Our Lady's Feasts; Considerations on the feasts of the Queen of Heaven
London: Sheed & Ward, 1946. First edition. Tall octavo (9 1/4 inches tall), sewn in original maroon cloth, original dust jacket. Ex-Franciscan library, partial bookplate on endpaper, very minor wear to bright and clean price-clipped dust jacket. Item #890
"MARY'S SOUL IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN GOD'S CREATION"
First edition of the American Dominican's Considerations on the Feasts of the Queen of Heaven—Dorcy’s second book of silhouettes, complete with an excellent example of the scarce original dust jacket.
Sister Mary Jean, O.P. was renowned for her exquisite monochrome silhouette illustrations, created entirely with black paper and scissors (as opposed to ink). Our Lady's Feasts, a celebration of the great Marian feasts of the liturgical calendar ("for those who are young—in heart, or in actuality") includes a frontispiece ("Our Lady of Lourdes”), a captioned vignette ("Dignare me laudare te Virgo Sacrata" - To You Who Love Our Lady) on the Dedication page, and 11 black-and-white plates: The Immaculate Conception, The Nativity of Our Lord, The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity of Christ, Feast of the Holy Family, Our Lady of Sorrows, The Assumption, Our Lady and the Rosary, Our Lady : Mediatrix of All Graces. Each description of the principal feasts of Our Lady opens with a large historiated initial letter and is paired with passages from the Ronald Knox New Testament. The book concludes with Devotion to Our Lady, characterizing the nature of the different Marian feast days. Our Lady "is Mother to us all, and to us all is given the tremendous privilege of calling on her for help in this valley of tears." The Approbations (dated "Westmonasterii, Die 21 Maii, 1946") are printed over a statement: "This Book is Produced in Complete Conformity with the War Economy Agreement." A lovely copy.
Price: $150.00