Joslin Hall Rare Books & Ephemera

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We've been serving collectors, dealers and institutions since 1982 with interesting and unusual ephemera, books, and photographs on subjects including Americana, the arts, architecture, design, technology, funeral arts & mourning customs, fakes & forgery, and life in other days.

By the author of "Heidi" - Vinzi. A Story of the Swiss Alps.By Johanna Spyri. Published by J.B. Lippincott and Company i...
10/07/2025

By the author of "Heidi" - Vinzi. A Story of the Swiss Alps.

By Johanna Spyri. Published by J.B. Lippincott and Company in 1923. $20, plus $4 shipping.

“Johanna Spyri was a Swiss author of children's stories, best known for Heidi. Born Johanna Louise Heusser in the rural area of Hirzel, Switzerland, as a child she spent several summers in the area around Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later would use in her novels”. “Two themes are stressed in Vinzi, trust and the power of music. The boy Vinzi’s love of music and his father’s determination to make a farmer of him provide the central motive. It is noteworthy that the father, who with a less skillful author would be the villain of the tale, is never made to lose our respect. But the best feature of the book is the joyous life of the children, which occupies by far the most space” [from the Foreword].

Hardcover. 6x8, ,296 pages plus 8 color plates. Pictorial cloth, light wear and a little soil, damage at the top of the spine, hinges a little loose, white color on front cover rubbed.

Feeding Desire. Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005. $25, plus $4 shipping.By Sarah Coffin, et al. Published ...
10/07/2025

Feeding Desire. Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005. $25, plus $4 shipping.

By Sarah Coffin, et al. Published in New York by Assouline, in association with the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in 2006.

The utterly magnificent catalog to an important exhibition which showcased the Cooper-Hewitt's collection of cutlery and utensils. The illustrations of cutlery, serving pieces and place settings are augmented by many period paintings and prints, and seven essays- Manufacturing and Marketing in Europe, 1600-2000 - The Sexual Politics of Cutlery - Implements of Eating - The Design of Table Tools and the Effect of Form on Etiquette and Table Setting - The Proliferation of Cutlery and Flatware Designs in Nineteenth-century America - Modern Flatware and the Design of Lifestyle.

Hardcover. 9.5"x12", 288 pages, hundreds of color illustrations, dust jacket. Fine condition.

Only in Maine. Selections from Down East Magazine. $20, plus $4 shipping.Edited by Duane Doolittle. Published by Barre ...
10/07/2025

Only in Maine. Selections from Down East Magazine. $20, plus $4 shipping.

Edited by Duane Doolittle. Published by Barre Publishers in 1969.

Sections of writings include: Maine Spring; Down to the Sea; That Maine Spirit; Maine Talent; The Islands; Our Summer Months; Lakes, Streams & Woods; Time Stands Still; and, Maine Winter. Hardcover. 6x9, 274 pages. Covers with light soil, a little wear. Short Christmas gift inscription on the endpaper.

Nineteenth Century English Furniture.By Elizabeth Aslin. Published in New York by Thomas Yoseloff in 1962.Whatever else...
10/06/2025

Nineteenth Century English Furniture.
By Elizabeth Aslin. Published in New York by Thomas Yoseloff in 1962.

Whatever else one may say about the profusion of styles that characterized 19th century English furniture, you cannot call them boring. From the more fanciful, overwrought children of Pugin to the reforms of Eastlake, Ashbee and Gimson, and through the Gothic, Japanese and Orientalist revivals, there was always something interesting afoot. This is a sweeping, scholarly, well illustrated examination of the development of Revival styles, Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, and other furniture in 19th century England. It also contains a short guide to some of the cabinetmaking firms and a short but helpful bibliography which includes a list of some period exhibition catalogs.

Hardcover. 7"x10", 93 pages of text plus 4 color and 135 black & white illustrations, dust jacket. Light wear, minor soil; jacket a bit worn, and more wear on the spine. $15, plus $4 shipping.

Man & Woman in Crude Dirigible Zeppelin Studio Backdrop Vintage Real Photo Postcard.The artist who created this studio b...
10/06/2025

Man & Woman in Crude Dirigible Zeppelin Studio Backdrop Vintage Real Photo Postcard.

The artist who created this studio backdrop had evidently heard about Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin’s new invention, but had not actually ever seen one.

Postcard. Minor wear, light crease lines, some soil. Unposted. $10, plus $4 shipping.

The Collection of Mr. Blackwell. The catalog to an auction held in Los Angeles by Sotheby Parke Bernet on June 21,22,23...
10/06/2025

The Collection of Mr. Blackwell. The catalog to an auction held in Los Angeles by Sotheby Parke Bernet on June 21,22,23, 1977.

