A Folio Society curiosity.

As most FSD-ers know, wcarter (Warwick) has done a masterful job in assembling the LibraryThing FSD Wiki page and fastidiously updating it with everything and anything a serious Folio Society book collector would ever want to know, spending countless hours in doing so. It helps, of course, that he has one of the finest and most complete FS book collections in the universe. For serious FS collectors and FS completists, his inclusion of the periodic and quirky FS special editions over the past 70-plus years is especially valuable, from the wonderful but ill-fated small books in the FS Fine Editions series (1987-1981), the multi-volume sets given deluxe full leather bindings (wonderfully presented and photographed by Conte_Mosca/Michael of York (see link):

http://www.librarything.com/topic/151317

......to the sporadic books given deluxe bindings with Ann Muir hand-marbled paper. Most of the FS devotees are well aware of the FSFE books and several have assembled a complete collection over many years. Similarly, many of you have managed to collect at least one of the sumptuous multi-volume sets with full leather bindings, e.g., the Decameron, the Chronicles of King Arthur, etc.

However, their is one particular FS special project that is quite rare known only to a handful of FS collectors, so much so that wcarter has grouped it at the very bottom of his Wiki page under the cryptic heading "Folio Society curiosities". What am I talking about?

1. Original Leaves from Famous English Books (1961, 200 copies, 12 pages).

2. Original Leaves from Famous European Books (1963, 100 copies, 12 pages).

These are leaf books or leaf collections spanning hundreds of years. They are not mentioned or indexed in the Folio 60 Bibliography book 1947-2006 and I am willing to wager that 99% of the FS faithful have never seen a copy. Until now.

Aside from providing the FS faithful with something wonderful and rare, a bit of unexpected eye-candy (note: nothing wrong with that!) I believe there was a method to the Folio Society madness in assembling and publishing these editions. Although several of the leaves are genuine incunabulum, defined as a book printed before 1501, several other pages date from the latter half of the 18th century. The leaves are carefully chosen and assembled and several were clearly not chosen for their rarity or 'wow' value. Rather, I believe this was the Folio Society's attempt to introduce the Folio faithful to The Arts of the Book, the aspects of book design that distinguish the finest editions from the mundane. Typography, page design, ornamentation, choice of handmade paper all enter into the scheme of things and collectively these pages exhibit both scholarly and aesthetic value, displaying a wealth of artistry, craftsmanship and intellectual content as each publisher attempted to produce a work for a very specific purpose for a chosen audience. As you slowly pore over and examine these leaves the history of fine letterpress printing in Europe over a 350-year period will unfold before your eyes.

I will start by posting photographs from 'Original Leaves from Famous European Books (1470-1794). Each boxed set contains two letterpress printed contents lists with a paragraph of description for each leaf and twelve original single leaves from early books printed in Europe. Each leaf is window-mounted on plain card hinged with a thick grey card surround with printed identification (intended to be suitable for framing). All is contained in an attractive cloth-covered clamshell box with leather and gilt label on the spine. Note that this collection is not for the faint of shelf space. The clamshell box measures 22 x 16 inches and the collection weighs nearly 10 kg. A photo taken with an FS quarto-sized book measuring 11.25 x 7.5 inches on top of the clasmshell box is included for perspective. Undoubtedly, this edition resides under the beds and sofas of many of the Folio Society faithful.

For each of the twelve (12) leafs, I will start by posting the descriptive title and paragraph from the contents list. Two photos of each leaf will then follow, one taken full size to demonstrate the page design, i,e, how the page would appear as if you were reading it, and a macro photo to fully demonstrate the type chosen or designed by each printer and publisher. A few of the leaves will include an additional photo to demonstrate the ornamentation.

Photos to follow.

I'm drooling already!

Leaf No. 1:

St. Augustine: 'De Civitate Dei', Rome 1470. A leaf printed by Conrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz, two Germans who introduced the craft of letterpress printing with movable type into Italy. Initial letters added by hand in blue.

