Excursus II: East of Borneo — ICA, University of Pennsylvania » wharton esherick

“TIME MACHINE PLEASE”

admin — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:05:44 +0000

“Those with more intellectual interests will find these library steps (27) helpful in locating out-of-the-way tomes. Handmade by Wharton Esherick of hickory and cherry wood; $900, America House, NYC.”

From “Esquire” magazine’s Holiday Gift Guide, 1968.
Thanks/via John at Wary Meyers.

We Played Chess

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:14:08 +0000

Wharton Esherick chess board and pieces carved from ebony and boxwood (1942).

Let’s Play Chess

admin — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:16:22 +0000

Chess board carved by Wharton Esherick for the Hedgerow Theatre.

Paul Eisenhauer, Director of the Wharton Esherick Museum, invites you to play a game of chess. Bring your own board (or play on Wharton’s!) and learn more about Esherick’s involvement in the Centaur Book Shop.

ICA
Sunday Oct. 23, 2011 @ 1pm

THE SIGN(S) OF THE CENTAUR

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:18:09 +0000

The Centaur
Wharton Esherick; Iron and Walnut, 1924
Courtesy of Wharton Esherick Museum (photo: James Mario)

The Sign of The Centaur
Andy Beach and Happy Signs; Neon, 2011

happysignsusa.com

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:05:05 +0000

This is Wharton Esherick's own copy of "Lady Chatterley's Lover", photographed at The Wharton Esherick Museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Andy Beach). Read more: "Wharton Esherick: Journey of a Creative Mind" by Mansfield "Bob" Bascom.

Due to the explicit nature of some of the scenes in his story, D.H. Lawrence was unable to find a publisher for his novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover. So he went to Florence and paid for a private printing of the book, designing the book himself on location at the Tipografia Giuntina. Only 1000 copies were printed, each of which were signed by the author. The plain, unprinted dustjacket made it somewhat easier to smuggle copies of the book past customs officials in the United States. When that didn’t work, the Centaur Book Shop’s proprietor, Harold Mason, arranged for the shipment of a case of books with the spines removed and replaced with those from a book of the same size.