Search Results: Titles starting with H from Ursus Books

1945. DOXIADIS, Konstantinos A. Hai thysiai tes Hellados ston deutero pankosmio polemo. Les Sacrifices de la Grece à la Seconde Guerre Mondiale. The Sacrifices of Greece in the Second World War. [214] pp., including 90 full page illustrated plates (most full colour) of maps, graphs and photographs. Folio, 470 x 360 mm., bound in half black cloth with illustrated covers. Athens: Aspioti-Elka, 1945. An astonishing piece of bookmaking, especially given the time at which it was produced. The illustrations, many of which involve isotypes, are nothing short of stunning, and completely overshadow the subject matter, much in the manner of the pre-war Soviet books. Of great rarity with OCLC recording only one copy, at the University of Alberta.

1911. ASHIDA, Haruhisa. Hana tsutsumi. [Wrapping flowers]. 27 leaves, illustrated with woodcut frontispiece, 20 colour woodcuts, and 16 black-and-white woodcuts. 8vo, 255 x 185 mm., bound in publisher's wrappers in a new chitsu case. Kyoto: Nihon Kado Enshukai Soka Kyodobu: Kado Enshuryu Seifu Iemoto Kansai Jimusho, 1911. A beautiful and unusual book on wrapping flowers (hana tsutsumi in Japanese). In his book Hana Tsutsumi, Mitsuko Kawata points to the Sendensho, a book on Ikebana published in 1445, as having information on how to wrap flowers. "When offering floral materials as a gift: Wrap the lower ends of branches in paper. Also wrap the lower ends of flower stems in paper. Tie the branches in several places and offer the bouquet with the flowers facing downward. You may at times fold the wrapping paper in the shape of a butterfly or flower, and you should offer the bouquet adorned with red mizuhiki (stiff paper string)".

1899. KOSEN, Yamashita. Hanagata. 4 volumes, each with 20 double-sided plates. Folio, 365 x 232 mm., publisher's wrappers. Kyoto: Miyata Toyamado, 1899-1900. A complete set of this spectacular collection of kimono designs, many with a modernist sensibility. Slight wear to the wrappers, but internally immaculate. OCLC lists Columbia, Stanford, Yale, LC, Harvard, Virginia MFA, the National Diet Library.

1978. RUSCHA, EDWARD. Hard Light. Unpaginated artist's book with approximately 60 b&w illustrations. 8vo, wraps. Los Angeles, Edward Ruscha and Lawrence Weiner, 1978. First edition. A book divided into nine chapters. Each chapter represents a different scene in which women interact in different banal locations, costumes and "dramatic" circumstances. A variety of gestures, expressions and poses are recorded.

1961. ARMENIA. Hayeri verabnakets'umy HSSH-its' durs. viii, 112 pp., illustrated with 97 full page maps and charts. Large 4to, bound in publisher's maroon cloth. Erevan: Haykakan SSRò Gitut'yunneri Akademia, 1961. This atlas presents an unusual and stunning example of avant-garde book design from what was then Soviet Armenia.

1934. KIMURA, Gyokusen. Hikanoko. Illustrated with 31 mounted colour woodblock prints, on double leaves folded accordion style (orihon). Folio, 435 x 320 mm., bound in publisher's silk over boards in a new chitsu case. Kyoto: Happodo, 1935. A magnificent volume of colour woodblock prints featuring elaborate maiko hair ornaments, called kanzashi. A spectacular example of the woodblock maker's art. Rare with no listing on OCLC.

1940. KAWARAZKI, Kodo. Hinagata Eawase. [Collection of Designs]. 5 volumes, each volume with 20 colour woodblock plates. Folio, 330 x 210 mm., accordion bound in publisher's illustrated covers, in a new chitsu case. Kyoto: Unsodo, 1940-1942. An imaginative collection of design plates. Instead of the usual pattern plates, the plates in these five volumes consist of an encyclopedia of Japanese life, with images taken from everyday life, nature and traditional iconography. Unsodo is the name of a large Japanese publishing company with branches in both Tokyo and Kyoto. Founded in 1891, this company is still in existence today. From the 1890s through the 1930s, the Unsodo publishing house was involved in printing high quality pattern books for various crafts including textiles and lacquer. Some browning to the paper without affecting the beautiful woodcut images. Probably due to its having been published during the war, it is extremely rare, with OCLC listing only the copy in the National Diet Library. Read More

1812. RUSSIA. Histoire de Russie et des Principales Nations de l'Empire Russe. By Pierre-Charles Levesque. Eight volumes of text. xxxii, 371; 382; 395; 475; 420; 476; 453 [3]; 468 pp. 8vo., 220 x 135 mm, AND one volume Atlas in 4to., 272 x 218 mm, consisting of a folding map and 61 plates depicting portraits of the Tsars. Bound in original publisher's decorative wrappers. Uncut and partially unopened. Paris: Fournier, 1812. Fourth, and Best Edition of this classic history of Russia. An exceptional survival, completely preserved in the original publisher's marbled paper wrappers, uncut and partially unopened. This fourth edition is the most complete and desireable because it reprints Levesque's text from the 1800 edition, updated with extensive corrections and enlarged with the addition of his important life of Catherine the Great. The Histoire has further been added to with coverage up to the death of Tsar Paul 1 by Conrad Malte-Brun and Georges-Bernard Depping,… Read More

