Black Manikin Press Inaugural Specimen

Dunning , Ralph Cheever (1878–1930)

Rococo [First Book of the Black Manikin Press / Limited Edition #473 of 500]

Paris: Edward W. Titus, at the Sign of the Black Manikin, 1926. Illustrations by Howard Simon. Limited Edition #473 of 500.
The true first book printed by Edward W. Titus at his legendary Rue Delambre press, establishing the aesthetic blueprint for his Paris expatriate circle.
This edition perfectly merges the refined letterpress typography of Titus with Howard Simon's delicate modernist woodcut illustrations. It stands as the essential foundational document for one of the most significant fine press imprints of the 1920s American expatriate movement.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Features three elegant, tipped-in woodcut illustrations by Howard Simon, with the first plate signed by the artist in the matrix.
+++ Binding: Original quarter white parchment spine with gilt titles over blue-grey paper-covered boards, boasting a sharp blue paste-on paper label to the upper cover.
+++ Content: Collects Dunning's introspective, refined modernist verse, representing his key collaboration within Ezra Pound's Paris circle.
+++ Associated Names: Edward W. Titus (Publisher); Howard Simon (Illustrator); Ezra Pound (Circle Associate).
+++ Imprint: Paris: Edward W. Titus, at the Sign of the Black Manikin, 1926. Limited Edition, this being copy #473 of only 500 printed.
+++ Specs: 9 x 5.25 inches tall / unpaginated [22 pages].

CONDITION: Near Fine. The bindings are tight and square, holding firmly. Internally, the text block is clean and free of markings, displaying light, even age-toning, and remaining completely unopened after the preliminary leaves. The exterior shows moderate shelf handling, characterized by even toning and faint hand-soiling to the parchment spine, light rubbing to the extremities, and typical endpaper offsetting to the corners.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
Edward W. Titus was an American expatriate bookseller, critic, and publisher whose Rue Delambre shop operated as a vital node of literary modernism, neighboring Sylvia Beach’s Shakespeare and Company. By founding the Black Manikin Press, Titus merged classical fine-press craftsmanship with modern aesthetic experimentation, creating a platform that championed controversial and innovative writers who were excluded from mainstream commercial streams.

Rococo matters precisely because it is the opening salvo of this publishing crusade. Before Titus took on the financial and legal risks of printing Lady Chatterley's Lover or funding the early booklets of Anaïs Nin, he utilized Dunning's verse and Simon's engravings to test the limits of his handset typography and establish his reputation among international collectors.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Expatriate Fine Press: Functions as the inaugural publication of Titus's Sign of the Black Manikin Press, setting the high typographic standard that would later produce early milestones for Anaïs Nin, D.H. Lawrence, and Henry Miller.
+++ Modernist Illustration: Showcases early, masterful Paris-period woodcuts by Howard Simon, whose printmaking captured the intricate, delicate imagery of the lost generation poets.
+++ Poetic Lineage: Documents Ralph Cheever Dunning's place as a central, tragic figure in the expatriate avant-garde, whose traditional yet deeply introspective verse was heavily championed by Ezra Pound in the transatlantic review.

SUBJECTS: Black Manikin Press, Edward W. Titus, Paris Expatriate Printing, Howard Simon, Modernist Illustration, Modernist Poetry, Fine Press, Rue Delambre.
GENRES: Limited Edition, Private Press, Illustrated Book.

Item #20569

Price: $325.00