(Woking): n.d. (ca. 1935). An eye-catching pen and ink wash drawing for worker/agricultural stone cottages in Cornwall designed by Carr, who worked for the well known architectural firm of W.D. Caroe. In this large drawing, Carr outlines the layout for 40 houses situated within a village green. It shows the first floor plans of the houses as they are arranged in a half circle, along with detailed elevations for West side and North side groupings. One pair of cottages is shown in front and back elevation. Room measurements are given for parlour, living room, kitchen, three bedrooms and bathrooms. Carr worked from Garthowen, Woking. Notice of his work on church architecture with W.D. Caroe can be found on the Lambeth Palace Library's Church Plans online website. We also find mention of his winning a prize in the Industrial Design Competition of 1930 (see REPORT ON THE COMPETITION OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGNS, 1930, in "Journal of the Royal Society of Arts" Volume 78, No. 4063 pp. 1150-1172), but this must have been in his student days. The drawing offered here is an accomplished presentation for an entire project. Single sheet (68 x 47 cm); in pen, ink wash, black, green, red and tans, illustrating layout and elevations.

Boston Geo. H. Ellis Co. 1907. Presentation copy from the author to the symbolist artist, designer, and book illustrator, Elihu Vedder, with a letter to Vedder from Munsell tipped in. Second, enlarged edition of Munsell's first book. In the brief letter dated August 20, 1908 from Belgium, Munsell apologizes for the improper placement of the plates in the text - fault of a binder in Bruges. Evidently Munsell had this specially bound and was unhappy with the result. This is the second edition of this work (first published in 1905), revised and enlarged with new illustrations. "The new illustrations in this edition are facsimiles of children's studies with measured colour, made under ordinary school-room conditions. Notes and appendices are introduced to meet the questions most frequently asked, stress being laid on the unbalanced nature of colors usually given to beginners, and the mischief done by teaching that red, yellow, and blue are primary hues." (-preface). The text was presented to the Society of Arts at MIT in 1905 and reproduces the comments at that occasion made by H.E. Clifford who notes its usefulness to young children. Munsell's systematic approach to colour and his interest in cultivating good taste through a "language " of color and its subtleties brought him into conflict with Bradley and Prang on the education front, but he found success in commercial realms, particularly with the large retail market of the of Filene's department store in Boston. See Blaszczyk, R.L. THE COLOR REVOLUTION pp. 45-70. Karpel E152 (1926 edition) 8vo (20.5 x 16 cm.); color frontispiece reproducing a pastel sketch of Munsell's color sphere + 113 + (1) pp. with text figures + 3 tipped in color plates.

Paris: (Au Bon Marché) ca. 1900. This little oblong chromolithograhed card for children shows a scene of very young people at their easels painting a rustic scene centering on the figure of a young boy and dog. The scene is surrounded with a gilt Art Nouveau border. The oblong card opens up to a colour printed scene on the verso and the identical scene in outline designed for colouring in on the opposite recto. The rear cover or verso advertises the La Maison du Bon Marché located on the Left Bank in Paris. Such cards were offered to young children who came to the department store in the company of their parents. The card themes varied considerably, this one surely designed to encourage sales of art supplies to the young. Stiff card stock with one fold, 9 x 13 cm; coloured cover and inner page.

