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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz lettered

L. Frank Baum

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz lettered

Published by

Lyra's Classics

2024

26

List Price

£2,300

Limitation

Market Value

£2,850

April 8, 2025

Artist

Gregory Manchess

Introduction by

None

Last recorded sale

£2,850

May 15, 2024

Value Pages

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz lettered

Bibliography

5.a The "Numbered" edition: Bradel bound in black and green goatskin leather. Hand marbled endpapers: limitation 250

5.b The "Lettered" edition: Full inlaid leather design binding, using inlays of yellow and multiple green leathers. Hand marbled endpapers, solander box, signed by author and artist: limitation 26


Printed letterpress on Madrid Litho mould-made paper by Phil Abel and Robert Hetherington of Hand and Eye Letterpress. Printed in black and green throughout on a Heidelberg cylinder press using photopolymer plates.


This edition is newly illustrated by award-winning oil painter Gregory Manchess. There are 22 paintings, comprising 21 full-page and one half-page colour images. This includes 4 double page spreads tipped onto tabs. All images are giclee printed by Hurtwood and sewn into the structure of the binding.


The lettered edition is bound as a design binding, fully inlaid with leather and consisting of multiple inlaid panels to create a patchwork of greens. The design is inspired by the greens of the Emerald City as well as the journey through the woods along the yellow brick road. The greens on either side of the road suggest the shapes of the trees and the shafts of light shining through the canopy.

The leather used includes J. Hewit & Sons straight grain, Harmatan finest, Oasis Fine and Hewit’s Pentland goatskins. This variety of very fine grade leathers creates a lovely selection of grains and finishes across the different panels. There is no set pattern for the positioning of the leather so each copy will be slightly different.


Endpapers are stiff leaf, made from hand marbled paper by Freya Scott of Paperwilds and backed with foil blocked Napura Khepera paper.


Silk ribbon marker. Sculpted leather head-caps. Silver on all three page edges.


The book comes in a rounded spine, full leather solander box. Covered in yellow goatskin and foil blocked to the front and back board with a swarm of flying monkeys in black. The text on the front board and spine is foil blocked in green. The trays are covered in yellow Colorado cloth and lined with charcoal Suedel.

The solander box contains a green Colorado cloth covered portfolio with a four-tongue enclosure, holding 4 hand numbered giclee prints on 250gsm Somerset paper and an original pencil sketch by Gregory Manchess.



The other editions: Numbered

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