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Signed & Limited Editions List
Publications of the Mosher Press
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"My aim has been, and is, to print only those things informed
by the spirit of beauty - of the souls of books - not hackneyed,
by reason of constant use or display."
-- Thomas Bird Mosher, quoted in Amphora: A Second Collection
...
The Mosher Press of Portland, Maine, began publication in 1891 with
a beautiful production of George Meredith's Modern Love. Mosher's elegant,
delicate and affordable publications were highly prized by collectors and
readers alike, then as today.
After Mosher's death his Press continued to opperate under the
direction of its manager, Flora MacDonald Lamb, in co-operation with
his widow, Anna L. Mosher. This list is divided between these periods.
 Works Published by Mosher (pre-1923)
- Works Published by Lamb (post-1923)
- The Bibelot
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Many of the books on this list have been illustrated; to see them, either
browse the images directly,
or click on the link embedded in the book's description to go straight to its
picture.
Bibliographical references are to
Thomas Bird Mosher: Pirate Prince of Publishers.
By Philip R. Bishop.
New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll Press; London: British Library, 1998.
and
A Checklist of the Publications of Thomas Bird Mosher ...
by Benton L. Hatch
Northampton: Gehenna Press, 1966
Unless otherwise stated, edition statements refer to
the Mosher Press editions,
as noted in the colophon or on verso of the title page.
Other edition information will be provided in a note.
Works Published by Mosher
H-2237
Alexander, Francesca. The Story of Ida: Epitaph on an Etruscan Tomb.
Portland, Maine: Thomas B Mosher, 1904. Second edition. Old World Series,
#15. One of 925 copies on Van Gelder paper. Original
Japan
vellum covered boards; lightly creased at corners and along spine;
somewhat soiled; rear cover faintly rubbed, front minorly so, affecting lowest
scroll of decoration; contents clean and tight. Very good. (Bishop #387.1;
Hatch #303)
Portrait frontispiece by the author; edited by John Ruskin.
$15
H-2248
Jefferies, Richard and Brown, John. Saint Guido [and] Queen Mary's
Child Garden. Portland, Maine: Thomas B Mosher, 1901. [First edition] (May
1901). [Brocade Series, #25]. One of 425 copies on Japan vellum.
Original publisher's Japan vellum wrappers over light card, now soiled
and spotted overall; creased at lower rear; a bit of wear with minor loss at lower
corners and spine ends. Small black marker notation on front endpaper; a few pages
thumbed. A very good copy. (Bishop #340; Hatch #187)
Unsigned foreword by Mosher.
$15
H-2250
Lang, Andrew. Aucassin & Nicolete. Portland, Maine: Thomas B
Mosher, 1898. Fourth edition. Old World Series, #2. One of 925
copies on Van Gelder paper. Original Japan
vellum over board, dusty and lightly age-toned, more so
on spine; yapped fore edges creased; endpapers lightly tanned; marker
ribbon at half title offsetting to adjacent paper. Very good. (Bishop #10.3;
Hatch #83)
$15
H-2254
Macleod, Fiona. From the Hills of Dream: Threnodies, Songs and Other
Poems. Portland, Maine: Thomas B Mosher, 1910. Fourth edition. Old
World Series, #24. One of 925 copies on Van Gelder paper.
Original
Japan vellum
over board; yapped fore edges now a touch creased at corners; a hint of
dusting. Pastedowns tanned, free endpapers less so; small ink name and date
on front endpaper. Near fine. (Bishop #121.3; Hatch #522)
Layout differs from first edition: moving one poem resulted in 147 p.
text (instead of 149) from 3rd edition on.
The first Mosher edtion (1901) was also the first American edition.
$18
H-2267
Schreiner, Olive. Dreams. Portland, Maine: Thomas Bird Mosher, 1917.
[First and only edition] (October 1917). Miscellaneous Series, #81. One
of 450 copies on Van Gelder paper. Publisher's
brown boards,
decoratively printed in black; one corner bumped and creased with loss,
extremities rubbed with slight loss at head and tail; darker streak running
across centre of both boards, spine and around to inside covers (paper flaw?).