Yes, THAT Mr. blackwell. “Richard Blackwell (1922–2008), also known as Mr. Blackwell, was an American fashion critic, journalist, television and radio personality, artist, former child actor, and former fashion designer. He was the creator of the "Ten Worst Dressed Women List", an annual awards presentation he unveiled in January of each year. He published the "Fabulous Fashion Independents" list and an annual Academy Awards fashion review. His partner of 60 years, Beverly Hills hairdresser Robert L. Spencer, was also his manager. He wrote two books, Mr. Blackwell: 30 Years of Fashion Fiascos and an autobiography, From Rags to Bitches” [Wikipedia].

The auction consisted of a typically Los Angeles variety of furniture, porcelains, silver, export ceramics, paintings and other antiques, all in obviously exquisite taste

Softcover. 8.5x9.25, 90 pages, 611 lots, black & white illustrations. Minor soil, light wear. Prices realised sheet laid in loosely. $25, plus $4 shipping.

Virgilio Pinera - Rene's Flesh - Cuban Gay Novelist 1984 Translation. $40, free US shipping.Published in Boston by the ...
10/03/2025

Virgilio Pinera - Rene's Flesh - Cuban Gay Novelist 1984 Translation. $40, free US shipping.

Published in Boston by the Eridanos Press in 1989.

Translated by Mark Schafer, with a Foreword by Anton Arrufat. “Virgilio Pinera Llera [1912-1979) was a Cuban author, playwright, poet, short story writer, essayist and translator. Pinera is one of the most celebrated authors of Cuban literature. His work explores alienation, absurd and madness, featuring characters that often find themselves in ridiculous and grotesque scenarios. He was openly homos*xual; however, born into a Christian family, Pinera struggled with guilt and later, after the Cuban Revolution, with the government's ostracism. Nevertheless, Pinera's work was rediscovered by Cuban and Latin American authors such as Severo Sarduy, Víctor Fowler, Rolando Sanchez and Ricardo Piglia. His works were reedited on his 100th centenary and a commission presided by Anton Arrufat organized a colloquium in his honour” [Wikipedia].

Hardcover. 5.5x8.5, 256 pages, dust jacket. Minor soil, light wear.

The Victorian Celebration of Death. By James Stevens Curl.Published by Sutton Publishing in 2000. $75, free US shippin...
10/03/2025

The Victorian Celebration of Death. By James Stevens Curl.
Published by Sutton Publishing in 2000. $75, free US shipping.

"While the Victorians managed to confront death and mortality directly, we now treat such topics as taboo. That era's views were transformed by many factors, including the creation of urban cemeteries; the production of such merchandise for mourners as wreaths and elaborate hearses; the Romantic Movement; the Evangelical Revival; and the national spectacle of state funerals. Curl's lively study of the dead is supplemented by quotations from Ovid, Shakespeare, and Dickens, among others, and features dozens of black and white photographs of noteworthy burial grounds".

Hardcover. 7"x10", 330 pages, black & white illustrations, dust jacket. Jacket damaged at the base, otherwise clean and good.

Notes on the Spanish-American War. Published in Washington by the Government Printing Office in 1900. $40, plus $4 shi...
10/03/2025

Notes on the Spanish-American War. Published in Washington by the Government Printing Office in 1900. $40, plus $4 shipping.

A compilation of eight naval "War Notes" originally issued by the Office of Naval Intelligence. It provides an in-depth, U.S. naval-focused look at the conflict, drawing on reports, documents, and foreign military analyses. Contents of the volume include:

Battles and Capitulation of Santiago de Cuba (a detailed report on the naval battle and the subsequent surrender of the city)

The Spanish-American War: Collection of Documents relative to the Squadron Operations in the West Indies (a compilation of documents concerning naval operations in the Caribbean)

The Squadron of Admiral Cervera (by Captain Victor M. Concas y Palau of the Spanish Navy, which offers a Spanish perspective on their fleet's actions)

Effect of the Gun Fire of the United States Vessels in Battle of Manila Bay (an evaluation of the American fleet's gunnery performance)

Comments of Rear-Admiral Pluddemann, German Navy, on main features of the War with Spain (provides a German naval officer's observations on the conflict)

Sketches from the Spanish-American War (a two-part document offering additional insights from an author identified only as "Commander J.”)

The Spanish-American War, Blockades and Coast Defense (an examination of the naval blockade and coastal defense strategies used during the war).

The volume includes charts, illustrations, and folding maps. “A valuable primary source for studying the naval aspects of the Spanish-American War, presenting both American reports and intelligence as well as foreign and Spanish perspectives”.

