(2) Rare German Books About Colored Paper-Making, Early 1900s. 

Size: (both) 9 1/4 X 6 1/2 X 3/4 in. 

These two books are about making colored paper in Germany in the early 1900’s. The first book was published by August Weichelt in 1907 and is a second edition, and the second book was published by Julius Erfurt around 1912 and is a third edition revised and enlarged, and they are rare and much sought after because of their quality and relevance to colored paper making at the turn of the century. In English, the Weichelt book is titled Colored Paper Manufacturing, with 178 illustrations and 209 mounted patterns, published in Berlin by Carl Hoffmann about 1912, in a green cloth with black lettering on the spine and front cover, patterned green endpapers, 329 pages of text (including the illustrations and mounted patterns), a one-page list of advertisers and 17 pages of ads at the rear. In German, the title page reads Buntpapier-Fabrikation, mit 178 Abbildungen und 209 eingeklebten Mustern, Verlag der Papier-Zeitung, Carl Hofmann, Berlin, and after the last page of text it reads Bezugsquellen aus dem Anzeigen-Anhang. The first edition of Weichelt’s book was in published in 1903 and has 262 pages of text, according to WorldCat, the second edition is 329 pages long, and a later edition from 1927 has 448 pages of text, according to WorldCat. In English, the Erfurt book is titled Colors of the Paper Stock, a Practical Guide for Paper Mill Managers, Foreman, with 300 Samples of Dyed Fabric Paper, the third revised and enlarged edition, published in Berlin by Carl Hofmann, the foreword is dated 1912, with Julius Erfurt, Director of the Paper Mill at the bottom of the page, there are 195 pages of text and 8 pages  of ads in the rear (including one blank page); the book has gilt lettering on the spine,  a gilt-ruled border and gilt lettering on the front cover, and textured gray-brown endpapers. In German, the title page reads Farben des Papierstoffs, Praktische Anleitang fur Papierfabriksleiter, Werkfuhrer usw, Mit 300 Proben im Stoff gefarbter Papiere, Dritte, umgearbeitete und vermehrte Auslage, Verlag der Papier-Zeitung Carl Hofmann, Berlin, followed by the Vorwort … Czenstochan 1912, Julius Erfurt, Direktor der Papierfabrik. Erfurt was Director of the Czenatochau Paper Mill in January 1900 and a skilled papermaker and dyeing expert, his book is a comprehensive guide for papermakers, students, and anyone interested in the process of dyeing paper pulp, and it provides a detailed overview of the techniques, materials, and equipment used in the dyeing process. Both books measure 9 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches wide and are in very good condition, with tight bindings and clean pages and text. Erfurt’s book has bright gilt on the spine and front cover, light bumps at the heel and wear at the crown and faint wear at the tips, while Weichelt’s book has offset on two pages from the mounted fabric samples on the facing pages and rubbing at the heel and crown and light rubbing at the tips. The books are richly illustrated with hundreds  of mounted samples and all the colored samples are present and in great condition - the colors pop. The two book are rare and don’t come up for auction very often. A second edition of Weichelt’s book sold at Swann’s in 2002 for $632 and that book had a loose binding. In 2013 Bonham’s sold Weichelt’s book for £500, including the premium, and that’s all the auction records we could find for the two books. An invaluable resource for anyone interested in colored paper-making.