[JHRB News] Preview of Upcoming December Catalog

[Joslin Hall Rare Books, ABAA]

Well, obviously we can't give anyone a preview of the *entire* catalog,
which is still at the printer and will be delivered next week, but we
wanted to send JHRB Newslist subscribers a pre-Holiday pre-View of some
nice Publisher's Overstock items from it. Some of these just came in a few
weeks ago-


SOME RECENT
PUBLISHER’S OVERSTOCKS-

201. Barnard, Toby. MAKING THE GRAND FIGURE. LIVES AND POSSESSIONS IN
IRELAND, 1641-1770. New Haven; Yale University Press: 2004. A “pioneering
study of the material culture of Stuart and Hanoverian Ireland...Through
such everyday articles as linen shirts, wigs, silver teaspoons, pottery
plates and engravings, Barnard evokes a striking variety of lives and
attitudes. Possessions, he shows, highlighted and widened divisions, not
only between the rich and poor, women and men, but also between Irish
Catholics and the Protestant settlers.” There are chapters focusing on the
house, interiors, goods, pictures, the park & garden, sport, dress,
Dublin, going abroad, and Society. “The compass of the book is
impressively wide, from the governing elite of Dublin Castle to provincial
towns and the countryside beyond.” Hardcover. 8”x9.5”, xxii + 497 pages,
b/w and some color illustrations, dj. New. [95045]
Published at $50.00.
Available for a limited time for- $25.00


202. Davis, John D. PEWTER AT COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG. Hanover; University
Press of New England: 2003. The collection of British pewter at Colonial
Williamsburg has been formed over the past seventy-five years and is
remarkable for its breadth, illustrating the development of basic forms
and types of decoration from the first decades of the seventeenth century
through those of the nineteenth. Largely British, it also includes some
American wares, though it does reflect the broad distribution of British
pewter in America, especially in Virginia and the lower Chesapeake region,
where there were relatively few practicing pewterers and where there was a
decided dependence on imported pewter. This catalog is divided into
sections based on use, including dining wares, drinking vessels, and
religious objects. Hardcover, 9”x11”, 364 pages, 957 b/w illustrations,
dj. New. [95054]
Published at $70.00.
Available for a limited time for- $35.00


203. Davis, John D. SILVER NUTMEG GRATERS. Hanover; University Press of
New England: 2002. The production of silver graters for nutmeg, the most
stylish of spices, began in the late seventeenth century. An elegant
nutmeg grater quickly became an essential part of "the punch equipage",
the key to genteelly preparing and serving this ubiquitous tipple. This
catalog of the Dr. Robert Green Collection of nutmeg graters features a
stunning assortment of fashionable English graters from seventeenth
century London and eighteenth and nineteenth century Birmingham, handsome
twentieth century American graters designed by Gorham and Tiffany & Co.,
and more –100 in all. Softcover. 8”x8”, 80 pages, 45 b/w illustrations.
New. [95055]
Published at $19.95.
Available for a limited time for- $10.00


204. Friedman, Florence Dunn (ed.). GIFTS OF THE NILE. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
FAIENCE. Thames & Hudson: 1998. ”This catalog, from the Museum of Art,
Rhode Island School of Design's international traveling exhibition, is an
in-depth study of ancient Egyptian faience—figures, jewelry, and objects
made from a non-clay ceramic material with a bright blue or polychrome
glazed surface. More than 200 pieces spanning 3,000 years are displayed
here in 224 color plates, with an additional 250 black and white photos
and drawings, depicting a variety of small domestic items: lidded jars and
pots; a portable, partitioned inkwell with a rotating top; a royal
cosmetic jar; inlay tiles; goblets; scarabs; and amulets.” Hardcover.
9.5”x12”, 288 pages, color and b/w illustrations. New. [95046]
Published at $75.00.
Available for a limited time for- $40.00


205. Jakeman, Jane. IN THE KINGDOM OF THE MISTS. New York; Berkeley Prime
Crime: 2002. A mystery novel featuring French painter Claude Monet-
“London, 1900: As Monet paints the wintry mists over the Thames, the
bodies of two young women are dragged from its depths. Oliver Craston, a
fledgling diplomat at the Foreign Office, happens to be nearby when an
unrecognizable body is pulled from the river, and he is drawn into the
police investigation. With anti-French sentiment running high in London,
his superiors want Craston to keep a close eye on Monet and his son. But
no one knows that the source of the horror—a horror beyond even the
imagination of an artist—stalks the floor above M. Monet's suite.”
Hardcover. 6.25”x9.5”, 355 pages, dj. New. [95053]
Published at $23.95.
Available for a limited time for- $10.00


