(Berkeley, California, August 11th, 2020) – PBA Galleries announces a timed auction of Publications of the Limited Editions Club that will begin closing at 11:00am PST on August 13th, 2020. The sale is comprised of 368 lots of publications from the Limited Editions Club, featuring classic literature from Grecian times to the mid-twentieth century. The books are finely printed, attractively bound, and adorned by the leading artists and illustrators the day, nearly all of whom have signed on the limitation page.
The Limited Editions Club was founded in 1929 by George Macy as a subscription-based book club intent on circulating limited edition copies of classic titles to its members. This meant that the print run of each book was limited to the number of members of the group, at first 1,500 and later, 2,000. Macy was a powerhouse New York City publisher who worked hard to ensure that each publication of the club was a once-in-a-lifetime production, often bringing aboard some of the most notable illustrators of the 20th-century (think Arthur Rackam, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Norman Rockwell) to collaborate on the reprints.
The PBA auction includes some of the best and brightest of the LEC publications, many of which are illustrated by the aforementioned artists. Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard: The Almanacks is illustrated and signed by Norman Rockwell (starting bid: $100). A copy of Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book, The Wind in the Willows, is illustrated by Arthur Rackham and also signed by the artist (starting bid: $100). Walden or Life in the Woods, by Henry David Thoreau, features 16 collotype plates from photographs by Edward Steichen. The book was limited to 1500 copies and is signed by the photographer in the colophon (starting bid: $150). The Compleat Angler by Isaac Walton is illustrated with wash-drawings and engravings by Douglas W. Gorsline, and also remains one of 1500 copies signed by the artist (starting bid: $10).
The auction will be timed and most lots are included without reserve. PBA continues to safeguard the health of employees and clients by remaining closed to the public. For more information about upcoming sales or to schedule a Zoom preview or phone bidding for a future auction, please contact the galleries at 415.989.2665 or [email protected].