Quail Creek Editions

Quail Creek Editions Publications

Publishers of Books and DVD's on the arts and history

About our publications

Founded in 2008, Quail Creek Editions continues with its mission to publish books and DVD's on subjects that have limited appeal and are viable only if issued in very small editions for a focused set of readers.  Organized as a LLC, Quail Creek Editions publishes only the highest quality books and offer DVD's of unique historical value.  Dedicated to the idea that not all publications should be expected to sell in huge numbers even if they are of high quality, Quail Creek Editions keeps its editions very small and largely oriented to a targeted,  but diverse audience.  While our catalog is compact, we expect to continue to expand it in an orderly fashion over the years.

Accordingly, Quail Creek Editions has kept its organizational structure very compact so as to not be burdened by high operational overhead.  Some, but not all of our products are found in limited stores or shops. A number of our books are available on Amazon, however our complete listing is only available here and we encourage you to order directly from us.   You may contact us using our contact form on this website, or by mail at Quail Creek Editions, 1811 Quail Creek Drive, Norman, OK. 73026-0944

Payment by check or money order is required for each order by individuals as we have not made arrangements to handle credit card payments.  We will invoice libraries and educational institutions.  We hope that the level of sales will expand sufficiently to allow the on-line ordering of items by credit card in the very near future.

For more information on the selections

More detailed descriptions of the books or DVD's may be obtained by placing your cursor on the title and clicking.  For more information on the author, place your cursor on the author's name and click.

 

Books

Topics include History, Art History, Craft History, Poetry, Dance History and History

Quail Creek Editions offers a small but unique listing of books in the arts and history.  Each is beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated and printed on fine paper.  All our books are published in very small editions.  And, all have gotten a warm response from readers.

Expansion of our offerings is underway and we are very excited by additional releases planned for  2019.

We hope you will review our current offerings and find something that interests you.

Art, Photography and Art History

 
Uncommonly Good (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

Uncommonly Good

Leonard Phelps Good, educator and artist 1907-2000

Andrew L. Phelan  |  Perfect bound (209 pages lavishly illustrated)  |  $40
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-1-1
This book follows the career of Leonard Good, a native of Chickasha, Oklahoma. A regionalist in the best sense of the concept, Good was born in the same year that Indian Territory became the state of Oklahoma. "The book is awesome! Wonderful! Excellent! Readable! Beautiful! And all things books should be." - Mary Brubaker, Des Moines IA
 
El rio sin tacto (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

El rio sin tacto

The story of the 1928 Emilio Amero - Gilberto Owen collaboration

Andrew L. Phelan  |  Perfect bound (158 - illustrated including the complete Owen filmscript)  |  $35
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-2-8
This book tells the story of a masterpiece of surrealist film-making that became the stuff of legend even as it failed to be completed. The fate of this 1928 collaboration between poet Gilberto Owen and multifaceted artist, photographer and film maker, Emilio Amero has long been the subject of speculation. The story of the amazing, almost miraculous reappearance of the script gives readers new insights into a long vanished era when New York City served as a creative Mecca for artists of many nationalities and fostered avant garde art and film-making. The complete original film-script, as written by Owen and annotated by Amero, is reproduced in the book making it an invaluable resource for scholars or those interested in the history of film.
 
Adoration of Characters (Lei Cai)
 

Adoration of Characters

Lei Cai  |  perfect bound (70 pages)  |  $30
ISBN13: 978-0-578-09225-6
This book, done by a young Chinese artist and designer, Lei Cai, presents his paintings, multimedia images and constructions of deconstructed Chinese characters. Drawing his inspiration from the ancient Chinese calligraphic forms found in the Oracle Bone Script dating from the Shang Dynasty (c1200-1050BC), Cai has constructed modern images. He has taken the forms found in that early calligraphy and transformed them into elements of Western style paintings and mixed media works. Using a very restricted vocabulary of shapes and formats for his paintings he has disciplined himself to use simple and similar formats for each painting. In this way he has brilliantly illustrated the variety and richness of the calligraphy he has extracted and thus creates images without regard to the linguistic meaning of the calligraphic forms.
 