206. Kane, Patricia E. COLONIAL MASSACHUSETTS SILVERSMITHS AND JEWELERS. A
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY BASED ON THE NOTES OF FRANCIS HILL BIGELOW & JOHN
MARSHALL PHILLIPS. New Haven; Yale University Art Gallery: 1998. A book
almost a hundred years in the making, and quite simply the most important
book on American silversmiths since Belden's study of the Ineson-Bissell
Collection at Winterthur. Based on the notes of pioneering collector and
scholar Francis Hill Bigelow, and further notes by John Marshall Phillips,
Curator of the Garvan Collection at Yale, it was completed by Patricia
Kane and her colleagues. There are biographies of 296 silversmiths and
jewelers who worked in Massachusetts before the American Revolution, along
with 93 craftsmen in allied trades. Kane's preface chronicles the
ninety-two years of research and scholarship that went into the book, and
her essay focuses on the creative ferment in Boston. Barbara McLean Ward's
essay describes the tools of the trade. Gerald W. R. Ward discusses the
differences between metropolitan and rural silversmiths. The 'New York
Silver Society Newsletter' called this a "masterful accomplishment." Our
Book Elves at Joslin Hall simply describe the book as "damned heavy".
Hardcover. 8.5"x11.5", 1,241 pages; marks, dj. New.  [90139]
Published at $150.00.
Available for a limited time for- $75.00


207. Little, Nina Fletcher. LITTLE BY LITTLE. SIX DECADES OF COLLECTING
AMERICAN DECORATIVE ARTS. Society for the Preservation of New England
Antiquities: 1998. A softcover reprint of the 1984 hardcover edition. The
Littles were unparalleled trendsetters and a moving force in the world of
American country and folk arts for some sixty years. This is the story of
their unique collection and how they built it, piece by piece, trip by
trip, deal by deal. Along the way they met or dealt with most of the major
figures in the antiques and arts, and many unforgettable minor ones, and
they tell many interesting stories about their journey. The text is
illustrated with hundreds of fabulous color photographs of pieces from
their collection. Softcover. 8.5”x11”, 308 pages, profusely illustrated in
color and b/w. New. [95057]
Published at $35.00.
Available for a limited time for- $19.95


208. Little, Nina Fletcher. NEAT AND TIDY. BOXES AND THEIR CONTENTS USED
IN EARLY AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS. Society for the Preservation of New England
Antiquities: 2001. A softcover reprint of the 1980 hardcover edition. The
most popular and comprehensive study of early American boxes of all types.
Shakers boxes, Pennsylvania-Dutch carved and painted boxes, fancy inlaid
dresser boxes, eyeglass cases- the simple box was not so simple.
A wonderful book. Softcover. 6.5"x9", 240 pages, color and b/w
illustrations. New. [95058]
Published at $15.95.
Available for a limited time for- $9.95


209. Loring, John. TIFFANY FLORA / TIFFANY FAUNA. New York; Harry N.
Abrams: 2003. A colorful, sumptuous survey of the best and most dramatic
in Tiffany jewelry in two volumes, one focusing on animals, the other on
flowers. “a striking visual survey of the unparalleled craftsmanship of
Tiffany & Co. The effect is like peering into an ark of fantastic,
bejeweled creatures—winged dragons with fiery eyes clutching beautiful
gems; a golden parrot in a jaunty diamond cap and blue enameled
pantaloons; an extravagant wreath of diamond and platinum leaves and
flowers; a blushingly suggestive enameled orchid; and a Tiffany lamp in
blues and greens evoking an illuminated wisteria.” The pieces illustrated
and described range from the 19th century to the present day. A must-have
set for the Tiffany & Co. enthusiast. Hardcover. 2 vols. 7.5”x8.5”, 128 +
128 pages, color and b/w illustrations, dj. New. Slipcased. [95051]
Published at $100.00.
Available for a limited time for- $40.00


