INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
Index
Festival of Britain………………….1-34
Other Great Exhibitions…………..35-133
Other Exhibitions………………….134-149
General Works on Exhibitions…....150-162
Some Related Works-Architects, Designers, Movements…………………………163-200
Books may be ordered through the website, by telephone or by e-mail. Details at the bottom of each page.
FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN
The Official Guides
1.COX IanFestival Ship Campania. A guide to the story it tells.
London, HMSO,1951.[24791] 48pp + xxivpp period adverts, many illustrations + plan of ship. Wraps with Abram Games' Logo. 24x18. Front cover faintly discoloured round edges else vg. £25.00
The 'Campania' toured British ports during the Festival year.
2.COX IanSouth Bank Exhibition. A Guide to the Story it Tells.
London, HMSO,1951.[32261] 96pp + 61pp period adverts, illustrated throughout with b&w photos & line drawings of exhibition site, buildings & exhibits. Decorated wraps, with Abram Games' Festival Logo. 24x18. Cover rather dusty, generally good copy. £20.00
The well-know guide to the South Bank Exhibition, with excellent information on the pavilions, exhibits etc.
3.DUNNETT H McG (ed)Guide to the Exhibition of Architecture Town-Planning and Building Research.
London, HMSO,1951.[31960] xiviii adverts, 52pp, a great many illustrations & plans, some coloured. Coloured centre-fold site plan. Wraps. 24x18. Good copy. £30.00
Catalogue of the influential Festival of Britain Poplar Exhibition. It was often called the Lansbury Exhibition, after George Lansbury, philanthropic politician. The exhibition did much to publicise modern British architecture, mass housing and town planning. Contributors included Gibberd, Jellicoe. YRM, Gilbert Scott, Casson et al.
4.H R CARTER PUBLICATIONS LTD (publ)Festival of Britain 1951 in Northern Ireland.Official Souvenir Handbook.
Belfast,1951.[32258] End papers artist impression of Ulster Farm & Factory, Castlereagh, xvipp, mostly illustrations, 89pp plus 32pp adverts. Gilt embossed cloth with Abram Games' logo, 28x21. Very nice copy in rather ragged and chipped dust wrapper, this now protected. £80.00
The rarest of the series of official catalogues, and slightly different in format from the others. Extremely scarce, especially as here in dust wrapper.
5.HMSO (publ)1951 Exhibition of Industrial Power, Kelvin Hall Glasgow.
London, [31959] xlviii, 49pp incl nice coloured and b&w illustrations and adverts. Pictorial wraps with Festival logo, 24x18. Nice copy. Staples rusted. £45.00
The official Scottish Festival contribution and the catalogue is designed to match the other special events (South Bank, 'Campania' etc). It was a major show. Architects involved were Basil Spence (Chief Architect and designer of the Concourse, and the Halls of Power and the Future), Arthur Braven (Hall of Hydro-Electricity) and Jack Coia (Hall of Shipbuilding & Railways). Uncommon.
6.HMSO (publ)The Festival Exhibition 1951.Birmingham-Leeds-Manchester-Nottingham. The Land Travelling Exhibition.
London,1951.[24933] 68pp incl illustrations, plan plus xxviipp adverts. Wraps with Abram Games logo, 24x18. Covers very slightly grubby else vg. £30.00
Official guide to the famous Land Travelling Exhibition
7.HMSO (publ)Festival of Britain 1951. Catalogue of Exhibits South Bank Exhibition.
London,1951.[32250] lxxxii (mostly adverts), 188pp, lxxxi-cxliv (adverts). Pictorial wraps with Festival logo etc. (Uniform in design with the other 'official' catalogues: South Bank, Poplar etc.. See separate entries.) 24x18. Spine very slightly faded and rubbed on edges else a very nice copy. £85.00
Complete catalogue of the South Bank exhibition, a valuable reference for design in this period. The lovely adverts, many in colour, are also of great interest. An outstanding item and particularly scarce.