Doors and passageways in Eisenstadt (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

Doors and passageways in Eisenstadt

Andrew L. Phelan  |  perfect bound (92 pages)  |  $25
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-8-0
A small photographic book that celebrates the visual charm of the doors and passageways in Eisenstadt, Austria. The color photographs are accompanied by commentary in both German and English text that compliments and explains why the photographer selected the image.
 
On the Road, Into the Woods, In the Garden and Within the House (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

On the Road, Into the Woods, In the Garden and Within the House

Andrew L. Phelan  |  perfect bound (127 pages)  |  $35
ISBN13: 978-0-9960122-1-8
This book is in equal parts, photographic essay, travel book and a naturalist's photographic journal. The beautiful photographs record places visited, both internationally as well as domestically, and also places inhabited in a way that is both poetic as well as unique. The narrative is philosophical and often wry, but always insightful.
 
Unfinished, Unknown or Unseen (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

Unfinished, Unknown or Unseen

The Life of Emilio Amero (1901-1976)

Andrew L. Phelan  |  perfect bound (208)  |  $45
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-9-7
Unfinished, Unknown or Unseen is a book about Emilio Amero. While best known as a print-maker and painter, he also created a rich body of work in other mediums including design, film making and photography. Amero lived a rich life and this book examines it in great detail.
 
A Creek Called "Grindstone" (Don Gardner Holladay)
 

A Creek Called "Grindstone"

Don Gardner Holladay  |  paper - perfect bound (60)  |  $30
ISBN13: 978-1-7354864-0-6
This is a book about an artist and a journey back to one of his primary sources of inspiration, the land where he spent many hours as a youth.

History

 
Free (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

Free

Letters and remembrances of Vietnam with a selection of Civil War letters written by Eugene Kingman

Andrew L. Phelan  |  paperback (229 - illustrated with photographs, drawings)  |  $24
ISBN10: 0-9788570-0-3
"Free" is a first person account of the authors service as a medic with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam in 1969-1970. Included in the book (as a side bar) are quotes from letters written home by the author's great, great uncle during the American Civil War. These letters provide a historical perspective to the authors experience and provide insights into how much - and yet how little - war has changed over the years.
 
Two in Tuscany with a Donkey   (Adelaide Pearson)
 

Two in Tuscany with a Donkey

A Tale of Artless Adventure

Adelaide Pearson  |  Perfect bound (220 pages lavishly illustrated)  |  $45
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-6-6
This charming tale of adventure in Italy in 1912 was written by the founder of Rowantrees Pottery, Adelaide Pearson (1875-1960). Her original typescript manuscript, never published, but complete with photographs is reproduced here in its entirety. Additionally the book includes biographical information and photographs about this remarkable woman who was a world traveler all her life and documented those trips with writings, photographs and films. Her 1939 motion picture film of scenes with Gandhi may well be the first motion picture color recording of that famous personage.
 
Barbara and the Cord  (Andrew L Phelan)
 

Barbara and the Cord

Taking culture to the people (but not in the Cord)

Andrew L Phelan  |  paper (perfect bound) (150 pages)  |  $35
ISBN13: 978-0-9960122-4-9
This is the story of Barbara Chapin Williams. Growing up in very comfortable circumstances, her dream of bringing art and culture to the people is intertwined with the personal story of her life. The Carnival Caravan, her first creation and The Artmobile a second endeavor that she worked on, both enjoyed some success, but ultimately neither effort established a long-term presence. In retrospect, both may be seen as having been important pioneering efforts.
 
Rhapsody In Wonderment and Horror (J. K. Wilson-Synar)
 

Rhapsody In Wonderment and Horror

J. K. Wilson-Synar  |  Perfect bound (143 pages)  |  $23
ISBN13: 978-0-9960122-8-7
This is the story of Tommy Wesley Barnett Scott. After leading a seemingly upright normal life he suddenly killed two men with his bare hands.

