Petrarch Press - Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam announcement

One of my favorite Fine Presses recently announced the availability of the above title. You will not be disappointed by William Bentley and team's work. Their parchment (vellum) efforts are truly stunning.
https://www.petrarchpress.com/rubaiyat/

> You will not be disappointed by William Bentley and team's work. Their parchment (vellum) efforts are truly stunning.

I strongly second that assertion. The craftsmanship is second to none. Is Petrarch the only press currently printing on parchment/vellum?

Philip Bishop's Mosher Press website includes a compilation of 'Books Printed on Vellum in the United States'
https://thomasbirdmosher.net/printing-background/mosher-books-in-series/books-pr...

Although the last date included in Mr. Bishop's list is 2001, note that of the thirteen books on vellum printed since 1985 listed, seven were printed at The Petrarch Press. Each of those was limited to ten copies...

>3 Sport1963: Thanks for the link. Highly limited editions, indeed.

The only book in my library printed on vellum is the 1913 Medici Society edition of the Rubaiyat (one of twelve copies - actually copy 1). When I bought it I assumed that the bookstore owner had been confused and that it was just a copy bound in limp vellum. Since the book was a good deal for a paper copy in limp vellum I ordered it anyway. Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw that it was indeed a vellum copy.

I don’t know anything about Petrarch Press and I see that no vellum copies are currently available but I’d recommend a book printed on vellum to most fine book collectors.

>1 Sport1963: I have to say that I'm disappointed that the first edition Petrarch Press have done for ages is yet another edition of the Rubaiyat. There are soooo many fine press editions of this over-flogged text that I'm frankly somewhat baffled by the choice. It's a pity, as their work is generally superb. For myself, the only plus is that there are copies on vellum.

>2 ultrarightist: They are the only modern press I can think of that make a point of quite often doing part of their editions on vellum. While other printers will print the odd piece (Evergreen and St James Park are two that have dabbled in the last few years), Petrarch are the only printers publishing full editions of such. Their vellum Petrarch is one of the best examples of extensive vellum printing that I've seen from the last 50 or so years. It's exquisite.

>7 ChestnutPress: Steve Heaver at The Hill Press does editions on vellum occasionally. The effect is luminous.

>6 ChestnutPress: You raise a fair point. This will be fifth edition of the Rubaiyat in my library, and while I would have preferred a different text selection, I still elected to go with the vellum edition. In that respect, it is unique.

>9 Sport1963: I can't say I blame you! On the basis of budget actually allowing, it is difficult to pass up vellum editions, regardless of text. For my part, I'm fortunate that all the vellum items on my shelves are ones that I love the text of as well as the material.

>8 ChampagneSVP: I don't actually own anything from that press, but I really should, and I would love to at least see some of his vellum printing.

>10 ChestnutPress: I would love to see some of Bryon's poetry get the vellum treatment from Petrarch, particularly "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" and/or "The Curse of Minerva". "Pilgrimage" is probably too long of a poem, and would be prohibitively expensive to produce in a vellum format, but one can always hope...

>7 ChestnutPress: "Their vellum Petrarch is one of the best examples of extensive vellum printing that I've seen from the last 50 or so years. It's exquisite."

Yes, it is. I was fortunate to see it at the Codex Fair several years ago. It was beyond my means at the time, so I opted for the half-leather bound edition printed on handmade linen paper. One of the finest productions in my collection.

>13 ultrarightist: I saw a copy several years back at the UK Fine Press Book Fair. I wish I'd had the money to buy it. Books on vellum are generally out of my pocket, although I am fortunate enough to own a couple. That Petrarch would be a peach to have, though...

>12 Sport1963: Indeed, one can hope!

We're well off the topic now, but if its printing on vellum you're interested in...

>16 H-M: What excellent page construction too, with the German surrounding the Greek. Phenomenal!

>16 H-M: That is truly stunning.

>17 ChampagneSVP:

If you like that language-language wraparound page construction, I strongly recommend considering this one (if it is not already in your collection):

https://booksandvines.com/2013/08/29/the-trve-historie-of-lucian-the-samosatenia...

