An educational and informational site about rare, old and antiquarian books.
As is the case with Luigi Serafini’s Codex Seraphinianus Franco Maria Ricci (1981) edition, Pulcinellopedia Piccola is extremely scarce (only 5000 copies) and incredibly valuable. It is written in Italian text by Serafini’s imaginative co-author, “P. Cetrulo,” and contains over sixty extraordinary pencil illustrations (approx. 9.5″ x 12.5″), some depicted in comic strip style. It […]
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From the vividly imaginative mind and pen of the celebrated author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, comes a wealth of vastly unique and rare books which have been overshadowed by the enormous success of his masterpiece – Where the Wild Things Are. The book published in 1963 brought him international acclaim and a place among the […]
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A modern first edition’s value is very much dependant on its dust jacket (dust wrapper or dust cover.) A very desirable copy should not only come in its original dust jacket, but the condition of its wrapper should be in relatively mint condition. The dust cover consists of the detachable outer covers usually decorated with […]
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The incredibly rare and desirable dust jacket to the first edition, first printing of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, has definitely seen some better times in the past. Specifically, a copy that sold at a Bonham’s auction in New York on June 10, 2009, for $182,000. Last October 20th, 2011 however, the celebrated art […]
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Does weird content perpetuate rare book status? For some ideas on this topic one must closely examine the most famous weird book ever printed – Codex Seraphinianus. It is the creation of the Italian architect, artist, and designer Luigi Serafini, who can perhaps be best described as more of a visionary than a designer. Besides […]
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Ornate and luminous gilt covers and spines. Vibrant marbled covers that appear to be set in fast and perpetual motion. These beauteous aspects of ornamented rare books are what add to their uniqueness and value, as they ultimately grab the collector’s heart and interest before the rare book is even opened or read. It […]
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Since the release of Ansel Adam’s and Nancy Newhall’s, “This is the American Earth” in 1960, coffee-table books containing beautiful photography have become more commonly used to serve a new purpose as a decorative room accessory. While several copies of this Sierra Club publication are still available for sale, the first printing of the hard cover first edition is […]
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As the yuletide season approaches, 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 rare […]
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Gingham clad children frolicking in an abundant garden. A large family excitedly gathered around a blazing Advent wreath. A panting Corgi dog eagerly scampering after a flitting butterfly. Each of these delightful scenes has one very important thing in common: they are the creations of the late and much beloved author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. […]
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