210. Raffel, Marta Cotterell. THE LACES OF IPSWICH. THE ART AND ECONOMICS
OF AN EARLY AMERICAN INDUSTRY, 1750–1840. Hanover; University Press of New
England: 2003. In the late eighteenth century, Ipswich, Massachusetts
boasted 600 lace makers in a town of only 601 households. Raffel places
the Ipswich industry squarely within the wider context of
eighteenth-century manufacture, economics, and culture. Identifying what
differentiates Ipswich lace from other American or European lace, she
explores how lace makers learned their skills, and how they combined a
traditional lace making education with attention to market-driven changes
in style. Showing how the shawls, bonnets, and capes created by the lace
makers often designated the social position or political affiliation of
the wearer, she offers a unique and fascinating guide to our material
past. Softcover. 7”x10”, 176 pages, 101 illustrations. New. [95056]
Published at $19.95.
Available for a limited time for- $12.00



And some overstocks
with a few copies remaining-

211. Brooks, Robin. THE PORTLAND VASE. THE EXTRAORDINARY ODYSSEY OF A
MYSTERIOUS ROMAN TREASURE. New York; Harper Collins: 2004. The Portland
Vase is a marvelous piece of ancient cameo glass, intricately carved by
modern standards, to say nothing of the problems it must have presented
for ancient Roman glass carvers. "Created for an Emperor, exhumed from a
burial ground, coveted, traded, smashed, restored, and stuffed full of
incident and intrigue, the Portland Vase- the most famous of all Roman
antiquities- has captivated everyone who has come into contact with it."
There was Fabrizio Lazzaro, the archeologist/ tomb robber who discovered
it, Pope Urban VIII who wanted to acquire it, the Princess of Palestrina
who supported her gambling by selling it, the Duchess of Portland, who
owned it in secret yet gave it a name, Josiah Wedgwood, whose intricate
copies finished the job of immortalizing it, the madman who smashed it to
bits, and the restorers who managed to piece it back together... all those
figures, and more, dance across the glassy stage. Hardcover, 6"x8.5", 250
pages, b/w illustrations, dj. New. [95033]
Published at $24.95.
Available for a limited time for- $12.50


212. Curtis, Gregory. DISARMED. THE STORY OF THE VENUS DE MILO. New York;
Alfred A. Knopf: 2003. ”The Venus de Milo is both a great work of art and
a popular icon, and from the moment of her discovery in 1820 by a French
naval ensign, she has been an object of aesthetic and archeological
controversy. Using memoirs, letters, and official accounts, Gregory Curtis
introduces readers to Venus as she was unearthed by a farmer, digging for
marble building blocks on the Aegean island of Melos at the moment a young
officer and amateur archeologist looking for classical relics happened by.
Curtis tells how the island's elders fought with their Turkish overlords
over who owned Venus, and how the French pressed their claim, outwitting
other suitors to bring her to the Louvre, where she became an immediate
celebrity. Curtis's depiction of Europe in the early 19th century, caught
in the grip of a classical art mania, reveals just how far the Louvre was
prepared to go to prove it had the greatest classical find of the era, and
how the French scholar Salomon Reinach and the German Adolf Furtwängler
battled over the statue's origins and authenticity for decades. Curtis
also presents competing theories about the statue's original appearance.”
Hardcover. 6”x9.5”, 247 pages, b/w illustrations, dj. New. [95029]
Published at $24.00.
Available for a limited time for- $12.50


213. Essinger, James. JACQUARD'S WEB. HOW A HAND LOOM LED TO THE BIRTH OF
THE INFORMATION AGE. Oxford University Press: 2004. ”The fascinating story
of how Joseph-Marie Jacquard, a master silk weaver in Napoleonic France,
invented a loom that was to spark the beginning of today’s information
age. This astonishing new loom enabled the master weavers of Lyons to
create their beautiful silk fabrics 25 times faster than had ever been
possible before. This device used revolutionary punched cards to store
instructions for weaving the required pattern or design. The loom proved
an outstanding success, and these cards are now rightly viewed as the
world’s first computer programs. James Essinger brings to light a series
of historical links that reveal the extraordinary relationship between the
19th century world of weaving and today’s computer age. Hardcover.
5.5”x8”, 302 pages, b/w illustrations, dj. New. [95035]
Published at $28.00.
Available for a limited time for- $10.00


