Gertrude Stein, Portraits and Prayers
New York: Random House, 1934
“Double spread title page, front is tipped in, printed in solid black on both sides, with colophon on front, author [name] facing title printed in red. Text type Antique #1, display type [Girder?], format very square and stubby, matching author’s portrait by Carl Van Vechten on front cover, printing in offset—first American book with cloth binding printed in offset. Spine is a woven furniture fabric I found in a store. Back cover was to show Gertrude Stein from the rear—by retouching front photo—Bennett Cerf forbade tampering as Van Vechten photo. Much later I saw a photo of his showing GS just that way. We would have had the book coming out of her. The jacket was printed on maroon, title only, [gloss?] paper pasted on.”
Author inscription to ER: “For Ernst Reichl/who designed this book/which makes a book/I like so much even/more than I can tell/ Gtde Stn”
