SPEAKING OF BOOKS... SPEAKING OF BOOKS...
The Joslin Hall
Rare Books Newsletter
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February 6th, 2007.
It was an odd January here at Foggygates- lots of cold, but no snow. That, however, was not going to stop the Book Elves from enjoying themselves, so after a hard day in the Cataloging Cave they planned to hit the "slopes" in the neighbor's field, making snow with the help of two garden hoses, 300 feet of heavy duty extension cord and a dozen old industrial fans they picked up cheap at a local farm auction.
I'm not sure how the ski areas make snow, but I'm betting it's not like that.
However, after blowing every fuse in the house out twice, the Book Elves got everything set, started the fans, turned on the hoses, and then left for Mama Maria's bar & grill just down the street for a quick dinner and a few beers before some late-night sledding.
If only they'd remembered to anchor the bases of the fans... But before they encased the neighbor's house in 3 inches of solid ice, the Book Elves finished our new catalog-
"RECENT ACQUISITIONS for February, 2007" is now available on our website or in printed format. It features 231 books and catalogs on furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, textiles, art, architecture and related fields, with highlights including-
-A rare 1840s Italian woodwork design book.
-A nice 1905 auction catalog of Japanese arms & armor, featuring items collected by noted dealer Bunkio Matsuki.
-An unusual 1873 book on soluble glass.
-An uncommon 1881 exhibition catalog of modern tapestries.
-The scarce original 1908 edition of Henry Mercer's guide to the tiles of the Pennsylvania state capitol.
-A rare 1824 biography of Jacques Louis David.
-A copy of Ure's important 1821 Dictionary of Chemistry with the 1850 ownership inscription of an American dyer.
-and much, much more!
Request a printed copy, or browse the catalog on our website.
We recently got three great new publisher-overstock titles in about Viennese silver, the first celebrity chef, and antique tiles-
Huey, Michael (ed.). Viennese Silver. Modern Design 1780-1918. Hatje Cantz Verlag: 2003. Illustrated with more than 500 images, including 189 color plates, this volume presents more than 180 outstanding silver objects from Vienna, of the period from Neoclassicism to the Wiener Werkstatte. The book compares late 18th-century works with examples of early 20th-century design and architecture, offering both a detailed look at Vienna's unquestioned influence on the development of the modern decorative arts and also evidence that the roots of modernism's spare, clean lines go back further than is often assumed. Images from popular culture-airplanes, rocket ships, sleek urban structures-are compared to the tureens, tableware, and decorative items they inspired. Published in conjunction with the loan exhibition at the Neue Gallery in New York and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Hardcover. 9.5”x11.5”, 398 pages, b/w and color illustrations, dj. New. [95070]
Published at $125.00.
Available for a limited time for $60.00
Kelly, Ian. Cooking for Kings. The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef. New York; Walker & Co.: 2003. “A unique feast of biography and Regency cookbook, ‘Cooking for Kings’ takes readers on a culinary tour of the palaces of Britain and Europe in the ultimate age of gastronomic indulgence, when, for the first time, chefs became celebrities and the modern restaurant was born”. Antonin Careme invented the chef’s hat and soufflé, and cooked for Romanovs, Rothschilds, Emperors and Kings. Hardcover. 5.5”x8.5”, 301 pages, several color and line illustrations, dj. New. [95069]
Published at $26.00.
Available for a limited time for $10.00
Lang, Gordon (ed.). 1000 Tiles. Ten Centuries of Decorative Ceramics. San Francisco; Chronicle Books: 2004. A colorful extravaganza of antique tiles, from antique Islamic and Dutch tiles and Italian maiolica to Medieval pavements and colorful Victorian, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco examples. The authors include Paul Atterbury, Catherine Blake and Riccardo Sorani. If you love tiles you’ll love this thick, weighty book. Softcover. 8”x9”, 320 pages, packed with color illustrations. New. [95068]
Published at $29.95.
Available for a limited time for $15.00
We finally have winter at Foggygates- bone-numbing cold and an actual snowstorm as well! There's nothing like venturing out across the yard the morning after a good snowstorm.
The sun explodes behind the barn;
its red and green and yellow arms,
go kicking, pacing, spooning, racing,
across the fallen snow below,
which mutters darkly in the glow
as Winter’s night gives way to light,
in sparkling, screaming, deranged delight.Ice crystals tightly hold their branches,
then sparkle and squirm as the sunlight dances.
A squirrel snickers
as a chickadee flickers
against the wind gusts’ sudden cloud,
of snow ghosts dancing in their shrouds.I venture out across the yard,
my feet send crispy, tiny shards
of crystals ahead; each step I take
through unbroken snow, leaves a tumbled wake;
then stop. Right there, I think I’ve found-
fresh snowmen’s tracks,
on the whitewashed ground!
If you’re driving around the Pioneer Valley this Winter and have a chance, give us a call and drop by. We’re a few moments down the road from Historic Deerfield, two miles from Interstate 91, and reasonably close to Amherst, Tanglewood, and other points of Western Massachusetts interest. We hope you find something of interest here, and until next time, enjoy the Winter!
-Forrest, Betty, Amy, Freckles, Pywackett & Ike
Remember, you can stay up-to-date on everything
at Foggygates, our bookselling blog!
