With the new year have come many new books! There are even more in the store, along with our much expanded vinyl record selection, so we hope you'll stop in soon!
For our online catalog we've added many signed books, as well as first and limited editions. This curated collection mostly focuses on books printed in the 20th Century, and covers a wide range of interests, including classics, fiction, photography, art, essays, children's, pop culture and poetry from famous writers, artists and actors.
We invite you to take a closer look, and hope you'll enjoy what you see. We'd love to hear from you!
]]>Set aside the digital age for a moment, and share the pleasure of a timeless treasure.
There's something special about holding a book and turning its pages--a visceral experience, an intimacy of moment, words and ideas. Resting quietly on a shelf or table, a book is integrated into our surroundings, lending it's unique character to our space and daily life. A cherished book can last generations, adding to its value. This year, give them a gift that lasts more than a season. Give them books.
We invite you to peruse our most recent and largest catalog to date--Timeless Treasures--featuring a diverse panoply of topics and writers. You can expect special editions of 20th C fiction, antiquarian and vintage volumes, unique art and photo books (2 with original prints!), music and pop culture texts, and Bucks County surveys. The more unusual offerings include: a 19th C British Royal commemorative, a treatise on mesmerism, an artistic rendering of onomatopoeia, hidden craftsmen of fashion, and Argy glassware. Some names you'll find: Shakespeare, Man Ray, Brassai, H Watanabe, U Eco, Yoakam, Epiphone, LM Montgomery, M L'Engle, R. Diebenkorn, N. Lewis, M. Coles, C Holland, P Lowell, J Deleuze, Phillips Mill, T Carlyle, EW Gantry, and Ganymed.
We invite you to take a closer look, and trust that you'll enjoy what you see. We'd love to hear from you!
From the folks here at Panoply Books, we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
]]>A recent bio said this about him: "As the unrivaled godfather of postmodernism, Jencks wrote, spoke and enthused in his characteristically charming, witty and debonair manner, for 50 years about architecture that embraced pluralism and difference over standardised homogeneity... His key book, Modern Movements in Architecture, published in 1973 and largely based on his PhD thesis, argued that modernism was a much more diverse affair than previous histories had claimed. [Guardian&91; This dynamic and prolific man contributed extensively to architecture, culture and society.
Jencks also had a talent for bringing architects and others together for the greater good. When his wife Maggie passed from cancer, he turned his focus to developing the program they conceived when she was first diagnosed. He co-founded Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres to address the care, needs and struggles that accompany protracted illness. "The centres provide social and psychological help in an attractive setting next to large hospitals. Their architecture, landscape, and art are designed to support both patients and caregivers and to give dignity to those who, in the past, often hid their disease." [Wikipedia&91;
One of Jencks earliest writings was Adhocism: The Case For Improvisation, written with Nathan Silver and first published in 1972. Considered a designers' cult classic, this counterculture manifesto encourages one to step outside the lines of tradition. Instead of following set guidelines, Jencks and Silver encourage people to let function steer the design, to consider how the space will be used and then to use what materials and space are readily available. Forty years later, these ideas are still garnering enough attention to warrant a reprint in 2013 with additional writings from both authors.
Some notable quotes from Jencks:
"The rule seems to be that there are no absolutes, that what is rare is prized. Thus, in times of relative affluence, thin models become dominant."
"The singular point of beautiful objects, and people, is that they are experienced not as parts, or ratios between cheekbones and chin, but as wholes. The experience of beauty is a perception, but it is one that mixes up various other sensations and makes them converge in a particular way."
]]>We've collected some of our recent arrivals into a mini catalog for your perusal. As always, it includes a wide range of topics and writers--hopefully a little something for everyone.
From the elegance of Homer in limited fine bindings to a copy of Giger's Necronomicon, this selection includes first editions and unique finds in literature, fashion, NYC Jewish culture, design, politics, literary research, pop culture, art theory, classic illustration and of course art & photography.
We invite you to take a closer look, and hope you'll enjoy what you see. We'd love to hear from you!
