An educational and informational site about rare, old and antiquarian books.
Illustrations in rare books have their origins in three basic print methods: Relief printing, Intaglio and Planographic printing.The difference between Relief, Intaglio and Planographic printing is in the use of the printing plate or block. Relief print is a printmaking process where protruding surface faces of the block are inked; recessed areas are ink free. Woodcuts […]
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Among the most distinguished American illustrators throughout American literature, Howard Pyle and his apt pupil, N.C Wyeth stand at the forefront. Through Pyle’s and Wyeth’s lively illustrations, literary classics were brought to life, and were received with much acclaim and fame that has continued to this day. Literary favorites such as Treasure Island, The […]
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Among the many valuable and enlightening rare books to be barely found in the rare book market today, none come close to surpassing Herman Melville’s 1851 masterpiece, Moby Dick or The Whale. In addition to providing the reader with a tantalizingly realistic picture of what life on a whaling ship in the middle of the […]
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As the yuletide season is upon us, it is only natural that among merry thoughts of snowfalls, wrapped gifts and fires flickering on the hearth, the rare books of the festive author and illustrator Tasha Tudor should come to mind. Tasha Tudor took great delight in the Christmas season, and put much creativity into lovely […]
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Few performances or storylines have ushered in the Christmas season quite like The Nutcracker. The ballet masterpiece by the Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is based on a little known novella entitled Nussknacker und Mausekönig (The Nutcracker and the Mouse King), which was published in 1816 by the German author, Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann. It […]
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When the word Greece is uttered, vibrant mental pictures rise up, much like the frothy spray of the Mediterranean as it lands on the pure white choral that its shorelines are so well endowed with. These picturesque mental pictures include such scenes as the warm European sun bathing ancient cities and castle ruins in […]
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While the most common book ever to be published is the Bible, Bibles from the 1600s and earlier are actually considered quite scarce. They belong in a very elite group that is sought after by very wealthy collectors who are increasingly and unflinchingly pouring large sums of money into liturgical texts. It is a group […]
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Among the many prominent British figures present at the opening ceremony of this summer’s Olympic Games, was the celebrated and acclaimed author J.K. Rowling. Judging from Rowling’s wild success in the literary world, it is no great surprise that she appeared at the occasion. In a span of merely fifteen years, she has captured the […]
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In ancient Roman times, those who could afford it commissioned workers to build impressive courtyards in their homes which amassed grandiose fountains and intricate tile mosaics, in an effort to display their prominence and prestige. Today the fervor towards exhibiting personal interests and good taste in homes has turned a bit more subtle. Now more […]
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