Folio Archives 308: The Getty Apocalypse LIMITED EDITION 2011
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1wcarter
The Getty Apocalypse LIMITED EDITION 2011
This large book is another of the magnificent facsimiles of medieval manuscripts commissioned by Joe Whitlock-Blundell while he was with the Folio Society.
It is a thirteenth century view of the end of the world and the judgement of souls that follows as described in the biblical Book of Revelations which was written by St. John the Devine. This superbly illuminated apocrypha is owned by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
82 miniatures head each page of biblical text showing the reader the drama of the apocalyptic ending of the known world. The original is embellished with gold and silver leaf, and this facsimile reproduces this with metallic foil overlayed with additional printing to reduce glare and give the appearance of ageing.
The 92 page facsimile is printed on Furisio paper that mimics the original vellum, and the pages are then hand-blocked, folded and shuffled into sections. Even the graffiti and stamping on the endpapers of the original are reproduced.
The facsimile volume is quarter bound in Wassa goatskin with vegetable parchment covers blocked with a four colour foiled design by David Eccles. The page edges are all gilded and there is a red ribbon page marker.
Accompanying the facsimile is a 136 page commentary volume by Nigel J. Morgan that has academic articles on apocalypses and translates, describes and explains in detail every page and image of the facsimile. It has 34 monochrome illustrations. This volume is bound in maroon buckram blocked on the front cover with a gilt design. It has plain deep maroon endpapers.
Both volumes are housed in a maroon buckram Solander box (35.7x25.2x5.4cm.) that is blocked and printed on the spine with the illuminated title in black and gilt.
The limitation was 1000 copies and originally sold for £445.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
This large book is another of the magnificent facsimiles of medieval manuscripts commissioned by Joe Whitlock-Blundell while he was with the Folio Society.
It is a thirteenth century view of the end of the world and the judgement of souls that follows as described in the biblical Book of Revelations which was written by St. John the Devine. This superbly illuminated apocrypha is owned by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
82 miniatures head each page of biblical text showing the reader the drama of the apocalyptic ending of the known world. The original is embellished with gold and silver leaf, and this facsimile reproduces this with metallic foil overlayed with additional printing to reduce glare and give the appearance of ageing.
The 92 page facsimile is printed on Furisio paper that mimics the original vellum, and the pages are then hand-blocked, folded and shuffled into sections. Even the graffiti and stamping on the endpapers of the original are reproduced.
The facsimile volume is quarter bound in Wassa goatskin with vegetable parchment covers blocked with a four colour foiled design by David Eccles. The page edges are all gilded and there is a red ribbon page marker.
Accompanying the facsimile is a 136 page commentary volume by Nigel J. Morgan that has academic articles on apocalypses and translates, describes and explains in detail every page and image of the facsimile. It has 34 monochrome illustrations. This volume is bound in maroon buckram blocked on the front cover with a gilt design. It has plain deep maroon endpapers.
Both volumes are housed in a maroon buckram Solander box (35.7x25.2x5.4cm.) that is blocked and printed on the spine with the illuminated title in black and gilt.
The limitation was 1000 copies and originally sold for £445.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2assemblyman
Magnificent is the word for it. Another wonder FS manuscript facsimile, despite it being about the end of the world :).
3ian_curtin
I was not in the market for JWB's facsimiles, but no doubting this is both a beautiful and scholarly edition.
In passing, I think I'm right in saying these types of LEs were at the very top end price-wise in their heyday, 10-15 years ago. However £400 seems to be about par for an LE now.
In passing, I think I'm right in saying these types of LEs were at the very top end price-wise in their heyday, 10-15 years ago. However £400 seems to be about par for an LE now.
4terebinth
>3 ian_curtin: I think I'm right in saying these types of LEs were at the very top end price-wise in their heyday..
Well, Night Thoughts had been £875 back in 2005, and Birds Drawn for John Gould was £895 in 2012: but, yes, prices generally seem more or less to have doubled since 2011. Projects of the magnificence of some that appeared in JWB's day don't happen any more, and I'll confess that, though I bought the two I've mentioned, I probably wouldn't be in the market for comparable new productions around the £2000 point that would be necessary now.
Well, Night Thoughts had been £875 back in 2005, and Birds Drawn for John Gould was £895 in 2012: but, yes, prices generally seem more or less to have doubled since 2011. Projects of the magnificence of some that appeared in JWB's day don't happen any more, and I'll confess that, though I bought the two I've mentioned, I probably wouldn't be in the market for comparable new productions around the £2000 point that would be necessary now.
5ian_curtin
>4 terebinth: Yes, it was probably more those I had in mind, but the general point is still true I think.
6kdweber
Note that there is a trade hardback of this facsimile and commentary, in one volume, that can still be found used for around $60 which is the price I paid for it new a number of years ago. I bought a similar trade facsimile/commentary edition of the Holkham Bible which satisfied me until I ran into the FS LE at a really good price. I’d probably do the same with the Getty book if I found it at the right price.
7Joshbooks1
>4 terebinth: I completely agree - if you were to hide the publishers name and showed the two editions you mentioned to any recent limited edition I would never imagine them to be the same company. Folio Society's Limited Editions of yore were gorgeous and some of the best in the business. The Getty Apocalypse along with the many medieval facsimiles Folio produced were beautifully made. I couldn't begin to imagine, as you said, what Folio would now charge for Birds Drawn for John Gould.
9MobyRichard
>8 InVitrio:
Yes, a lot of the old LEs dropped in value on the second-hand market. I regret paying full price for Night Thoughts. Today, of course, sellers immediately mark LE's up 30% before they are even close to sold out from Folio. FS regular editions are optimistically marked up 5000% b/c, you know, reprints never happen :p
Yes, a lot of the old LEs dropped in value on the second-hand market. I regret paying full price for Night Thoughts. Today, of course, sellers immediately mark LE's up 30% before they are even close to sold out from Folio. FS regular editions are optimistically marked up 5000% b/c, you know, reprints never happen :p
