Books Midcentury
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10" Eugene Savage "Festival of the Sea" Dinner Plate By Lynn Krantz Dish Books
Located in Van Nuys, CA
, Krantz Dish Books, Artwork by Eugene Savage"
Measurements: 1.5" Tall X 10" Diameter
United States, 1980
Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Dinner Plates
Materials
Ceramic
1950 Uniques Books Stanza Della Segnatura by Raphael Printed by Pope Pius XII
By Vatican Library
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Midcentury, unique seven books of the "Stanza della Segnatura" by Raphael, containing thirty-two
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Other Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Other
French Tantalus Drinks Box, Faux Books w Hidden Whisky, Gin, Cognac Glass Flasks
Located in Lisse, NL
Unique four-leather-books-design liquor tantalus with hidden decanters.
If you are looking for the
Category
Mid-20th Century French Arts and Crafts Decorative Boxes
Materials
Leather, Blown Glass, Paper
1950
s Marwal Group Figural Plaster Statue W./ Maiden and 2 Girls with Books
By Marwal Ind. Inc.
Located in Germantown, MD
books. An inspirational piece for children and mothers. Very clean vintage condition in antique white
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Plaster
Trompe l
Oeil Faux Stacked Books Wood Leather Single Drawer Table Tapered Legs
By Maitland Smith
Located in Forest Grove, PA
A graceful Trompe L'oeil embossed leather and mahogany book table with a single drawer table. The delicate tapered legs end with brass capped feet There is also a carved rope detail...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Regency Side Tables
Materials
Brass
Mid century still life tempera painting by Stuart Armfield R.A, English C1950
Located in Central England, GB
wrote books on the subject.
This mid century stylised still life painting is of various unusually
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Contemporary Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Evans Clark Glenn of California Folding Bookcase/ Display Shelf/ Room Divider
By Glenn of California, Evans Clark
Located in San Francisco, CA
perfect display shelf or double it up for books, an iconic Mid-Century design that is timeless.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Materials
Walnut
Ico Parisi "Temide" Umbrella Stand for Stildomus, Italy 1960
By Ico Parisi, Stildomus
Located in Roma, IT
Mid-Century design books.
Archive Sources
Como, Archivio del Design di Ico Parisi, rif. 1959.SD4
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Umbrella Stands
Materials
Steel, Stainless Steel
Antique Engraving of The Great Mosque of Mecca with Kaaba, c. 1850s
Located in Langweer, NL
often included in encyclopedias, atlases, or travel books during the mid-19th century, likely engraved
Category
Antique 1850s Prints
Materials
Paper
Johnson: Contemporary Designs by Paul T. Frankl
By Johnson Furniture Company, Paul Frankl
Located in New York, NY
Johnson Furniture Company brochure showcasing the mid-century designs of Austrian/American
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Jules Wabbes Monograph
By Jules Wabbes
Located in New York, NY
First edition monograph on the Belgian mid-century designer and interior architect Jules Wabbes
Category
2010s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Osvaldo Borsani Monograph
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in New York, NY
surrealist and abstract forms in the 1940’s to the founding, along with his brother, of the iconic mid
Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Alexander Calder Monograph (Inscribed by Artist)
By Alexander Calder
Located in New York, NY
essay by art critic and MoMA curator James Johnson Sweeney, helped cement Calder’s status in the mid
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (1st edition)
By Norman Bel Geddes
Located in New York, NY
Prize for Biography and selected by Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books of
Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Modern Furnishings For The Home (1st edition)
By Charles Eames
Located in New York, NY
progressive mid-century design, primarily by American designers or for American companies. Divided into
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Featherston Chairs
By Grant Featherston
Located in New York, NY
Catalog accompanying an exhibition of modernist chairs by Australia’s pre-eminent postwar furniture designer Grant Featherston (1922-1995), held at the National Gallery of Victoria f...