------
Battersea Pleasure Gardens
8.ANONPleasure Gardens 1951.Battersea Park Festival of Britain.
nd 1951.[28698] 52pp including illustrations by Piper, Emmett, Tisdall, and plan. Thin pictorial card covers designed by Hans Tisdall, 25x19. Vg. £25.00
Official guide to the various features of the gardens, with information on entertainments. Attractive period adverts.
9.ANONWhat’s On Today. Official Programme. Festival Pleasure Gardens Battersea Park.
1951,[4542] August official programme. 25x18. Good.£12.00
Monthly programme detailing bands, dances, theatre events etc..
------
10.BANHAM Mary & HILLIER Bevis (eds)A Tonic to the Nation. The Festival of Britain 1951.
London, Thames & Hudson,1976.[30112] 200pp incl 196 illustrations (12 in colour). Prologue by Roy Strong. Decorated wraps. 26x20. Rear cover little tanned, a good tight copy. £45.00
Still perhaps the best overall account.
11.DAILY MIRRORFestival Regatta
London,1951.[32268] 24pp inc illustrations, adverts. Pamphlet with Festival logo, 23x15. Vg.£18.00
12.FERENS ART GALLERYMarine Paintings.A Festival of Britain Exhibition
Hull, [30103] 114pp incl illustrations, Hull Art Directory. Wraps, 22x15. Good.£12.50
Good copy with Festival logo. Exhibition catalogue.
Advance publicity
13.FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN OFFICEThe Festival of Britiain 1951 [cover title]
London,1949?[24663] 20pp incl map of the programme. Wraps with Festival logo, 25x18. Vg.£25.00
Publicity brochure from the organising committee explaining the organisation and aims of the Festival. At the front is a good luck message from the King, dated 8th June 1949. Games' Festival logo is already being used and the other main elements of the Festival are being planned (Festival Gardens, Land and Seas exhibitions etc) Very interesting item.
------
14.HADEN H JackThrough The Years. Stourbridge 1851-1951.
Stourbridge, Mark & Moody Limited,1951.[30552] 72pp inc illustrations, adverts and Programme of Events for the Borough of Stourbridge for the Festival. Wraps with Abram Games' Festival logo, 25x18. Faint spotting along spine cover else very good for fairly fragile item. £25.00
Very nice souvenir of events in this Midlands town, designed in the style of the official programmes.
The Big Festival Sell-off
15.HAROLD WILLIAMS AND PARTNERSFestival of Britain, 1951. Catalogue of theFitted Displays, Furnishings Plant and Equipment. To be sold by Public Auction at the South Bank Exhibition Site London on 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 18th December, 1951
London,1951.[32310] 61pp incl purchaser's slip, this filled in, map and notice of forthcoming Plant and Equipment sale. Catalogue, 24x18. Staples rusty, small spilt bottom of spine else good copy. Some pencil crosses in margins. Rare. £50.00
Fascinating sale catalogue. Everything must go! Uniforms, waste-paper baskets, display cabinets, turnstiles, ice-cream barrows etc..
------
16.HARWOOD Elain and POWERS Alan (eds)Festival of Britain
London, Twentieth Century Society,2001.[31517] 176pp inc illustrations, some in colour. Wraps, 26x20. Fine. £20.00
Typical thorough publication of the Twentieth Century Society with some beautiful colour plates. Published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Festival.
17.HMSO (publ)Souvenir Weather Report & Forecast[for 22 August 1951]
London,1951.[32438] 4pp colour chart. Paper sheet, 21x17. Has been folded, good for fragile item. £10.00
Prepared by Met Office at the Dome of Discovery on the South Bank site.
18.ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWSFestival of Britain.The Exhibition's Opening-Special Number
London,1951.[32257] 61pp inc adverts and illustrations, lovely double-page aerial view of the Festival showing the lay-out and all the chief pavilions. Magazine format, 37x26. College stamp top corner of front cover and small chip on other corner else a very good bright copy. £30.00
Although the cover seems oddly unsympathetic to the ethos of the Festival of Britain, this is actually a superb visual survey of this great event, with fascinating and unusual photos, artist views etc. Many photos show people enjoying themselves in the various pavilions. Good copy of an item usually found in poor condition.