Hardcover. 6x9, 165 + 18 + 38 + 28 + 13 + 120 + 165 + 117 pages; maps and charts, some folding. Covers with some light soil and wear, scuffing on the rear cover. Inside the book there is some scattered light soil and age-toning, with the following notes: there is a small section of damage in the inner gutter at the top of the first several pages; the large folding map at the end of the first section and the cover of the next section have created some offsetting onto the facing page 165 and there is damage along the top of the text page.

The Ishikawa Collection. The Postage Stamps and Postal History of the Hawaiian Islands. $65, plus $4 shipping.The catal...
10/02/2025

The Ishikawa Collection. The Postage Stamps and Postal History of the Hawaiian Islands. $65, plus $4 shipping.

The catalog to an auction held in New York by Sotheby Parke Bernet Stamp Auction Company on November 18, 1980.

“The Ishikawa Collection was a prominent and highly valuable collection of postage stamps and postal history from the Hawaiian Islands. It was assembled by Japanese-American philatelist Ryohei Ishikawa, (1927–2006), a dedicated philatelist who started collecting seriously in 1970 and who also created leading collections of classic U.S. and Hong Kong stamps.

"The Hawaiian collection was comprehensive, containing stamps and postal history from the earliest periods of Hawaiian postal service. It notably included a rare example of the 1851 2c blue "Missionary" stamp, one of only 15 known used examples. These stamps are among the most famous and rarest in philately. The collection featured extremely rare covers, including the only recorded cover with more than one copy of the 1859 2c Numeral issue. The collection covered the period before stamps were introduced, featuring early missionary mail sent to and from Hawaii. Ishikawa's focus was on "classic" stamps—the first issues of a country—and his Hawaiian collection was a world-class holding. His broader U.S. collection was so acclaimed that it was said to be "the greatest holding of United States Classics that has ever been assembled". The inclusion of items from the Ishikawa Collection adds significant provenance to any philatelic item. The auction catalog itself is a valued reference work for serious collectors of Hawaiian stamps and postal history”.

Sotheby Parke Bernet Stamp Auction Company was a short-lived subsidiary of the renowned international auction house Sotheby's, which was active in the late 1970s. The stamp auction company operated as a specific business unit for philatelic sales under the larger Sotheby Parke Bernet umbrella. This was not a new venture for Sotheby's, which has a long history of selling rare stamps dating back to its first such auction in 1872. The subsidiary was led by prominent figures in the philatelic world. Andrew Levitt was president of the company, and stamp specialist Charles F. Shreve also worked there before his departure in 1980.

Although short-lived, the Sotheby Parke Bernet Stamp Auction Company made its mark by handling major collections and groundbreaking sales. The company notably handled the sale of the U.S. Classic Grand Prix Exhibit from the collection of renowned philatelist Ryohei Ishikawa. Under the leadership of auctioneer Charles F. Shreve, the firm helped to "essentially revolutioniz[e] the way rare stamps were presented and sold at high-profile, international auctions," using modern marketing techniques. The Sotheby Parke Bernet Stamp Auction Company ultimately dissolved as a separate entity. In 1980, Charles F. Shreve and others left to form a new company, Ivy, Shreve and Mader. Sotheby's continues to maintain a stamps department and is known for its high-value, single-owner philatelic sales.

Softcover. 8.5x9.25, 110 pages, 561 lots, black & white and some color illustrations. Photocopied prices realised sheets stapled to the first page. Catalog covers with some soil and light wear.

Trials of Love. A Valentine’s Day Exhibition at the Harvard Law Library. $25, plus $4 shipping.By David A. Ferris & Mar...
10/02/2025

Trials of Love. A Valentine’s Day Exhibition at the Harvard Law Library. $25, plus $4 shipping.

By David A. Ferris & Mary L. Person. Published in Cambridge by Harvard Law School in 1994.

The catalog to a unique exhibition drawing on the collection of the Harvard Law Library focused on historic books, pamphlets, and other materials related to “Trials of Love”- in other words, adultery, bigamy, divorce, s*x scandals, po*******hy, prostitution, and so on.

Softcover. 7x11, 57 pages, black & white illustrations. Scuffing and slight surface loss on a small portion of the front cover, other scattered light wear and minor soil.

The American Magazine of Art, October 1933. Published by the American Federation of Arts. $25, pus $4 shipping.Include...
10/02/2025

The American Magazine of Art, October 1933. Published by the American Federation of Arts. $25, pus $4 shipping.

Includes- Jose Orozco in New England; Modern Ecclesiastical Art; Claude Lorrain; The Menace of Antiques (how the craze for antiques is destroying modern craftsmen); American Jewels (ancient Mexican work from the recently discovered cache at Monte Alban).

Paper covers. 8x11, 41 pages, plus 6 pages of advertisements, black & white illustrations. Covers with some scuffing and dings, some soil, name written on the front cover.

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