Illustrated by Salvador Dali: Essays of Michel de Montaigne--sealed, mint.

I recently stumbled upon this rare item. 

It's not just any copy of Montaigne; it's a mint condition copy still sealed with the Literary Guild card inside.  I have never seen one of these books still sealed like this--a rarity indeed!

Like a collectible toy in its original unopened package, this book should be worth a premium to a collector.  I snatched this up for fewer than $20, but I am certain it is worth more than $75 to the right person.

BTW, I don't plan to open it, so for now this mint copy will be preserved in its original condition.

Here, for the first time ever, are all 16 of the full-page, color illustrations from this fine book, followed by a number of the black-and-white illustrations.



Salvador Dali Lithographic Reproduction: "God of War" (Athena).

Salvador Dali Lithographic Reproduction:
"God of War" (Athena)

The origin of this image is The Mythology print suite of etchings and engravings (Field catalog #63-3P, pp. 24-25).  The print pictured here is a lithographic reproduction of the work titled "Athena." 

The Graphic Art Society COA attached to the backing board of this print identifies the title as "God of War."  The print is pencil numbered 9/500 which is also indicated on the COA.

The paper is an off-white cream color laid paper type (with a pattern of close parallel lines in one direction and wider-spaced parallel lines at right angles), measuring  15 3/16" x 10 15/16".  There is a "Hamilton Andorra" watermark on the bottom edge of the paper.  The print was easy to frame because the image fits within a standard mat opening of 10.5" x 13.5".

There is no indication of the year that this was produced, but the tape residue remaining on the print is sufficiently aged to indicate a vintage print.

There is absolutely no information about this print in the Field catalog or on the internet.  My gut tells me that it is probably an unauthorized print, and that it is not worth much.  Nevertheless, it's a pretty neat image, and it looks great on my wall.  It turns out to be an affordable alternative to an authentic limited edition Dali intaglio print.

I picked this vintage lithographic print up for fewer than $40.  Not likely to see another one of these any time soon.

Dali's Tribes of Israel Bronze Medallion: "Joseph."

Dali's Tribes of Israel
Bronze Medallion:
"Joseph."

The second I saw this medallion at auction, I knew it was destined to join my collection.

Not because of the Israel/Jewish reference (I have no connection to either), but because both the name and the date of its production are of special significance to me.

The medal is 5cm in diameter, and consists of about 80g of bronze.  A stamp on the rim identifies the maker as Medallic Art Co., N.Y. 

This medal is number 315.  I do not know how many sets of these medallions were produced.

Usually, one sees the Tribes of Israel medallions sold as complete sets in a number of competing editions most commonly in bronze and silver. 

In my experience, a single medal from a set like this is rarely sold by itself.  In fact, I can only remember seeing two sets of these round medallions in silver at auction over the past year, but none in bronze.

I have no other sales from which to approximate a value, but I think that I got mine for a great bargain: fewer than $30.

Les Caprices de Goya de Salvador Dali--Exhibition Catalog, Paris, 1977.

Les Caprices de Goya de Salvador Dali
Exhibition Catalog
Paris, 1977

This catalog was produced around the time of the first exhibition of the Dali original intaglio print suite titled Les Caprices de Goya (1977) at the Goya Museum in Castres, France.

All 80 original etchings are reproduced in this catalog, along with comments on each image by Luis Romero, translated to French from Spanish by Joelle Guyot and Robert Marrast.

All reproductions are in color and are printed individually per page.  They are done well.  I don't speak French, so I can't comment on the content of the comments for each image.

There is something odd about my copy of this catalog.  In two places, it appears that a previous owner removed something.

On the spine, just before "Paris 1977" it appears that someone cut out a small square from the surface of the paper.  I wonder what, if anything, was printed there.  Perhaps it was just a price tag?

On the inside title page at the very bottom, someone erased or rubbed out whatever was printed there.  The printing is only slightly visible, but I have no idea what it said.

It also seems that the surface paper has been rubbed from the very top of the front cover just above the lithograph. 

Perhaps someone out there with a copy of this catalog can clarify what was removed from these places on my catalog.

I have not seen another of these catalogs for sale, so it seems relatively rare as far as exhibition catalogs go.  I estimate the value of this book to be about $40.