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BOOKS Richard Newton

In this page, we are pleased to present a selection of books for sale on antique prints.

Below, you will find a listing of books on prints - ranging from some classics to some we hope you might not have thought of as relevant to print collecting.

We cannot promise that you will not find a copy cheaper through ABE Books, but we can promise you that each title has been carefully considered by us for its relevance to print collecting or information, AND that these books are all in good, clean condition.

Need some info, reserve or purchase?
Just email: ross@georgianprints.co.uk

 

buying books  The price is shown, but to these we have to add post and packing.

So, please email us to reserve a book, and we will straightaway email you back advising on the P&P costs.

UK sales - we can accept Cheque, Cash or PayPal payment. On our purchase of prints page, click on the PayPal link, and just put brief details of the book - it will already be reserved for you.

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(Please note Cash is sent at your own risk. Make sure it is well concealed by wrapping / taping up inside several sheets of paper or card.)

 

booksBOOK Topoographical Prints

Ronald Russell
GUIDE TO BRITISH TOPOGRAPHICAL PRINTS
David & Charles   1979  First Edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN 0 7153 7810 4
Illustrations   50+, all B&W 
Condition   Very good
£17-50  +P&P

A book all collectors of English topographic prints should have to hand. Although not long, Russell packs a great deal of information into the text. Separate chapters describe prints in engraving, aquatint etc. There are a good number of illustrations, although all in black and white, and with rather a grey quality. There are very useful lists at the end of engravers and artists etc.

 

Antony Griffiths & Frances Carey
GERMAN PRINTMAKING in the Age of Goethe
British Museum Press   1994 First edition
Paperback     ISBN  0 7141 1659 9
Illustrations  150+, all B&W
Condition  As new
£12-50 + P&P

The catalogue to the exhibition of the same name, held at the BM. Nevertheless, a very valuable source of information – the earliest print is from 1748, the latest 1832. The book covers history prints, portraits, topographic etc. It is largely structured according to place, eg Berlin, Vienna, German printmakers in Italy, within this there are descriptions of the major individual printmakers.

 

John Chalmers
AUDUBON IN EDINBURGH and his Scottish Associates
National Museums of Scotland   2003  First edition
Paperback   ISBN  1 901663 79 5
Illustrations    Numerous, B&W and many colour
Condition   As new
SOLD

A remarkably thorough account of the time Audubon spent in Edinburgh – he travelled to Britain in 1826 to look for help in publishing his bird paintings. He spent three years in Edinburgh, spread over several visits. His first plates were actually prepared there. Although specialist, this is also of general interest to the print collector, as there is a great deal of background information.

BOOKS Ephemera

Maurice Rickards
COLLECTING PRINTED EPHEMERA
Abbeville Press NY / Phaidon + Christies UK   1988 First edition
Cloth/dustcover   ISBN  0 89659 893 4
Illustrations    750 separate items, 300 in colour
Condition   Very good
£22-50 + P&P

This book starts with a very good definition of ephemera – any printed or hand-written item normally discarded after its intended use. While printed ephemera attracts its own devotees, it is definitely related to prints, and there is much here of interest to the print collector. This book covers the whole field in time and location, but there is good material on the Georgian period.

 

R V Tooley
ENGLISH BOOKS WITH COLOURED PLATES 1790 to 1860
Dawsons of Paul Mall UK
1973 Reprint (first published Batsford 1954)
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  0 7129 0583 9
Illustrations   None
Condition  Good
£40-00 + P&P

One of the classic books for the collector of prints, Tooley lists 517 volumes in ‘A Biographical Account of the most Important Books illustrated by English Artists in Colour Aquatint and Colour Lithography.’  Each entry provides the title and publishing details, a short description, then a list of the included plates. Books are listed by artist, printmaker or author, so it can take a while to find an item. The dustcover is a little worn, but otherwise a good clean copy.

 

Herbert M Atherton
POLITICAL PRINTS IN THE AGE OF HOGARTH
Oxford University Press     1974  First edition
Cloth/dustcover   ISBN  0 19 827188 3
Illustrations   122 B&W
Condition   Very good
£35-00 + P&P

A study of the political cartoons of the mid C18 and their influence on society. The viciousness of many of these prints continues to astonish. Indeed, it seems to have been rather a ‘dodgy’ business to be in – there was a very fine line between being acceptable and being locked up! A standard work needed by any collector with an interest in these prints.

