Four Fictions: The Lagoon; The Legend of Saint Julian; The Jolly Corner; & The Annuity
Kentfield, California: The Allen Press, 1973.
Limited Edition. Hardcover.
Allen Press Book #39. Limited Edition of one hundred thirty-seven copies. The types were set by hand, and the papers printed damp on a Columbian handpress. Designed, printed, and bound by Lewis & Dorothy Allen at The Allen Press.
"A Concise Presentation of Literature, Book Arts and Crafts of England, France, United States, and Italy." The Allens had some Italian, French and English handmade paper – but not enough for a full book. They elected to produce a collection of four short stories by authors from four countries featuring paper and artists from their home countries. Typefaces were chosen to harmonize with the text and its illustration. Joseph Conrad’s The Lagoon has been printed on English handmade paper from Wookey Hole Mill using Goudy Modern type with an illustration by Blair Hughes-Stanton. Gustave Flaubert’s The Legend of Saint Julian has been printed on French handmade paper from Richard de Bas Mill using Goudy Thirty type and with an illustration by Michele Forgeois. Henry James’ The Jolly Corner has been printed on American machine-made Curtis Tweed Weave paper using Romanee type and with an illustration by Joseph Low. Luigi Pirandello’s The Annuity was printed on Italian handmade paper from Fabriano Mill using Goudy Modern with an illustration by Paolo Corosone.
With four running titles printed in blue-gray, yellow-green, brown and blue, additional contrasting colors are used through the text.
Item #90254510 x 14-1/2", off-white paper over thick boards with pumpkin-colored stripe front board and quarter pumpkin paper rear board, pumpkin endpapers, 155pp, deckled edges, illustrated and printed in multiple colors.
Light bumping to spine ends with a 1/2" crack to upper joint between spine and front board, board corners crisp and paper over boards clean, internally clean, crisp and bright. Internally very fine, externally very good+, in original plastic dust wrapper.
Price: $650.00