>16 H-M:

The Officina Serpentis is somewhat overshadowed by the Cranach Presse and the Bremer Presse but it may have been the best of the Weimar-era German presses.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/320406#7162977

>17 ChampagneSVP:
>18 ultrarightist:

This book is an example of:

1. One of the most beautifully printed and designed vellum books of the twentieth century.

2. Undisciplined bidding at auction.

At $55,000 (44,000 GBP), Bromer Booksellers will have this book on its shelves for a very long time.

>21 dlphcoracl: Bromer strike me as rather like the US equivalent of Peter Harrington: plenty of choice pieces, but at seriously high prices

>21 dlphcoracl: Well, if they get tired of looking at it, they can always sell it to me...at an astronomical discount, of course.

>22 ChestnutPress:
>23 Glacierman:

It is Phillip Pirages that is the US equivalent of Peter Harrington Ltd. Bromer Booksellers usually price their books in the middle of the range and occasionally offer them at excellent prices.

This particular book, i.e., the Officina Serpentis vellum edition of Tres Epistolas Platonis, is an example of poor bidding at auction by an experienced bookseller who got caught up in the dreaded 'Bidding War' with several other collectors. The pre-auction estimate was 4000 Euros and Bromer Booksellers purchased it for approximately 22,000 euros (incl. Buyer's Premium).

Standard operating procedure for booksellers in the UK and USA is to double the price paid at auction to capture a 100% profit. Unusual for Bromer, they are compounding their error by attempting to capture a 150% premium over their auction price in this instance.

LOL. Good luck with that.

>24 dlphcoracl: Well, I hope they don't have to eat crow, but that's a double error that might come back to bite them.

>24 dlphcoracl: I am going to second dlphcoracl's take on Pirages and Bromer. I've done business with both, and the Oracle's analysis is spot-on . In my naivete, I have overpaid with Pirages. Beware the trope "ah that title....we had a very interested party inquire about that title earlier this morning, so the price is the price." This was for a title that was priced at low 5-figures that had been in inventory for over 2 years, that I been negotiating/discussing with them over a six week span. It had too much a staged "sales manager/car dealership" feel to it. I passed, because it was the second time in 2 years that such a coincidence occurred (I purchased the first time and, in my opinion overpaid). Shame on me for overpaying...that's not on Pirages, that's on me (something about a fool and his money...). Any bookseller is free to price their stock at whatever they feel the market will bear. Pirages has some of the best inventory in North America, but they are very, very, very pricey. I have learned to do more research, speak to trusted experts, be patient, and always be willing to walk away from a seller if something doesn't feel right or square. Net net, I endeavor to keep emotion out of the equation, because I don't have an unlimited budget.

Contrast that with Bromer, who as dlphcoracl said, is very conscious of comparables and, in my experience, reasonable on pricing and terms. I appreciate their well-informed, transparent approach to doing business. They have great stock and I learn something from Phil Salmon every time I speak with him.

While on this topic I have to put a plug in for my two very favorite bookdealers/experts: Sophie Schneideman of Sophie Schneideman Rare Books and Prints, and Laurelle Swan of Swan's Fine Books. They are approachable, knowledgeable, fair, honest and passionate about what they do. Both have gone out of their way to help educate and direct me with my book collecting. They're charming and interesting people to talk to! You are in safe hands with Laurelle and Sophie.

>24 dlphcoracl: Yes, I take it my comment back. Embarrassingly, I realise that I was thinking of another book dealer in the US. I have actually only dealt with Pirages once, and that was on a very reasonably-priced item, but I see they can be an overly-expensive outfit. I guess I was lucky!

I wonder why Schneideman has such a low rating on Biblio, only one star?

>28 koszakedv: Ratings on Biblio, and Abe for that matter, are reflective of percentage of order fulfillment in the past 90 (Biblio) or 180 (Abe) days and nothing else. Presumably a seller with low stars has had to cancel orders because he failed to remove books from inventory when they sold on another platform.

>29 ChampagneSVP: Thanks for the answer