The Duchow Journal: A Voyage from Boston to California 1852
Kentfield, California: The Allen Press, 1959.
Limited Edition. Hardcover.
Allen Press Book #21. Limited edition of two hundred copies.
Hand-set in Bulmer types and printed on handmade Umbria paper, with decorations by the printer. The book was laid out at The Allen Press. Printed and published by Mallette Dean.
The Allens selected the text (from a suggestion by George Pal Hammond of the Bancroft Library), designed the book, commissioned Mallette Dean for the artwork, assembled the type-faces, purchased handmade paper, set the first twelve pages, and became enchanted by the allure of Antibes. Mallette agreed to carry on – taking over the printing, binding and publishing. Mallette completed the full-page initials and margin decorations, all for hand-coloring. Author, title, and descriptive matter, in Union Pearl types, appear on all right-hand page margins, along with hand-colored decorations. The title-page is a wild double-page spread in black and red. For the binding, Mallette Dean cut a linoleum block symbolizing ocean waves - blue on a green background, with a matching cloth spine.
John Charles Duchow's account of his 1852 voyage from Boston to California during the Gold Rush era.
Item #9026018-5/8 x 12", quarter green fabric with green paper spine label printed in black, green/blue/white decorated paper in a wave pattern over boards, beige endpapers, deckled edges, 33 unnumbered leaves, title in red and black, frontis. photographic portrait of the Duchow family, hand-colored decorations throughout.
Clean, crisp, tight, a little toning to fore-edge, offsetting from frontis. portrait to colophon, fine in very good original plain gray paper wrapper (with facsimile title label provided). Wrapper is toned with a bit of wear to extreme edges.
Price: $250.00