]]>This seminal book of photojournalism was created with the help of a Guggenheim Fellowship, giving Frank the freedom to drive around the country in 1955, carried by the whims of fate, pointing his lens as he was inspired. The result was something like 28,000 photos that would be distilled down 1000 images, further paired down to the 83 photos printed in a single book that would be translated and published around the world. It was first published in French in 1958 as Les Américains by R. Delpire.
Initial reception of the book was harsh, with photographer Minor White describing it as "a degradation of a nation” while Popular Photography called it “a wart-covered picture of America by a joyless man.” At a time when popular magazines such as Life were portraying a polished and peaceful nation, Frank captured intentionally unglamorous images of everyday people in their very average lives, using unconventional techniques. Even MoMA didn't want to carry the book at first, and it quickly dropped out of print with only 1100 copies sold.
"It’s hard to stress how different The Americans was... On a technical level, he brazenly tossed out an adherence to traditional ideas of composition, framing, focus, and exposure." [artsy&91; We can see today that this is exactly what inspired a new photography movement, inspiring numerous photographers in the years to follow. It also helped to trigger the migration from strictly portrait photos to include snapshots as photographic art.
Robert Frank's masterpiece continues to hold its own today--the selection of photos, and their sequence and pacing is fresh, rich, generous, and stunning. Contemporary photographer Bruce Davidson was strongly influenced by the book, and wrote this about it: “It didn’t hit me politically, it was lyrical, it was poetic and it was interesting and it was true. And it was an amazing body of work,” says Davidson. “Even then, I was a little afraid of it. It was really America in the rough. It was an America we refused to look at.” [Guardian&91;
Robert Frank (1924-2019) was a Swiss-born American photographer and documentary filmmaker. He initially honed his craft in commercial photography--work that paid the bills until he could branch off on his own. After setting this book loose into the world, he turned his artist's eye to the medium of film. [Wikipedia&91;
Panoply Books has just listed a SIGNED copy of the 2008 edition by Steidl! (12 Sept 2019)
]]>We invite you to peruse our most recent e-catalog, featuring signed books on a wide range of topics and years. From Booker T. Washington to Zane Grey, from Annie Leibovitz to Muhammed Ali, the topics span a wide range of interests. The oldest signatures originated in the 19th century and include a scientist, printer, Philadelphia fisherman and an American painter. Early 20th century signings include novels, translators, collectors, academics, biographers, poets, and a children's book. And of course no selection of signed books from Panoply is complete without a few signed photo and art books!
]]>A gift from the author, book plates reveal some of the history absorbed by this tome. One can almost imagine it's neighbors on the shelf, and the hard-working men who shared it's room.
Along with the biographies it contains, this book features more men who made notable contributions to their country.
Starting with the inscription:
"To a Present day Maker of America, My friend, A.H. Wiggin, With Cordial regards,B.C. Forbes"
Facing this inscription is an ex libris bookplate for Albert Henry Wiggin (1868-1951), featuring the family crest and motto "Suae Fidei Semper Fidelis." He was a significant player on Wall Street, chiefly as president and chairman of Chase National Bank. Not bad for one who started as a bank runner!
Verso of the inscription is a set of bookplates, showing that Mr. Wiggin passed this book to his son-in-law Lynde Selden. These plates show that the owner spent time researching his heritage. The blended family crest includes the phrase "Liberty above all things." This hearkens back to the 8,000 volume donation to the Bodleian Library (Oxford) in the 16th century by John Seldon (1584-1654), English scholar and law historian.
A round Ex Libris overlaps the more traditional bookplate with his full name and what looks to be a Danish phrase: "Ik Mak Sikker." One could easily believe this a reference to the ancient Selden motto that translates as "To suffer is best" (Optimum pati). A financier like his father-in-law, Lynde Selden (1892-1972) was Vice Chairman of the American Express Company and served as director for several other companies.
Perhaps then this book was passed to Lynde's son, named for the original recipient: Albert Wiggin Selden (1922-1987). Although not in banking, this Yale graduate made significant contributions as an American theatrical producer and composer.
