Jo Mora’s Whimsical Map of San Diego (1928)
Format: Illustrated Map with Original Mailing Envelope
Size: 24” x 29”
Condition: Excellent vintage condition with minor wear along a fold (see photos)

This delightful illustrated map by renowned California artist Jo Mora offers a richly detailed and humorous take on San Diego’s history, geography, and culture—from a creative mind shaped by the ethos of the early 20th-century American West.

Very much a product of its time and place, the original envelope describes this as “A Humorous Presentation of the Topography, History, Development, and Diversified Activities of a California City.”

Commissioned as a souvenir for the Golden Anniversary of the historic Marston Store (August 8, 1878–1928), this piece is far more than a novelty item. As a work of art, it’s charming and cheeky. As a historical document, it’s fascinating—an exercise in how a city tells the story of itself, creating a collective narrative, folklore, even mythology.

Joseph Jacinto Mora (1876–1947), sometimes called the “Renaissance Man of the West,” was a Uruguayan-born California artist whose talents spanned illustration, sculpture, photography, and historical storytelling. His maps are celebrated for their wit, historical insight, and lively visual style.

Whether you collect vintage maps, love California lore, or admire early 20th-century illustration, this beauty stands out as both a work of art and a piece of history.

Miniature Shakespeare: Set of 20 Leather-Bound Volumes
Publisher: Knickerbocker Leather & Novelty Co.
Date: Early 20th Century
Format: Miniature books, leather-bound, housed in original wooden bookshelf
Condition: Excellent; all volumes and shelf in good condition

This beautiful early 20th-century set includes twenty of William Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, each finely bound in leather by the Knickerbocker Leather & Novelty Co., known for their craftsmanship in miniature and decorative editions.

The volumes are presented in their original wooden miniature bookshelf, making this both a literary treasure and a charming display piece. Each book is in excellent condition, with clean interiors and well-preserved bindings. The set and shelf show only minor signs of age, adding to their vintage appeal.

A delightful collectible for lovers of Shakespeare, miniature books, or finely crafted early 20th-century book sets.

“Buck a Book” – Hand-Decorated Bookstore Display by Richard Allen Morris
Medium: Mixed media on paper-covered cardboard box
Artist: Richard Allen Morris (b. 1933)
Signed by the artist
Condition: Good vintage condition with expected signs of age

This one-of-a-kind piece of promotional ephemera was created as a promotional sign for a bookstore—now it’s a slice of mid-century art history. A playful, hand-decorated display created by influential West Coast painter Richard Allen Morris, it features the catchy slogan “Buck a Book” and a punny picture of a bucking bronco. The piece is signed by Morris, adding to its rarity and collectible value.

Known for his inventive, often irreverent approach to materials and form, Morris worked largely outside the mainstream art market but has been widely recognized for his contributions to postwar West Coast abstraction and assemblage. This piece reflects his wit, graphic sensibility, and experimental spirit—at the intersection of art, language, and everyday culture.

An art-meets-ephemera gem: ideal for collectors of outsider art, bookstore history, or mid-century American visual culture.

The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: The Astronomer-Poet of Persia
Rendered into English Verse by Edward FitzGerald
Published: 1885 by E.W. Porter & Co., St. Paul, Minnesota
Edition: Limited edition, No. 241 of 750 copies
Format: Hardcover with marbled covers
Condition: Book in excellent condition; binding in fair to poor condition (see photos)

This is a beautiful limited edition of Edward FitzGerald’s celebrated English translation of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, printed in 1885 by E.W. Porter & Co. of St. Paul, Minnesota. Numbered 241 of only 750 copies, this edition is a rare and elegant example of late 19th-century American fine press publishing.

The book features a marbled cover and classic period typography, presenting FitzGerald’s timeless rendering of the 12th-century Persian poet’s meditations on life, fate, and the fleeting nature of existence. The book itself is in excellent condition, with clean pages and a strong interior. The binding is in fair condition, showing signs of age but still intact.

A highly collectible volume—perfect for admirers of Persian poetry, classic literature, and 19th-century bookmaking.

Code
By Jean-Clarence Lambert
Illustrated by Victor Vasarely
Language: French
Publisher: Le Soleil Noir, 1967
Edition: First edition, number 47 of only 150 copies printed on Arches vellum
Format: Softcover in original emboîtage-objet slipcase
Condition: Book in pristine, unread condition with uncut pages; slipcase in fair condition with visible wear and damage

This rare and visually striking 1967 collaboration between poet and art theorist Jean-Clarence Lambert and Op Art master Victor Vasarely is a true gem of 20th-century modernist publishing. Published by the avant-garde press Le Soleil Noir, Code is a limited edition work—this is number 47 of just 150 copies printed on fine Arches vellum, presented in an original emboîtage-objet (sculptural slipcase), itself a nod to the book-as-art-object philosophy of the time.

Lambert, one of France’s most influential postwar literary and critical figures, crafts an abstract poetic language that finds its visual counterpart in Vasarely’s signature geometric and optical compositions. Together, they push the boundaries of perception, text, and form in a bold dialogue between word and image.

The book is in pristine condition, with uncut pages—indicating it has never been read—while the unique presentation case shows wear but still holds its sculptural presence.

A highly collectible artifact for connoisseurs of concrete poetry, French avant-garde publishing, and the Op Art movement.