Book Fair Treasures: Alice illustrated by Dalí

Okay, admittedly we're pretty excited about this item we're bringing to the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair. It's copy No. 250 of a limited edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by Salvador Dalí on the frontispiece etching. It was published in New York by Maecenas Press/Random House in 1969. Only 2,500 copies were printed. This folio-sized book lives in a quarter leather and cloth portfolio with bone clasps. It has loose text with frontispiece and 12 plates separately housed in a cloth chemise, as issued. The whole in as new condition and accompanied by the original packing box. It is priced at $11,000. We've included pictures here so you can get an idea but we recommend that you come to the book fair to see it in person.

We're off to shows in Orlando and Miami

Those maps as well as the Alice in Wonderland book are going with us to the Greater Orlando Antique Festival.

We're on the road again--Orlando this coming weekend and Miami the following weekend.

In Orlando there's a new venue, the Greater Orlando Antique Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There'll be a booksellers alley with dozens of antiquarian book dealers participating. We're looking forward to seeing many of our friends, both members of the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association as well some regulars to the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair who are coming from out of state.

Dali signed title page. Click to enlarge.

We'll be taking children's books, antique maps, and some other special items. One particular delight is a volume from a special limited edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the classic children's tale by Lewis Carroll.

This particular edition is in a traditional European Renaissance presentation with a plain brown leather spine and clasps. It contains twelve illustrations with original woodcuts and an original etching by Salvador Dali. What's more, Dali signed the title page. The illustrations are for each chapter and they are truly amazing. It's a perfect fit. Alice in Wonderland is a surreal story to begin with and Dali adds his own surreal interpretation.

We'll also have some wonderfully colorful antique maps from the era after the American Revolution but before the Westward Expansion when the United States was confined to the territories east of the Mississippi River as well as older ones reflecting the interests of Spain, France and England in the North American continent. Suffice it to say, if you love maps stop by our booth in Orlando.

We're returning this year to the Miami Book Fair International after an absence of a couple of years. The fair actually gets under way this coming Sunday but the Street Fair, which we'll be participating in, starts on Friday, November 16. It is truly a book lover's delight—more than 250 booksellers and publishers gathered for a weekend of literary indulgence.

We're taking shiny picture books (always popular in South Florida) and stacks and stacks of Florida authors like Randy Wayne White, James W. Hall, Les Standiford, and Tom Corcoran. Carl Hiaasen? Yes, we'll have some Hiaasen, too. He's the hometown favorite.

Rare Book Moment: Illustrating the classics

Here's edition No. 12 of Rare Book Moment. Mike discusses the various illustration styles in classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Also, watch for the new segment For What It's Worth, a discussion of the values of books mentioned in the program.

Happy birthday, Federico Garcia Lorca

Federico Garcia Lorca

It is the birthday of Spanish dramatist and poet Federico Garcia Lorca (1898), who is considered one of the greatest of Spain's 20th century poets. He was assassinated at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. A collector of folk songs and lore, he was known in his lifetime for his work rooted in the Andalucia section of southern Spain. The Gypsy Ballads (1928) was translated into English in 1953. He also wrote of flamenco dancing, bullfighting, and Andalucian culture. Lorca also was known for his plays, though his career as a dramatist began rather inauspiciously. His first play, The Butterfly's Evil Spell (1920), about an unlikely love affair between a butterfly and a beetle, was laughed off the stage after only four performances. His second, however, was quite a success. Mariana Pineda (1927) told the story of a folklore heroine from Granada who famously opposed King Ferdinand VII. Salvador Dali designed the sets. The political theme proved popular throughout Spain. Garcia Lorca was associated with the artists group Generation of '27, where he met Dali and filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Garcia Lorca came to America in 1929 and stayed in New York, though he also visited Vermont and Cuba. When he returned to Spain, he ran a government-sponsored traveling theater company that presented his plays and others throughout the country. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, Garcia Lorca was arrested by Nationalist militia the same day his brother-in-law, who was a Socialist, was murdered and dragged through the streets of Granada. His body was never found. Scholars still investigate the circumstances of his death as well as his work, some of which has been published only recently. Garcia Lorca produced at least 14 poetry collections, 15 plays, and other writings. He also produced drawings and paintings.