Leaf No 1:

Leaf No. 1:

Leaf No. 2

Leaf No. 2

Leaf No. 2

Leaf No. 2

Leaf No. 2

Leaf No. 3

Leaf No. 3

Leaf No. 3

Leaf No. 4

Leaf No. 4

Leaf No. 4

Leaf No. 5

Leaf No. 5

Leaf No. 5

Leaf No. 6

Leaf No. 6

Leaf No. 6

Leaf No. 7

Leaf No. 7

Leaf No. 8

Leaf No. 8

Leaf No. 8

Leaf No. 8

Leaf No. 9

To have the ink on the lettering for City of God still so vibrant and deeply embedded in the paper being printed in 1470 is just amazing. Magnificent!

Leaf No. 9

Leaf No. 9

Leaf No. 9

Leaf No. 10

Leaf No. 10

Leaf No. 10

Leaf No. 11

Amazing! I’ve never seen this before.

Leaf No. 11

Leaf No. 11

Leaf No. 12

Leaf No. 12

Leaf No. 12

Finis.

Not everyone would see the Folio Society's motives in so benevolent a light. In the early days they sold framed individual pages, listed in a separate catalogue, as eye candy. The albums were a more ambitious extension of that trade. A few years ago there was some discussion on this board of recent attempts by museum and library curators to recover and reassemble irreplaceable antique books that had been cannibalised in this way, with the Folio Society identified specifically as an outfit which outbid museums at auction with a view to tearing books apart to make a profit.

Thank you for so wonderfully presenting this FS collection of original leaves. I remember the two productions being mentioned here once but had forgotten about them...and forgot to look for them. It's amazing to me that such old paper remains in such good condition, your examples seem to be in fine condition.

I have a small collection of leaf books which I love, mostly from the Book Club of California, where a nicely made book explains the 400-500 year old leaf it contains, and it is thrilling to hold a piece of Holinshed's Chronicle, Chaucer's Works, or Dodoen's Herball. It must be fantastic to pull the box from under the bed and experience each leaf, one after the other.

>49 Jayked:

Given the Folio Society's history of barely staying in the black with regard to their yearly profits and corporate statements, I find it difficult to believe that they could outbid anyone at auction. As an aside, the entire concept of leaf books has become decidedly out of favor for just the reasons you have mentioned. The most notorious and egregious examples of leaf books that never should have seen the light of day are from a New York City book dealer named Gabriel Wells in 1921 and from publisher and book seller Charles Scribner and Sons in 1953. Both disbound and disgorged Vol. II of the Gutenberg Bible because they were 'incomplete". In reality, many of the existing Gutenberg bibles are incomplete, hardly an excuse for disembowling an historical monument of this importance and scarcity. See link below.

https://rarebiblesatmobia.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/noble-fragments-of-the-gutenb...

>1 dlphcoracl:
I also own one of the 100 copies of "Leaves From Famous European Books" and was actually preparing a Folio Archives article, which now seems unnecessary after your excellent coverage. The pages I have seem to be from the same books, but obviously are different pages (see below).
These sets rarely come on the market, but when they do they are quite expensive.
The English Leaves set was slightly more common as there were 200 sets produced.
I have put a link from the FS wiki to this thread.

All I can say is wow and thank you so much for sharing this intriguing item.

>51 dlphcoracl:
From the FSD Wiki thread: https://manuscriptroadtrip.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/manuscript-road-trip-austral...
"Also worth noting is that the Dunedin Reed Frag. 33 (below left) is from the same manuscript as one of the leaves at the University of Tasmania (below right). That’s quite a co-incidence. The original manuscript – a mid-fifteenth-century Book of Hours – belonged to a San Francisco collector named John Francis Neylan, who died in 1960. It was sold at Sotheby’s on 18 June 1962 (lot 121) to a London outfit called The Folio Society that was famous for dismembering books to sell as individual leaves or leaf-collections. The Dunedin library purchased their leaf from The Folio Society in 1963..."
The U of Pennsylvania gives the purchase price at auction of 812 without specifying a currency. Pounds or dollars, that wasn't cheap in 1962.

