Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Parasite - A. Conan Doyle - Newly Attributed Book Cover Design




A. Conan Doyle
The Parasite. A Story.
New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers
1895
190 x 130 x 21 mm
Unsigned

I first spotted this book in a local library and immediately speculated that Morse designed it as the design is similar to other designs in Morse's grotesque style. Later, a collector sent me a photograph of the cover as well. Neither of us has been able to prove that it is Morse's design. If anyone does find a reference, I'd appreciate it if you would comment on the blog or send an email.

Buy a copy of The Proper Decoration of Book Covers: The Life and Work of Alice C. Morse
http://alicemorse.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html









First in the Field



First in the Field
George Manville Fenn
New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1894
20.2 x 14.5 x 3.4 cm
Unsigned

Reference: A. C. McClurg & Co. Illustrated Holiday Catalogue of Books, 1894; p. 372. (identified by Valinda Carroll).

A recently attributed to design my Alice C. Morse, not published in The Proper Decoration of Book Covers.

Buy a copy of The Proper Decoration of Book Covers: The Life and Work of Alice C. Morse
http://alicemorse.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html

A New Design and Its Adaptation: The Song of the Rappahannock and The American Idea



The Song of the Rappahannock
Ira Seymour Dodd
Dodd, Mead and Company, 1898
175 x 115 x 27 mm
Signed

This publisher's binding is signed with Morse's monogram, a conjoined "AM", near the eagle's foot (right side). Song of the Rappahannock is another design recently discovered (by Valinda Carroll). The photograph here looks slightly different than my copy which has darker navy blue cloth with no linen weave appearance and red white stamping (not tan). The eagle design on this book was later used on another book, The American Idea, by Joseph B. Gilder. Dodd Mead, 1902.