Neat ink name and date on front endpaper; text excellent. A very good copy.
(Bishop #94; Hatch #653)
Edition also included 25 numbered copies on Japan vellum.
Text mostly from the Unwin, 1891, edition, plus two selections from other
sources.
$70
Sharp, William see Macleod, Fiona
H-2275
Swinburne, Algernon Charles. Félise: A Book of Lyrics.
Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1894. [First edition]. Bibelot Series,
#4. One of 725 copies on Van Gelder paper. A grubby copy, at
best, with yapped edges of Japan vellum over light card covers, torn and
creased; lacking 1" at top of spine; endpapers much tanned; contents,
surprisingly, clean, bright and tight. One of the earliest Mosher
publications. (Bishop #110; Hatch #7)
Edition also included 25 copies on Japan vellum. Title later transferred to
the Old World Series.
$10
H-2279
Thompson, Francis. Shelley: An Essay. Portland, Maine: Thomas B Mosher,
1912. Second edition (November 1912). [Miscellaneous Series, #44]. One
of 900 copies on Van Gelder paper. Publisher's grey boards, with cream
labels on spine and front; age-toned overall, with line of small, faint,
evenly-spaced tanned marks 1" from spine on front; top corners bumped; head
of spine a bit worn with minor loss; spine label chipped at lower left.
Internally clean and tight. Very good. (Bishop #349.1; Hatch #573)
Written in 1889, first published in the July, 1908 Dublin Review;
edited and reprinted in book form in early 1909. Contains the complete
original text, with edited portions herein parenthetically restored.
(cf. Mosher's preface)
$18
H-2281
Yeats, William Butler. The Land of Heart's Desire. Portland, Maine:
Thomas B Mosher, 1910. Ninth edition (November 1910). [Lyric Garland Series,
#1]. One of 950 copies on Van Gelder paper. Original
dark grey boards,
with cream title labels printed in red and black on spine and upper front,
corner of former chipped; age-toned overall, rear panel lightly scuffed near
edges; front joint splitting, with resulting tears across spine, yet still
completely intact. Bookplate; occasional short marginal ink lines. Very good.
(Bishop #186.8; Hatch #529)
A short play set in early 19th century County Sligo.
$10
Works Published by Lamb
H-2282
Conant, Isabel Fiske. Aisle-Seat: Lyrics, Sonnets, Quatrains. Portland,
Maine: Mosher Press, 1937. [First edition]. A fine copy in dark-blue stamped
sea-green paper; minor "ding" to lower edge; text excellent. Original
glassine lacking a few small chips at corners and spine ends. (Bishop #FL19)
Poems collected from various periodical and journal sources.
$20
H-2283
Conant, Isabel Fiske. Frontier. Portland, Maine: Mosher Press, 1924.
[First edition]. Original
blue boards,
lettered and decorated in dark blue and red; faint rubbing on rear; slight
bumping to tail of spine. Title and facing pages tanned (clipping?); contents
otherwise clean and bright. Because of the title page, a near fine copy.
(Bishop #FL17)
Poems collected from various periodical and journal sources.
$15
H-2286
[Lamb, Flora MacDonald, ed.] Amphora: A Second Collection of Prose and Verse
Chosen by the Editor of the Bibelot. Portland, Maine: Thomas Bird
Mosher, 1926. [First edition]. One of 925 copies on Van Gelder
paper. Original grey-blue boards, with minor wear at corners
and spine ends; spine very lightly tanned. Blue and white "Ju-ichi ban"
Japanese endpapers; frontispiece portrait of Mosher faintly offsetting to
title page. A near fine copy. (Bishop #FL2)
Published a few years after Mosher's death by his press manager, Flora Lamb,
this collection was opposed by his widow. Mosher's will had specified that
the press continue, but only in order to produce reprints of earlier works.