London: "Country Life" 1903. The original edition of a first hand account of the creation, at the hands of English expatriates, of what would become a legendary Venetian garden, giardino eden, on La Guidecca in the Venetian lagoon. Located behind the Redentore, this one-time vegetable patch was transformed by Frederic (great uncle of the Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden) and Carolyn Eden ( the sister of Gertrude Jekyll) into a little English pleasure ground of pollarded willows, roses, Madonna lilies, irises, etc. beginning in 1884. While importing their own native tastes, the Edens took care to respect the local character of their grounds, " Building on formal lines made by the canals, an abandoned orchard had been crossed with straight walks covered by 600-700 yards of square-topped vine-clad pergola." (Festing, S. GERTRUDE JEKYLL p. 154). Traditional structures and ornaments were used. Eden includes an interesting account of well-making on the island and in the garden. The prominence of the Edens in the expatriate community brought notable guests to the garden, as did the caché of later residents such as Princess Aspasia of Greece and her daughter and son-in-law, the King and Queen of Yugoslavia. Henry James, Anna de Noailles, Maurice Barres and Jean Cocteau are also associated with the spot. D'Annunzio set a scene there in his IL FUOCO. In LES DELICES DE L'ITALIE, Jean Louis Vaudoyer calls the garden "the most alluring place in the world to abandon oneself to melancholy." (as quoted in Weal, M.T., POSTFACE; A GARDEN IN VENICE ). The garden was locked up after the death of its last occupant, but garden historian John Hall obtained entrance and wrote a description for HORTUS, Autumn 2003. Small 4to (23 x 18 cm); (vi) +135 + (1) pp. with decorative head and tail pieces, initial letters and text figures, from older engravings, including some from the Dream of Polyphilis, + frontispiece and 16 full page illustrations from photographs, with tissue guards, hors texte.

London: for Tho. Woodward, 1726. First edition. Laurence's "most ambitious literary project..." (Henrey p. 421). With a handsome etched frontispiece by van de Gucht showing the Prince of Wales's Richmond Lodge or Ormonde Lodge. The work is dedicated to the Princess of Wales, later Queen Caroline to George II, who would eventually improve Richmond Lodge with Charles Bridgeman.. The lodge no longer exists. (Henrey,p. 421 ). Laurence (sometimes spelled Lawrence), who bears the distinction of having written the first original eighteenth century treatise on gardening, THE CLERGY-MAN'S RECREATION, 1714, was rector at Yelverton in Northhamptonshire where he turned an unpromising patch into a thriving fruit garden over the course of 20 years. The first book in this ambitious work concerns every aspect of agriculture from dung to brickmaking. Book II describes the characteristics and uses of a great variety of forest trees, timber trees, evergreens and flowering shrubs, all suitable for growing in England without "housing". Book Three is about the subject for which the author is perhaps best known, fruit culture. Book IV : the kitchen garden. Book V is devoted to the flower garden and includes "A complete catalogue of Flowers great and small perannual (sic) or annual, usually known or propagated in England, either in the naked Ground or Hotbed." With seven engraved printer's ornaments by Francis Hoffman. Henrey 945; Hunt 466; Johnson, A HISTORY OF ENGLISH GARDENING p. 156. Folio ( 34.4 x 21.2 cm); (xxiv) + 456 (i.e. 452) pp. + etched frontispiece + 2 copperplate engravings (with 3 impressions); with 7 engraved printer's ornaments by F. Hoffman.

London: P. Vaillant, and W. Mears and F. Clay 1721. First English edition, translated, with additions, by Richard Bradley. "This was the first treatise on cuttings and graftings, and it made Agricola famous." (Hunt 452). Georg Andreas Agricola was a German doctor from Regensburg whose discoveries regarding plant propagation aroused significant interest at the beginning of the eighteenth century. In a book entitled NEU- UND NIE ERHÖRTER DOCH IN DER NATUR UND VERNUNFFT WOHLGEGEGRÜNDETER VERSUCH DER UNIVERSAL VERMEHRUNG ALLER BÄUME, STAUDEN UND BLUMEN-GEWÄCHSE (1716-1717) he first published details of his methods, including the use of a plaster he called "vegetable mummy," to refute exaggerated claims made about his discoveries by another writer. Bradley prepared this English translation and added to it his own preface as well as a translation of the preface from the French edition. The text is illustrated with copies of the plates from the original German edition. These plates depict examples of the regenerative process described by Agricola along with the grafting techniques, tools and structures employed in the various operations. In publishing Agricola's discoveries in England Bradley was doing what he seemed to do best: publicizing the latest horticultural advances and theories at a moment close to their inception. Hunt 452; Henrey 411 Royal 4to (27 x 22 cm); (xxiv) + 300 + (iv) pp. + 22 plates (some folding) with 34 engravings.