 

Arthur Mayger Hind
A SHORT HISTORY OF ENGRAVING & ETCHING
Constable & Co Ltd
1908  First edition
Cloth/no dustcover    ISBN   None
Illustrations   110  B&W
Condition  Good (for its age)
£40-00 + P&P

A first edition of one of the great classic books of the print collecting field. The work covers five centuries and the whole of Europe, perhaps with a slight tendency to focus of the earlier printmakers. Due to its scope, the entries on each artist/printmaker tend to be quite short, but the whole gives a grand overview. The text takes up just 339 pages, the last 134 pages being taken up with extensive and invaluable lists of printmakers from each country etc. The book was reprinted three times within its first 20 years, and more recently in the Dover edition (which reproduces the third 1923 edition), but if you want a first edition, here it is . . . The copy is a bit worn, a little grubby and has some foxing on the front and rear fly pages. It is stamped on the title page ‘Presentation Copy’. But it is nearly a 100 years old.

 

Geoffrey Ashton (eds K A Burnim & A Wilton)BOOKS Garrick Club
PICTURES IN THE GARRICK CLUB
Garrick Club UK    1997  First edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  0 906290 14 7
Illustrations  1,027 B&W   48+ colour
Condition   Very good
£95-00 (published price)

A splendid book of a splendid collection. While not strictly a print book, anyone interested in C18 portraiture should have this on their shelves. The extraordinary collection of paintings and sculpture records British theatrical history through more than 1,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures. The greatest strength is from the late Georgian period of 1760 to 1830. There is a short chapter on theatrical prints, although strangely there are no prints illustrated! The dustcover is slightly rubbed, but otherwise in VG condition.

 

Antony Griffiths, with R A Gerard
THE PRINT IN STUART BRITAIN 1603 - 1689
British Museum Press   1998 First edition
Paperback     ISBN  0 7141 2607 1
Illustrations  214, all B&W
Condition   As new
SOLD

The catalogue of an exhibition of the same name, held at the BM. There is an introduction, followed by chapters on various themes, such as satires, portraiture and architecture. Each of these chapters has an introduction, followed by a description of the relevant prints. While rather early for us, this book provides a valuable background.

 

Stephen Calloway
ENGLISH PRINTS FOR THE COLLECTOR
Lutterworth Press UK & The Overlook Press NY
1981  First USA edition
Cloth/dustcover     ISBN  0 87951 120 6 (USA)
Illustrations   Numerous, some in colour
Condition   Good
£20-00 + P&P

A good modern standard work. The book covers the whole field of English printmaking, through from mediaeval to modern times. The chapters are a slightly odd mix of date and thematic, but there is much of interest. There is a useful glossary of technical terms and a bibliography (up to c1980).

 

Cindy McCreery
PORTS OF THE WORLD  Prints from the National Maritime Museum Greenwich c.1700 – 1870
Philip Wilson / NMM UK    1999  First Edition
Cloth/dustcover     ISBN  0 85667 505 9
Illustrations   Numerous, mostly colour
Condition   Very good
£30-00 + P&P

At first sight, perhaps not a title that the print collector would consider, but if you have an interest in topography, this is an invaluable reference work both to places and types of prints. It has been printed in colour throughout, and many of the illustrations seem to show contemporary colour. It takes us round the world, but many prints are of the UK. All the illustrations are drawn from the National Maritime Museum collections.

 

Gareth ReesBOOKS Railway Prints
EARLY RAILWAY PRINTS  A Social History of the Railways from 1825 to 1850
Phaidon Press UK   1980  First edition
Cloth/dustcover   ISBN  0 7148 2039 3
Illustrations   60+ mostly B&W some colour
Condition   Good
£17-50 + P&P

For anyone interested in topography / railways / transportation, this is another invaluable reference book. Generously illustrated mostly with lithographs, there are detailed descriptions of each print. There is a good introduction, but while the source of each print is given, a consolidated list of publications would have been of value. Small tear and some spine fading to dustcover.

 

John Barr
BRITAIN PORTRAYED  A Regency Album 1780 – 1830
British Library UK   1989  First edition
Cloth/dustcover, with sleeve    ISBN  0 7123 0174 7
Illustrations  43+ colour, 12+ B&W
Condition   Very good
£20-00 + P&P

A splendid collection of coloured aquatints from the late Georgian period. For the collector of topographic prints, this is a most valuable book, and a good complement to Tooley. The plates section is themed by location and contains 43 very good colour illustrations. Where these are drawn from books, the source is noted. The good introduction has about 12 illustrations, strangely mostly in B&W.

 

Luke Herrmann
TURNER PRINTS The Engraved Work of J M W Turner
Phaidon Press UK   1990  First edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  0 7148 2553 0
Illustrations   c200, mostly B&W, c43 in sepia
Condition   Very good
£45-00 + P&P

Standard work by the eminent Professor of Art History. This takes us chapter and verse through the whole of Turner’s output of prints, from the early remarkably conventional prints, through the Liber Studiorum to the later mezzotints. The Liber Studiorum prints are reproduced in sepia, as per the original prints. A comprehensive work, with a complete listing of Turner’s prints at the end.

