Swiss Books

A First Edition 'Goodbye Picasso' coffee table or library book, by author David Douglas Duncan, 1974, New York. An amazing book covering an intimate look at the relationship between ...

A rare example of a first edition Candide, published in Geneva by Cramer, 1759. 299pp. Woodcut ornaments and Voltaire's corrected pages (pp. 31...

High-quality French design and decoration book about the legendary Maison Leleu and designers Jules and André Leleu. The work shows the development of their style from the beginnings...

Holbein, Hans the Younger (after) Chrétien de Méchel Recueil de XII costumes suisses civils et militaires, hommes et femmes, du seizième siècle. Gravés d'après les dessins originaux ...

Sotheby's Catalog, An Important Russian Imperial Jewel. Geneva 17 November 2005. 1st Ed hardcover. "An impressive and highly important diamond ornament from the collection of the Russian Imperial Family, Russia, second half of the 18th century. This diamond necklace with bowknot clasp is not only a remarkable jewel in itself, but its Russian royal provenance puts it in a class of its own. It evokes the blinding splendour of Catherine II, Empress of Russia: the magnificence of her court, her parks, her palaces, her art collections, and monuments. The most striking and colourful figure on the stage of European political life, for thirty four years she ruled a mighty empire which stretched from Siberia to Poland and left it stronger, larger and richer than when she came to the throne in 1762. After her death in 1796, her friend the Prince de Ligne, who had named her Catherine the Great, declared that this title- which has never been lost- resumed all her genius, courage, sense of justice, and force of character. Using her court as a stage, she played the part of an autocratic but enlightened ruler to perfection, imposing in her public appearances, kind and charming in private. The French ambassador, the Comte de Ségur who noticed how “her majestic head and brow, proud look and dignified deportment made her seem taller than she was”, was also impressed by her feminine grace “ her aquiline nose, well shaped mouth, Saxe blue eyes beneath dark lashes, gentle glance and seductive smile”. In spite of her success, she once confided to the Prince de Ligne that she could have served Russia better if she had been born a man. Ever the courtier, he assured her that being a woman was a positive advantage. “Believe me, you are so much more impressive in your beautiful embroidered orange red velvet dolman or tunic than a man decked out in boots and shoulder sash can ever be. In addition the five huge diamonds blazing out from your hair are far more effective than a man’s hat which is either ridiculously small or ridiculously big”. He was right. Her diamond jewellery proclaimed her power and her rank as Empress and appealed to the Russian taste for sumptuous goods. It impressed the Rev. William Coxe, visiting St. Petersburg in 1778: “the glory and the splendor of the clothing of the court and abundance of precious stones leave the opulence of other European courts far behind” and his opinion was shared by the acute Madame de Stael...

Rare Omega Watch Co catalog, from 1960. Approx. 88 pages, black/white with red logo inset. Showing the current Omega production from 1960 for both men and women's models. Great refer...

Masterpieces: Chalet Architecture + Design von Galindo. Michelle Gebundene Ausgabe Hardcover. German, English, French. Hardcover with dust jacket, 304 pages, 450 pictures. 1st Editio...

Large Antique Photo Album with Wooden Carved Cover, Brienz ca. 1900 A lovely antique photo album featuring a lindenwood carved cover depicting a hunte...

Breitling - The Book, hardcover, English edition, 2009. 336 pages with ca 450 images. By Genoud, Herve. Printed in Switzerland. A specialist in chronographs and technical watches...

Sotheby's, objects de Vitrine from the collection of Mrs. George Keppel, Geneva 5/11/89. There are 73 lots on 34 pages in this softcover catalogue, all lots are described and color illustrated. The catalog is extremely rare and includes, snuff boxes, scent bottles, objects of Vertu, jewels and other objects from, Cartier, Fabergé, Thomas Hughes...

American Painting, a boxed set of two books. American Painting, from it's beginning to the armory show by Jules David Prown, and American Painting, the twentieth century by Barbara R...