(Guilford?) N.P. n.d. (ca.1900). A very scarce little book devoted to the antique furniture collections displayed in the galleries of Messrs. Williamson and Sons at Guilford. Benn recounts a history of English furniture through the centuries by browsing from piece to piece on display in the galleries. Eighty-four illustrations from photos or drawings printed in tinted photo-zincotypes show a full range of decorative pieces including an old Yorkshire dresser; a flemish oak carved chest; a Jacobean carved oak cradle; William and Mary period imports, Georgian and Queen Anne furnishings; Sheraton items and even some French imports ("That connoisseurs need not go to Paris for 'Old French' is made clear sufficiently by observing the exquisite Marie Antoinette commode which is roughly sketched in Fig. 82."). The whole is interspersed with quotations or reference to taste-makers such as Horace Walpole, Alexander Pope, Lady Mary Wortley and Hogarth. This is clearly intended as a promotional work for Messrs. Williamson and Sons, who also made new furniture. Uncommon. OCLC notes one copy at NYPL and 2 in the U.K. Oblong 8vo (15.2 x 23.2 cm); 57 pp. printed with tinted illustrations by Hazell, Watson, and Viney, LD.

Paris: Vilmorin-Andrieux & Cie 1888. Second Edition. This thick catalogue assembles the vast collection of wood-engraved illustrations used by the Vilmorin-Andrieux firm in their seed catalogues and other publications. Electrotype printing blocks for all the images depicted could be ordered from the firm for use in illustrating retail seed and nursery catalogues. Instructions for ordering these are printed at the front in French, English and German. The numbered illustrations are printed on one side of the sheet only, "the other is intended for the illustrations which we may publish in the future and copies of which will be sent to all the purchasers of this album, to be pasted on the blank side corresponding to the numbers." Altogether at least 4000 images are included, the majority of which are devoted to flowers, although vegetables, herbs, trees, fruits, grasses, garden implements, etc. are also shown. The illustrations are accompanied by descriptions in French, English and German, and by prices in francs and sterling. 4to (27.2 x 21.7 cm); vi + 344 (+ xxiv index) + 345-744 pp. with over 4000 wood-engraved illustrations.

Paris: Pagès, L'Heureux & Cie. 1873. An illustrated folio volume which gathers together various types of information useful to members of elegant Parisian Society. Chief among these is a series of illustrated seating plans for all the major theaters and opera houses of Paris, sixteen in all. There are also short sections on the Salon of 1872, the previous theater season, French chateaux, etc. But the primary content and the real purpose of the publication is advertising, much of it illustrated, for the luxury products and services of many of the famous of French names in industry, fashion and commerce. These include numerous clock makers, jewelers, perfumers, carriage makers, decorative iron works, furniture stores, fashion houses, haberdashers, glove makers, nurserymen, coffee roasters, etc. Many of these advertisements, most of them full page, include wood-engraved illustrations of special items offered for sale, or views of the interiors of shops or factories. The ad for Louis Vuitton, for example, includes a half-page view of their assembly plant in Asnières. Taken as a whole, the volume presents a fascinating view of French consumerism and taste just after the close of the Second Empire. Folio (40.4 x 29.5 cm); (294) pp. with numerous wood-engraved illustrations.

(Barcelona) (D. Antonio Torramadé, Ediciones De Arte Pro-Barcelona) 1924. A heavily illustrated album issued for Barcelona's 1923 international exposition of furniture and interior decoration as the first publication of the Ediciones De Arte Pro-Barcelona. The text is given in Spanish, French and English. Introductory material includes a guide to the recognition of styles, an account of the Tapestry of Archbishop Heredia of Tarragona and a history of that "most genuinely Spanish piece of furniture," the bargueño. Photographs and descriptions of the installations at the exhibition occupy the main portion of the text. Individual stands are described, credited with decorators, furnishers, etc., and, usually, illustrated by one or more plates, sometimes printed on both recto and verso with corresponding photographic illustration. The majority of the firms exhibiting were from Barcelona or represented by a branch there. They offered everything from fine furniture, carpets, linens to pianos, antiques, office furnishings, wrought iron, and lighting . Prizes awarded are indicated. Small sections of illustrations, without text, represent the French and International sections. Most interesting are the portions of the album devoted to a contest for working class housing (all Catalan contributions) and furnishings for children's rooms. There are illustrated sections devoted to praise for the reclamation of Montjuic and the current building and landscaping underway there in anticipation of the grand 1926 exposition. A panoramic sketch of the Esplanade and Montjuic is printed on the final leaf. OCLC locates copies at Yale and the Art Institute of Chicago only. Large oblong 8vo (27 x 19 cm); 203 ff. with text and illustrations printed on matt and glossy papers, 2 ff. with illustrations tipped on to decorative colored stock, many full page ads printed in colors.