19.KIRBY JohnThe Festival of Britain.A list of information sources
Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University: Pavic,1993.[29960] 196pp inc illustrations. Wraps, 29x20. Vg. £30.00
The author, then Sheffield Hallam Librarian, identifies thousands of publications. Now scarce.
20.1951 Festival of Britain. LAMBETH PALACE (publ?)Festival of Britain 1951. Lambeth Palace.Art in the Service of Exhibition [cover title]
London,1951.[14682] 48pp, incl 16 b&w plates. Wraps. 22x14. Fine.£15.00
Attractive guide to this exhibition of contemporary work. Nice item (no Festival logo)
21.LONDON TRANSPORTWelcome to London.
1951.[26254] Folded map with logo. 45x52 unfolded, 22x14 folded. Designed by James Hart. Vg. £18.00
Map, poster showing how to get to the South Bank show and other festival venues using London Transport. Also detailed plan of the South Bank Exhibition. Lovely piece of Festival ephemera.
22.METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF CAMBERWELLFestival Souvenir.Official Handbook 1951
London,1951.[29517] 144pp incl photos, adverts plus folding map at end. Card covers with lovely Festival logo image, 21x14. Covers a little dusty and with closed tear to front else vg. £30.00
One of the most ambitious Festival handbooks, packed with information on the Borough and sympathetic to the Festival ethos.
23.MORLEY COLLEGE CONCERTS SOCIETYConcert Beethoven Britten Cimarosa Orff Monday 11th June
London,1951.[32309] 8pp. Programme, 24x18. Good.£12.00
Good.
24.MORLEY COLLEGE CONCERTS SOCIETYConcert Tallis Stravinsky Tippett. Wednesday 30th May
London,1951.[32308] 8pp plus 4pp plates. List of Festival of Britain Concerts loosely inserted. Programme, 24x18. Good. £15.00
25.NEW ERA CONCERT SOCIETYA Festival of Britain Concert. Concert Programme
London,1951.[32265] 10pp. Related ephemera loosely inserted including concert ticket stub. Programme, 19x13. Vg with Festival logo. £15.00
Concert given in the Royal Festival Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra and Goldsmith's Choral Union. Included a work by Constant Lambert.
26.PONTYTPOOL URBAN DISTRICT COUNCILFestival of Britain 1951...Festival Souvenir.Containing Programme of Events and the Story of Pontypool by Arthur CLARK.
Pontypool,1951[32440] 100pp, including many ills, map, street plan + adverts. Pictorial wraps with Festival logo. 22x14. A little wear to spine head and tail. Contents good. £15.00
Numerous Festival events were planned.
27.PUBLIC LIBRARIES COMMITTEE OF THE BOROUGH OF ST MARYLEBONESherlock Holmes Exhibition
London,1951.[32266] 4pp inc map. Folded flier, 23x10. Vg with Festival logo.£10.00
Nice piece of ephemera.
“Punch” goes to the Festival
28.PUNCH MAGAZINEThe Festival of Punch. Part 1 The Bouverie Street Exhibition.Part II. The Pageant of Punch. Part III. The Festival of Charivari [3 parts in one]
London,1951.[31916] 112pp inc text illustrations plus many colour plates and very many pages adverts. Wraps, 26x22. Covers a little ragged round edges, else good copy. £20.00
Very nice period adverts including Ffolkes, Emett, Anton, Fugasse et al. Lovely period item, extremely amusing and informative.
------
29.SANDWICH FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN OFFICEThe Ancient Town and Port of Sandwich Kent.AD 664 to AD 1951.
Sandwich1951.[32442] 6pp, including 2 drawings. Pamphlet format with Festival logo. 23x10, opening to 23x30. Good copy. £10.00
Attractive publicity, including details of the Festival Week (July 1st to 7th).
30.Sheet Music. SUN MUSIC PUBLISHING CO."Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner".Words and Music by Hubert Gregg. Special Festival Edition.
London,1951[32443] Sheet music. 4pp, attractive coloured cover with the Festival logo in colour. 28x21. VG. £15.00
The piece was recorded by the Radio Revellers (who are depicted on the cover).
