i picked up way, way too many books about books and I plan to put them in other book fiend’s, I mean Bibliophile’s’ and bookbinders’, hands. Here’s a handful with more below.

The World of the Elseviers 1580-1712, by Davies, 1954. Cloth hardcover. Nice copy. A history of the famous and sometimes infamous Dutch printing house and family. Fact, aspersions, admirations – a lot packed into a very small volume.

The Fortune Of Books – Essays, Memoirs and Prophecies of a Librarian, by Bay, 1941. Cloth hardcover, weak inner joint at front, but such nice paper. Why can’t we get that paper any more? Collection of talks and papers by Christian Bay. Main headings: Bookmen and Scientists, Library Life, Books and Literary Events, Time and Chance, Americana. It’s like having a tour guide to the library of the past with well curated selections from books, from historical events, from biographical themes. Something for everyone.

The Kingdom of Books, by Orcutt, 1927. Lovely gold stamping on brown cloth hardcover. Small bookbinder’s ticket front cover, pencil notation reads “colored fronts missing” but otherwise seems in excellent shape for a book this old. This is Orcutt’s travel guide to the kingdom of books, and it does not disappoint. Subjects include printers, binders, techniques, shopping for books in Paris, photos of lovely fine bindings, drawings of work spaces, examples of type, ornament, and illustration…I could go on, and so can he.

 The Magic of the Book by Orcutt, 1930. Ex library copy, with markings and missing fly leafs, beautiful gold stamping on brown cloth and a proper companion piece to the volume above. Does have the color frontispiece. Contains further stories and reminiscences of the author who loved to talk to people who loved books. And I love reading about it.