Color Printing, Wood Engraving, and John DePol's Library From The Veatchs
Color printing, wood engraving, the DePol library, etc., from the Veatchs.
By Michael Stillman
Recently received from The Veatchs Arts Of The Book is their 56th catalogue, Recent Acquisitions including Color Printing, Wood Engraving and Books from John DePol's Library. Naturally, their catalogues feature works noted for their connection to the book arts - printing, color, papermaking, illustration, bookplates and bookbinding. Many of the titles come from private specialty presses. These are noted for their limited editions of uniquely beautiful and well-made books. For those who appreciate books as works of art as well as literature or information, the Veatchs almost certainly have something for you.
First, a note about John DePol. DePol was America's preeminent wood engraver of the 20th century. His illustrations graced countless works over a long career. During the last couple of decades of his life, DePol particularly focused on providing illustrations for the works of fine private presses. He died in 2004 at the age of 91, and his papers now reside with the special collections at the University of Delaware. However, he kept copies of many of the works for which he provided illustrations in his personal library, and several of these are available in the Veatchs latest catalogue. Now, here are a few of the works being offered.
Item 71 is a copy of John DePol's Ireland remembered. A GI's recollections. DePol served in Ireland during the Second World War, and used his free time to polish up on his drawing skills. It would serve him well through the sixty years which followed. This book was printed by Farleigh Dickinson University in his home state of New Jersey in 1982. The copy has DePol's bookplate and signature. Priced at $125.
Item 77 is DePol's From Dark to Light. Wood Engravings for the Stone House Press. This is one of 200 copies of this review of the work he did for this particular specialty printer in the 1980s. It includes 60 of his wood engravings, printed from the blocks. The copy is signed by DePol and contains his bookplate. $300.
One more DePol item: John DePol: A Celebration of His Work by Many Hands. This is copy number one of 150 copies of a tribute put together by many of the printers for whom he had produced illustrations. Copy number one was DePol's personal copy, specially bound, and signed and dated by him. The tribute was printed in 1994, when DePol reached 80 years of age. Item 80. $950.
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Color Printing, Wood Engraving, and John DePol's Library From The Veatchs
Color image from Salomon Gessner's La Mort d'Abel.
Thomas Bewick may have been the greatest wood engraver, though he accomplished his work almost two centuries before DePol. Bewick was also an ornithologist, and both aspects of his career are displayed in his book the "History of British Birds," published at the turn of the 19th century. Item 27 is a 1970 reprint of some of his art, A Portfolio of Thomas Bewick Wood Engravings. It includes 100 prints from the original blocks, fifty from his "British Birds," fifty from "The Quadrupeds." This is one of 150 of these three-volume sets printed by R. Hunter Middleton. $3,000.
For Bewick collectors, here is a very different, though most interesting item. It is a signed letter, dated January 19, 1808, from Bewick to a Miss Watson, his daughter's schoolteacher. His youngest daughter, Elizabeth, was returning to school, tuition money in hand. However, Bewick also wanted Miss Watson to know that poor Betsy was suffering from chilblains, but that she was such an uncomplaining soul, her teacher might not even notice. Bewick wants Miss Watson to keep an eye on her. For those who don't know, chilblains is an inflammation of the skin, usually the toes, but sometimes also the fingers, face, or other areas. Chilblains is most often the result of an adverse reaction to the cold, which seems likely the cause here based on the January date of the letter. Item 26. $800.
Sometimes the private presses will pull out forgotten titles for specialty reprintings, but it is kind of a surprise to find the Yellow Barn Press republishing A Boyhood in Iowa by Herbert Hoover. Hoover was a great humanitarian, feeding the hungry during World War I, and a very popular man when elected president in 1928. Things didn't go so well after that, and his name ended up becoming synonymous with the Great Depression, though its causes were beyond his control. This reminiscence of Hoover's earlier days was published in 1986, and contains seven DePol engravings. Item 207. $165.
Salomon Gessner was a popular writer and artist, as well as being a publisher and bookseller, in 18th century Switzerland. Neither his writing nor his art have survived the test of time particularly well. They were not notably original, the art being technically good but predictably bucolic. The writing is apparently forgettable, the test of this claim being that it has been forgotten. Nevertheless, some most attractive work is associated with his name, such as this 1793 Paris printing of his poem, La Mort d'Abel. It contains five color-printed plates, including the one shown on this page. Item 58. $2,200.
You may find The Veatchs Arts Of The Book online at www.veatchs.com, phone number 413-584-1867.
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