214. Mondlin, Marvin & Roy Meador. BOOK ROW. AN ANECDOTAL AND PICTORIAL
HISTORY OF THE ANTIQUARIAN BOOK TRADE. New York; Carroll & Graf: 2004. 2nd
prtg. The story of New York’s famous Fourth Avenue- Book Row from the
1890s to the 1960s. From the Strand Bookstore which began as a bookstall
on 8th, to the legendary George D. Smith, poker and horse player, and
dozens of other colorful, irascible, eccentric, dedicated and
unforgettable characters, the story of antiquarian and used bookselling in
America was epitomized on Fourth Avenue over a period of some seven
decades. Book Row is gone now- a victim of rising rents, chain stores and
redevelopment, but its story lives on in the pages of this book.
Hardcover. 6.5”x9”, 405 pages, b/w illustrations, dj. New. [95050]
Published at $28.00.
Available for a limited time for- $15.00


215. Rabinovitch, Benton Seymour. CONTEMPORARY SILVER. COMMISSIONING.
DESIGNING. COLLECTING. London; Merrell Publishers: 2000. A sumptuous feast
of a book for the silver lover, filled with gorgeous photographs of unique
and surprising fantasies on the theme of the broad-bladed silver server.
Rabinovitch, author of a book on antique broad-bladed silver servers,
commissioned more than 60 new servers from a variety of working silver
craftsmen, and the results are stunning and provocative. The text
describes each server and the silversmiths’ ideas in creating it, and also
explores the relationship between artist and patron, and even how to
become a patron, on a large or small scale, yourself. A fun book which
silver lovers will spend hours going through again and again. Hardcover.
9.5”x10”, 160 pages, color illustrations, dj. New. [95026]
Published at $49.95.
Available for a limited time for- $25.00


216. Sinclair, David. SIR GREGOR MacGREGOR AND THE LAND THAT NEVER WAS.
THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE MOST AUDACIOUS FRAUD IN HISTORY. London;
Headline Book Publishing: 2003. Once upon a time there was a Central
American country called Poyais. It was rich in natural resources,
civilization and culture, and was ruled by an enlightened Scottish
soldier, General Sir Gregor MacGregore. In 1821 MacGregor and his
beautiful princess arrived in Britain to promote Poyais and encourage
immigration and investment. Within a year Sir Gregor MacGregor had
persuaded thousands of investors to subscribe a L200,000 loan, and
hundreds of settlers uprooted their lives and families and set out on the
long and perilous journey to this promised land in two ships. It was a
journey from which most of them would never return, because, of course,
there was no such country as Poyais... Hardcover. 5.5”x9”, 358 pages, b/w
illustrations, dj. New. [95036]
Published at $25.00.
Available for a limited time for- $10.00


217. Wagner, Arlene. THE ART AND CHARACTER OF NUTCRACKERS. Collectors
Press: 2005. Nutcrackers have come in many forms -dogs' heads, elephants'
trunks, clenched fists, cast iron dragons, brass courtesans, objects
resembling surgical pincers, and plungers, levers, and gavels—not to
mention the traditional little fellow with the big mouth. Some are elegant
in their simplicity, while some are so delightfully fashioned they can
only be considered works of art. This illustrated album presents
nutcrackers and other nutty accessories in hundreds of color
photographs—most are from Europe and America, made from the 15th century
to the present. Hardcover. 8.5”x11”, 188 pages, loaded with color
illustrations, dj. New. [95025]
Published at $60.00.
Available for a limited time for- $25.00



JOSLIN HALL RARE BOOKS, ABAA
Fine books of the 16th-20th centuries
on the decorative and fine arts & design

Post Office Box 239
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 USA
telephone (413) 247-5080

Our website-
<http://www.joslinhall.com>

Our Latest Catalogs-

FALL, 2006
 -Selections from our stock
<http://www.joslinhall.com/catalog_287.htm>

BOOKS ON AMERICAN SILVER
<http://www.joslinhall.com/Catalog_289.htm>

FIRE AND ICE
 -lighting, fireplaces & ice
<http://www.joslinhall.com/Catalog_282.htm>

A GRAVE AFFAIR
 -gravestones, epitaphs & mourning
<http://www.joslinhall.com/Catalog_288.htm>

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may be reserved pending payment; Institutions may be billed; Standard
courtesies to institutions and the trade; Postage charges are $5.00 for
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terms. Massachusetts residents must add 5% state sales tax.

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