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?

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.

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.)

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