1854. DORE, Gustave. Histoire Dramatique, Pittoresque et Caricaturale de la Sainte Russie, D'après les Chroniquers et Historiens Nestor, Nikan, Sylvestre, Karamsin, Segur, etc... [4], 207 pp. (printed on recto only), illustrated with 500 engraved illustrations by Gustave Doré cut onto woodblocks by Sotain. 4to, 290 x 195 mm., bound in contemporary brown quarter cloth over marbled boards, with the original front and rear wrappers preserved. Paris: [Lacour for] J. Bry Ainé, 1854. First edition, early issue. Containing 500 surreal illustrations by Doré, this volume presents a blistering criticism of the tyranny of the Russian Czars. In the first issue, pages 89 and 97 have large blots of red ink, depicting "le regné d'Ivan-le-Terrible." In this copy there is a red blot on page 97, but page 89 is blank. The collaboration between Gustave Doré and the woodcutter Sotain represents an important moment in both artist's development.… Read More

1578. THURNEISSER ZUM THURN, Leonhardt. Historia unnd Beschreibung Influentischer Elementischer un Naturlicher Wirckungen Aller fremden unnd Heimischen Erdgewechssen auch irer Subtiliteten sampt wahrhafftiger und Kunstlicher Conterfeitung dereselbigen auch aller teiler... [12], CLVI, [24] pp., woodcut title-page, 42 arabesque initials, 12 astrological diagrams, 126 small woodcut figures, 36 botanical woodcuts within figured boarders, portrait of the author, allegorical figure within elaborate border, printer's device. Folio in sixes, 356 x 240 mm., bound in eighteenth century boards. In a dark green half Morocco box. Berlin: Michael Hentzske, 1578. First German edition, published simultaneously with the Latin, one of the greatest eccentricities of botanical literature containing extraordinarily beautiful woodcut figures and elaborate woodcut borders. "As a piece of printing, this is a remarkable book" (Ferguson). Leonhardt Thurneisser (1530-1596) amassed a huge fortune in Berlin… Read More

1831. CRUIKSHANK, George. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. By Henry Fielding Esq. Two volumes. xxiv, 456; [6], 448 pp. With eight full-page etchings by George Cruikshank plus frontispiece portrait of Fielding in volume one by another artist. 8vo., 170 x 115 mm, bound in 19th century three-quarter blue morocco over marbled boards, raised bands, spine compartments gilt, t.e.g. London: James Cochrane and Co., 1831. First appearance of Cruikshank illustrations for The History of Tom Jones. Volumes V & VI from the Novelist's Library, edited by Thomas Roscoe, Esq. A handsome two volume set of Fielding's masterpiece, first printed in 1749, illustrated by George Cruikshank. 'The first two volumes of Roscoe's series "Robinson Crusoe" where not illustrated by Cruikshank, whose services were obtained in the endeavor to make the series more successful.' A fine copy with the bookplate of John Francis Neylan on the front paste-down. Cohn, 705.

1933. SHIKO, Iida. Hoen Cho. 13 leaves, illustrated with 24 mounted colour woodcut plates, on double leaves folded accordion style (orihon). Oblong folio, 390 x 295 mm., publisher's cloth covered boards, in a contemporary chitsu case, preserving the label. [Kyoto: Unsodo, 1932]. A magnificent series of large decorative woodcuts all centered around a circular motif. There is no publisher indicated, but the extremely high quality of the work suggests it might be that of Unsodo, who published other works by Shiko in the thirties. Some of the plates have occasional insignificant spotting. Some wear to the case. A rare book, with no listing on OCLC.

1895. HOWARD, Alexander. Howard's Guide to Jerusalem and vicinity. With map of Palestine. 140 pp., illustrated with folding map. 8vo, 175 x 115 mm., bound in publisher's red cloth, recased with new end papers. Jaffa and Jerusalem: Howard's Hotel, [1895]. Chevalier Alexander Howard, otherwise known as Iskander Awad, was a local proprietor of two hotels in Jaffa and Jerusalem. He became famous for successfully suing the Baedeker company in the High Court in London for making disparaging remarks about his hotel in Jaffa. Baedekers were ordered to remove the remarks in a judgement which is reprinted at the back of the guide. They not only removed the remarks in the next edition, they in fact deleted all references to both his hotels in their guides. This in the end greatly affected Howard's business and he suffered financial hardship. It is interesting to note in the rear of this guide Howard has included several pages of glowing testimonials for all his hotels. A fine copy of… Read More