 

Ferdinando Salamon  (translated Jane Carroll)
A COLLECTOR’S GUIDE TO PRINTS AND PRINTMAKERS from Durer to Picasso
Thames & Hudson  UK   1971  First UK edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  0 500 23177 X
Illustrations    253 B&W  18 colour
Condition   Very good
£25-00 + P&P

A very useful general history of European printmaking. It is themed by aspects of prints, rather than country or chronology. As such, illustrations can be oddly juxtaposed. There is a strong focus on the European dimension, with Durer, Goya and Rembrandt for example taking up c.50 of the illustrations.  Some good background material, but perhaps a little marginal to the collector of English prints.

 

M Dorothy George
HOGARTH TO CRUIKSHANK: SOCIAL CHANGE IN GRAPHIC SATIRE
Allen Lane Penguin Press UK   1967  First edition
Cloth/dustcover     ISBN   None
Illustrations    201 B&W   16 colour
Condition    Very good
£40-00 + P&P

A first edition of this classic/standard work – magisterial is we believe the expression. Dorothy George compiled the latter part of the British Museum catalogue of caricatures, and this work stemmed from that. The book follows a chronological format, running through the age of Hogarth, George III and the Regency. The colour of the colour illustrations seems a bit too intense – too good to be true, but apart from that no complaints. There is a very compact index of artists mentioned in the text.

 

Irene de Groot
LANDSCAPE ETCHINGS BY THE DUTCH MASTERS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Gordon Fraser Gallery, in association with the Rijkmuseum
1979  First edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  0 86092 018 6
Illustrations    233 B&W, 17 in colour
Condition   Very good
£45-00 + P&P

A superb record of Dutch etching from the C17. Arranged by artist, some 46 artists are represented, from Rembrandt to many we are afraid we have never heard of. The reproductions are very good, and a particularly interesting feature of the book is that almost all illustrations are reproduced at the actual size of the original etching.

 

Gary Schwartz
REMBRANDT  All the etchings reproduced in true size
Oresko Books Ltd  UK
1977 First edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  0 905368 40 1
Illustrations  c312 B&W, including 15 printed on 5 loose outsize sheets inserted at end
Condition  Very good
SOLD

An essential work for the Rembrandt scholar, reproducing all known etchings. Especially interesting, as it reproduces the prints at the true scale. Some 15 prints too large for the book’s pages are reproduced separately on loose sheets. These are all present.

 

Henry Bankes
LITHOGRAPHY  Henry Bankes’s Treatise on Lithography
Printing Historical Society
1976 Facsimile   of 1813+1816 edition
Cloth   ISBN  90000 307 3
Illustrations   7 B&W
Condition  Very good
£15-00 + P&P

A fascinating reproduction of the earliest independent work on the process of lithography in the English Language. With an introduction by Michael Twyman, author of the standard work on lithography, ‘Lithography 1800 – 1850’ OUP and related works. According to Twyman, some of Bankes’s technical detail may be a little shaky, but interesting for all that.

 

Susan LambertBOOKS Lambert2
THE IMAGE MULTIPLIED  Five centuries of printed reproductions of paintings and drawings
Trefoil Publications   1987 First edition
Cloth/dustcover    ISBN  086294 096 6
Illustrations    c235 B&W   26 colour
Condition  Very good
£30-00 + P&P

A book focussing on the use of prints to reproduce oil paintings and drawings. This was a catalogue of an exhibition held at the V&A. The examples cover 500 years of printmaking and include modern photographic processes. A most useful account, although it is a pity that many of the illustrations are a bit on the small side. (There is also a bad ‘typo’ in that a whole para of the Acknowledgements is reproduced twice. All copies of this book we have seen suffer this fault.)

 

S T Prideaux
AQUATINT ENGRAVING   A chapter in the history of book illustration
W & G Foyle    UK
1968 facsimile of the 1909 first edition
Cloth     ISBN   None
Illustrations   24 B&W
Condition   Very good
£25-00 + P&P

Still a standard work after nearly a century, this is a facsimile copy by Foyle’s, the famous London bookseller.  The text steps through the history and use of aquatint. Surprisingly readable for a work of this date, ie the sentences are not too long! It has numerous useful appendices, especially of books illustrated with aquatints and artists with their principal publications.

 

David Alexander
RICHARD NEWTON and English caricature in the 1790s
The Whitworth Art Gallery  UK
1998  First edition
Paperback    ISBN  0 7190 5480X
Illustrations  37 B&W  64 colour
Condition   As new
£15-00 + P&P

A record of the astonishingly prolific Newton, whom we would know better had he not died tragically young at the age of 21. A book by David Alexander, the renowned C18 print scholar and near neighbour of ours here in York UK. A work of scholarship and a model of arrangement (eg a numbered list of illustrations), it contains a complete listing of Newton’s prints. Anyone with an interest in caricature should have a copy of this.

 

To purchase any book, just email us at info@georgianprints.co.uk, we will reserve it and advise of post and packing costs.

 

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