Penrose Annual 1958
This is one of my favourite secondhand book finds this year – Volume 52 of the Penrose Graphic Art Annual from 1958. I bought it from the same market as the King Penguins I posted about a few months ago, & it’s in nearly perfect condition! I can’t quite remember how much I paid for it, but it was something like $28 – a super-duper bargain. I would love to collect more of these, particularly the late 1930s through to 1960, but they can be a little pricey.
One of the best things about this book is that it’s stamped on the front endpapers with “Hardwicke Knight Collection”. Upon doing a little Googling, I found out that Frederick Hardwicke-Knight was a New Zealand author, photographer & collector who died in 2008 leaving behind a lifetime’s treasure trove of amazing stuff. I feel honoured to own one of his books! You can see the man himself & some of his incredible collection here. How interesting!
This book is a goldmine!
I was going to say “goldmine” also! I want all of them – now!
Great find, v good price too – these are great resources, a design studio I worked for in teh Snowies (of all places) had a bookcase full of old Graphic Annuals, Penrose and Graphis books being my favourites. Don’t own any myself, but your entry above has rekindled my interest in them. I’ll remember to keep an eye out while trawling through the bookstores in future!