Masken Gesichter der Menschheit (Face Masks of Humanity) by Andreas Lommel. Zürich: Atlantis, 1970. First edition hardcover with dust jacket, protective glassine, German text. 229 pp...

Miro contains a collection of artworks by Joan Miro, planned and directed by by Albert Skira. The book has multiple full-color plates of Miro art, a complete account of his life and ...

Christie's Magnificent Jewels Geneva May 27, 1993. First edition softcover. The 491 lot catalog on 181 pp. Color photographs throughout.  

Treasures of the Vatican: St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museums and Galleries, The Treasure of St. Peter's, The Vatican Grottos and Necropolis, and The Vatican Palaces by Maurizi...

Van Gogh in Arles by Ronald Pickvance. Hardcover book with dustjacket, published in conjunction with the exhibition held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, between October ...

Picasso à L'oeuvre – Photographs by Edward Quinn 1965 Published by Manesse-Verlag, 1965. An intimate photographic biography by Edward Quinn with text written by Roland Penrose. Wonderful photographs capturing Picasso working and relaxing, from his finished pieces to his home and studio - including intimate interior and still life shots...

Hibel Lithographs edited by Theodore Plotkin. Hardcover book, stated first edition and first printing, published in 1977. Printed in Switzerland, illu...

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Charles S. Moffett. Hardcover book with dustjacket. Published in 1985 by The Metropolitan Museum o...

Christie's, London, Important English furniture and Tapestries Including the contents of Petit Fleur d'Eau, Lake Geneva, May 2002. 536 lots all photoed in color on 404 pp. With resul...

Histoire de la Peinture Moderne- de Picasso au Surrealisme- du Cubisme a Paul Klee. Hardcover, text in French. Printed in Geneva, 1950. Stunning compilation of artworks from the per...

Large format first edition monograph on blue-chip Kinetic artist Jesus Rafael Soto, published by Editions du Griffon in 1984. Inscribed in a bold han...

Mémoires et Observations Géographiques et Critiques sur la Situation des Pays Septentrionaux de l’Asie et del'Amérique d'après les relations les plus récentes; Auxquelles on a joint ...

Foundational tome on modern graphic design, tracing the field from its origins in the 19th century through the late 1950’s. Published in 1959 by Arthur Niggli in Switzerland with tex...

Aldo van Eyck: Works. by Aldo van Eyck and Vincent Ligtelijn. A survey of the work and career of Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck (1918 – 1999). For the present publication the architect opened his substantial archive and provided unpublished original texts, plans and photographs. All main buildings and projects from 1944 to the present day are documented in depth. Aldo van Eyck, Doyen of Dutch architecture, is one of the most significant architects of the 20th century. His way of looking at buildings, his visual thinking, his way of perceiving and structuring time and space, events and social coexistence had a strong influence on his contemporaries during the 1950s and 1960s. The book is based on van Eyck's substantial archive of original texts, plans and photographs, documenting all presented buildings in depth. Aldo van Eyck, the "Grand Seigneur" of Dutch architecture is one of the most significant architects of this century. He exerted a strong influence on his contemporaries during the fifties and sixties, and this can be seen in many ways of their buildings both in the Netherlands and worldwide. It was not merely his way of looking at buildings which was influential but also his perception of architecture; his visual thinking, his way of perceiving and structuring time and space, events and social coexistence. The architectonic treatises he wrote are still relevant and useful today. The present publication has been produced on the occasion of Aldo van Eyck's 80th birthday in 1998. The architect has opened his substantial archive and has provided unpublished original texts, plans and photographs. All buildings from 1944 to the present day are documented in depth and an essay by Alexander Tzonis and Diane Lefaivre makes the historical and cultural background to his work accessible, explaining clearly and lucidly the ideas, the design principles which underlie the conception of his buildings. Further texts by Pierre Boulez, Herman Hertzberger, Rejma Pietila and Joseph Rykwert...