Recent Acquisitions May 2018 Abby Schoolman Books 332 E84th Street New York, New York 10028 All books are in fine condition unless otherwise stated. Prices are in effect as of the first date shown above but are subject to change without notice. All titles are subject to prior sale
A Unique Pop-Up Environmentalist Statement 1. Busquets, Carla. Coral Reef. Barcelona: Carla Busquets, 2018. Unique. [264] $500. Single folio pop-up coral reef. Entirely handmade by the artist using her own hand-marbled papers. Signed in pencil, behind the reef, in the upper left corner "Carla Busquets, 2018, Unique copy." Artist's statement: The white parts symbolise the endangered coral, that loses colour when stressed. This is my way to reflect about how we treat our planet, and think of actions we can take to minimise our impact. I mostly work with paper. I love the versatility of the material, how easy it is to manipulate and also the skill required to turn it into delicate work. Its duality, the fragility and strength of it and the fact that it can be found in many ordinary objects, to be recycled and repurposed. I use drawing and paper to explore the boundaries of book structures and create a story, a tale. Imagining a picture that goes beyond the illustration, with mobile and tridimensional parts as in pop-up books, gives me new possibilities to transport the spectator to a more surrounding, almost touchable scene. I also like to reference bookbinding tradition, using paste or marbled papers that I make according to what I want to say. I take inspiration from the natural world, usually focusing on the individuals, animals and plants, be it from an environmental point of view or to create a visual experience playing with colour and shape. Coral reef crafted from hand-marbled Torreon laid paper 90 gsm with hand-marbled rice paper for the base of the reef; natural and ink-toned Japanese tissue of 10 and 14gsm. Boards covered in pearl grey bookcloth, upper board adorned with an onlay in the shape of a piece of coral covered with hand-marbled Torreon laid paper. All marbling by the artist. Closed: 18.5cm x 35cm x 1.4cm. Open: 36.4cm x 35cm x 14.5cm.
Housed in a custom two-tray dropback box covered in the same pearl grey bookcloth as the binding, lined with hand-marbled Torreon laid paper matching the binding onlay. 20cm x 37.4cm x 3cm Carla Busquets (b. 1988) was born and raised in Barcelona. She studied in art conservation as an undergraduate (BA in Barcelona), then spent a year enrolled in a college bookbinding program. She then moved to London to complete an MA in paper and book conservation at Camberwell College of Art (2011-13). In late 2017, she set up her own studio and shop in Barcelona under the name of La Frivé, where she can now freely combine conservation work with bookbinding, art projects, and workshops for adults and children. The Kraken, Signed Limited Edition 2. Busquets, Carla. The Kraken. Barcelona: Carla Busquets, 2018. Signed Limited Edition. [253] $350. Copy 1 of 10 created from scans of the 8 original black ink drawings the artist made for her unique original book The Kraken (2018). Mounted on five wooden dowels. Signed, numbered, and dated by the artist on the verso of the final leaf. Piano hinge structure after Hedi Kyle. Canon Pixma inkjet color printing on 300gsm cold pressed white Canson paper mounted on thinner laid paper hinges. Five hand cut 5mm diameter bamboo dowels. Book: 17cm x 12,5cm x 3.5cm. Housed in a custom, felt-lined presentation box by the artist covered in her own handmade paste paper (80gsm Torreon laid paper, acrylic paint, methylcellulose). Box: 18cm x 14cm x 4.5cm.
A Brief Voyage in Space 3. Otto, [Dettmer]. A Voyage Fantastic. Bath, UK: Ottographic, 2018. Signed Limited First Edition. [250] $200. Copy 3 from a signed and numbered edition of 50. A Voyage Fantastic is the third in a series of books by Otto using his Cross-cut fold format. This leporello type book structure, where the pages can fold out to up to 5 times the cover size, is an original registered design developed and used exclusively by Otto. The previous two volumes by Otto using his patented 'Crosscut fold,' Folding Space Ship and Galactic Narrowboat, are very small (9.5cm x 12cm) and are housed in a trifold wrapper. A Voyage Fantastic is significantly more ambitious in size and binding structure. Artist's statement: This science fiction fantasy is inspired by the movies The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and A Fantastic Voyage (1966). My story goes further in terms of what would happen if a human were to shrink indefinitely beyond the size of an atom. The narrative is a universe zoom that ends where it begins. The binding is a triptych made with 3 sheets of greyboard, screenprinted in black, joined, hinged, and cornered with black cloth tape. The textblock comprises 5 fully illustrated pages of varying sizes and formats, screen printed in 3 colors on 200gsm Heritage bookwhite. Folded size: 19.5cm x 25cm x 0.8 cm.
