The Fraktur-Writings or Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pennsylvania Germans, by Donald A. Shelley (HC, 1961, $20, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
The author, Donald Shelley, was an Executive Director of the Henry Ford Museum and the Greenfield Village, so you know this has got to be special. He chose Pennsylvania German Folk Art for this book because the art is so colorful. He also chose it because examples of the art have survived either within their Pennsylvania German families, or in private collections. Sometimes manuscripts have found their way to museums, but other times collections are broken up and sold to other collectors, never to be seen again. For this project Shelley spent 20 years gathering, studying, and recording more than 2,000 manuscripts. (He even found one in a Macy's Department Store near his home!) Much of the material included here had never been recorded or published before.
These manuscripts are of the Fraktur type, meaning "illuminated manuscripts employ-[ing]... letters based on the 16th century Gothic type-face of the same name". "Both artistically and technically these manuscripts provide a most interesting link between Europe and America on the one hand, and between late medieval and modern times on the other." How cool is that! The only downside is the scant number of color prints, but there are 305 black and white ones, and the six color prints he does include are beautiful. Look for this book in the glass case.
