Jay's Journal of Anomalies [Publisher William Dailey's Personal Set, Complete in 16 Issues, with Prospectus Included]

Los Angeles: W & V Dailey, Antiquarian Booksellers, 2000. First Printings. Loose sheets, bifolium, now protected in clear sleeves mounted in two leather binders. Near Fine. Complete set from Vol. I, Issue 1 (1994) through Vol. IV, Issue 4 (2000). The letterpress prospectus, printed in two colors and measuring 8.25 x 13.25 inches, is included. Issues are 4to. Pagination varies per issue, the shortest being the first issue in six pages; the longest is the final issue in 16 pages. (Most run eight or 10 pages.) Illustrated with monochrome cuts and tipped-in images offset-printed in full color. Notes at the end of each issue provide bibliographic detail. Letterpress printed by Patrick Reagh on Heavyweight Rives paper, fore-edges untrimmed. Two issues with slight nudges to lower fore-edge corners, otherwise a uniformly Fine set. Jay showcased his accomplished research into the history of legerdemain in this eponymous journal. Presented in a refined format worthy of his authority, Jay employs a lively, clever prose style that resurrects a showmanship all but forgotten: "Fact and Crucifixion" examines Tommy Minnock, who would sing on stage while nailed to a cross; "The Smallest Show on Earth: or, Parasites for Sore Eyes" delves deep into the history of flea circuses. The rich illustrations were culled from Jay's renowned private collection of rare books, pamphlets, posters, handbills, broadsides, prints, and ephemera.

This set belonged to William Dailey who, with then-wife Victoria, published the journal under "W & V Dailey, Antiquarian Booksellers." Dailey and Jay's relationship began as bookseller-customer but evolved into a friendship enlivened by mutual respect for the arcane, the bizarre, the preposterous. Jay's Journal of Anomalies emerged organically, as if a natural manifestation of their shared interests. While complete sets are uncommon, the provenance of this set is unique.

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