GILL (Eric). Art-nonsense And other essays. London, Cassell & Co., Ltd. & Francis Walterson, 1929. Med.8vo; blank before half-title; woodcut vignette on title-page, by Gill; colophon leaf followed by blank at end; light blue bevelled coarse buckram lettered gilt on spine; a.e.uncut. Spine somewhat faded, as usual, and end-papers slightly foxed; otherwise a virtually fine copy, with the spine, front panel, and flap, of the dust-wrapper (including the blurb) expertly tipped onto the front paste-down.

GB £190.00

US $311.60

From the library of Dr. Desmond Flower, with his early wood-engraved book label (?cut by Reynolds Stone) on the front paste-down, and a relevant clipping annotated in his holograph tipped on to the back of the dust-wrapper panel: ‘"This book is part of printing history, and itself a pleasing sample. Here is the first use of Eric Gill’s Roman Perpetua type: so early a use that it resorts to the unpleasing device of underlining words for emphasis, as the Italic had not yet been cut. The initial is also out of fount, because the large sizes of Perpetua were not available. Note the unornamented page (the initial is not ornament so much as signal, the more necessary as there are no page headlines) which allows the author, ever most earnest, to make an undisturbed impression, and the type to proclaim itself without distraction.” — Sir Francis Meynell’s note in a National Book League Catalogue, 1951.’ Flower’s father, Sir Newman Flower, had bought Cassell’s in 1927, and Desmond himself was to join the firm in the following year and be responsible for much subsequent design. Printed at the Cambridge University Press. Evan Gill 18.
Ref: JRT809594