Category
Vintage 1980s Australian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Architecture for the New World: The Work of Harry Seidler (Inscribed)
By Marcel Breuer, Peter Blake
Located in New York, NY
Monograph on eminent Austrian-born Australian architect Harry Seidler, written by eminent American architect, historian, and educator Peter Blake. Seidler (1923-2006) was an early an...
Category
Vintage 1970s Australian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Swiss Furniture and Interiors in the 20th Century
By Hans Bellmann, Max Bill
Located in New York, NY
School driven twentieth century, which is divided into chronological chapters of 15 to 25 years. Each
Category
Early 2000s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Fontana Arte: Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand
By Gio Ponti, Max Ingrand
Located in New York, NY
Large format, lavishly produced monograph on the famed Italian design firm Fontana Arte, founded in 1932 by Lucio Fontana and Gio Ponti. Showcases lighting, furniture, and accessorie...
Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Ahrend Furniture Catalog, 1961 (Friso Kramer, Wim Rietveld)
By Ahrend de Cirkel, Friso Kramer
Located in New York, NY
Handsomely produced catalog for the mid-century furniture lines offered by the Dutch company Ahrend
Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Carlo Mollino: Photographs 1956-1962
By Carlo Mollino, Fulvio Ferrari
Located in New York, NY
First edition of this book showcasing Carlo Mollino’s portrait photographs, unpublished in his lifetime, taken between 1956 and 1962 and set in one of Mollino’s private apartments in...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams (First edition)
By Piero Fornasetti
Located in New York, NY
First American edition of Patrick Mauries’s comprehensive monograph celebrating the whimsical, surrealist-inspired oeuvre of prolific Italian designer Piero Fornasetti (1913-1988). P...
Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Electronics--A New Science for a New World (Herbert Bayer design)
By General Electric, Herbert Bayer
Located in New York, NY
Booklet touting the wonders of the nascent electronic era published in 1942 by the General Electric Company, “leader in radio, television, and electronic research.” Austrian-America...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Chairs By Bertoia (Knoll Marketing Brochure/Poster)
By Herbert Matter, Knoll, Harry Bertoia
Located in New York, NY
Marketing poster/brochure for Harry Bertoia’s line of sculptural steel wire mesh-and-rod chairs for Knoll Associates, published in 1957. Graphic design by Herbert Matter. Folded in e...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
[1st ed] Shocking Life
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in New York, NY
First edition (stated) of Italian/Parisian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s autobiography, published in 1954 by E.P. Dutton
Co. Per the dust jacket, Schiaparelli “tells her...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
![[1st ed] Shocking Life](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/1st-ed-shocking-life-for-sale/f_8285/f_480827321766416732642/f_48082732_1766416733363_bg_processed.jpg?width=240 "[1st ed] Shocking Life")
Jean Royere: Exposition (Galerie Jacques Lacoste)
By Jean Royère
Located in New York, NY
a high point in the rediscovery of the designer’s mid-century canon. Organized around lighting
Category
1990s French Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
[1st ed] The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler
By Agatha Christie
Located in New York, NY
First American edition of Raymond Chandler’s fifth Philip Marlowe detective novel, concerning a case of blackmail involving a Hollywood starlet and a Cleveland/LA hoodlum. Published ...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
![[1st ed] The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/1st-ed-the-little-sister-by-raymond-chandler-for-sale/f_8285/f_479404321765388266869/f_47940432_1765388267685_bg_processed.jpg?width=240 "[1st ed] The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler")
George Nakashima and the Modernist Moment
By George Nakashima
Located in New York, NY
Book contextualizing the work and career of mcm designer/craftsman George Nakashima, published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Bucks Cou...
Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Le Regard D
Alan
By Serge Mouille, Jean Prouvé
Located in New York, NY
French creators of the mid-century. These works were languishing in the market when they caught Alan’s
Category
1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
$475
Christmas: A Story By Eleanor Roosevelt (1st edition)
By Charles Dickens
Located in New York, NY
First edition (stated) of this Christmas story by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, with illustrations by Fritz Kredel. Published in 1940 by Alfred A. Knopf. 12mo (4.25” x 5.5”), 42 pag...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Diter Rot [Dieter Roth]: Daily Mirror Quadrat Print
By Dieter Roth 1
Located in New York, NY
a group of books I made in the year 1962 out of a bunch of DAILY MIRRORS—INSTEAD OF SHOWING QUALITY
Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
![Diter Rot [Dieter Roth]: Daily Mirror Quadrat Print](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/diter-rot-dieter-roth-daily-mirror-quadrat-print-for-sale/f_8285/f_461046021754069359913/f_46104602_1754069360666_bg_processed.jpg?width=240 "Diter Rot [Dieter Roth]: Daily Mirror Quadrat Print")
Modern Lighting of the
50
s (Arnoldsche Reprint)
By Gino Sarfatti, Paavo Tynell
Located in New York, NY
Reprint of a 1953 international survey of modernist lighting, originally published in Germany by Alexander Koch. This edition published in 2012 by Arnoldsche Art Publishers. Faithful...
Category
2010s German Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
1 Volume. The Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi.
Located in New York, NY
1 Volume. The Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi. Edited by "Boz." Bound in full red morocco with colored inlay on front cover. Gilt-tooling on the covers and raised band spine. Top edges gi...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Books
Materials
Leather
Mollino: Casa Del Sole
By Carlo Mollino
Located in New York, NY
First edition monograph on legendary architect and designer Carlo Mollino’s modernist ski chalet in Cirvinia in the Italian Alps. After designing the building in 1947, Mollino was br...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Altamira Catalog Circa 1956
By Altamira, Gio Ponti
Located in New York, NY
Mid-1950’s catalog for the fabled Altamira design center, located at 18 E 50th St in New York City
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Peggy Guggenheim Art of This Century (Inscribed to artist Hans Richter)
By Hans Richter, Peggy Guggenheim
Located in New York, NY
Catalog of the seminal avant-garde exhibition held at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Flos Lighting Catalog, 1968
By Flos, Achille
Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Tobia Scarpa
Located in New York, NY
Circa 1968 manufacturer’s catalog for the Italian lighting company Flos, showcasing the innovative and influential designs by Tobia Scarpa and by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglion...
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Ladislav Sutnar Catalog Design Progress (first edition)
By Ladislav Sutnar
Located in New York, NY
First edition of art director Ladislav Sutnar and research director Knud Lonberg-Holm’s landmark exposition on information design and visual communication, published in 1950 by Sweet...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Industrial Design 3: June 1954 (Alvin Lustig, Art Consultant)
By Alvin Lustig
Located in New York, NY
Volume 1, number 3 (June 1954) issue of Industrial Design, edited by Jane Fisk Mitarachi and published by Whitney Publications, Inc, known contemporaneously for Interiors and for Geo...
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Laverne Originals Catalog (ABCDEF)
By Laverne Originals
Located in New York, NY
Knoll showrooms as paragons of abstract, minimalist mid-century chic. The present catalog embodies and
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Portraits (Signed by Avedon)
By Richard Avedon
Located in New York, NY
First edition (stated) of this collection of portraits by fashion and portrait photographer nonpareil Richard Avedon. Published in 1976 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Introductory es...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Cedric Hartman Catalog 1979/80
By Cedric Hartman
Located in New York, NY
Small format ring binder catalog showcasing designer/manufacturer Cedric Hartman’s lighting and furniture offerings for the years 1979/80. Known for his meticulous attention to mater...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Gregory Ain: The Modern Home as Social Commentary
By Richard Neutra
Located in New York, NY
Critical reappraisal of Gregory Ain, one of the most prominent architects of the 1930’s-1950’s in Los Angeles. Published in 2008 by Rizzoli. Text by Anthony Denzer with an introducti...
Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
Notes on Tension, Connection, Attention, Ommission (Herman Miller, 1978)
By Herman Miller, Ralph Caplan, John Massey
Located in New York, NY
Complete four-volume set of musings on design and life by noted American design consultant and writer Ralph Caplan (1925-2020), printed on faux notebook paper with faux marginal anno...
Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
1 Volume. Goodrich, Frank B. The Court Of Napoleon.
Located in New York, NY
1 Volume. Goodrich, Frank B. The Court Of Napoleon. Illustrated in color by Jules Champagne. Bound in full brown morocco, all edges gilt, raised bands, blind tooling on covers and sp...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century American Books
Materials
Leather
5 Volumes. Austen, Jane. Novels.
Located in New York, NY
5 Volumes. Austen, Jane. Novels. With notes, Indexes & Illustrations from contemporary sources.Bound in 3/4 blue calf by Sawyer, marbled boards, all edges gilt, raised bands, gilt pa...
Category
Mid-20th Century British Books
Materials
Leather
$3,500 / set
5 volumes. Picturesque Europe
Located in New York, NY
5 volumes. Picturesque Europe. Bound in full black calf with gilt tooled and embossed cover. Gilt-tooling on spines with red and green calf labels. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers....
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century British Books
Materials
Leather
$1,800 / set
Once Upon a Time (Inscribed by Slim Aarons)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
First edition, first printing (with number line ending in 1) of this compilation of photographs by renowned photographer Slim Aarons, known for his now-iconic environmental portraits...
Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Books
Materials
Paper
1 Volume. Lewis Carroll, The Works.
Located in New York, NY
1 Volume. Lewis Carroll, The Works. First Nonesuch Edition. Bound in 3/4 green calf and linen boards. The covers and raised band spine are gilt-tooled with a tan morocco label. The t...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
3 Volumes. Henry Hallam, View of the State of Europe During the Middle Ages.
Located in New York, NY
3 Volumes. Henry Hallam, View of the State of Europe During the Middle Ages. Bound in full tree calf. The covers and raised band spines display gilt-tooling with red and green morocc...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
1 Volume. Walton
Cotton, The Complete Angler.
Located in New York, NY
1 Volume. Walton & Cotton, The Complete Angler. Bound by Bayntun in 3/4 tn calf and marbled boards. The Spine displays raised bands, figurine panel details, bordering, and label lett...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
3 Volumes. John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice.
Located in New York, NY
3 Volumes. John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice. Second Edition. Bound in full brown morocco with the covers and raised band spines displaying gilt-tooling. All edges gilt with gilt-too...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
$1,200 / set
2 Volumes. Austen Henry Layard, Nineveh and its Remains.
Located in New York, NY
2 Volumes. Austen Henry Layard, Nineveh and its Remains. First Edition. Bound in 3/4 tan calf and marbled boards. The raised band spine is gilt-tooled with red and green morocco labe...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
3 Volumes. G.N. Wright, The People
s Gallery of Engravings.
Located in New York, NY
3 Volumes. G.N. Wright, The People's Gallery of Engravings. Bound by John Mylrea in 3/4 red calf and marbled boards bordered in floral open-tooling. The spines display a black morocc...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
9 Volumes. Horace Walpole, The Letters.
Located in New York, NY
9 Volumes. Horace Walpole, The Letters. Bound in 3/4 brown morocco and marbled boards, bordered in gilt-tooling. Raised band spines with gilt-tooled detailing. The top edges are gild...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
$2,500 / set
3 Volumes. Isaac Disraeli, Curiosities of Literature.
Located in New York, NY
3 Volumes. Isaac Disraeli, Curiosities of Literature. Bound in full tan calf. The covers and raised band spines display gilt-tooling with brown and green morocco labels. All edges ar...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
