[Private Press] [Kelmscott Press] Some German Woodcuts of the Fifteenth Century

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, December 15, 1897 (but issued on January 6, 1898). First edition, one of 225 unnumbered copies on Perch paper (from a total of 233). 4to. Edited by Sydney C. Cockerell. Text printed in black and in red in Golden type. Illustrated with 35 woodcuts and initials. Publisher's quarter holland cloth over blue paper-covered boards, lettered on front board, wear along spine, boards unevenly toned, lightly spotted; all edges untrimmed; book-plate of Mary S. Collins on front paste-down, library book-plate below same; small ink stamp in lower title-page verso; scattered light spotting to text. Peterson A49; Ransom, p. 331 48

At William Morris's request, starting in October 1892, Sydney C. Cockerell spent several years studying and cataloguing Morris's extensive collection of medieval manuscripts and incunabula, from which Morris planned to issue a heavily illustrated catalogue of his library. Following Morris's death in October 1896, the project was abandoned. Rather than print the work elsewhere, Cockerell "decided to combine the illustrations of woodcuts that had already been prepared...with portions of an article by Morris, 'On the Artistic Qualities of the Woodcut Books of Ulm and Augsburg in the Fifteenth Century.' ...The book sold briskly before publication. 'There has been a great rush on the German woodcuts & they were all sold out last week,' Cockerell wrote to Leighton on 30 November 1897.'...A good many people have been left out in the cold, as orders keep coming in! I suppose it is the announcement that the Press is closing that has made people so eager'" (Peterson)

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

From the Special Collections and Rare Book Collection at University of the Arts’ Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To request further details about this lot, please email [email protected]

1600 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia. Please contact the Auction Specialist for details.

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

[Private Press] [Kelmscott Press] Some German Woodcuts of the Fifteenth Century

Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

[Private Press] [Kelmscott Press] Some German Woodcuts of the Fifteenth Century

Lot Description

Condition Report

Preview

Auction Contact

Shipping | Pickup