MARIA
Scarce first edition, privately printed by Cornell in an edition of about 100 copies and given away to his friends as presents, augmented with a collaged element to the last page.
Very good.
Price: $9,500.00
Scarce first edition, privately printed by Cornell in an edition of about 100 copies and given away to his friends as presents, augmented with a collaged element to the last page.
Very good.
Price: $9,500.00
This work was inspired by nineteenth-century opera singer Maria Malibran-Garcia and was produced with the same precision and care Cornell brought to his other productions. It is in many ways a Cornell work in book form, not only due to the collaged element present, but also in the appropriation of text, the use of a decorative headpiece from yet another book, and focusing on one of Cornell's signature obsessions.
A box of leftover copies of MARIA was discovered with Cornell's estate and are seen on the market with some regularity. These are identifiable, however, by a lack of any collage element in the rear of the book, no blue tissue (which according to his diaries, Cornell labored to find just the right color of), and their generally fine condition (having been stored in a box for years). This copy, however, is one of those augmented and circulated by Cornell himself -- and genuinely scarce as such. OCLC locates one holding (Utah, though another lies among the Donald Windham and Sandy Campbell Papers at Yale) and we find only one additional among museum collections (the Smithsonian). A curious entry in a curious career and an early and under-appreciated artist's book, rare in this state altered by Cornell.
[Queens, NY]: Salamander Editions [Joseph Cornell], (1954). Original printed stapled wraps. Original blue tissue still present. Small collaged element to last page (postcard detail of skyline of lower Manhattan). Mild rubbing, some toning. "From Joseph Cornell" neatly penned in green ink to front cover in an unknown contemporary hand.
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Priority. International orders over $500 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
Type Punch Matrix is a Washington D.C.-area rare book firm founded by Rebecca Romney and Brian Cassidy.
Read more about TPM.