Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Conversation Tree Press, 2024)
The definitive fine press treatment of Stevenson's piratical classic.
The Ubiquitous Book blog
Closer Looks at Fine Books
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Poems Written in the Year MCMXIII by Robert Bridges, Poet Laureate (Ashendene Press, 1914)
The only Ashendene book that was a literary first edition.
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster (Folio Society, 2008)
Cool illustrations are the standout feature of this interesting postmodern twist on the detective genre.
Vita di Santa Chiara Virgine composta per Ugolino Verino Cittadino Florentino (Ashendene Press, 1921)
Introduction to the Ashendene Press and this edition Three presses, collectively called the Triple Crown, are typically regarded as having stood at the pinnacle of the modern British private press movement. These were William Morris’ Kelmscott Press, T. J. Cobden-Sanderson and Emery Walker’s Doves Press, and C. H. St John Hornby’s Ashendene Press. The last of these was described by Colin Franklin…
Five Days in London, May 1940 by John Lukacs (Folio Society, 2011)
An academic look at five fateful days in the War Cabinet.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (Conversation Tree Press, 2024)
At some point, without any obvious justification, I had mentally (mis-)classified Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon as sci-fi “genre” fiction, meaning it wasn’t exactly top of my to-read list. I’m glad the 2024 Conversation Tree Press edition prompted me to take a closer look. This is, at its heart, a character study with a touching treatment of mental disability and a convincing depiction of the…
Punch & Judy (Incline Press, 2024)
Punch and Judy is a traditional outdoor puppet show common in the UK, especially around seaside resort towns. A puppet master, known as The Professor, is concealed inside a booth and operates a motley cast of characters including the eponymous violent and offensive Mr. Punch and his long-suffering wife, Judy. Although historically performed for the entertainment of adults, the show is now enjoyed…
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (Folio Society, 2023)
By far the most exciting thing to have come out of The Folio Society in the last few years, in my opinion, is a set of superb editions of novels by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. I have previously reviewed and loved Kafka on the Shore and Norwegian Wood, both for Murakami’s engaging fiction and for the thoughtful design of the editions themselves. The third entry …
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (Folio Society, 2020)
A character driven mystery with nice illustrations.
Allotments by R. P. Lister (Whittington Press, 1985)
Allotments is a volume of text and poems by R. P. Lister with wood-engravings by Miriam Macgregor. It was issued by the Whittington Press in 1985 in a limitation of 335 copies—300 ordinary copies (considered here) and thirty five special leather copies with an extra suite of the engravings. The book’s has a landscape format with dimensions 10¾″× 7¾″ (275mm × 195mm). It is presented …