John Franklin Koenig embellished book bindings

John Franklin Koenig embellished book bindings, 1838-1982

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Koenig, John Franklin, 1924-2008
Title: John Franklin Koenig embellished book bindings
Dates: 1838-1982 (inclusive)
18381982
Quantity: 54 volumes
Collection Number: 6082 (Accession No. 6082-001)
Summary: A personal collection of books owned by John Franklin Koenig which he embellished with his unique, artistic bindings.
Repository: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection requires appointment with Book Arts and Rare Books Curator for viewing.
Languages: French, English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

John Franklin Koenig was born October 24, 1924 in Seattle, Washington. Koenig served in WWII in the 11th Armored Division, 22nd Battalion in France. Following the war, Koenig returned to Seattle. While in Seattle, he became familiar with the Northwest School of Art, particularly the work of Morris Graves and Mark Tobey. Koenig also earned his Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages with a minor in Art from the University of Washington in 1948. He returned to France in 1948 and lived the majority of his life there, though he returned to live in Seattle in 2004. While in France he studied at La Sorbonne in Paris. In 1952, Koenig co-founded the international art magazine Cimaise with Jean-Robert Arnaud. Koenig had his first solo art exhibition in 1952 at Galerie Arnaud. Koenig's work has been featured in hundreds of exhibits throughout Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. In 1985, Koenig was named Officier de l'Ordre des Arts and Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, an award rarely given to a person who is not of French origin. Koenig died on January 22, 2008.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

A personal collection of books owned by John Franklin Koenig which he embellished with his unique, artistic bindings. The books, mostly paperback with some hardbound, were published between 1838 and 1982 in Europe, England and the United States. The majority are in French. His cover embellishments included painting and collage with paper and appropriated images. Some volumes are housed in Koenig's embellished slipcases. Each volume has the artist's assigned number.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights retained. Contact Special Collections for details. Rights to artworks, including photographs taken by Koenig, are retained by the donors. After the donors' deaths, rights revert to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The books are in order by the number assigned by Koenig.

Acquisition Information

Clair A. and John C. Koenig, 2011-06-30

Separated Materials

Material Described Separately:

John Franklin Koenig Papers (Manuscript Collection 2734)

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
item
Koenig 4036	J F Koenig by Pierre Restany Language: French	1960
Koenig 4040	Un Barrage Contre Le Pacifique by Marguerite Duras Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1950
Koenig 4042	Le Theatre des Annees Folles by Pierre Brisson Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and on first page	1943
Koenig 4044	Le Paradis Perdu by John Milton Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1838
Koenig 4045	L'atelier D'alberto Giacometti by Jean Genet Language: French	undated; printed after 1958
Koenig 4046	L'espoir by Andre Malraux Language: French; Inscription on first page	1937
Koenig 4047	Onanisme Et Homosexualite by Wilhem Stekel Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1951
Koenig 4048	L'anglais Decrit dans le Chateau Ferme by Pierre Morion Language: French ; Inscription on spine of box	1953
Koenig 4050	Les Journaux Intimes de Baudelaire by not listed Language: French ; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1944
Koenig 4051	Les Chants de Maldoror by Armand Hoog Language: French ; Inscription on handmade spine	1947
Koenig 4053	Journal D'Andre Gide 1889-1939 by Andre Gide Language: French	1948
Koenig 4057	The Works of William Shakespeare Volume IV by William Shakespeare Language: English	undated
Koenig 4058	Les Liasons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos De Laclos Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1954
Koenig 4062	The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1948
Koenig 4063	Le Balcon by Jean Genet Language: French ; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	undated
Koenig 4064	Le Jardin Parfume by Cheikh Nefzaoui Language: French ; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1953
Koenig 4066	Adolphe by Benjamin Constant Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	undated
Koenig 4069	Eurpidide Theatre by not listed Language: French ; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	undated
Koenig 4070	Winter's Tales by Isak Dinesen Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1942
Koenig 4071	Diderot Ouveres by Diderot Language: French; Inscription on first page	1951
Koenig 4072	La Nausee by Jean-Paul Sartre Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1938
Koenig 4073	Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1948
Koenig 4074	Moderato Cantabile by Marguerite Duras Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1958
Koenig 4075	Eschyle Theatre by Eschyle Language: French	1946
Koenig 4076	La Chasse A Courre by Maurice Sachs Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1949
Koenig 4079	L'Abbesse De Castro by None listed Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	undated
Koenig 4078	Isak Dinesen Life of a Storyteller by Judith Thurman Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1982
Koenig 4084	"Mon Faust" by Paul Valery Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1946
Koenig 4085	Dix Heures et Demie du Soir en Ete by Marguerite Duras Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1960
Koenig 4086	Degas Danse Dessin by Paul Valery Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1946
Koenig 4087	Lettres Persanes by Montesquieu Language: French; Inscription on spine and cover of handmade dust jacket and first page	undated
Koenig 4089	Nature, Man, and Woman by Alan W. Watts Language: English; Inscription on spine and cover of handmade dust jacket and first page	1958
Koenig 4093	Poesies Completes by Alfred De Vigny Language: French; Inscription on spine and cover of handmade dust jacket and first page	1928
Koenig 4094	Calligrammes by Guillaume Apollinaire Language: French	1925
Koenig 4095	Monsieur Teste by Paul Valery Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1946
Koenig 4096	L'Immoraliste by Andre Gide Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1948
Koenig 4097	What Happened in History by Gordon Childe Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1942
Koenig 4098	Paludes by Andre Gide Language: French; Inscription on spine and cover of handmade dust jacket and first page	1926
Koenig 4100	Antoine et Cleopatre by Shakespeare Language: French; Inscription on spine and cover of handmade dust jacket	1926
Koenig 4101	Only Yesterday by Frederick Lewis Allen Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1931
Koenig 4103	Armance by Stendhal Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	undated
Koenig 4104	Venise, Guide Pratique Illustre by not listed Language: French; Inscription on first page and last page	1952
Koenig 4109	Memoires d"Hadrien by Marguerite Yourcenar Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1961
Koenig 4114	Oscar Wilde by Andre Gide Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1946
Koenig 4115	Pensees et Opuscules by not listed Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	undated
Koenig 4116	Les Amities Particulieres by Roger Peyrefitte Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1945
Koenig 4120	George Villiers Duc deBuckingham by Phillippe Erlanger Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket`	1951
Koenig 4122	U.S.A by John Dos Passos Language: English; Inscription on first page	1950
Koenig 4127	Comparative Religion by A.C Bouquet Language: English; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1942
Koenig 4138	Les Nourritures Terrestres by Andre Gide Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1935
Koenig 4141	Bourlinguer by Blaise Cendrars Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1948
Koenig 4144	Le Square by Marguerite Duras Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket	1955
Koenig 4145	Les Caves du Vatican by Andre Gide Language: French; Inscription on spine and cover of handmade dust jacket and first page	1922
Koenig 4147	Le Sabbat by Maurice Sachs Language: French; Inscription on spine of handmade dust jacket and first page	1946

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