By Paul Landacre
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
'California Hills and Other Wood Engravings by Paul Landacre', 14 wood engravings, plus a vignette on the colophon, edition 500, 1931, Lehman p. 174. Signed in ink on the rear colophon by the artist; this copy outside the numbered edition.
Fourteen superb, richly-inked impressions, printed from the original blocks, on cream wove paper, bound into book format. Including Landacre's acclaimed wood engravings 'Big Sur', 'Indio Mountains', 'Point Magu', 'Malibu Coast', 'Berkeley Stadium', 'San Bernadino Mountains', 'Monterey Hills', and others. Probably the best-known California illustrated book. Reference: Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts #7, Winter 1988.
The first and most beautiful book illustrated by Landacre. Foreword by Los Angeles artist and critic Arthur Millier; printed directly from the original blocks by Harold Young. Published by Bruce McCallister, Los Angeles.
With the original black paper-covered slipcase, wear to the slipcase edges and losses to the top and bottom open front edges. Hardcover, with decorated paper-covered boards in orange/red and gray with a wood engraving in blue ink on the mounted front cover label. Slight surface soiling to front and rear cover boards; moderate light toning to the spine; very slight wear to the cover edges. The interior bright and clean; the usual toned offsetting from the inked images on the opposite blank pages (the book was issued without tissues); private bookplate of Ruth M. Wilson pasted to the inside front cover. Discreet owner inscription, in ink, in the top inside back cover. Overall a near fine copy of this extremely rare and fragile book. Book cover size 12 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches; image sizes, various; page size 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches.
"Except in occasional engravings of buildings, Paul Landacre has confined all his efforts to hymning the 'eternal hills' and especially to searching out those qualities in them that prompt us to use the adjective eternal. He gradually evolved a conception of black lines and white lines - one kind passing easily and unnoticed into the other - which enable him to cut into wood the erosive flow which has given rhythmic form to hills and mountains." —Arthur Millier, from the Preface to 'California Hills'.
Honored as one of the “Fifty Books of the Year” for 1931, by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York.
Collections: Library of Congress, University of California Library (Irvine), William Andrews Clark...
Category
1930s American Modern Paul Landacre Art