Severed Heads on Bookplates plus a New Contest

NEW CONTEST Announcement

 Submitted by Anthony Pincott

I cannot recall ever seeing a crossword devoted to bookplates, so the one that appeared in The Bookplate Society’s Summer 2014 Newsletter seems to be a first. It can be found at www.bookplatesociety.org/documents/Crossword.pdf  Of course some clues presuppose a knowledge of British bookplate history and literature, but this may not impede anyone who is willing to look up the Franks Catalogue online and who enjoys deciphering the elements of a cryptic clue. Existing members of the Society have until 4 December to submit their solutions in order to be included in a prize draw, the prize being a year’s free membership. Every non-member who sends in a correct answer by email to members@bookplatesociety.org  by that date will be offered a first year’s membership at half the normal rate of subscription. Every entrant, even of an incomplete solution, will receive in return a bookplate (still to be specified what this may be). It’s an interesting challenge, and I should like to see another crossword, maybe not in any way cryptic, featuring American bookplates and artists.Do any of you  have the time and energy to compile this?

 Furthermore, it leads me on to ask if there are there any bookplates which depict crosswords. I can’t think of one – can you?

Topless Bookplates

For quite some time I have been fascinated by bookplates with severed heads and exposed brain matter. I call it my Donovan's Brain collection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnlJ1Lrr3IU

If you are turned off by this topic do not click onto this memorable link from the movie
  Underwater awakening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrVc_8vbZP8

If you want similar bookplates from your own collection added to this posting send jpeg scans to
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

I missed out on this one last week. It sold for $15.50 on Ebay.

Here are some examples from my own collection::Mr. Lombardo's plate  ( below) was designed by Remo Wolf

Don't Mess with the Montgomery clan

 Aubrey Beardsley's illustration for Oscar Wilde's  Salome with the head of John the Baptist was selected for her bookplate by Wylly Folk St. John

Dr.Arthur Ward Jr. was the chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University  of Washington

11/29/2014                  I just ordered this one from a dealer in Germany. 

Pacher, August [also Augustin] (1863-1926): Monast Schäftlariense [Schäftlarn in Upper Bavaria]. 

 1913. 152 x 94 mm, letterpress 
beautiful leaf - Witte, Bibliography 2, 264; Thieme-Becker 

Do any of you know the historical or biblical relevance of the image ?

11/30/2014 In response to my inquiry fellow collector Michael Kunze sent this information:

Subject: Re: There's no accounting for taste

Dear Lewis,
 I do not know either this bookplate nor its relations.
I know at least three bookplates by Pacher for this Monastery, one other picturing a monk and a bishop, but both more alive... standing face to face and looking at each other. This mentioned one is marked "Sigisbertus  Abbas Monasterii Schaeftlariensis O.S.B. Me Cpmparavit".

The third one made by Pacher for this Monastery I know is a mere armorial bookplate.
Regards,
Michael

Haydon Jones

My Great Grandfather , Haydon Jones

By Andrew Jones

Today, we would probably call him a sketch artist… but back in the days before newspapers gained the technology to reproduce photographs, Haydon Jones achieved national recognition as both an illustrator and a newspaperman… in the profession then known as “pictorial reporting.”

Born in Cleveland in 1870 into a family of coal miners, Jones showed an early aptitude for drawing, which moved both family and friends to raise the money he needed to leave the mines and study instead, at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Shortly after moving to New York City in 1889 to continue his studies at the Art Students League, at the age of 19, Jones became a staff artist at the New York Mail and Express.

In an era of red hot, day and night newspaper competition, quick and accurate artist-reporters were in great demand… and Jones’ outstanding skill in the field earned him the nickname “The Human Camera” from his colleagues on newspaper row.  Jones eventually progressed westward, taking up with the Chicago Times in 1892 and the San Francisco Chronicle in 1894.

In 1898, Jones briefly became worldwide news himself at the very beginning of the Spanish-American war, serving as correspondent for the New York World. Shortly after slipping into Cuba, coming ashore just outside Havana, Jones was captured by Spanish troops and quickly sentenced to be shot as a spy. Unaware that reports of his imprisonment were both making headlines and prompting negotiations over his fate, the artist nervously passed much of his time in prison agreeing to eager requests from Spanish officers for their sketches… hoping the likenesses might earn him some sympathy with his would be executioners. Jones and another captured American reporter were eventually freed in a negotiated prisoner exchange with Spain.

Undoubtedly Jones’ biggest scoop came in the wake of President McKinley’s assassination in 1901. Arriving in Buffalo a day after the President was shot there, Jones learned that no newspapermen were being allowed to see the suspected assassin, Leon Czolgosz. Undeterred, the artist somehow managed to arrange to have himself briefly locked up in the cell across from Czolgosz. Later that same day, Jones triumphantly returned to New York, delivering to his paper the only known likeness of the suspect at the time.

After several stints with the Boston Herald, as well as serving as the editorial and political cartoonist for the New York Post, Jones retired from the newspaper business in 1935. He died in 1954.

As simply an artist, Jones was a painter as well, but he was perhaps best known for his dry point etchings. He was famous in the field for his ability to etch his artwork directly onto fresh, virgin plates… with no previously drawn pencil sketches to guide his cuts. During his lifetime, Jones’ etchings were exhibited in New York and Boston galleries… and today they are held in many public and private collections.

