Szyk and Smoke

Arthur Szyk was an artist whose artwork can truly be said to have influenced history.  Born in Poland in 1894, he served Poland honorably during World War One.  Between the wars he was quite prolific and well-sought after as an illustator.  One of his most famous illustrations is "The Four Freedoms" that he presented to the U.S.  It is still in the Library of Congress.  Seeing the handwriting on the wall, Syzk moved to London in 1937 and worked tirelessly to aid in the war effort against Nazi tyranny.  He eventually moved to the U.S.  and worked here until he died in 1951.

This volume is from an exhibition put on by the Holocaust Museum in 2002.  It is rare and full of colorful photographs of his work.  Being able to study the paintings at length using this volume is a great asset for an admirer of Szyk's style because of the sheer volume of detail contained therein. For someone who collects Szyk's art or art of this period, this would be a truly thoughtful gift.  $26 at our Amazon1 Storefront.

It is unusual to find a book that is a collectible about collectibles.  This one, Rare Smoke, is number 16 of a run of 50, and is signed by the author.  This first edition had a total run of 2500 books, making it quite rare now.  It appears not to have been used.  It is a wonderful gift for a pipe collector. $75 at our Amazon1 website.

As always, current Friends can get either or both of these books, saving on shipping, by contacting us at RestonFriendspr@gmail.com  Anyone else can visit our Amazon1 site by clicking the sidebar.

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