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

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Oak Knoll Offers The Inventory Of Questor Rare Books Oak Knoll offers a collection of titles from Questor Rare Books. By Michael Stillman Oak Knoll Books has issued its catalogue number 266, but in a way, this is someone else's catalogue. You see, Oak Knoll has purchased the inventory and reference books of its quirky English counterpart, Questor Rare Books. Oak Knoll reports that Questor's owner, John Walwyn-Jones, has decided to move to the auction world at Bonham's, and therefore has discontinued his bookselling business after 25-plus years. Catalogue 266 is the first of three catalogues which will be based on the inventory from Questor's. Questor, like Oak Knoll, specialized in the field of "books about books." This covers anything from the commonly collected field of bibliography, to books about book history, collecting, printing, binding, and papermaking. It also includes more obscure topics like type specimens, watermarks, marbling, bookplates, and even forgeries. This latest Oak Knoll catalogue will be a trove of interesting material for those who collect within the field of the book arts, and particularly those with an interest in British and European texts within this area. It is impossible to provide representative samples of what is in the typical Oak Knoll catalogue. A typical Oak Knoll item is in a very targeted niche, but there are many such niches when it comes to the book arts. Nevertheless, we will describe a few items in the hope it provides a little of the flavor of this catalogue. However, the examples will be small, as there are 882 items offered herein. Here is an example of a niche bibliography from Mark Holstein. With a name like that, you're probably expecting a bovine bibliography, but no, this is entitled Some Famous Prison Books. It is one of only 149 copies privately printed on handmade paper in 1930. It is taken from a speech the author presented to the Quarto Club about famous literature which was written while its author was in prison. Today, you might expect prison literature to be written by some horrific criminal trying to reap financial rewards from his crime. However, if you go back to 1930 and earlier, the author-prisoner was more likely some voice for a cause, imprisoned for being a threat to the establishment rather than a threat to the people. Item 371. Priced at $45.
Oak Knoll Offers The Inventory Of Questor Rare Books none For those who do not believe Shakespeare was Shakespeare, there is Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence's The Shakespeare Myth. You might call this work an "aside of Bacon." Durning-Lawrence argues in this 1912 book that the real author of the works attributed to William Shakepeare was Sir Francis Bacon. Bacon is best known for his development of the scientific method, using observation, rather than inductive reasoning, to explain events. Bacon was also involved in politics during Shakespeare's lifetime, although his habit of getting into debt may have led him to make a few bad choices. He ended up disgraced, but permitted to live his life in relative ease through the support of King James. While Bacon was once the leading candidate for the "real" Shakespeare, today there are numerous others who compete for that title among the skeptics. But, maybe Bacon was the one who really shot JFK. Item 736. $15. Here is a great title to interest children in the book arts: Bob the Binder's Progress. We all know how influential "Bob the Builder" is with children. Can "Bob the Binder" do the same? Actually, the bibliophilic Bob came first, as this is a 1955 work. It contains reprints of advertising which used "Bob the Binder" as its spokesman. However, it will certainly take an enormous effort to make the art of bookbinding as exciting to children as huge bulldozers scraping up mountains of dirt. Item 76. $40. Item 184 is a rare book that carries an important association. It is Marciano; or, the Discovery. A Tragi-Comedy, by William Clark. This is a privately published 1871 edition of this old Scottish poem, one of only 75 copies printed. What makes it particularly notable is that it carries the bookplate of Algernon Swinburne, one of the most popular poets of the 19th century. Swinburne died in 1909, and the main sale of his library was conducted in 1916. $250. You may find Oak Knoll Books, and its catalogues, online at www.oaknoll.com or call them at 302-328-7232.

Oak Knoll Offers The Inventory Of Questor Rare Books

Oak Knoll offers a collection of titles from Questor Rare Books.

By Michael Stillman

Oak Knoll Books has issued its catalogue number 266, but in a way, this is someone else's catalogue. You see, Oak Knoll has purchased the inventory and reference books of its quirky English counterpart, Questor Rare Books. Oak Knoll reports that Questor's owner, John Walwyn-Jones, has decided to move to the auction world at Bonham's, and therefore has discontinued his bookselling business after 25-plus years. Catalogue 266 is the first of three catalogues which will be based on the inventory from Questor's.

Questor, like Oak Knoll, specialized in the field of "books about books." This covers anything from the commonly collected field of bibliography, to books about book history, collecting, printing, binding, and papermaking. It also includes more obscure topics like type specimens, watermarks, marbling, bookplates, and even forgeries. This latest Oak Knoll catalogue will be a trove of interesting material for those who collect within the field of the book arts, and particularly those with an interest in British and European texts within this area.

It is impossible to provide representative samples of what is in the typical Oak Knoll catalogue. A typical Oak Knoll item is in a very targeted niche, but there are many such niches when it comes to the book arts. Nevertheless, we will describe a few items in the hope it provides a little of the flavor of this catalogue. However, the examples will be small, as there are 882 items offered herein.

Here is an example of a niche bibliography from Mark Holstein. With a name like that, you're probably expecting a bovine bibliography, but no, this is entitled Some Famous Prison Books. It is one of only 149 copies privately printed on handmade paper in 1930. It is taken from a speech the author presented to the Quarto Club about famous literature which was written while its author was in prison. Today, you might expect prison literature to be written by some horrific criminal trying to reap financial rewards from his crime. However, if you go back to 1930 and earlier, the author-prisoner was more likely some voice for a cause, imprisoned for being a threat to the establishment rather than a threat to the people. Item 371. Priced at $45.

Oak Knoll Offers The Inventory Of Questor Rare Books

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For those who do not believe Shakespeare was Shakespeare, there is Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrence's The Shakespeare Myth. You might call this work an "aside of Bacon." Durning-Lawrence argues in this 1912 book that the real author of the works attributed to William Shakepeare was Sir Francis Bacon. Bacon is best known for his development of the scientific method, using observation, rather than inductive reasoning, to explain events. Bacon was also involved in politics during Shakespeare's lifetime, although his habit of getting into debt may have led him to make a few bad choices. He ended up disgraced, but permitted to live his life in relative ease through the support of King James. While Bacon was once the leading candidate for the "real" Shakespeare, today there are numerous others who compete for that title among the skeptics. But, maybe Bacon was the one who really shot JFK. Item 736. $15.

Here is a great title to interest children in the book arts: Bob the Binder's Progress. We all know how influential "Bob the Builder" is with children. Can "Bob the Binder" do the same? Actually, the bibliophilic Bob came first, as this is a 1955 work. It contains reprints of advertising which used "Bob the Binder" as its spokesman. However, it will certainly take an enormous effort to make the art of bookbinding as exciting to children as huge bulldozers scraping up mountains of dirt. Item 76. $40.

Item 184 is a rare book that carries an important association. It is Marciano; or, the Discovery. A Tragi-Comedy, by William Clark. This is a privately published 1871 edition of this old Scottish poem, one of only 75 copies printed. What makes it particularly notable is that it carries the bookplate of Algernon Swinburne, one of the most popular poets of the 19th century. Swinburne died in 1909, and the main sale of his library was conducted in 1916. $250.

You may find Oak Knoll Books, and its catalogues, online at www.oaknoll.com or call them at 302-328-7232.