Swan's Fine Books

Swan's Fine Books Swan’s Fine Books offers collectable and rare books. While we specialize in illustrated and fine

07/31/2026

One of my favorite at the recent rosecitybookandpaperfair , this lovely lovely book with flower illustrations by John Nash (1893-1977).

Created by Nash hand-colouring his wood engravings. In "John Nash Book Designs", author Clare Colvin said that "the drawings are exquisite and if Nash never produced another book of flower illustrations this book alone would have established him as one of the leading flower illustrators of the century."

Although printed as a humble garden catalogue for a nursery in Herfortshire, this copy one of the 100 Special Edition copies hand-coloured and signed by Nash.

Published in 1926 (100 years ago!) it is quite scarce, likely because most people would have discarded their copies (egad!) when the new catalogue was issued.

Just uploaded to our website, more details can be found there. Enjoy browsing, and remember to take time to smell the roses...

🌹🪻🌺🌼🌷🏵️

07/05/2026

"on mountaintop,
listen -
for your thoughts,
your song...

"These mountains lived for thousands
of years by stone and antler, by salmon
and acorn and dance,
by Coyote,
by tom-tom -
animals talked and married,
maidens were changed into boulders
and stars,
dreams foretold of the future...

"I am in some magically sacred place;
I am almost at the top of the world."

A recent acquisition, the first book by Dale Pendell (1947-2018), a "poet, ethnobotanist, and novelist".

An homage to the Native Americans, early miners of gold and silver, but mostly to the land itself.

Inscribed by him, with an ANS. Scarce, no other copies online as of this writing. Just uploaded, see our website for more details.

🌄🏜️🌌🏜️🌄

07/04/2026

OK, I admit it. I'm a terrible bookseller, a total failure. I run from profit and profit runs from me.

Why, you ask.

Well, I answer. Because I'm incorrigible and irredeemable.

Why, you ask.

Well, I answer. Because I buy books I LIKE.

Take this one... first I fall in love with the fact that the book is about cats. I love cats!

Then I fall in love with the binding, a very pretty cobalt blue cloth with miniature paper onlay - how cute! How charming! Then I just love the fact that this children's story, about (yes, you guessed it) a cat closes with a chapter titled "A Catastrophe".

But the best part? Is the gift inscription - "Presented to Marshall for perfect deportment, 1871".

DEPORTMENT?!? As in, standing up straight and carrying a flowerpot on one's head? As in, gliding effortlessly across the floor like Audrey Hepburn?? My, how the world has changed. And not always for the better.

Meow!!

😸🐾😼🐾😽

07/03/2026

"Paris was so beautiful my teeth hurt. I wanted to roll in it, better than the delicious smells of new-mown grass and gasoline. Paris swelled up her heart and loved me back; I was at home there, chez-moi..."

A succession of short stories interleaved with an artistic interpretation. A young American girl travels on a ship to Paris to study, she finds laughter and ci******es and charming black-market raconteurs. She is thought to be Swedish, she finds love, she returns home...

One of 30 copies of this remarkable Artist Book which was discovered at the Portland book fair. And...once I started reading I couldn't stop!

The stories by Marie Dern, who I met briefly, and the artwork by Inez Storer, issued under their Jungle Garden Press imprint in 2002.

Sigh...Paris...

🍷🍷🗼🇨🇿🧀🥖

06/12/2026

All set up for the Rose City Book & Paper Fair!!

If you're in the Portland area, please join us!

🎊🌹🎊🌹🎊

rosecitybookandpaperfair

06/05/2026

Tasha Tudor (1915-2008) wrote and illustrated almost 100 children's books.

Her first book,"Pumpkin Moonshine" was published in 1938, and her last, "Corgiville Christmas" in 2003. She won several awards and popularized a simple lifestyle which emphasizes hand-crafted items.

We recently acquired a small collection of her works, many signed, and - yes! We will be bringing them to the Portland book fair, please visit us there!

🎃🪿🐦‍⬛🐑🐕

06/05/2026

"By the wild fence-row, all grown up
With tall oats, and the buttercup,
And the seeded grass, and blue flax-flower,

I fling myself in a nest of green ,
Walled about and all unseen,
And lose myself in the quiet hour..."

A book of poems by Edward Rowland Sill, published in 1889.

What I LOVE are the twenty-six original watercolors set into the text throughout.

And, yes, Swan's Fine Books will have this lovely little book on display at the upcoming Rose City Book & Paper Fair being held in Portland on June 13 and 14!

Packing for the fair has commenced, with take-off on only five more days... yikes!!

🌹🌼🌺🪻💐

05/12/2026

"The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon
Turns Ashes - or it prospers; and anon,
Like Snow upon the Desert's dusty Face
Lighting a little Hour or two - is gone."

One of the quatrains from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, this publication with ethereal illustrations by Elihu Vedder (1836-1923).

This the octavo size; our copy retains the original dust jacket, thus the binding still near perfect.

What a treat to see such a gorgeous book in such lovely condition!

Address

2161 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 107
Walnut Creek, CA
94598

Telephone

+19259351190

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