Howard John Besnia / 3 mock-up dummy bindings from 1970-1971 for The Legacy

Description: 3 mock-up dummy bindings from 1970-1971 for "The Legacy of Zeus" or "On Three Greek Tragedies" & correspondence with the author, Arthur F. Kinney Author: Besnia, Howard John; Arthur F. Kinney Title: 3 mock-up dummy bindings from 1970-1971 for "The Legacy of Zeus" or "On Three Greek Tragedies" & correspondence with the author, Arthur F. Kinney Publication: Sterling, MA: Howard John Besnia; The Scarab Press, 1971 Description: Hardcover. 3 hand-painted mock-up dummy bindings in boards, measuring 11.5 x 8.5 inches, for a book to be authored by Kinney, initially to be titled "The Legacy of Zeus" but which Besnia later changed to "On Three Greek Tragedies." The author, Arthur Kinney (1914-2022), was a distinguished English professor at UMass Amherst and a prolific author. Besnia (1921-2014) was a printmaker and artist and excellent fine press publisher as the proprietor of the Scarab Press in Sterling, Massachusetts. He had already published two books by Kinney, "On Seven Shakespearean Tragedies" (Scarab Press, 1968) and "On Seven Shakespearean Comedies" (Scarab Press, 1969). Besides the three dummy books, with painted covers in classical motifs, one filled with blank sheets, another with loose sheets and a small mockup with pages loosely sketched out in pencil, and a third with blank pages bound in, featuring a full hand-painted title page ("The Legacy of Zeus") as well as a full page painting of Zeus (presumably) also in the classical style, there are about a dozen pages of correspondence, mainly from Kinney to Besnia, suggesting ideas for the book and its format, figuring out permissions for quotations from the Greek plays, and the brass tacks of format, costs, etc. The last letter is dated November 30, 1971 in a carbon copy, from Besnia to Kinney, in response to Kinney's query about when the book was going to get published, as it had been promised for a while. Besnia's response speaks of declining sales, a drop in the stock market, arthritis and resultant despondency, and thirdly, "my last attempt to make a verbal contact with you was met with a very obvious coolness. That was the straw that literally broke the camels back. Over the last few months I've slowly come to the conclusion that I would not do the book, since we have seem to lost a camaraderie that I feel is terribly important in any endeavor that I spend a year of my time pursuing to completion." Besnia suggested that Kinney approach another publisher instead. (Besnia didn't seem to realize that promising Kinney for several months that the book would be published and not delivering might have been a factor in Kinney's coolness toward him). An interesting group of material from a well regarded fine press publisher and artist. Very good. Seller ID: H39261 Subject: Books on Books RAREBOOKSTORE RareBookStore is a long-established eBay seller specializing in used and rare books in all fields—plus prints, ephemera, maps, music, photography, and the occasional painting. We sell good books at good prices and want you to be satisfied with your purchase. Be sure to add us to your “favorite” sellers and check back to see new items listed daily! We pride ourselves on our high standards, high eBay ratings, and helpful staff, so please contact us directly if you encounter any issues. Standard shipping is via USPS Media Mail. Expedited options are available at checkout. Payment is expected within 2 business days unless otherwise arranged. Our warehouse is staffed Monday-Friday and we respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. We hope you enjoy browsing our selection of great books. Happy reading!This listing was created by Bibliopolis.

Price: 238 USD

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-11-25T04:31:30.000Z

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