Musings

Report From WIA – I Came Bearing Gifts

About six months ago I was able to purchase at auction a number of Plates from a First Edition l’ Art du Menuisier Vol. III, c. 1772.  These had been cut out of a bound First Edition volume by some barbarian in the past, presumably so that they could be sold individually as “art prints.”  While I DO NOT recommend this practice it did allow for me to get my hands on some primo illustrations that I would have never been able to obtain otherwise.  Did I mention that these mutilated books were First Editions?

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The image that started it all.

My purpose for making the purchase was three-fold.  First, there were a number of the plates that I wanted as they were the inspiration for my involvement in the project, including the very Plate whose text that I first asked Michele to translate.  Second there were a number of Plates that would serve as excellent mementos as gifts for my Roubo collaborators.  Third I wanted to have some inventory of original Roubo to sell, which I will do perhaps at Handworks next May.

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For the recent WIA I had two of these Plates in-hand as gifts.  These were easy enough; of course the Plate of “The German Workbench” was destined for The Schwarz Hisownself, and the page of the hand-operated printing press belonged in the possession of book designer extraordinaire Wesley Tanner. (sorry about the pic with the eyes closed, Wesley.)

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All I’m waiting for now is for Megan to pick hers out.