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<b>Bonhams:</b> MANDELSHTAM, OSIP. 1891-1938. Autograph Manuscript, 2 pp, [Petersburg,] January 1913, entitled

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Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll Books. By Michael Stillman Oak Knoll Books' latest catalogue, number 263, is called "Early Printing and Leaf Books." Oak Knoll is a specialist in bibliography and other "books about books." This catalogue contains many bibliographies, plus bookseller and auction catalogues, the latter covering many of the most important sales of early collections from the past century. The first section is dedicated to leaf books. For those not familiar, a "leaf book" is a book containing a leaf or leaves from other books. Often these will be early and important works. Complete copies of such works are out of the financial reach of most collectors, but the leaf book enables those with less than unlimited funds to still enjoy owning a part these rare books. While we wouldn't want to see good copies of rare old books broken apart this way, it is a logical use for damaged and incomplete copies, allowing many people to own a piece of the book. For those interested in learning more about leaf books, here's a book just published this year: Disbound and Dispersed: The Leaf Book Considered. Various essays cover the history of this genre, from its start in the 19th century. One is something of a detective story, tracing the Caxton Club of Chicago's 1905 leaf book, which used leaves from an incomplete copy of William Caxton's "Canterbury Tales," the first book printed in England. A checklist of 242 leaf books is also provided. Item 2. Priced at $45. One of the earliest leaf books, published in 1895, is The Early Oxford Press, a Bibliography of Printing and Publishing at Oxford, 1468-1640, by Falconer Madan. This book had a limited print run, as most leaf books of necessity do, 700 copies in all. It includes three leaves from early books published at Oxford. Item 45. $250. Item 44 is David Littlejohn's Dr. Johnson and Noah Webster. Two Men and Their Dictionaries. This 1971 publication of the Book Club of California not only recounts the two best-known dictionary compilers, but includes a leaf from those created by each. For Samuel Johnson, it's a 1755 dictionary, for Noah Webster, an 1828 edition. $200. "Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland," by Raphael Holinshed provided Shakespeare the historical background for many of his works. "MacBeth," in particular, is based on the accounts Holinshed had provided in this 1587 work. Details are provided in the 1968 Book Club of California publication, The Book Called Holinshed's Chronicles, an Account of Its Inception, Purpose, Contributors, Contents, Publication, Revision and Influence on William Shakespeare. What's more, it includes a leaf from the 1587 edition. Item 30. $300.
Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll A leaf from an Indian Bible in The American Bible. Perhaps the most impressive leaf book you will find is The American Bible, by Michael Zinman, published in 1992. This is a four-volume folio first edition, limited to 100 copies, and printed by the Arion Press. This set provides an account of Bibles printed in America from 1663 to 1878, and includes 38 leaves from these Bibles. Leaves are sorted by subjects: Bibles in native languages, Bibles in English, and Bibles in foreign languages. In the first category, there are leaves from the 1663 "Eliot Indian Bible," the first Bible printed in America, the 1685 second edition of the same, and Bibles in Mohawk, Cherokee, Hawaiian, and other languages. English-language American Bibles include the first such edition from 1782, the first illustrated American Bible from 1791, the first Catholic Bible (1790), Noah Webster's modernized Bible (1883), and the first publication of the New Testament in the Confederacy (1862). Among the foreign Bibles are leaves from the first German language American Bible (1743), the first on paper manufactured in America (1763), as well as Bibles in Spanish, French, Hebrew, Greek, Swedish, and Portuguese. Author Zinman is a notable Americana collector and these leaves came from Bibles in his collection. Item 60. $6,000. While most items in this catalogue are about old books, here is one that is itself very old: Epistolae Familiares. This is an item of incunabula, printed in Cologne in 1478. It is a book of correspondence of Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Aeneus Sylvius Piccolomini). Piccolomini was born in Italy in 1405, the first of 18 children of a financially strapped nobleman (who wouldn't be with 18 children). He began his career as a teacher and writer, writing romantic and somewhat racy works. His early life has been called "frivolous," somewhat evidenced by at least two illegitimate children he fathered. However, he would find himself working in secretarial and other roles for various religious and political leaders along the way. It would lead him to support the last antipope, Felix V. One would think moves like this would doom his career, at least with the Catholic Church, but Enea had a knack for flowing with the times, and adjusting his positions accordingly. He would resign his role as Secretary to Felix V and find his way back to supporting Pope Eugene IV. All was forgiven. Meanwhile, he would sign on with Frederick III, the Holy Roman Emperor, and his literary skills would lead to his appointment as imperial poet lauriate. In his role with the Empire, the always diplomatic Enea would help resolve differences between the state and the Church, which led to his being appointed Bishop of Trieste. However, his ultimate triumph, hard to imagine for someone with two illegitimate children and a one-time supporter of the antipope, came in 1458. Enea was selected as Pope, taking the name Pius II. The name was chosen to show that he had changed from the rogue of his youth. It seems that Enea truly did change, and he is remembered as a man of goodwill. If he changed with the times, it appears to reflect real changes in the man, not cynical attempts to advance his career. Perhaps this is why he survived so many faux pas along the way to still rise to the highest level in the Church. As Pope, Pius II tried to disassociate himself with his past, even attempting to suppress some of his earlier romantic works. His major goal as Pope was to drive the Turks from the European continent. However, he was not able to muster sufficient forces to make much headway. In an attempt to stir up more support from the European states, he put himself at the head of a crusade in 1464. Unfortunately, he was already ill. Pius II would die shortly thereafter, attempting to lead a crusade that had no hope of success.
Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll none While his papacy is not remembered for monumental achievements, he did issue one papal bull with lasting impact, "Execrabilis," which established the ultimate authority of the Pope. And, he is the only pope to have written his own biography, which recounts some of the intrigues of his election to the papacy. Item 1. $22,500. Here is a study of some American books that make the Bay Psalter, even a Columbus letter, look recent. The book is Painted Books from Mexico by Gordon Brotherston. These are manuscripts that date as far back as thousands of years before the Spanish conquest. Few of them survived that period, but around twenty are found in British collections. They provide insights into these ancient American civilizations. Item 203. $85. For very old, but not ancient histories of Spanish America, there is Spanish Historical Writing about the New World, by Angel Delgado-Gomez. This book focuses on 70 important pre-1700 American historical works written in Spanish. Item 286. $35. Item 765 is The Archives of Ebla, an Empire Inscribed in Clay, by Giovanni Pettinato. Again, we have some very ancient writings. Ebla was a prosperous city in what is now Syria during the third millennium BC. In the 1960s, what appears to be something of a legal library was discovered, containing 15,000 to 20,000 cuneiform tablets of various trade, personal, and other matters. Around 2250 BC, the city was overtaken, and while it would be rebuilt for a while during the following millennium, this first civilization would be destroyed. Of particular interest are certain similarities with the Hebrew language and certain beliefs, values, and customs which would develop in the Biblical civilization. Neighboring cities are also mentioned, including Urusalima (Jerusalem), Sodom and Gomorrah. Interestingly, these were tablets from the court, and it is believed that there may be a main royal library as yet not discovered. $45. Oak Knoll Books website is located at www.oakknoll.com and their phone number is 302-328-7232.

Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll

Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll Books.

By Michael Stillman

Oak Knoll Books' latest catalogue, number 263, is called "Early Printing and Leaf Books." Oak Knoll is a specialist in bibliography and other "books about books." This catalogue contains many bibliographies, plus bookseller and auction catalogues, the latter covering many of the most important sales of early collections from the past century.

The first section is dedicated to leaf books. For those not familiar, a "leaf book" is a book containing a leaf or leaves from other books. Often these will be early and important works. Complete copies of such works are out of the financial reach of most collectors, but the leaf book enables those with less than unlimited funds to still enjoy owning a part these rare books. While we wouldn't want to see good copies of rare old books broken apart this way, it is a logical use for damaged and incomplete copies, allowing many people to own a piece of the book. For those interested in learning more about leaf books, here's a book just published this year: Disbound and Dispersed: The Leaf Book Considered. Various essays cover the history of this genre, from its start in the 19th century. One is something of a detective story, tracing the Caxton Club of Chicago's 1905 leaf book, which used leaves from an incomplete copy of William Caxton's "Canterbury Tales," the first book printed in England. A checklist of 242 leaf books is also provided. Item 2. Priced at $45.

One of the earliest leaf books, published in 1895, is The Early Oxford Press, a Bibliography of Printing and Publishing at Oxford, 1468-1640, by Falconer Madan. This book had a limited print run, as most leaf books of necessity do, 700 copies in all. It includes three leaves from early books published at Oxford. Item 45. $250.

Item 44 is David Littlejohn's Dr. Johnson and Noah Webster. Two Men and Their Dictionaries. This 1971 publication of the Book Club of California not only recounts the two best-known dictionary compilers, but includes a leaf from those created by each. For Samuel Johnson, it's a 1755 dictionary, for Noah Webster, an 1828 edition. $200.

"Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland," by Raphael Holinshed provided Shakespeare the historical background for many of his works. "MacBeth," in particular, is based on the accounts Holinshed had provided in this 1587 work. Details are provided in the 1968 Book Club of California publication, The Book Called Holinshed's Chronicles, an Account of Its Inception, Purpose, Contributors, Contents, Publication, Revision and Influence on William Shakespeare. What's more, it includes a leaf from the 1587 edition. Item 30. $300.

Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll

A leaf from an Indian Bible in The American Bible.

