Biblia-A-Biblia

Item Details

Austin, Texas, Idolon Book Shop, [1962], 12mo, buff stiff wrappers, front printed

TEXANA SPOOF CATALOGUE. Cook,  Morris G . Biblia-A-Biblia: Texana. Not Illustrated, [12] pp. 12mo, buff stiff wrappers, front printed. Austin: Idolon Book Shop, [1962]                                                                                                                 

OCLC show three Texas holdings, plus one religious institution that no longer holds it, per its on-line catalogue.

The author Morris Cook was an Austin rare book dealer who at one time worked for Franklin Gilliam. This catalogue lists 31 titles, of these we have identified ten that are actual book titles; it is in the physical description, and, occasionally, in  editorial notes that it is apparent that the physical attributes do not apply (or certainly should not apply) to any book offered for sale—library stamps over all illustrations, missing pages, snide remarks about the worthiness of the author to compile a particular item. Of the remaining 20 titles it is possible that some of them may have appeared in print in a very ephemeral way, but in the case of No. 3 a supposed Franklin Gilliam pamphlet, we are almost positive that this did not exist. Franklin rarely, if ever, threw any book related material away, and was well-known for his devotion to steam, both in rail and ocean liners and in the 1960s he would have been highly unlikely to have book-hunted by “Airplane”.

The authors of some of the unpublished/imaginary  works are actual known Austin bibliophiles, librarians or dealers,  and collectors

It is great fun and the not on the inside front cover sets the mood. “All items in the catalogue are in condition, except when otherwise noted. If any purchase is not entirely satisfactory, please do not return the book, and your money will be cheerfully refunded.” The printed colophon reads:

"This  Catalogue is Limited to Copies | of which this is | Number | One