Oak Knoll

First edition. A near fine copy. With an introduction by James H. Billington, preface by Larry E. Sullivan and an essay on Rosenwald by William Matheson. The Rosenwald Collection is the single largest gathering of rare books at the Library of Congress and represents one of the finest collections of books formed by any individual.

The collection focuses on the Western European and American illustrated book, a holding unsurpassed in this country, with special concentrations on 15th-century books, 16th-century books printed in the Low Countries, 18th-century French books, William Blake and 20th-century livres d'artiste. Since the time of its donation, this collection has grown to 2,600 separate editions along with several thousand reference works and is used by hundreds of scholars from all over the world.
VISION OF A COLLECTOR celebrates the centenary of Rosenwald's
birth by gathering 100 essays by noted scholars on Rosenwald's interests highlighted in the collection, covering both internationally known rarities and books whose potential for research has not yet been recognized. This book consists of five essays on Manuscripts, twelve essays on Early Printing, Typography & Writing Books, thirty-nine essays on Illustrated Books, six essays on Eighteenth-Century French Illustrated Books, four essays on William Blake, seven essays on Modern Illustrated Books, three essays on Architecture, seven essays on Bindings, five essays on Geography, three essays on Herbals and nine essays on Science. This work includes illustrations with some in color.