Perhaps the most impressive leaf book you will find is The American Bible, by Michael Zinman, published in 1992. This is a four-volume folio first edition, limited to 100 copies, and printed by the Arion Press. This set provides an account of Bibles printed in America from 1663 to 1878, and includes 38 leaves from these Bibles. Leaves are sorted by subjects: Bibles in native languages, Bibles in English, and Bibles in foreign languages. In the first category, there are leaves from the 1663 "Eliot Indian Bible," the first Bible printed in America, the 1685 second edition of the same, and Bibles in Mohawk, Cherokee, Hawaiian, and other languages. English-language American Bibles include the first such edition from 1782, the first illustrated American Bible from 1791, the first Catholic Bible (1790), Noah Webster's modernized Bible (1883), and the first publication of the New Testament in the Confederacy (1862). Among the foreign Bibles are leaves from the first German language American Bible (1743), the first on paper manufactured in America (1763), as well as Bibles in Spanish, French, Hebrew, Greek, Swedish, and Portuguese. Author Zinman is a notable Americana collector and these leaves came from Bibles in his collection. Item 60. $6,000.

While most items in this catalogue are about old books, here is one that is itself very old: Epistolae Familiares. This is an item of incunabula, printed in Cologne in 1478. It is a book of correspondence of Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Aeneus Sylvius Piccolomini). Piccolomini was born in Italy in 1405, the first of 18 children of a financially strapped nobleman (who wouldn't be with 18 children). He began his career as a teacher and writer, writing romantic and somewhat racy works. His early life has been called "frivolous," somewhat evidenced by at least two illegitimate children he fathered. However, he would find himself working in secretarial and other roles for various religious and political leaders along the way. It would lead him to support the last antipope, Felix V. One would think moves like this would doom his career, at least with the Catholic Church, but Enea had a knack for flowing with the times, and adjusting his positions accordingly. He would resign his role as Secretary to Felix V and find his way back to supporting Pope Eugene IV. All was forgiven. Meanwhile, he would sign on with Frederick III, the Holy Roman Emperor, and his literary skills would lead to his appointment as imperial poet lauriate. In his role with the Empire, the always diplomatic Enea would help resolve differences between the state and the Church, which led to his being appointed Bishop of Trieste. However, his ultimate triumph, hard to imagine for someone with two illegitimate children and a one-time supporter of the antipope, came in 1458. Enea was selected as Pope, taking the name Pius II. The name was chosen to show that he had changed from the rogue of his youth. It seems that Enea truly did change, and he is remembered as a man of goodwill. If he changed with the times, it appears to reflect real changes in the man, not cynical attempts to advance his career. Perhaps this is why he survived so many faux pas along the way to still rise to the highest level in the Church. As Pope, Pius II tried to disassociate himself with his past, even attempting to suppress some of his earlier romantic works. His major goal as Pope was to drive the Turks from the European continent. However, he was not able to muster sufficient forces to make much headway. In an attempt to stir up more support from the European states, he put himself at the head of a crusade in 1464. Unfortunately, he was already ill. Pius II would die shortly thereafter, attempting to lead a crusade that had no hope of success.

Early Printing and Leaf Books from Oak Knoll

none

While his papacy is not remembered for monumental achievements, he did issue one papal bull with lasting impact, "Execrabilis," which established the ultimate authority of the Pope. And, he is the only pope to have written his own biography, which recounts some of the intrigues of his election to the papacy. Item 1. $22,500.

Here is a study of some American books that make the Bay Psalter, even a Columbus letter, look recent. The book is Painted Books from Mexico by Gordon Brotherston. These are manuscripts that date as far back as thousands of years before the Spanish conquest. Few of them survived that period, but around twenty are found in British collections. They provide insights into these ancient American civilizations. Item 203. $85. For very old, but not ancient histories of Spanish America, there is Spanish Historical Writing about the New World, by Angel Delgado-Gomez. This book focuses on 70 important pre-1700 American historical works written in Spanish. Item 286. $35.

Item 765 is The Archives of Ebla, an Empire Inscribed in Clay, by Giovanni Pettinato. Again, we have some very ancient writings. Ebla was a prosperous city in what is now Syria during the third millennium BC. In the 1960s, what appears to be something of a legal library was discovered, containing 15,000 to 20,000 cuneiform tablets of various trade, personal, and other matters. Around 2250 BC, the city was overtaken, and while it would be rebuilt for a while during the following millennium, this first civilization would be destroyed. Of particular interest are certain similarities with the Hebrew language and certain beliefs, values, and customs which would develop in the Biblical civilization. Neighboring cities are also mentioned, including Urusalima (Jerusalem), Sodom and Gomorrah. Interestingly, these were tablets from the court, and it is believed that there may be a main royal library as yet not discovered. $45.

Oak Knoll Books website is located at www.oakknoll.com and their phone number is 302-328-7232.