(sources include Wikipedia, American National Biography, House of Names, Bodleian
Library, BBC, Stamford Advocate, NY Times)
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Let Us Now Praise Famous Men documents the experience and lives of American farmers during the tragic years of the Dust Bowl droughts. Fortune magazine charged these talented men to document the experience and conditions of sharecropper families in the American South of 1936.
The two friends, Agee and Evans, did not so much collaborate as combine forces on this work of tremendous visual and expressive power. Evans' photos are especially striking in their depiction of the roughness of the tenent farmers' lives. While Agee often writes as a simple spectator, at times his feelings inevitably permeate the work. Behind the prose, one can feel his poet's heart reaching out to inspire the reader to feel and see these people with him.
The book's ambitious scale and rejection of traditional reporting resulted in a modest initial success. However, as time passed it became a highly influential work, with its radically innovative approach to journalism and writing, as well as its historical and social relevance. Agee not only shared the impoverished farmers' experiences, but also presented them in their poignant political and cultural contexts.
The title of the book is a tribute to the profound impact of this book. It has been credited to a line from the Hebrew Wisdom of Sirach: "Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us." Even without that, one can see that both men were compelled to share the humanity and lingering dignity that existed in these marginal lives. A person could also see the title as an insult to the men who consider themselves great, and yet neglect a sense of social responsibility when tragedy strikes. These are people who deserve to remembered, and that in itself is a reason to praise them as famous.
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men was adapted for radio broadcasting by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1966, written by George Whalley and produced by John Reeves.
Out of respect for the families, specific identities were withheld from this book; However, their names were traced back to the real people since then and can be easily found on the internet. In fact, the original photos were archived as part of the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress using their real names.
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is considered a seminal work of what would later be called the “new journalism.” This very personal style of reporting influenced many writers, including George Orwell, Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, and Norman Mailer.
]]>Here we present a curated selection of more recent rare and exceptional volumes for your personal and professional libraries.
This catalog includes a wide range of publications, including the first Shaker hymnal, a four-volume set of Chapman's translation of Homer. an official script from the Exorcist, an early printing of Jane Eyre, a Desilver atlas, Roman numismatics, limited edition illustrated facsimile manuscript of Beatrix Potter, as well as early 20th century books on commercial art and Japanese flowers. You'll also find first and limited editions by Bertrand Russel, James Fergusson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Karl Marx, a review copy for a Hemingway collection, and signed copies of Jaws and In Praise of Idleness and Madame Dorthea. A veritable panoply of books!
We invite you to take a closer look, and hope you'll enjoy what you see. We'd love to hear from you!
]]>Panoply was able to purchase a collection of publications from the Chicago contingent of the Mimeo Revolution, and we featured them in our Nov 2018 mini catalog. The most notable ones from this collection could be the D.A. Levy's For John Scott Who Painted Flowers and the set of The Marrahwannah Quarterly. To see the rest of our Mimeo Revolution publications, please click here, and of course we have more on hand in the store.
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]]>Our inventory includes a vast array of books, paintings, prints, unusual objects d'art, and a constantly growing collection of LPs (varied, but with a strong leaning toward jazz and blues). There is a focus on the best of used books, LPs, textiles and art that are quality, scarce, out-of-print, unusual, different, offbeat, and beautiful.
Over the last 4 years we've worked to establish something of an online presence, gradually building a website, social media presence, and an emerging eCommerce business. Our brick-and-mortar store has hosted a long-term series of poetry events as well as the summer music series, tarot readings. and a handful of photo and film shoots.
In 2017, our storefront is looking great with fresh inventory arriving every day. We add to our website regularly, dabble in social media, and regularly sell books online through Abe Books, eBay, direct contacts, and our website.
Each item in our store has been carefully selected and researched, to offer the best books, music and art at a fair and reasonable price. Each customer and sale is given individual attention for a personal shopping experience.
We invite you to visit our store and enjoy the diverse, unique selection of books, art, vinyl and rare finds.
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