Jack Levine, one of America's foremost contemporary artists, made numerous sketches on a trip to Japan. From these he produced a 1970 portfolio edition with an introductory text by James A. Michener, one of America's foremost 20th C. authors. The copy of this portfolio is number 25 from an edition of 2500 and is signed twice, once on the inside of the case and again on a folder within. The Michener text accompanies 1 "hors-texte" woodcut, 4 original lithographs, one of which is the image accompanying this listing, woodcuts within the text pages, and prints - with hand brushed coloring - based on the Levine sketchbook. These sketches are both a personal reaction to the sights Levine encountered on his trip as well as an outsider's social commentary on Japanese culture; but they are quite different in tone from the commentaries Levine makes in his well known images of American politicians and business men. The former are a fond reminiscence, the latter a scathing critique.

The portfolio is packaged wihin a clamshell box covered with silk. The outside cover has some black scuffing, particularly at the edges, light soiling overall and light fraying on the corners. The illustrated text, woodcut, 4 original lithographs and silk covered boards that contains the lot are all in excellent condition. The printed and hand colored sketches and the leatherette folder that holds them are also in excellent condition

portfolio dimensions (HxWxD) - 20" x 13 3/8" x 2"

Thais: though not a typical item of Judaica, this is an intriguing book. It is a limited edition publication (31/250) with text by Norman Levy and illustrations by Abner J. Epstein/Abner Dean. Abner Dean (1910-1982) was a cartoonist and book illustrator. He has signed the title page of this copy together with a message to Yvonne in pencil. Published in 1931, this relatively short, picaresque poem is accompanied by Art Deco serigraphs, each signed in the plate "Abner J. Epstein". The cover is a marvelous modernist decoration.

The first verse starts the poem out as follows:
One time in Alexandria, in wicked Alexandria, Where nights were wild with revelry and life was but a game, There lived, so report is, an adventuress and courtesan, The pride of Alexandria, and Thais was her name.

The overall condition of the book is good. There are a few small stains throughout; and some small pale pencil notations on the front and back end pages. Front and back cover are in excellent condition except for a small loss to the silver-paper title tag.

If someone has any additional information about this publication, please pass it on to us. Thank you!

The Sabbath - Its Meaning for Modern Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel with wood engravings by Ilya Schor, 1951.

Ilya Schor has illustrated Heschel's beautiful text with 12 relief prints, each one evocative of the text for its associated chapter, We offer here the full set of prints together with a copy of the book for a complete package. There are 5 images from the set shown here. However, we have been unable to reproduce the tonality and complexity of feeling these images have. For that you must see them in hand. While Ilya Schor is best known for his jewelry, he is also a marvelous printer whose work in this genre has been sadly overlooked.

The images vary slightly in size, but all are approximately 4 ½ x 3 ½ in; they are printed on various shades of tan paper, signed (I. Schor) and numbered (11/51) in pencil. All the prints are in excellent condition.

The book is in good condition. The cover has been dinged at the corners, there is a small bleach line at the top of both covers, and a tape repair within the front cover. The title page has the handwritten name of a previous owner. All the pages are in excellent condition with no detected stains, tears, etc.

Decorating ritual objects extends back to biblical times with the mention of Bezalel, the master craftsman in the Book of Exodus. Decorating the Haggadah dates back to, at least, the Middle Ages with the tradition still strong today. The impressive 1991 Haggadah shown here was designed and illustrated by Bernard Solomon in continuation of that tradition. The traditional Hebrew text is supplemented with contemporary poetry, text and poems, and numerous woodcuts both printed on the page and tipped into the volume. The illustrations also serve as idiosyncratic textual commentary by the artist. For example, just before the text beginning the seder, the artist inserts a fold-out illustration of 36 individuals around the seder table; included in the guest list are the Rabbis Tarphon, Akiba and Hillel; Susan B Anthony, Mahatma Ghandi, Emma Lazarus, Maimonides, King Christian, X, Eleanor Roosevelt, and other expected and unexpected invitees. For the 4 children section, there is an illustration with 2 boys and 2 girls. Among the traditional images of the 10 Plagues, there is an automobile pelted by hail. And the English accompanying the final l’shana ha’ba’ah b’rushalayim is the text, “NEXT YEAR IN THE COMMUNITY OF FULLMENT.” In the colophon, the artist has signed (B Solomon) and numbered (10/50) in pencil over a blind stamp. (There is no other indication of the edition size.) The haggadah is quarter bound in leather and cloth covered and comes in a leather covered slip case. The condition is close to mint with a few of the tissue papers protecting the tipped in illustrations missing and one of the tipped in images accidentally bent.

height – 18 1/8”, width – 12 1/2”