12" format, have been attributed on the manuscript label of the scroll's box to Chōkyōsai Eiri (active 1790s-1801), a little known pupil of Hosoda Eishi (1756-1829), who for some years was an equal rival to Utamaro. Chōkyōsai Eiri produced an album of 13 large-size color woodblock prints, entitled Fumi no kiyogaki [Neat Version of the Love Letter [or] Pure Drawings of Female Beauty (1801)] (see Clark et al., Shunga, pp. 310-11 & 400-01 for two images in the series and their descriptions). The underdrawings for six of the prints in the series (drawings 1, 2, 3, 5 (partial), 7, and 12), including the well-known image of two women using a dildo together, are present. Drawings 8, 9, 10, and 11 can be identified as images from Hokusai's Fukujusō [Adonis Flower] (ca.… Read More

Many finely painted images of plants & flowers. Scroll (365 x 2850 mm.), with six joined sheets of paper, gold-speckled endpapers. [Japan: late Edo or early Meiji]. A very finely painted scroll, in rich colors utilizing some pigments with metallic elements or with a thickening agent to give a three-dimensional effect, of a medley of plants and flowers, symbolizing the seasons. There are images of cherry blossoms, violets, dandelions, Chinese milkvetch, fiddle ferns, morning glories, sweet William, passionfruit flowers, bush clover, Chinese silvergrass, kuzu flowers, coxcomb, Chinese bellflower, quince, etc. The anonymous artist was extremely accomplished, and the transition of plants from season to season is extremely subtlety done. One sheet has several carefully repaired tears, but in fine condition.

70 pp. Small 4to (210 x 160 mm.), pictorial semi-stiff wrappers, title on spine. Amsterdam: VOID distributors, 1980. The essential compendium of Ulises Carrión's polemical essays; printed in an edition of 500 by Hetty Huisman's VOID Distributors. His trailblazing theories and beliefs about artists' books and mail art remain influential to this day. "The New Art of Making Books," first published in Plural no. 41 (1975), is frequently cited by contemporary book artists. The book includes his most important essays: "The New Art of Making Books," "From Bookworks to Mailworks," "Rubber Stamp Theory and Praxis," "Rubber Stamp Art," "Mail Art and the Big Monster," "Table of Mail Art Works," "Personal Worlds or Cultural Strategies?" "Bookworks Revisited." Each has printed notes in the margins, providing clarifications or revealing Carrión's latest views on a subject. Fine copy. This book is now rather rare on the market. ❧ John Held, Jr., ed., Mail Art: An Annotated Bibliography (1991) 6-"Highly… Read More

Full-bleed color illus. throughout. [70] pp. (incl. inside of wrappers). Small 8vo, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Midlothian, UK: Show & Tell Editions, 2015.<br /> <P> Rare Jonathan Monk (b. 1969) exhibition catalogue. Published in 2015, this catalogue records a peculiar 2012 exhibition of 64 works by the artist. The curator Paul Robertson was given permission to stage a show at Summerhall in a hidden attic. Only 129 people were able to see it. This is basically a thorough photographic bibliography of books and ephemera by the artist.<br /> <P> In fine condition. We locate just two copies in North America: Delaware and Ohio State.