The Fore-edge Paintings of John T. Beer; a biographical & historical essay, followed by a Catalogue Raisonné based on the sale of his library. With a prologue: The ABC's of fore-edge painting.

Los Angeles:: Jeff Weber, 2005., 2005. 8vo. xxvi, 164 pp. Color frontispiece, 10 plates (including 10 color illus.), chronology. Special copy, in trial binding for the author, in full navy-blue straight grain morocco, spine with gilt title, all edges gilt, navy cloth felt-lined slip-case, each bound by David Weinstein for Jeff Weber. Unique deluxe format for copy #1. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR AND BINDER. Fine. [C330/046] ONE OF 3 COPIES, with fore-edge paintings by Martin Frost, the painting inspired by the history of John T. Beer, his life and work. The regular edition was limited to 210 copies, printed by the Castle Press, Pasadena. Those copies were bound (truncated) in blue cloth. This copy is the most deluxe form of the edition. / Forty years after the second edition of Professor Carl J. Weber's book, Fore-edge Painting; an historical survey (Second edition, 1966), his grandson, antiquarian bookseller Jeff Weber, has written a book that puts an end to the phrase: "Carl Weber's book is the only book written on fore-edge painting." This new book provides new and complete insight into the history of John T. Beer's fore-edge paintings and, generally, a new approach to studying and discovering the factual history of this unique form of book decoration. The book revises and enlivens the history of John T. Beer's remarkable fore-edge painting work. /What was the history of Beer's fore-edge paintings? Was he a private collector who painted on his own books, or did he paint on books from his family's library? When did he do these paintings? Where was he? How many pieces did he paint? What were the patterns of his work and how can one identify his work? After more than 100 years of his passing, is it possible to find out and build a catalogue raisonné of his work? Meaning: is it possible to reconstruct a full catalogue of all his known works, their distribution and histories, from 1903 to the present? Why is finding all this out important? Indeed, all of these points are key in this book, the first full account of a fore-edge painter. The bibliographic puzzle of this man and his work was answered by a lot of sleuthing. After more than 30 years of effort, and thanks to many disparate sources, this book now handles Beer's work seriously and uncovers the work of a remarkable mind. For me the moment of coup de grace was learning the exact date and source that Beer bought some of his books, then painted on the edges, and then, in 1903, he sold his library just as he was also about to die. / In addition, the book offers a beginner's guide to fore-edge painting. The ABC's of Fore-edge Painting is a brief account of what the basics are in fore-edge painting. Every collector will want to have a chance to understand the language and art of fore-edge paintings. (Inventory #: FF2545)