Paris: Chez Les Libraires Et Papetiers, n.d. ( ca.1867). First edition. A very lovely photographic souvenir album for mid 19th century music lovers in France with 51 small albumen portraits, three to a page, each surrounded by a lithographed oval "frame." Trinquart , along with photographer, Pierre Petit, opened a successful Parisian photography atelier called " La Photographie des Deux Mondes." They produced admired photographs of leading figures of the period. Inspired by the greatly expanded interest in choral societies and popular concerts, Trinquart assembled this collection of photographs ( some taken from engravings or paintings) of musical notables from Beethoven, Chopin, Gounod, Rossini to Alboni, Cabel, Milsson and Patti. Opposite each page of three portraits is a text page providing brief biographical information. The red/brown lithographed text concludes with a table of Compositeurs and Interprètes. OCLC lists at least two copies in book form at Harvard and George Eastman House. Oblong 8vo (15 x 22.5 cm); 39 + (1)pp. text ornamentation lithographed in red with 51 albumen photo portraits.

Paris Flammarion/Album Du Père Castor 1933. First edition. Most prominent among the Russian born artists who helped create the Père Castor phenomenon was Nathalie Parain (born Natalia Tchelpanova), who acquired her early training among the Russian avant-garde constructivists and brought her talent to Paris where she was discovered by Paul Faucher, the originator of Les Albums du Père Castor. In ALLONS VITE (Album du Père Castor No.9), she illustrates boldly coloured objects of simple shape depicting transportation modes, from a transatlantic passenger ship to a camel in the desert. Young readers are instructed to cut out copies of the images they see, using coloured sheets of paper bound into the book for the purpose and being careful to cut to the shape indicated by colour: for example, the brown shape of the camel is distinguished from the yellow background of the sand and the elements carried on his back further distinguished by colour. Once assembled, the child could glue his copies onto cardboard to hang and, then, move on to add other elements to the scene in this fashion or to create entirely new scenes. Thus, like the beaver or" le castor", the child reader was also a constructor. Speaking of ALLONS VITE, Claude- Anne Parmegiani notes that "Natalie Parain expérimente les propriétés dynamiques de la couleur, susceptibles de suggérer la vitesse et le movement à l'aide de larges aplats." (LES PETITS FRANÇAIS ILLUSTRÉS, 1860-1940, p. 281) See also Lemmens, A. and S. Stommels. RUSSIAN ARTISTS AND THE CHILDREN'S BOOK 1890-1992 for more on these Russian artists and their work in children's literature. The title page has a paste-down identifying Celli as author and Parain as illustrator. A work that is very difficult to find with the colour sheets of paper still bound in. Stapled pamphlet, 28 x 24 cm; 24 unnumbered pp. with 12 illustrations printed in colours +10 sheets of coloured glassinet bound in.

N.P. (Bruyères -Le-Chatel) (Simon Louis Frères & Cie.) ca. 1930. Quite a stunning presentation album of seed packet label samples with all the plants shown printed in full color against a black background. These are displayed, usually 6 to a page, on tan card stock printed decoratively in light gray with the monogram of the firm and simple frame outlines for the placement of the illustrations. Both vegetables and flowers are shown; the colors are vibrant and the detail, particularly with the vegetables, is both informative and artistic. All designs are labeled. If you want to be able to recognize all your French lettuces, you have only to study these. Unusual and very uncommon. Oblong album (26.5 x 36 cm); with color printed seed packet label designs tipped in to each of 70 unnumbered pages, usually 6 to a page, fewer on about 4 pages; in all, there are approximately 400 color printed labels, each measuring 9 x 5 cm.