Shapero Rare Books latest catalogue is entitled Present Indicative 2023. While I'm still not sure of its meaning in the current context, I can say what type of material it contains because there is a table of contents. Here is what you will find: Fiction, Poetry & Prose; Children's & Illustrated; Visual & Performing Arts; Special Interest; Hebraica & Judaica; Near East & Islamic; and Modern Art. Here is a look at a few items within.
We begin not with a book but a collection of them. This is a set of the five novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald, all first editions. They are This Side of Paradise (1920), The Beautiful and the Damned (1922), The Great Gatsby (1925), Tender is the Night (1934), and The Last Tycoon (1941). The last of those was unfinished when Fitzgerald died but his notes were used by the editor to complete the book. It was published the year after he died. All are first editions with Gatsby being a first issue. A recurring theme of Fitzgerald's books is the decadent lifestyle typical of those who came of age in the roaring 20s and their ultimate downfall. Item 19. Priced at £19,500 (British pounds or approximately $24,745 in U. S. dollars).
Winston Churchill, along with being an important political figure for decades and the leader who brought England through its darkest hour of World War II, was a prolific writer. Most of his books were either about himself or he played a central role in the events described. This one was about someone else. The title is Lord Randolph Churchill, published in 1906. Along with being Winston's father, Randolph was a political figure, and a very controversial one at that. He was a Conservative but one at odds with his party's leadership, taking a more progressive line. Winston would do the same, switching from Conservative to Liberal early in his parliamentary years, only returning to the party two decades later. In Randolph's case, he didn't last nearly that long. He was appointed to the cabinet in 1886, but a few months later handed in his resignation, perhaps thinking the party would beg him to return. It didn't and his political ascendancy was over. He suffered from an illness, many believe venereal disease, and died in 1895 at the age of 45. Winston had mixed feeling about his father. Neither of his parents was close to him growing up, he essentially being raised by a governess. He would later become close to his mother but his father didn't live long enough for that to happen. Still, when Winston wrote his father's biography, he focused mainly on his good points. This two-volume set is inscribed “From Winston Churchill / July 24 1924.” It is bound in “lavish” black morocco with Churchillian devices on the front and rear boards. Item 94. £6,750 (US $8,562).
Speaking of bindings, this one is spectacular. First, the book. It is a copy of the 1868 edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel. This is an early edition, but not early enough to be of any notable value - 12th thousand. The value is in the binding, a Cosway by Riviere and Son. It was commissioned by Harrison Stonehouse, managing director of the venerable Henry Sotheran Booksellers. It is impossible to do justice to the binding with words. There are gilt radiating fillets, green morocco onlays in the burgundy morocco binding. The most notable of features are the inset oval miniatures under glass on the front and back cover. They feature characters from the book. They are the work of the elusive Miss C. B. Currie. She is most known for her fore-edge paintings. We know about her because she signed her work, but otherwise, we know virtually nothing about Miss Curie. Shapero describes this book as “an exceptional survivor from the golden age of book-binding.” Item 58. £38,500 (US $48,815).
In remembrance of Christmas past, and in this case it is only about a week past, we have the most loved Christmas tale of all – A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. Actually, the full title is A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas with Illustrations by John Leech. Most people know it by the shortened title. This book was issued ten days before Christmas of 1843 and 6,000 copies were sold on the first day. It's been sold and repeated in live and filmed performances continuously ever since. It has added the word “scrooge” to out lexicon. While it is a “feel-good” story as the miserly Scrooge turns into a nice guy, it isn't all fun and games. Dickens still focuses on his main cause, revealing the depredations of the extreme poverty so many people had to endure in his era. He wished to bring attention to the conditions in which the poor of London lived in hopes that shining a light would help improve their lot. Offered is a first edition, first impression, first issue with the appropriate issue points. Item 15. £19,500 (US $24,633).
Serge Diaghilev was a Russian who can only be described as a master impresario. He wished to compose music, but apparently lacked the needed talent for it. Instead, he turned to putting on shows. He started with art exhibitions which he later took on the road. That would lead him to Paris, where he brought an art exhibition. He later decided to bring Russian music to Paris, which would lead to the show for which he is famous, the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev secured the greatest dancers, music composers, costume and stage designers of his time to form the most notable ballet company ever conceived. The names of dancers Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova are famous yet today, though there are few people left who saw them dance. Composers and artists associated with the ballet are equally famous still. The Ballets Russes ran for 20 years, from 1909-1929, closing shortly after Diaghilev died. While most associated with Paris, Diaghilev took the show on the road, appearing all over Europe as well as North and South America. The one place it never appeared was Russia, Diaghilev reluctant to go there after the Russian Revolution. Item 79 is a program for the Ballets Russes Seizieme Saison (Russian Ballet Sixteenth Season), from 1923. This program is inscribed by Diaghilev to Boris Kochno, which, translated from the Russian, reads “To my dear little Boris in remembrance of your diligent work. Serge Diaghilev. 13 June 1923 Paris.” Kochno came to Diaghilev in 1920 at the age of 17 and was quickly hired as his secretary, and soon primary collaborator and librettist. Kochno was one of the dancers tried to keep the Ballets Russes going after Diaghilkev's death but were unsuccessful. Kochno was also, briefly, Diaghilev's lover, and such personal inscriptions from Diaghilev are very rare. £12,500 (US $15,790).
Shapero Rare Books may be reached at +44 (0)20 7493 0876 or rarebooks@shapero.com. Their website is www.shapero.com.
