John Keats. Unpublished Poem To His Sister Fanny, April 1818. Manuscript facsimile with typographic transcription. Introduction by Charles C. Hurd. Boston, The Bibliophile Society, 1909. Small 4to. 22 (recte 20) pp. incl. etched title and imprint. Orig. half vellum with gilt back title. Uncut.

which had bought the manuscript as a present for William K. Birby shortly before.

Printed on double leaves, whose paging is confused: Imprint, title, and facsimile numbered inclusive, the other text exclusive of white pages. The facsimile leaves incorrectly bound at the end. – The etched title with the portrait medallions of Keats and Fanny and rich ornamentation. The imprint finely composed with the device of the Society, allegories of a bibliophile, and the imprint proper itself.

Extraordinary  bibliophile  item

worthy of this “largest newer poet of England” (Laaths), who was praised by Shelly in his grieved dirge at the early burial by the Cestius Pyramid in Rome.

“ A sheet of a poem of Keat’s remains in so far nothing but a poor sheet of paper, in so far not already the simple calling of this name awesome memory calls up on holy beautiful verses we have read by him and which are so real and present to our soul … ”

(Stefan Zweig on occasion of a Keats autograph).

Binding a little loosed and minimally unfresh. The etchings waved by print, otherwise absolutely fresh. – Irrespective of its for continental standards extremely high vellum edition practically not to be found on market.
Offer no. 13,091 / EUR  998. / export price EUR  948. (c. US$ 1225.) + shipping

Ridinger – von Gutmann – Schwarz, Ign(az). Katalog einer Ridinger-Sammlung (Catalogue of the Gutmann Ridinger Collection). 2 vols. Vienna, author’s edition, 1910. 4to. XX, 210; XI, 169 pp. With (inside the text put on over those which were already printed along with the text as generally for the Arabic numbered copies)

Finely richly gilt orig. calf-vellum on 5 ribs with two dark red back plates and equal floral ornaments with gilt lines in the free fields, even

gilt  capital  ribbons ,

twofold double line floral corner pieces at the inner and rosette in the outer square resp., all in gold, the

marbled fly-leaves à la Pompadour parts of Gutmann’s legendary Marjoribanks Folios as passed through here, too, in marbled orig. slipcases lined with Moiré. Gilt edges.

accompanied by a unique pedigree, the covering letter of 6^th September 1951, with which the antiquarian bookseller Robert Alder in Bern sends the copy on behalf of Mr. von Gutmann to Mrs. Dr. Waeckerlin in Zurich.

Printed as manuscript in only 202 copies, 200 of which numbered Arabic with the illustrations printed together with the text and only bound in interim wrappers. The two Roman numbered printed on parchment-like paper only, thus not “on parchment” according to the imprint. This private edition, accessible by 6 (!) indices, is the noblest curtsey of literature to the master’s œuvre

and  with  the  no.  I  of  two  ones  only  just  a  bibliophile  non  plus  ultra .

Worked by the doyen of the Viennese antiquarian booksellers and dedicated

by Rudolf R. von Gutmann. – Slipcases minimally rubbed, the backs of the volumes themselves faded to a fine white, apart from that

shining  in  almost  impeccable , untouched  freshness .

Rudolf (1880-1966) was the 2^nd son of Wilhelm Baron von Gutmann and his wife Ida, née baroness von Wodianer, whose sister Rose Anna on her part was married to Jules Porgès, one of the legendary African diamond randlords. Together with his elder brother Max they were heirs of the immense industrious and commercial assets, partly going back to the Austrian Rothschild line. Later he went to Vancouver. “So far away from Hitler, as far as ever only possible” (H. P. Kraus).

A part of all this intellectual and economic brightness then, it may be repeated, the present

with the contrary to the ordinary edition obviouslymannually selected  mounted  illustrations. By this, however, an absolute édition de luxe for the show-case. In the togetherness with a simple one for everyday, for the immensly delightful occupation in and with the collection.
Offer no. 28,886  /  price on request

“ Yes please. I take that (further) copy.
I have now fetched the (last) parcel at the post office and I was very pleased. First of all: thank you for making so good parcel. I hate when I receive damaged copies because of bad envelopes. So once again: thank you very much for handling the items with such care! For me that is another word for seriousness and professionalism.
It was also a good copy and I liked it very much.
Please let me know if there is more items coming up ”

(Mrs. G. H., June 19, 2006)