Rare books from Stefan Szczelkun

The Countess Mountbatten's own Legion of Frontiersmen was conceived and organized in 1905 as a body of frontier sentinels, and they first published The Frontiersman's Pocket-Book in 1909 as their training and survival manual. Long out-of-print, copies command steep prices in the antiquarian book market.
Leatherbound. Good+, 463 pages, The cover professionally re-bound about 40 years ago with a new leather spine to match the original leather covers that have been retained. The body of the book was stitched into this restored binding. About 100 b&w illustrations. 6 pages of colour signal diagrams. Burgundy leather with gold impressing. All paper edges gilt. A survival guide for settlers in all parts of the Empire. Sections on pathfinding, filtration of water, hunting food, making fire, managing in severe heat and cold, various forms of travel, and collective training. Special chapter for "Women on the Frontier" as well as interesting chapters on self-defence, railway seizures, marriage and probate, and… Read More

Signed to the seller and dated: "15/5/89Stefan - Love from Deborah." (see photo)As good as new!
For collectors of this now best-selling British author with a South African Jewish background.

The classic Black and Red illustrated edition. But note the date - 1970 Since then one owner! Well read copy but always treated with great respect! This was like a bible in the Seventies. As far as I know this is the first edition of the Red & Black newly illustrated English version.

"TIME, a book of words and pictures by William Burroughs, and with 4 drawings by Brion Gysin." A limited English printing made on a spirit duplicator, a collector has told me, by poet Jim Pennington of Brighton. The original printings by 'C' Press were less than 1000 copies, some signed. These are rare. But for English Burroughs collectors especially, this 'pirate' edition is what circulated in the UK and was influential on the underground circuit.This copy was obtained by me from Unicorn Bookshop who was publishing a book of mine at the time.15 sheets printed on both sides. The soft duplicated sheets are attached with staples along the top edge. Paper is tanned with age. (see 7 photos)
In Reality Studio, Jed Birmingham writes:
"Time is the fullest expression of Burroughs' experimentation with the newspaper and magazine format that is part parody and part critique as well as an expression of a new format and form capable of expressing a greater truth than fiction or journalism separately."
Essential… Read More

A radical working class group of queer graphic artists who took the agitation prop poster form to its limit.Each page is a graphic /art entirety.A powerful statement of the cutting edge radicalism of its time. Some pages shown in the V&A Museum
Printed on coated art paper each page (or opening) is an graphic entity that can be photocopied and used as a fly poster. It followed the format of 'Flyposter Frenzy' by Matthew Fullwer.
Copy now sold to support a working class artist's initiatives.

This is a rare signed copy that I bought at the launch event in London. Collectors item. Beautiful boxed first edition.As new condition. "Since its formation in 1987, Critical Art Ensemble has set out to explore the intersections between art, critical theory, technology and political activism. The award-winning group of tactical media practitioners has exhibited and performed in a variety of venues internationally, from the street to the museum to the internet. Disturbances is the first book to assess the group's 25-year history, examining the environmental, political and bio-technological themes of their various initiatives.
In the publication, each project is presented by the group itself, from their early live multimedia productions; to their development of models of electronic civil disobedience, digital resistance, and contestational biology and ecology; to their most recent tactical media projects.
Disturbances is a landmark handbook for activists in art, theory, science and politics." publishers blurb

'Plans, Sections , Elevations of the Great Wall of Chinaand some of theTOWERS, near the Pass of Cou-Pe-Keou
From the atlas to George Staunton's Embassy to China, published 1797 c52 x 38 cm size of copper plate. Water marks on corners. Some foxing. Details on request.
Drawn on the spot by H. W. Parish of the Royal Artillery, 1793. Published in London by George Nicol, April the 12th 1796. Copper plate engraving, c14x18 inches. From An Authentic Account of an Embassy to the Emperor of China. An engraving from a drawing produced by Lieutenant Henry William Parish, an artillery officer who took part in the Macartney mission to China in 1793. Parish and his men contributed to the intelligence-gathering efforts of the mission by surveying the Great Wall's fortifications. (Wikipedia).
The reference work on this key expedition is: Peyrefitte, Alain. The Collision of Two Civilisations: The British Expedition to China 1792 - 4. Transl. Jon Rothschild, Harper Collins 1993 (orig. 1989)
This was a key British… Read More