31.1951 Festival of Britain. TROTT Clive (ed)Commemoration Magazine 1951
Neath,1951.[30002] 80pp incl illustrations, maps. Card covers, 24x19. Owner's name on first page, 'Local History' on cover else good.
Local publication for Festival events in Neath, with Festival. Logo on half-title.
32.VALENTINE & SONS LTD (publ)London Festival of Britain Souvenir(Title page has, "Memories of London. A Picture Souvenir of the World's Greatest City")
Dundee,nd 1951?[4218] 30pp of artist's views in colour. Pictorial card covers with Festival logo. 12x18. Good copy. £15.00
Attractive item, though images are of London in general, not of Festival.
33.ANONSouth Bank Exhibition 1951 plan
[24403] Official plan. 6pp (A4, folded in three). Vg.£15.00
Nice item designed by Games, with logo.
34.HMSO (publ)Calendar
London,1951.[24905] 42x30 folded to make pamphlet of 16 pages 10x22. Glasgow travel agents stamp, couple of pencil marks else vg. £15.00
Calendar of FoB events, the principal exhibitions arts festivals etc. Nice piece of ephemera, with logo.
OTHER GREAT EXHIBITIONS
35.1851 Great Exhibition. AUERBACH Jeffrey AThe Great Exhibition of 1851: A Nation on Display.
New Haven, Yale UP,1999.[19495] Colour frontis, viii, 280pp, incl 75 colour and b&w illustrations, bibliog. Cloth, 26x20. Fine, dust wrapper. £25.00
Radical new ideas about this event - it was much more of a cultural battleground than is generally believed.
36.1851 Great Exhibition. BABBAGE CharlesThe Exposition of 1851; or,Views of the Industry, the Science, and the Government, of England.
(London, John Murray, 1851), Frank Cass,1968 new impression of 2nd ed.[29823] xvi, 289pp. Cloth, 22x15. Ex Science and Technology Lending Library copy, library marks on front end paper and title page only, vg thus. £20.00
37.1851 Great Exhibition. DIGBY WYATT M and WARING J BThe Italian Court at the Crystal Palace.The Renaissance Court at the Crystal Palace.
The Mediaeval Court at the Crystal Palace.
The Byzantine and Romanesque Court at the Crystal Palace.
London, Crystal Palace Library,1854.[29848] Fold-out frontis plan, 90pp inc text illustrations: 108pp inc text illustrations: 123pp inc illustrations: fold-out plan, 116pp inc text illustrations. Cloth, 17x12. Fold-out plans of the Renaissance and Mediaeval courts missing, replaced by xeroxes. £25.00
38.1851 Great Exhibition. V&A (publ)The Building Erected in Hyde Park for the Great Exhibition of theWorks of Industry of All Nations, 1851. Illustrated by twenty-eight large plates, embracing plans, elevations, sections, and details, laid down to a large scale from the working drawings of the Contractors, Messrs Fox, Henderson, and Co by Charles Downes, Architect. With scientific descritption by Charles Cowper...
(London, John Weale, 1852), London, V&A,facsimilie reprint, 1971.[31563] iv, 45pp plus plates. Card covers, 30x21. Vg. Plates in especially nice condition. £125.00
A very nicely made facsimilie, itself now very scarce, of this rare Victorian work. Containing as it does, plans, elevations and sections of the 1851 building, set out by Charles Downes from the contractor's working drawings, it is said to be the 'only surviving reference book for the accurate knowledge and appreciation of the physical structure of the building...' The to-scale plans are remarkably detailed.
39.1867 Paris. VIRTUE & COParis Exhibition Catalogue 1867 published with ‘The Art Journal’ 1867-1868.[2 uniform vols].
London, Virtue & Co,1867-1868.[21939] Vol 1; marbled end papers, frontis, viii, 276pp incl some text illustrations plus 28 single-sided plates (one plate called for opposite page 4 is not present and we can find no evidence of there ever being one); xii, 216pp incl many text illustrations. Vol 11; viii, 288pp incl illustrations plus pp217-331 of Exhibition Catalogue. Beautiful gilt lettered and embossed red leather binding and with highly gilt decorated spine, 33x27. All edges gilt. A handsome set. £450.00
These splendid volumes contain a comprehensive record of this great Exposition, its pavilions and exhibits. It was similar in scale and ambition to the Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851.
