Association Copy Owned by the Artist's Father

MANN, Alexander.  GNATS AND OTHER HINDRANCES TO THE SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT OF LANDSCAPE PAINTING.

London: Fine Art Society, 1884. Oblong folio. A special publisher's Presentation Binding in full pigskin. x pages, etched title page and 16 etched plates, each in two states, with a third state of 10 plates also present. Number 9 of 250 copies of the large-paper issue.

A nice association copy, owned by James Mann, the artist's father, with his bookplate.  The book also bears the bookplate of the flamboyant architect and historian, Roderick Gradidge. Alexander Mann was a Glasgow-born, Paris-trained artist.  This suite of delicate comic etchings depict the trevails of the poor landscape painter who must deal with rain, insects, cumbersome easels and umbrellas.  This copy is in a full pigskin binding by Maclehose of Glasgow, most probably designed by the artist.  The copy contains two states of all etchings and a third state of ten of them. The first state of Plate VIII is on inferior paper and is slightly spotted, else a very good copy with very minor edge marks.  OCLC lists two copies of what appears to be the regular edition with seventeen etchings only.  Those are at Cambridge and the British Library.  No copies are cited as being in American libraries and we could find none selling at auction during the past twenty-five years.

$2,850.00