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New York, NY, United States
Auction Details
The Complete Kelmscott Press Collection
The Complete Kelmscott Press Collection of Joseph Mark Van Horn
Joseph Mark Van Horn (1932-1983) was an entrepreneur and inventor, described as "a remarkable man, self-made and self-educated." An orphan, he went on to become an MIT educated engineer and computer scientist, holding numerous US and foreign patents. He was also a member of the Club of Odd Volumes, the Harvard Faculty Club, and the Grolier Club, and put together this remarkable and complete collection of William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, including related works to Morris and his vision. Van Horn bought mostly in the 1960s and 70s both at auction and from the respected book dealers of his day including Philip Duschnes and Goodspeed's, with some receipts still extant, assembling this fantastic collection featuring numerous association copies presented by Morris to important contemporaries such as Edward Burne-Jones, Sydney Cockerell, Rudyard Kipling, A.C. Swinburne, as well as copies on vellum of desirable Kelmscott titles, copies from famous collectors like Robert Hoe; Beverly Chew; and Mark Landsburgh, as well as copies of famous books that would influence Morris's designs at the Kelmscott Press, such as Koberger's Nuremberg Chronicle. Van Horn was described as having "the most remarkable taste in the arts," and the condition of most of the works in the collection would support that assessment. Remarkably, when Van Horn passed away suddenly in 1983, the collection was inherited by his fianc?e, Laura Carchia, who proceeded to store it away for the next 40 years until her own passing in 2023. For the first time since 1983, this wonderful, and complete, collection of William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, with related works, is reemerging like Rip Van Winkle and offered here at auction - representing an unheard of opportunity to acquire works not seen in the market for 50 years.
Joseph Mark Van Horn (1932-1983) was an entrepreneur and inventor, described as "a remarkable man, self-made and self-educated." An orphan, he went on to become an MIT educated engineer and computer scientist, holding numerous US and foreign patents. He was also a member of the Club of Odd Volumes, the Harvard Faculty Club, and the Grolier Club, and put together this remarkable and complete collection of William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, including related works to Morris and his vision. Van Horn bought mostly in the 1960s and 70s both at auction and from the respected book dealers of his day including Philip Duschnes and Goodspeed's, with some receipts still extant, assembling this fantastic collection featuring numerous association copies presented by Morris to important contemporaries such as Edward Burne-Jones, Sydney Cockerell, Rudyard Kipling, A.C. Swinburne, as well as copies on vellum of desirable Kelmscott titles, copies from famous collectors like Robert Hoe; Beverly Chew; and Mark Landsburgh, as well as copies of famous books that would influence Morris's designs at the Kelmscott Press, such as Koberger's Nuremberg Chronicle. Van Horn was described as having "the most remarkable taste in the arts," and the condition of most of the works in the collection would support that assessment. Remarkably, when Van Horn passed away suddenly in 1983, the collection was inherited by his fianc?e, Laura Carchia, who proceeded to store it away for the next 40 years until her own passing in 2023. For the first time since 1983, this wonderful, and complete, collection of William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, with related works, is reemerging like Rip Van Winkle and offered here at auction - representing an unheard of opportunity to acquire works not seen in the market for 50 years.
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0001: THE FIRST BOOK FROM THE KELMSCOTT PRESS. MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. The Story of the Glitterin...Est. $2,000-$3,000
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0002: THE ROBERT HOE COPY. MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. Poems by the Way. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press...Est. $2,000-$3,000
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0003: BLUNT, WILFRID SCAWEN. 1840-1922. The Love-Lyrics & Songs of Proteus by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt wi...Est. $1,500-$2,500
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0004: A MANIFESTO FOR THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT. RUSKIN, JOHN. 1819-1900. The Nature of Gothic: A C...Est. $1,000-$1,500
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0005: PRESENTATION FROM SYDNEY COCKERELL. MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. The Defence of Guenevere and Oth...Est. $2,000-$3,000
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0006: MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Pr...Est. $800-$1,200
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0007: THE FIRST BURNE-JONES CONTRIBUTION TO THE KELMSCOTT PRESS. MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. A Dream ...Est. $2,000-$3,000
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0008: INSCRIBED BY WILLIAM MORRIS TO EDWARD BURNE-JONES. VORAGINE, JACOBUS DE. C. 1230-1298. The Gold...Est. $10,000-$15,000
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0009: FIRST APPEARANCE OF MORRIS'S TROY AND CHAUCER TYPES. LEFEVRE, RAOUL. FL 1460. The Recuyell of th...Est. $3,000-$5,000
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0010: MACKAIL, JOHN WILLIAM. 1859-1945. Biblia Innocentium. Being the Story of God's Chosen People Be...Est. $1,500-$2,500
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0011: CAXTON, WILLIAM. C. 1422-1491. The History of Reynard the Foxe. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, De...Est. $4,000-$6,000
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0012: SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM. 1564-1616. The Poems of William Shakespeare. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press...Est. $3,000-$5,000
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0013: MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. News from Nowhere: Or, an Epoch of Rest, being Some Chapters from a...Est. $3,000-$5,000
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0014: INSCRIBED BY WILLIAM MORRIS TO EDWARD BURNE-JONES. LULL, RAMON. 1232-1316. The Order of Chivalr...Est. $10,000-$15,000
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0015: CAVENDISH, GEORGE. 1497-1562. The Life of Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal. Hammersmith: The Kelmscott P...Est. $1,500-$2,500
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0016: FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED AND SOLD AT THE KELMSCOTT PRESS. GUILELMUS. Archbishop of Tyre. C. 1130-118...Est. $2,000-$3,000
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0017: MORE, THOMAS. 1478-1535. Utopia. Translated by Ralph Robinson, with a Foreword by William Morr...Est. $2,000-$3,000
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0018: TENNYSON, ALFRED, LORD. 1809-1892. Maud. A Monodrama. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1893.Est. $1,000-$1,500
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0019: MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. Gothic Architecture: A Lecture for the Arts and Crafts Exhibition S...Est. $600-$900
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0020: MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. Gothic Architecture: A Lecture for the Arts and Crafts Exhibition S...Est. $300-$500
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0021: MEINHOLD, WILLIAM. 1797-1851. Sidonia the Sorceress. Translated by Francesca Speranza, Lady Wild...Est. $3,000-$4,000
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0022: MEINHOLD, WILLIAM. 1797-1851. Sidonia the Sorceress. Translated by Francesca Speranza, Lady Wild...Est. $1,500-$2,500
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![MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896. News from Nowhere: Or, an Epoch of Rest, being Some Chapters from a...: MORRIS, WILLIAM. 1834-1896.News from Nowhere: Or, an Epoch of Rest, being Some Chapters from a Utopian Romance. Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1892 [but 1893]. 8vo. Printed in Golden type in black](https://p1.liveauctioneers.com/1043/354414/193742668_1_x.jpg?height=310&quality=70&version=1733414757)