Despite those instructions, Lamb herein collected select items from the Mosher
Press catalogue but paired them with tributes to the publisher, creating a
new work under the Mosher imprint.
$20
H-2287
[----- Another copy]. This one a little dusty; corners and spine
ends bumped and worn with some loss, top front corner creased; now-tanned
spine expertly re-joined along front joint and across centre; minor cracking
of joints near spine ends. A very good copy. (Bishop #FL2)
$10
H-2288
Nickerson, Paul Sumner. Surf. Portland, Maine: Mosher Press, 1931.
[First edition]. "Cover designed and drawn by the author, drawings in the
text by Edna Brucker." #211 of 500 copies. Original
juniper-green
paper boards, lettered and decorated (lighthouse sea-scape) in silver;
neat ink gift inscription on front endpaper, with tanned patch
(clipping?) and pinpoint marks; contents crisp and clean. A fine copy.
(Bishop #FL90)
Poems collected from various periodical and journal sources.
$60
The Bibelot
Mosher's periodical "Reprint of Poetry and Prose for Book Lovers,
chosen in part from scarce editions and sources not generally known."
Many of his regular titles made their first Mosher appearances herein.
The Bibelot was available either as individual issues,
or, at the end of the year, as bound volumes.
A complete index to the 20 volume series was also issued.
H-2289
The Bibelot, vol. VII (1901). Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1901.
Publisher's light blue boards, with white parchment spine and red and black spine
label; spine now lightly foxed. Volume title mimicking cover of individual parts
printed in red and black on blue front endpaper; contents clean and tight.
Light blue dust
wrapper, titled in dark blue on spine, now evenly age-toned. Fine.
(Bishop #24; Hatch #198)
$15
H-2290
The Bibelot, vol. VIII (1902). Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1902.
Light blue boards
with white parchment spine, now a touch tanned, with spine label prited in
red and black. Volume title mimicking cover of individual parts printed in red
and black on blue front endpaper; contents excellent. Fine. (Bishop #25;
Hatch #231)
$10
H-2291
The Bibelot, vol. IX (1903). Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1903.
Light blue boards with white parchment spine and red and black spine label;
spine a bit foxed. Volume title mimicking cover of individual parts
printed in red and black on blue front endpaper; contents excellent. Light blue
wrappers printed in dark blue, unevenly age-toned and a bit rippled at lower edge.
Publisher's slipcase, with white spine label, tanned; splitting at joints, with
bottom panel partially detached. A fine volume in near fine jacket and very good
case. (Bishop #26; Hatch #263)
$18
H-2292
The Bibelot, vol. X (1904). Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1904.
Original light blue boards with white parchment spine and red and black spine
label; very light foxing to parchment. Volume title mimicking cover of
individual parts printed in red and black on blue front endpaper; contents
excellent. Light blue wrapper, printed in dark blue, age-toned except along
narrow strip at top rear. In publishers
pale green
slipcase with white title label, a touch tanned along spine and
bumped at lower corner. A fine copy. (Bishop #27; Hatch #299)
$20
H-2293
The Bibelot, vol. XIII (1907). Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1907.
Light blue boards and white parchment spine with red and black label, all
bright and clean. Volume title mimicking cover of individual parts printed
in red and black on blue front endpaper; pages clean and tight. Light blue
dust jacket lightly but unevenly tanned and just a touch rippled at bottom
edge. Pale green publisher's slipcase, with white spine label, age-toned;
joints cracking and starting to split in a few places, tear across lower
panel neatly repaired. A fine volume in very good case. (Bishop #30;
Hatch #401)
$18
H-2294
The Bibelot, vol. XIV (1908). Portland, Maine: Thomas B. Mosher, 1908.
A fine, clean copy in original blue boards and white parchment spine with
red and black label. Volume title mimicking cover of individual parts
printed in red and black on blue front endpaper; contents clean and tight.
Light blue jacket lightly age-toned except near spine, and a touch rippled
along bottom edge. Light green slipcase split along bottom panel. Fine in
very good case. (Bishop #31; Hatch #444)
$18
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