Language, Literature & Books

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Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree. Ezra Pound

Selected Titles:

The Art of the Book from Medieval Manuscript to Graphic Novel  James Bettley (ed) V & A Publications 1st 2001 Illuminated manuscripts, comics, fine bindings, the classics of children's literature, artists' books and their working documents - these are just some of the remarkable items to be found in the National Art Library at the V&A. This fascinating and attractive volume explores the ways in which books represent art and literature, and how the marriage of word and image can create a work of art in its own right. In a series of thematic chapters, the authors draw on their wide-ranging expertise to look at the Library's major holdings, and in the process illustrate the main aspects of book design and production over the centuries. With medieval books of hours sitting alongside contemporary paperback novels, the choice is wonderfully varied, from Leonardo da Vinci to Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, Joan of Arc to Judge Dredd, Aesop to Charles Dickens, and Babar the Elephant to Ian Fleming. The superb colour plates, accompanied by a clear and informative text, superbly demonstrate the many facets of the art of bookmaking. This absorbing compendium, spanning six centuries, will be of interest to all those with a love of art, literary history and illustration. 4to. Minor bumps to the boards; very, very minor cearsing to dustwrapper edges, otherwise VG++ in a VG++ wrapper. 1160 gms £15.00

Alphabets Old and New  Lewis F Day Senate 1st thus 1995 Initially conceived by its author Lewis Day as a source book 'for the use of artists and others who have occasion to work in the manner of some given period or to design lettering of their own', Alphabets Old & New can now claim a much wider readership containing as it does a superb graphic history of the alphabet from its earliest times to the beginning of the twentieth century. As well as providing an illustrated account of those alphabets whose primary printed medium was paper, this book also documents the other materials on and with which the alphabet has been depicted, including stone, marble and metal. In this fascinating tour of lettering styles, Day celebrates sheer diversity - from a crisp, chiselled Roman alphabet to fine examples of medieval Celtic illumination. Superb illustrations bring to life the delicate lettering embroidered in gold thread at the court of KingJames and a curious Lombardic alphabet cut in leather. 8vo paperback 256 pages. Very, very slight creasing to the front cover, otherwise VG++. Reprint of 1910 third edn. 245 gms £5.00

The Dialects of England  Pete Trudgill Basil Blackwell 1st 1990 Do you know any nice lasses, maidens, wenches or mawthers or are they all just plain girls to you? Do your shoes include pumps, daps, plimsolls, gollies and sandshoes, or do you settle for ordinary trainers instead? If you think Geordies would do better to speak like BBC announcers, if you think the Queen's English is the only English there is, then this book is not for you. Th« Dialects of England celebrates the rich variety of the regional and social dialects of English in all its forms, ancient and modem. It covers Zummerzet and Scouse, Cockney and Cumberland, Brummie and Berkshire, Nottingham and Norfolk. It deplores the trend towards linguistic uniformity urged on us by the self-appointed guardians of the purity of the English language. English dialects are the result of 1500 years of linguistic and cultural development. Written in nontechnical language, this book outlines their history and their geography. It describes and delights in the diversity of vocabulary, accent, grammar and literature to be found among the dialects of England. Large 8vo. Minor crease to front of dustwrapper, otherwise the book is in Fine condition in a VG++ wrapper. 385 gms £12.00

Books - their history, art, power, glory, infamy and suffering according to their creators, friends and enemies Gerald Donaldson Phaidon 1st 1981 There are true book lovers, such as Erasmus: "When I get a little money, I buy books: and if any is left, I buy food and clothes". There are those who are not so keen, such as Louis XIV: "I see no point in reading". There are critics who are less than fair to authors, such as Sydney Smith: "I never read a book before reviewing it, it prejudices a man so". There are authors who are less than kind to critics, such as Rabelais: "As for you, little envious prigs, snarling, bastard, puny Criticks, you'll soon have railed your last: Go hang yourselves". Finally, there are those who stand by, incomprehending, such as William Henry, Duke of Gloucester: "Another damned, thick, square book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr Gibbon?". All these quotes and many others are included in Gerald Donaldson's delightful anthology: Books. In this beautifully illustrated volume are hundreds of quotations about books being made, books being sold. books being read, disastrous books, successful books, and the problem and cure of bibliomania. A book for every book lover, dealer, curator or collector, Books is a truly original collection of insights, both lighthearted and earnest: it answers questions that few would have thought of asking, and it shows the literati at their wittiest and wickedest, such as Disraeli, who wrote on receiving an unsolicited manuscript: -Many thanks; I shall lose no time in reading it"; or Groucho Marx, who wrote with his usual kindness: -From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it". Square format 4to. Very, very minor cearsing to dustwrapper edges, otherwise VG++ in a VG++ wrapper. 655 gms £7.50

A History of the English Language  G L Brook Andre Deutsch 6th imp 1972 The author's aim in writing this book has been to provide the historical explanation of some of the puzzling features of the English language as we use it today. He has had in mind both the general reader and students at universities and training colleges who wish to learn something about the history of their own language. There are introductory chapters on the nature of language and the sounds of speech, followed by a brief sketch of the history of the English language from the earliest times of which we have any knowledge down to the present day. Later chapters deal with the history of English spelling, phonology, accidence, syntax and the development of meaning. Professor G. L. Brook is Professor of English Language and Medieval English Literature at the University of Manchester. He is interested in the study of dialect and was the founder of the Lancashire Dialect Society and the first editor of its Journal. In 1951 he was a visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. His publications include English Dialects, The Language of Dickens (both in the Language Library), An Introduction to Old English and an edition of the Middle English Harley Lyrics. 8vo. VG++ in a VG++ wrapper. 450 gms £7.00

A D H Lawrence Companion - life, thought and works F B Pinion Macmillan rep 1980 This study serves principally as a guide to the evaluation of Lawrence's works. Each novel is the subject of close analysis; all the shorter stories are considered; and the poems, constituting 'a biography of an emotional and inner life', are surveyed with reference to important changes in the text Lawrence's poetical development, and his attitudes to life and society. The grouping of poems relative to Jessica Chambers, Louisa Burrows, Helen Corke, and his mother is an early feature of this section. Lawrence's unusual views are presented in terms of his own imagery. Familiarity with his poetry and thought is not a prerequisite, but it can be of enormous help in the appreciation of a writer who is frequently misunderstood, often at cardinal points, partly because the full force of his figurative writing is not realized, sometimes because his zeal and creative energy outstripped his critical awareness. Special attention is given to the artistic function of imagery in Lawrence's fiction, notably in scenes and actions where metaphorical meaning far outweighs the literal. Since Lawrence's work is so intimately linked with his life and travel, the biographical introduction is presented in considerable detail. Other sections are devoted to his 'travel' books, plays, literary criticism, and other important works. Numerous references to key passages in the letters and miscellaneous prose help to familiarize the reader with the corpus of Lawrence's work, and with all major aspects of his thought. Despite his exceptional creative gifts, Lawrence relied unusually on his surroundings for 'copy'. An appendix on people and places in the novels is supplemented by incidental identifications in the chapter on the shorter stories. aps, together with more than forty illustrations, complete this comprehensive guide to Lawrence. 8vo. Slight sunning to the spine of the dustwrapper, otherwise the book is in Fine condition in a Fine wrapper. 580 gms £7.50

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