Linden, James (Annotated List); Wilson, Joyce Lancaster (Commentary)

[Prospectus for] The Ephemera of Adrian Wilson; An Annotated List, 1944-1988

San Francisco: The Press in Tuscany Alley, (1994). Wraps. Quarto size, [8] pp., with sample leaves. Near fine. Item #CNBR210

The grand prospectus for James Linden's comprehensive volume on Adrian Wilson's printed ephemera. Adrian Wilson (1924-1988) is known to all lovers of beautiful books; he started printing with Jack Stauffacher in 1948, and two years later set up his own printing house, called "At the Sign of the Interplayers", in his home in San Francisco. In 1952 he opened a shop with other printers in downtown SF; he went to England to study in 1958-59 and upon his return did free-lance work for the University of California Press and others. He and his wife, Joyce Lancaster Wilson (nee Harvey) established The Press in Tuscany Alley and, amidst publishing a dizzying array of books and ephemera, Wilson also was a published author, with his "The Design of Books" being regarded as a classic text on book design.

The book itself contains a comprehensive list of more than 500 ephemeral items; it was published in a limited edition of 85 copies, this prospectus includes two sample leaves tucked into a pocket at the rear.

___DESCRIPTION: Sewn binding, in heavy cardstock wraps with the illustration of a jester in four colours in the front wrap, back wrap with a flap that includes a short advertisement for the book written by Joyce Lancaster Wilson, the prospectus itself being two sheets, folded once to form four leaves, the first page with a vignette of a lady wearing a medieval style outfit, lettering in red and black, the second page serving as the frontispiece with a black and white photograph of the entrance to the press (by Michael Mundy, c. 1988), the third page serving as the title page in red and black, the fourth through sixth pages with a description of the book, another small vignette of a lady, printing in black and red, the seventh page being the price list for the book, the final page serving as colophon; folio size (large quarto size, just under 12" by 9"). The two sample pieces tucked into the pocket at the rear are from the leaves with pp. 41-42 and 123-124.

___CONDITION: Near fine overall, the outer wrap is clean and free of wear, the inner leaves are clean and free of prior owner markings; the first two leaves with short creases to the upper fore-edge margin. The two sample leaves are fine, clean and free of wear.

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Price: $50.00