Folio continue to buy books at auction - to be dis-bound and copied for their facsimile LEs, sometimes acquiring more than one copy of the same book to ensure the best possible reproductions can be made. Wonder what they do with them post-production?

The small discussion here has motivated me to purchase a book that I have wanted Disbound and Dispersed The Leaf Book Considered published by The Caxton Club which includes essays on the history and ethics of leaf books and also provides a partial bibliography. Several of the BCoC editions are referenced, but I could not find the FS offerings.

I also found an inexpensive exlibrary copy of the BCoC Dr Johnson and Noah Webster printed by Grabhorn Hoyem, an intensely dry yet enjoyable read. Tipped into the rear of the book are remarkably clean original leaves from the 1755 and 1828 respective dictionaries. Unfortunately the two 'matching' leaves have little overlap so as to compare the definitions, but the American UPBRAID: to charge with something wrong or disgraceful, compares with the English: to charge contemptuously with anything disgraceful. Hmmm. I was tempted to buy an available copy with a pristine exterior of this 1971 book for over a hundred bucks more, but the leaves looked like they had been used by the housepets.

I have found the leaf books I've collected so far to be fascinating simply for the leaf itself inserted inta a well made book, and the discussion and essays are icing on the cake. And not all leaf books involve incunabula...one of the finest ones I have, C-S The Master Craftsman , wonderfully composed and printed by Leonard Bahr at his Adagio Press in 1969, informs with essays and examples of the Doves Press in the early 20th century, and many of the more modern leaf books are bibliographies, like those of the Allen Press and other small fine presses. Still it's a thrill to hold a centuries-old Chaucer page.

I've seen commercialism rear its ugly head in the disbanding and framing of naturall history art e.g. Hummingbirds and Orchids of Mexico or Colibries y Orchideas de Mexico, the 1963 facsimile of Rafael Montes de Oca's artwork that beautifully pairs two of nature's finest specimens. The book sells in the low hundreds, but the 59 paintings can grace your walls for 35-48 apiece. As the limitation was 3000 books I doubt the impact of a few books lost for all time but I still don't like it. Hill House published excellent clothbound facsimiles of about half of John Gould's imperial folios, and I see a natural history book dealer in England is selling individual matted pictures from Birds of Great Britain for 60+ when again the book itself of 40? paintings is in the hundreds, tho to be fair I'm not sure if these framed works result from disbanding or original loose sheets. Last I saw Antiquariat Goecke and Evers, Insecta.com, was selling the the only two Hill House Birds of Great Britain volumes for 95 euros apiece, in case any Gould fans are interested-no connection to the seller, but I did buy.several of his HH years ago with excellent results. If one was so inclined one could razor out 1 or 2 pics for the hallway and still have as a presentable volume and save alotta money!!!(facetious-treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant- from Google)

Disbound and Dispersed presents a few ideas that merit thought about disbanded volumes, like how rare it is, how incomplete or damaged it is, the applicable laws of particular countries about cultural heritage or individual rights, the value of the particular leaf book to scholars and collectors. I recommend it to those interested in leaf books

>56 olepuppy: A secondary plug for the Hill House Gould's Birds. Paul (olepuppy) told me about these a while ago and I ordered the Two British Birds vols from Antiquariat Goecke and Evers. The books are wonderful and they arrived with the anticipated efficiency. Quite the bargain.

I am hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. I recently bought both of the “original leaves” books at auction. I was a little alarmed to find that in the English volume sticky tape of some kind had been used to secure the individual book leaves to the backing sheets and had perished, having the effect of staining / damaging the leaves and in many cases still leaving them sitting loose within the larger folder. Was this how the volume was sold by the folio society or is it likely a reaction a previous owner has had to the leaves becoming loose? Does anyone have suggestions for preventing further damage or deterioration to the original leaves? Should I remove traces of tape or “leave” as is? Is there a respectful way to secure the leaves to the backing sheets so that movement and friction does not risk more damage?

