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THE FELICITIES OF BOOK COLLECTING.
(Piedmont, California: The Nova Press, 1958). 260 x 170 mm. (10 1/4 x 6 3/4"). 17, [1] pp., [1] leaf.
Publisher's sage green paper boards, cover with title printed in black. WITH A LEAF FROM THE 1865 BIELEFELD "DER KORAN." In fine condition.
This charming and attractively printed leaf book served as the ultimate bibliophile's Christmas card. William P. Barlow, Jr. (1934-2021), was a dedicated Bay Area book collector who for many years served as president of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. Along with collecting, Barlow printed under the Nova Press imprint, putting out a smattering of pamphlets and "cards," such as the present volume. This tongue-in-cheek production gently pokes fun at the norms of the bibliophilic world even as it celebrates them, as evident in the limitation statement: "A moderate number of copies printed and distributed by the Nova Press, Piedmont, and its proprietor, Wm. P. Barlow, Jr., as a form of Season's Greetings to members of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco and other friends. To the latter I apologize for a rather parochial parody and a somewhat un-Christmassy Christmas card; to the former I need apologize only for the way in which it has been done, as they are used to getting all sorts of strange things at Christmas." The leaf included in this book is from the 1856 Bielefeld edition of Ludwig Ullmann's influential German translation of the Qur'an, which was first published in 1840. The print run of this work must have been a good deal less than "moderate," as copies seem not to be readily available. (ST20505-03)
Price: $275.00