40.1878 Paris. VIRTUE & COThis Volume illustrating the Great Exhibition of theWorks of Art and Art Industry held at Paris in 1878 is Dedicated to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales President of the British Commission.
London,1878.[30076] Marbled end papers, xxii, 212pp incl illustrations. Cloth, leather spine and corners, 33x24. Occasional library stamps, no labels, leather corners and top and bottom of spine rubbed, still a good, tight copy. £95.00
The introductory section of this fine catalogue describes the exhibition and its various pavilions. This is followed by material on the various exhibitors. Important source for 19th century European design. Among British exhibitors were Craven, Dunhill encaustic tiles, Doulton & Co, Minton, J W Singer of Frome, Willis & Co etc.
41.1893 ChicagoWorld's Colombian Exposition, Chicago. 1893
Colombia, Wards Bros, [27861] 8 fanfolded pages of views and plan. Highly decorated red and black folder, 15x13. Vg. £18.00
Overview and 12 images of pavilions. Nice item.
42.1893 Chicago. BRENTANO (publ)The Buildings of the World's Columbian Exposition.Published by Authority.
NY,1892.[30559] 4pp text, 12 tissue-guarded single-sided lithos on stiff paper of various buildings. Original decorated boards, 27x35. Boards scuffed and spine does not look original. Prints in very nice condition. £50.00
Engraved views of the various halls and pavilions with titles and names of architects etc. The images appear to be very accurate and detailed and provide good information on the various details.
43.1893 Chicago. CALIFORNIA WORLD'S FAIR COMMISSIONFinal Report of the California World's Fair Commission,including a description of all exhibits from the State of California,, collected and maintained under legislative enactments......
Sacramento, State Office,1894.[27680] Frontis, vii, 240pp plus numerous illustrations. Publisher's gilt embossed cloth, 23x16. Ex New England Historical Society label inside front cover, spine rebacked retaining spine strip, new end papers, small tear to frontis image, generally a good tight copy. £75.00
Exhaustive account of the State's contribution to the World's Fair. Naturally their exhibits were very ambitious and comprehensive. The great many photos are especially interesting.
44.1893 Chicago. SHEPP James W. & Daniel B.Shepp's World Fair Photographed.Being a collection of original copyrighted photographs.....
Chicago, Globe Bible Publishing Co1893.[27689] 529pp incl c250 photos, Ground Plan. Gilt lettered cloth. 22x28. Excellent bright copy, tightly bound. £120.00
Excellent account of this vast Exposition, with detailed text and fine full-page photos. These latter cover every aspect of the exposition, including pavilions, the Woman's Building, the Ferris Wheel etc
45.1894 Lyon. PILA M. UlysseExposition Coloniale.Organisée par la Chambre de Commerce. A l’Exposition Universelle de Lyon en 1894.
Lyon, A-H Storck,1895.[24588] viii, 284pp incl text illustrations + 34 single-sided plates + fold-out plan of the Colonial section. Large quarto wraps. 33x26. Minor wear to edges of prelims, otherwise a nice copy, some pages uncut. £300.00
A detailed description of the Colonial section of the Lyon World’s Fair of 1894, and one of the first of such specialist exhibitions. (Later, some were to be held separately, for instance the Paris Colonial Exposition of 1931.). The various pavilions are described in detail and there was an “Exposition des Missions”, as well as a “Village Nègre” (there is a striking photograph of this last). Only French colonies were represented. Very scarce.
46.1895 Cotton States Exposition, Atlanta. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REPRESENTING THE STATE OF NEW YORKReport of the Board of Commissioners Representing the State of New Yorkat the Cotton States and International Exposition held at Atlanta, Georgia 1895
Albany and NY, by the Board,1895.[19991] Frontis portrait of the Governor, 290pp plus index, incl 24 plates. Gilt lettered decorated cloth, 26x19. Damp-marking on upper edges of second half of book, new end papers, cloth professionally repaired to make a fair copy. £125.00