PLAN, SECTION and ELEVATION of the POO-TA-LA of TEMPLE of the LAMA at ZHE-HOL in TARTARYThis monumental temple which looks more like a fortified tower was drawn by HW Parish in 1793.This antique original copper plate engraving is from Sir George Leonard Staunton's atlas folio of prints to accompany "An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China . Taken chiefly from the papers of His Excellency the Earl of Macartney". The work was published in London by G.Nicol in 1797. George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney (1737-1806) was dispatched to Beijing in 1792 travelling via Madeira, Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, the Cape of Good Hope and Indonesia. He was accompanied by George Staunton, and a retinue of suitably impressive size, including Stauntonâ s 11-year-old son who was nominally the ambassadorâ s page. On the embassy's arrival in China it emerged that the 11-year-old was the only European member of the embassy able to speak Mandarin, and thus the only one able to… Read More

William Alexander, engraved by John Landseer and J. Shirt on copper plate. 'Natives of Cochin-China, Playing at Shuttlecock with their Feet'. from Lord Macartney's Embassy to China. Published by G. Nicol London, 1796.
William Alexander's scene is situated in Cochinchina (Vietnam), where badminton is known as dá cau and is a national sport.
The 'embassy' was headed by Earl George Macartney (1737-1806), who was dispatched to Beijing in 1792. He was accompanied by George Staunton a medical doctor as his secretary. This engraving accompanied his famous account of the expedition.
This opened the way for future British missions, which would eventually lead to the first Opium War and the cession of Hong Kong to Britain in 1842. It also resulted in this invaluable account, prepared at government expense, largely from Lord Macartney's notes, by Staunton, of Chinese manners, customs and artifacts at the height of the Qing dynasty. The engravings are of special interest because of their depiction of subjects… Read More

A oversized catalogue of this significant show of the same name. Publication includes essay by Glyn Banks of 'Art in Ruins', and two poster poems on separate pages by Deborah Levy ('After Magritte' and 'After Warhol') illustrated. Contains original screen prints. Some pages In Colour.One copy with white card cover, another with brown card cover, both with silk screen by Hercules FishermanDetails and images made for those with a serious interest in this rare item. Difficult to assess value as so rare. Offers welcome! Ask for more details or photos.

Signed inscription:
'8/8/89 Stef - to all your great ideas Deborah x'
This is a rare type of personal inscription imo.
For collectors of the early work of this top drawer British Author.

Dark green card covers with a designed 1cm hole in the rear cover for viewing the Rotoreliefs in the exhibition
With 6 beautiful full page colour illutrations to the rear of the book.
Introduction by Richard Hamilton
Bought by me on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition at the Tate Gallery in 1966.

A fine copy of this classic. A tiny bit of the dustjacket is missing but its a strong design based on photographs by Ian Sommerville, and to my mind gives the book value.
See also my other Burroughs listing..

This is the first of Trevor Wisharts publications on his early works often collaborative and within communities or environments between January 1970 and July1972.
Black ink on substantial art paper with orange card cover. Excellent condition.
Profusely illlustrated by Wishart. These are essays, reports, and actual scores. Delving into performance art, community art, landscape art...
Introduction 'Beyond Cage' first written in 1969
This seems to be so rare...
Wishart now has a global reputation as a composer of electronic music.
If you are interested in this book and want more images please ask. If you can provide price of another on sale please do.

"Scores are interspersed with essays on creativity"
Highly graphic content. Mostly hand written by Wishart in minute script (cf Cardew)
If you are interested please ask for inside views.
A rare insight into the art activity of the time were performance art, avant garde music, landscape art and community art are in spectacular collision. Involves well-know English performance art people like Roland Miller and Shriley Cameron, Al Beach, Mick Banks, Martin Mayes etc