L'Histoire d'un Tournesol

Written, illustrated, and printed by Carol Cunningham.

Mill Valley, CA; Sunflower Press, 1992. Hardcover. As new from the printer. First edition. Unpaginated (36 pages plus 4 page Addendum), measuring 6 ¼ (height) x 4 ¾ (depth) inches. A handmade book printed letterpress from hand-set Centaur, complete with an Addendum of 2 additional books and commentary laid into a sleeve on the rear endpaper. With 28 illustrations from Carol’s previous books, most of them reproduced in color using the original blocks and cuts, many hand-colored; two tipped-in. Hand-bound by Carol in patterned cloth over boards with letterpress label with orange sunflower and printer’s ornaments pasted on cover, and orange endpapers.

Limited to 50 copies each numbered and signed by Carol Cunningham on the colophon. Of these 20 were printed on Mohawk paper and 30 on Frankfurt paper.

“A brief account of the books and related activities during the past thirty years at Sunflower Press.” From the Addendum: “In these 31 years I have printed 66 books, 35 of these miniatures.” The first entry is about Carol’s first book, printed in Japan in 1960 “by stamping of letters from a cereal called Alphabits, with no font scheme in any of many boxes I bought, and a single stamping only per letter because of high sugar content.” This is one of the most amusing launches to a fine press printer that we have ever heard! The last entry in the book is that her next book will be the nine Muses with illustrations by Gene Holtan. Now scarce, this bibliographic compilation is a must-have for the Sunflower Press collector.

$235