Haydon Jones Checklist of Known Bookplates

                                                                                                        

Arthur Brentano (signed proof)

Grace A. Buxton 
Note from Lew  The Buxton image was sent by Andrew Jones with the following explanation:
"Lew,
I always thought that this particular bookplate had an entirely different look and feel to it... but was told by my father that there is indeed a somewhat obscured signature to the right of the chair. He claimed Haydon had executed this one differently than he normally would upon request. I took his word for it and never actually checked. Expanding  the image . I was unable to convincingly make out his signature ."

Dr.Charles E. Cameron

Margaret Carnegie

Fessenden School Class of 1923  

Mary Daniels Davenport

Mary E. Fitzgerald  

George Leander French 

Helen Eggleston Haskell (signed proof)

Henry Osborne Havemeyer

Joseph Jefferson Edition 

Haydon Jones 

Robert Haydon Jones 

Edward Lauterbach 

Randolph Cooper Lewis *

Jenny Biggs Merrill 

Jane Wallace Neilson 

Jane Wallace Neilson and Katharine Bishop Neilson

Wallace Platt Neilson 

Marion Erskine Platt 

Angus Shaw * 

Frank Burton Stevens 

Chauncey Devereux Stillman 

Eliot Wight Stillman 

Kenneth Stone’s Book 

* clearer Images needed
Bookplates of Randolph Lewis and Angus Shaw are illustrated in the January (1901?)
issue of The Optimist
Ref Journal of the Exlibris Society Volume XI  Page 125

A second elusive periodical is Artistic Bookplates . N.S., V1,#1.
In the 1903 issue Randolph Copper Lewis writes
about Haydon Jones .Mr. Cooper's  bookplate is illustrated.
There may be a copy of this periodical at The Huntington Library.
 I will follow up .

Miscellaneous Items

Newspaper Illustrations  

Christmas Card by Haydon Jones    

Bookplate Odds and Ends

Back in January I wrote about the printer and bookplate engraver Robert Sneider.

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2014/01/robert-sneider-engraverprintermedalist.html

In response to that blog posting  Paul Scheeler  sent me this image .Thank You Paul.

Hello Mr. Jaffe,

Here is a jpeg scans of the calling card image by bookplate engraver Robert Sneider of New York. It was found in an old scrapbook for St. Bernard Commandery No. 35, Knights Templar of Chicago. These were used by attendees of triennial conclave gatherings, in this case at their 1883 event in San Francisco. The scene is apparently a spoof on the solemn Chamber of Reflection used in the Templar degrees. Please feel free to utilize this on your blog or in any other manner you see fit.

Best regards,

Paul Scheeler, EPC

St. Bernard Commandery No. 35, K.T.
designer

Back in Februrary I wrote about the bookplate designer Pauline Stone

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-bookplates-of-pauline-srone.html

As a result of that posting  Eric Angeloch  sent me this email .Thank You Eric

Dear Mr. Jaffe,
I was delighted to have happened upon your web page illustrating Pauline Stone's bookplates. Pauline was my maternal grandmother.
You may be interested in viewing

http://ericangeloch.com/paulinestone.html

Bookplate Dealers Around The World.

In the U.S. Tom Boss is a good resource.

http://www.bossbooks.com/

In Germany I would recommend Dr.Wofgang Rieger

www.antiquariat-rieger.de/neueexlibris.htm 

In France I have purchased many bookplates from Jacques Laget

http://www.ex-libris-jacques-laget.fr/

Recent Exchanges and Purchases

Cantor Abraham Cardozo's Bookplate

I exchanged duplicates with fellow collector Philip Stieglitz and got a bookplate from the library of the late Cantor Abraham Lopes Cardozo .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lopes_Cardozo

 I have written about the remarkable hand painted bookplates used by John Lewis Childs.
Earlier in the week I purchased  this one...

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2010/02/bookplates-of-john-lewis-childs.html

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2012/02/this-week-in-bookplates-252012.html

Book Shops around the World

I don't usually recommend books but in this instance I'll make an exception.

It is a safe assumption that most of you enjoy going to book shops . Jen Campbell's new book  is a delight. It's written from the heart by a very talented writer who takes you on a remarkable  journey to bookshops around the world.

My rough estimate is that she covered about 250  stores.
In another life I would like to visit every one of them..

Mystery Bookplate Artist

These three bookplates are all by the same artist.The cypher is either TC or CT.

On two of the plates the initials are boxed.If you recognize the initials please let me know

Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

If you have mystery bookplate(s) in your collection send me an Email and I will try to assist you.

Raunchy Rabbit Reminder

I found this adorable image on the link shown below.
If you are a rabbit lip reader you will note that Mr Rabbit is telling you not to procrastinate .
Enter the Raunchy Rabbit contest while it is on your mind and before you get distracted.

http://rabbit.org/

The Raunchy Rabbit Bookplate contest is up and running. 

Think of an appropriate  caption for this bookplate and send it to 

 Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Only one entry per person will be considered.

The contest ends at  Midnight on Saturday November 22nd, 2014

The winner will receive an inscribed artist signed copy of Killer Bunnies by Charles Bordin.

This Bunny Bookplate by Elly DeKoster amuses me.