Gorgeous Woodcuts by Matt Phillips 4. Phillips, Matt. The Beach. Palo Alto, CA: Smith Andersen Editions, Summer 1993. Signed Limited First Edition. [252] $1500. Copy A/P4 from an edition of 8 plus 4 Artist's Proofs. Woodblocks by Matt Phillips, printed by Kathryn Kain, designed by Susannah Hays. 9 woodcuts, letterpress printed colophon. Matt Phillips (1927-2017) was an American painter and printmaker best known for his revival and mastery of the 19th century monotype technique. He also worked extensively in other print forms such as drypoint, etching, lithography, and woodcut. Phillips taught at Bard College (NY) from 1964-1987. He then moved to Northern California and continued to work and exhibit for nearly 30 more years. Kathryn Kain was the master printer at Smith Andersen Editions from 1991 until it closed in 2016. Susannah Hays, a paper conservator and artist, was married to Matt Phillips from 1991 to 1997 and collaborated with him on this and other books. D. Vanessa Kam, Matt Phillips: The Magic in his Prints: "The images that Phillips draws in the creation of his work nourish an undeniable sense of place that he strives to evoke. Among the subjects he returns to, time and again, are beach scenes, the bustle of open air markets in such places as Guatemala, Israel, and Morocco... and the rolling hills of Napa Valley and Montana." Matt Phillips: "Having grown up by the seaside, it is natural that I should be especially drawn to this subject. Beaches everywhere in the world are magical; there's a lot to see and enjoy, a real democracy of sensation." An elusive and lovely book of woodcuts depicting scenes incorporating human forms, the beach, and the sea. Copies located at NYPL, Stanford, and the Fine Arts Museums of SF. Each copy appears to employ variant colors. Paper covered boards. Eight of the woodcuts are printed on one side of a strip formed from 4 joined sheets of Japanese paper, folded accordion style; 1 woodcut mounted on front board. Woodcuts are black and white (4), black & white with teal blue (4), and black & white with pink (front cover cut). Colophon printed in blue on rear board. Signed and numbered by Matt Phillips on colophon. 14cm x 18.7cm closed. 106cm x 18.7m open.
Including an Extraordinary, Nearly 5 Foot Long Pop-Up Great Wall of China 5. Lau, Kit. Pop Up China. Hong Kong: Huang Shan Publishing House, April 2010. Signed Limited First Edition. [258] $300. Copy 649/2000 of the signed limited collector's edition of the Chinese language printing of Pop Up China (Zhongguo tan qi). Housed in a presentation box inside of which is a mounted bookplate signed by Hong Kong-based designer and paper engineer Kit Lau (also known as Liu Sijie). Six incredible pop-ups by Kit Lau representing Chinese cultural heritage: a 1.5m long fold out Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Army, the 15th century armillary sphere originally located in the courtyard of the Ancient Observatory in Beijing, the giant statue of the Maitreya Buddha in the Dunhuang Caves, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the "Bird's Nest," the iconic 2008 Beijing Olympic Stadium. Publisher's shrink wrap opened for cataloging and photography. Box 30.5cm x 29.5cm. Book: 30cm x 25.5cm.
Based on the Famous 1964 Animated Film 6. Yuan, Qiu Xiang. Havoc in Heaven. Xi'an, Shaanxi, China: Lelequ Editions, 2016. First Edition. [259] $300. Six full page pop-up spreads plus 14 additional pop-up vignettes concealed within the text booklets on each page. Based on the Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio 1964 classic animated film "Havoc in Heaven," often referenced as the film that inspired the revered Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki to become an animator, this delightful volume was launched at the 23rd Beijing International Book Fair in late 2016 as the first pop-up book originating in mainland China. "Havoc in Heaven," both the film and this book, are based on the 16th century Chinese epic novel Journey to the West, considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Journey to the West comprises 100 chapters. The first seven chapters are devoted entirely to the exploits of the Monkey King, who then reappears throughout the novel. Inspired after first seeing Robert Sabuda's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 2003, Yang Hongbing had long wanted to create a book based on his favorite character in Chinese literature, the Monkey King. One of Yang's great triumphs in this book is the engineering of the Monkey King's magical weapon, the golden cudgel, which pops up to nearly 40cm. Design team led by Lelequ's art director and paper-engineer Yan Hongbing and the painter Huang Li. Complete with slipcase as issued. Publisher's shrink wrap opened for cataloging and photography. 21.7cm x 27.4cm x 6.5cm.
Exceptionally Rare Signed Copy 7. Fang, Suzhen. Havoc in Heaven. Beijing, China: Beijing United Publishing Company, 2016. First Edition. [260] $300. Signed on the cover of the book in 2016 by Taiwanese author Fang Suszhen and by Chinese illustrator and paper engineer Chen Qing (with adorable self-portrait doodle). Exceptionally rare signed by both Fang and Chen. Six full page pop-up spreads and six smaller pop-up vignettes within booklets on spreads 1, 2 and 3. Published under Beijing United's Shang Tong imprint. Complete with original slipcase as issued. 21.8cm x 28.3cm x 5cm.
Incredibly Creative Paper-Engineering 8. Zhou, Meiqiang, ed. 3D Journey to the West. Anhui, China: Anhui Children's Publishing House, 2017. First Edition. [261] $300. In only six full spreads, the "Seven Colors Kingdom" design team has managed to cram in an incredible amount of skillful paper-engineering and special effects into this wonderful book depicting 33 pop-up scenes from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." It is a technical tour-de-force from mainland China. "3D Journey to the West" features the exploits of the legendary Monkey King, as is usual in most popular adaptations of the 100-chapter novel. However, this beautifully designed volume manages to incorporate far more text and scenes from the novel than either of the two pop-up editions of "Havoc in Heaven" published the previous year. It is an ambitious production. Of special note are the explosive pull-tab action of the Monkey King's birth from solid rock, the beautiful palace in the sky hovering gracefully far above the page on transparent supports, and the creepy spider web which glows in the dark. Complete with original slipcase as issued. Publisher's shrink wrap opened for cataloging and photography. 23.4cm x 29.6cm x 7cm.