>58 leboucher:

This is how these editions were originally issued by the Folio Society. Along one long edge of each original leaf a strip of Scotch tape ( or similar clear tape) was used to secure the leaf to the cardboard backing material. Over time, the tape has dried, become darkened (brown color), lost its adhesiveness, and cracked. In many instance, the tape has separated from portions of the leaf edge or it has fallen off completely and the leaf now moves about freely within the cardboard folder, with resultant discoloration along the original leaf edge.

My advice: leave well enough alone and do not make matters worse by doing an unprofessional repair or attempting to reattach the original leaf to the cardboard sheet.

1. If the original leaf now moves about freely in the folding cardboard enclosure, leave it alone. If you use care in moving the clamshell box about, the leaf will not be harmed and movement will be minimal.

2. Do not attempt to remove the tape remnants or "improve" the discoloration along the original leaf edge caused by the dried and cracked Scotch tape. You will make matters worse.

Follow the classic advice given to medical students and physicians - "Do no harm."

Thank you, that is very helpful!

I did initially think that this looked original but then was surprised that a different mounting technique had been used in the European volume. Glue?

As the volumes have survived being sent through the post to me I am sure they will survive being stored in the house.

Perhaps only one addition question if I may - if I did want to frame one or two of the folders (only for temporary display in my library - I wouldn’t break the set) would there in that scenario be a non destructive way to stabilise the leaf within the folder?

And if behind anti-UV Glass would framing itself pass your test of “do no harm”? (Which I endorse!)

I would hesitate to hand any of this to a professional framer i think unless convinced that they were used to dealing with items this old.....

PS In case anyone considering acquiring one of these sets was put off by my questions I should add that I find these two portfolios to be absolutely amazing, much more impressive in person than I expected.

While I would not encourage any more to be made if it means damaging books it is incredible to see samples of printing developing over time in this way. Although I have previously collected only folio society and modern private press books it is making me consider whether I could (stretching the budget by quote some margin) afford to buy books from these presses. (I realise that belongs in another forum!)

This could long term prove to be a very expensive purchase.....

>60 leboucher:

To answer your questions:

1. I would not attempt to remove one of the original leaves if it is still taped or glued to the cardboard folder.

2. If an original leaf has already become detached (is loose) and you wish to display it, I would suggest using a tape that is meant to be easily removed such as masking tape or painter's tape. I would cut very small strips of tape about 1 inch length and then apply them VERY lightly at the edges of the two top corners, covering no more than 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the leaf edge. This is minimally invasive and it can easily and safely be removed when you are finished displaying it.

P.S. Think very carefully about branching out from collecting modern private press books and acquiring works of antiquity (1501 to 1850 or so) and incunabula (1450 to 1500). It requires a very different level of expertise and mistakes are VERY costly.

>62 dlphcoracl:

I haven't tried using masking tape for any purpose relating to books, but my experience of it in other contexts is that it dries out quickly and later attempts to remove it are difficult and messy. It could be that there are types of masking tape very different from those generally used here in the UK, but those at least do seem to be produced in the expectation that their work will be done within at the outside a very few weeks.

I have used Scotch "Magic Tape" for repairing or attaching personal documents of no particular value. It's fairly unobtrusive and unlike the usual Sellotape-or-whatever it has endured for at least 20-odd years without visible deterioration, but that's not a recommendation for serious archival work.

>63 terebinth:

I mentioned masking tape to 'leboucher' specifically because he wanted to display it for a brief period of time and then remove it. It should be suitable for a very limited time - I think. My original idea, i.e., leave well enough alone and do not mess around with it, remains my overwhelming first choice amongst options.

"Delicate surface tape" can be left on walls longer than standard painter's tape without leaving a residue, but once residue is left you usually need solvents or friction to remove it. 7 days is usually the outside parameter for hard surfaces. On the back of every roll of painter's tape is printed "Test before using." You might try testing tape on scrap paper, but I wouldn't risk it on anything valuable.

There are archival quality tapes available that may suit your purposes.

Would producing high-quality scans work for simple display purposes, with no risk of mounting damage or fading?