No “I-Shoulda-Bought-That” Remorse This Time!

I have rarely been afflicted by the phenomenon of “buyer’s remorse.”  It could be because I am such a skilled and thoughtful acquisitor, but it is more likely that I am 1) indifferent for the most part, and 2) able to learn from my mistakes.  Except for that much-used 4WD F250 back in 1991.  I am much more likely to regret not buying something than buying  something.

This week is an instance where I celebrate the purchase of something that I went after good and hard.  My long time bud MartinO emailed me with information about the sale of two two piles of prints that were possibly from a First Edition of L’Art du Menuisier Volume III that had been sliced up.

I immediately contacted the seller and she confirmed that the paper was right (laid linen paper ranging from abut 100 to 140 pound weight) and the engraving plate marks were clearly evident.

So I bought them.

The “hand made-ness” of this print couldn’t be clearer; the paper was not placed on the engraving plate squarely so the print was out of whack with the page. Roubo must have been getting a croissant then.

When I got them home I was able to examine them more closely and confirm that they appear to be the real deal.  While the act of slicing up vintage bound volumes is barbaric, at least something wonderful was the result.  Had it not been for this act of vandalism I would have never been able to acquire (read: afford) these wonderful hand-made prints that were almost certainly produced under the watchful oversight of Roubo himself.

It is unlikely that I will keep all of them, but there are those that will remain my own treasures until they scatter my ashes on the mountainside.  Imagine the thrill of inventorying these and finding the single print that lit the spark for me more than thirty years ago!  Yes indeed, in the inventory was a print of Plate 296 in absolutely perfect condition.  Along with it were a number of the prints from the parquetry sections that will hang alongside 296 on the walls of the cabin.

As for the rest of my newly purchase Roubo prints I have not yet decided.  A select few will be gifted to my Roubo collaborators and others, but it is possible I will simply sell the rest.  Since I have access to the digital files from when Chris Schwarz had his First Edition scanned I do not need them for research and informational purposes, but still they are The Real Thing.  Like I said, I just have not decided.

Stay tuned.