[FINE PRESS -- KELMSCOTT PRESS]. Letters from the 15th Century. 2019. 5 ORIGINAL LEAVES, LIMITED EDITION.
Sale 2065 - Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana
Nov 14, 2024
9:00AM CT
Live / Chicago
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$800 -
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$1,016
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Lot Description
[FINE PRESS -- KELMSCOTT PRESS]. PIRAGES, Philip J. Letters from the 15th Century: On the Origins of the Kelmscott Chauer Typeface. A study, with specimen leaves, of the influence of the early German printers on William Morris' masterpiece. McMinnville, OR: Printed for the Author, 2019.
8vo. Five original leaves printed by the Kelmscott Press, including one from The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, 1896. Text in original black floral cloth replicating a design by William Morris, all laid into a cloth folding case.
LIMITED EDITION, number 7 of 84 copies bound in black floral cloth of a total edition of 165.
Called "the finest book since Gutenberg" (Franklin, The Private Presses, p. 192), the Kelmscott Chaucer was printed in Morris's own Chaucer and Troy types, which in turn were heavily influenced by 15th century typefaces as designed by various printers throughout Europe during the earliest years of the printing press. In addition to a bi-folium leaf from The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer which represents a portion of The Romaunt of the Rose the present volume also includes leaves from de Lyra's Postilla super totam Bibliam as printed by Johann Mentelin (1472), Bernard of Clairvaux's Sermons as printed by Peter Schoeffer (1475), Concordio's Summa de Casibus Consciente as printed by Gunther Zainer (1475), and de Saxonia's Vita Christi as printed by Anton Koberger (1478).
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