The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane – WESTVACO LE 1968
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1wcarter
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane – WEST VIRGINIA PULP AND PAPER COMPANY (WESTVACO) LIMITED EDITION 1968
A PICTORIAL REVIEW
Un-numbered limited edition of 2000 copies.
Designed by Bradbury Thompson.
Foreword (in two parts) by Jean A. Bradnick.
Frontispiece photo of a Civil War soldier.
Red and black marbled endpapers.
Printed by offset lithography.
Bound in black faux leather (pyroxylin coated cloth with morocco grain) boards with gilt lettered spine and embossed coat-of-arms on cover.
Grey slipcase printed on both sides in red with a phrase and pattern taken from “Gems of Penmanship” by William & Packard 1866..
Blood spatter on page margins.
A “bullet hole” punched through the volume.
Bound-in facsimile reprint of the illustrations which appeared in the Rules for the Management and Cleaning of the Rifle Musket, Model 1863 for The Use of Soldiers with Descriptive Plates.
25x15.5cm.
203 pages
US$40
The book is designed to look like something a soldier would carry.
The Westvaco Christmas Books were limited edition, high-quality books produced by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. These volumes were created as Christmas gifts for the company's top clients and were all classics of American literature. The series ran from 1958 to 2007 and no more than 2000 were produced each year.
The books were used to cultivate client relationships and demonstrate the different types of paper produced by the company. The books were designed and produced entirely by Westvaco employees and many had quirky features. Some later volumes included DVDs or music CDs.
The books were highly regarded for their craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal, with elaborate bindings, custom slipcases, and, in some cases, unusual features like upside-down leaves deliberately inserted.
They are available at ridiculously low prices on the secondary market.
A full list of all 50 Westvaco books can be seen here.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the this series can be viewed here.
A PICTORIAL REVIEW
Un-numbered limited edition of 2000 copies.
Designed by Bradbury Thompson.
Foreword (in two parts) by Jean A. Bradnick.
Frontispiece photo of a Civil War soldier.
Red and black marbled endpapers.
Printed by offset lithography.
Bound in black faux leather (pyroxylin coated cloth with morocco grain) boards with gilt lettered spine and embossed coat-of-arms on cover.
Grey slipcase printed on both sides in red with a phrase and pattern taken from “Gems of Penmanship” by William & Packard 1866..
Blood spatter on page margins.
A “bullet hole” punched through the volume.
Bound-in facsimile reprint of the illustrations which appeared in the Rules for the Management and Cleaning of the Rifle Musket, Model 1863 for The Use of Soldiers with Descriptive Plates.
25x15.5cm.
203 pages
US$40
The book is designed to look like something a soldier would carry.
The Westvaco Christmas Books were limited edition, high-quality books produced by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. These volumes were created as Christmas gifts for the company's top clients and were all classics of American literature. The series ran from 1958 to 2007 and no more than 2000 were produced each year.
The books were used to cultivate client relationships and demonstrate the different types of paper produced by the company. The books were designed and produced entirely by Westvaco employees and many had quirky features. Some later volumes included DVDs or music CDs.
The books were highly regarded for their craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal, with elaborate bindings, custom slipcases, and, in some cases, unusual features like upside-down leaves deliberately inserted.
They are available at ridiculously low prices on the secondary market.
A full list of all 50 Westvaco books can be seen here.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the this series can be viewed here.
2Glacierman
Love these books! I have Hawthorne Twenty Tales and Melville's Typee. I would like to add more in the future.
And then there's the Private Press of C. F. Braun from which I also have but two: Propsper Merimee's Ramona and Oliver Wendell Holmes' The One Hoss Shay which is actually a facsimile of the 1909 edition.
And then there's the Private Press of C. F. Braun from which I also have but two: Propsper Merimee's Ramona and Oliver Wendell Holmes' The One Hoss Shay which is actually a facsimile of the 1909 edition.
3A.Nobody
>2 Glacierman: I recommend Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth". It's an impressive all-around production, and there's a rather inexpensive one on eBay at the moment.
4astropi
A very interesting book! I take it the holes are meant to represent bullet holes - what are your thoughts on that? I don't think it would bother me... but then again, maybe it would :)
5Glacierman
>4 astropi: Yup. 'Tis intended to replicate a bullet hole through the book.
6kermaier
>2 Glacierman: Look for “The Bottle Imp” from CF Braun — a very nice little volume.
7overthemoon
This is the one I need to add to my (small) collection.
8LBShoreBook
What's your general take on the quality of these books? Typee is on my radar.
9mr.philistine
Two threads discussing WESTVACO on this forum and FSD:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/89732
https://www.librarything.com/topic/88020
https://www.librarything.com/topic/89732
https://www.librarything.com/topic/88020
10Glacierman
>8 LBShoreBook: Overall, the production values of the two I have are high and to me equate to a Heritage Press book with the caveat that the papers used are those produced by the publisher (Westvaco).
For Typee, the text is printed letterpress on Clear Spring English Finish Natural paper which is a smooth surfaced paper. The illustrations are printed via sheet fed gravure on the same paper. It is bound with a flat spine (not my favorite for this thick a book--the text block sags a bit) in a smooth "cowhide," title in gilt on spine. Cover paper is Clear Spring Mist Envelope paper (an attractive speckled paper) as are the end sheets and the cover paper on the slipcase and all are printed via offset litho. All in all, it is an attractive volume. I paid just under $17 two years ago for my copy. I just now found a copy through Via Libri for $100 which is a bit muchy. I'm sure you can do better.
For Typee, the text is printed letterpress on Clear Spring English Finish Natural paper which is a smooth surfaced paper. The illustrations are printed via sheet fed gravure on the same paper. It is bound with a flat spine (not my favorite for this thick a book--the text block sags a bit) in a smooth "cowhide," title in gilt on spine. Cover paper is Clear Spring Mist Envelope paper (an attractive speckled paper) as are the end sheets and the cover paper on the slipcase and all are printed via offset litho. All in all, it is an attractive volume. I paid just under $17 two years ago for my copy. I just now found a copy through Via Libri for $100 which is a bit muchy. I'm sure you can do better.
11mr.philistine
Review of the Westvaco Typee on the B&V website: https://booksandvines.com/2011/12/12/typee-by-herman-melville-limited-editions-c...