4 Volumes. Oliver Goldsmith, The Works.
Located in New York, NY
4 Volumes. Oliver Goldsmith, The Works. Edited by
Peter Cunningham. Bound in 3/4 vellum, marbled boards, marbled endpapers, red edges, and gilt spines. Published: London: John Murray...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Books
Materials
Leather
$1,500 / set
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Books Midcentury For Sale on 1stDibs
Choose from an assortment of styles, material and more with respect to the books midcentury you’re looking for at 1stDibs. A books midcentury — often made from paper, animal skin and leather — can elevate any home. If you’re shopping for a books midcentury, we have 538 options in-stock, while there are 8 modern editions to choose from as well. Your living room may not be complete without a books midcentury — find older editions for sale from the 18th Century and newer versions made as recently as the 21st Century. A books midcentury, designed in the Mid-Century Modern, Modern or Art Deco style, is generally a popular piece of furniture. Many designers have produced at least one well-made books midcentury over the years, but those crafted by Pablo Picasso, Daniel Clesse and David Hicks are often thought to be among the most beautiful.
Finding the Right Books for You
Antique and vintage books add a sense of culture and style to any room. Displaying these types of books in your living room or reading nook can warm a space with a distinguished feel.
Several factors make antique books highly desirable. Original jackets, ornate binding, illustrations and quality of the print all contribute to making a vintage book special. Rare books are of great interest to collectors in the know and can command high prices at auction. In 2021, an important early artist book by Andy Warhol sold at auction for more than $106,000. Somewhere between all the commercial work he did as an ambitious young graphic designer in the early 1950s and his first real debut as a Pop artist a decade later, Warhol produced a trove of incredibly charming drawings. His illustrated self-published artist books from the 1950s are very rare.
Many collectors seek the first edition of certain books. Fewer copies of a book and higher demand make it a rare find. A book that contains the author’s signature also makes it much more prized than other examples of the same title.
Collectors and designers decorate rooms with vintage books for a cozy feeling in a home. Coffee-table books, such as those featuring photography and design, serve as conversation pieces or offer a relaxing moment when leafed through.
Interior designers look for vintage books when they want to add color or detail. For instance, leather-bound books can create a scholarly air while mid-century titles offer a modern edge. Vintage international books or first editions can provide a sense of history.
No matter the genre, there is a book for you. You can find rare, one-of-a-kind antique books on 1stDibs. Browse by authors, like celebrated architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright and Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as by period, including mid-century modern, Art Deco and Victorian.
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Dickens Fan on Your List? This First Edition of ‘A Christmas Carol’ Is a Treasure
Produced in 1843, the well-preserved volume is evidence of the author's exacting specifications.
Patchwork Quilts Are the Latest Nostalgic Design Trend
New or old, the coverlets add old-time charm to any space.
Medal-Worthy Memorabilia from Epic Past Olympic Games
Get into the games! These items celebrate the events, athletes, host countries and sporting spirit.
Ahoy! You’ve Never Seen a Collection of Sailor Art and Kitsch Quite Like This
French trendsetter and serial collector Daniel Rozensztroch tells us about his obsession with objects related to seafaring men.
39 Incredible Swimming Pools
It's hard to resist the allure of a beautiful pool. So, go ahead and daydream about whiling away your summer in paradise.
Pamela Shamshiri Shares the Secrets behind Her First-Ever Book and Its Effortlessly Cool Interiors
The sought-after designer worked with the team at Hoffman Creative to produce a monograph that beautifully showcases some of Studio Shamshiri's most inspiring projects.
Moroccan Artworks and Objects Take Center Stage in an Extraordinary Villa in Tangier
Italian writer and collector Umberto Pasti opens the doors to his remarkable cave of wonders in North Africa.
Montecito Has Drawn Royalty and Celebrities, and These Homes Are Proof of Its Allure
Hollywood A-listers, ex-pat aristocrats and art collectors and style setters of all stripes appreciate the allure of the coastal California hamlet — much on our minds after recent winter floods.
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