Craft History

 
Following the Brick Path   (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

Following the Brick Path

Andrew L. Phelan  |  Perfect bound (228 pages (lavishly illustrated))  |  $45
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-5-9
This is the story of Rowantrees Pottery of Blue Hill Maine. Founded in 1934 by Adelaide Pearson, the pottery continued to produce wonderfully distinctive pottery, largely from local materials, under its subsequent owners, Laura Paddock and Sheila Varnum until 2009 when it ceased production. The pottery is found in the collections of many people world wide, including a number of distinguished individuals. This lavishly illustrated 228 page book is a comprehensive history of the pottery. Included in the book are color photographs of many examples of the pottery, historical photographs, information about the wares including shapes and glazes, examples of the marks used on the pottery over the years, and also information about key individuals engaged in production.
 
Becoming the Village Potter (Andrew L. Phelan)
 

Becoming the Village Potter

The Life of Linn L. Phelan

Andrew L. Phelan  |  Perfect bound (208 pages (lavishly illustrated))  |  $45
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-7-3
Becoming the Village Potter follows the career of the potter and artist, Linn L. Phelan (1906-1992) from its beginning in Rochester, New York through his Maine years, first at Rowantrees Pottery in Blue Hill and then in Saco, Maine where the first Linnwood Pottery was established. Phelan then became the founding potter at the School for American Craftsmen when it was established at Dartmouth College in 1944. Two years later it moved to Alfred University and he accompanied it, buying a home in Almond. At the School for American Craftsmen, Phelan taught a number of outstanding students including the internationally acclaimed ceramicist, Betty Woodman, and Charles LoLoma, the noted Hopi jeweler. When the school moved again in 1950, he chose to stay in Almond and reestablished Linnwood Pottery that he continued to operate for the rest of his life. Containing many color reproductions of examples of his work, the book will surprise those who know his pottery only through the personal pottery he made during the Almond years. In addition to his pottery, also included are folios of his paintings, constructions and prints showing the two dimensional creations that he made along with the pottery. The book includes descriptions of his contributions to cultural initiatives in Maine and New York as well as his service as president of the New York State Art Teachers Association. Becoming the Village Potter was a finalist in the 2013 Oklahoma Center for the Book Awards in the Design/Illustration category.

Poetry

 
The Writer She Wanted to Be... (Helene Coogan)
 

The Writer She Wanted to Be...

Helene Coogan  |  perfect bound paper (102)  |  $25
ISBN13: 978-0-9960122-0-1
This book of poetry contains fifty poems and one short story written in the 1930s. Many years later, Helene after a career as a social worker and teacher, and writing under her married name, Helene C. Phelan, wrote a series of well regarded books of history focused on the Southern Tier of New York State. This book will give readers of those historical books new insights into this author.
 
Private Archaeology (Willaim  Clamurro)
 

Private Archaeology

Willaim Clamurro  |  paper - perfect bound (90)  |  $22.5
ISBN13: 978-0-9960122-9-4
This is the third book of poetry by William H. Clamurro.

Ballet history

 
Tamara Karsavina, Beyond the Ballerina (Tamara Karsavina)
 

Tamara Karsavina, Beyond the Ballerina

Her unpublished, untitled manuscript about the first years in England

Tamara Karsavina  |  paperback (120 pages)  |  $30
ISBN13: 978-0-9960122-6-3
This book contains a previously unpublished manuscript written in 1958, by the Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) as well as the story of how it came to be written and saved. In her manuscript she tell of her first year after she fled Russia in 1918 with her husband, English diplomat, H.J. Bruce and their young son, Nikita. It is the first five chapters of a (planned) larger work that was rejected by her publisher. The story of how it was saved and ended up in the Ballets Russes Archives and Special Collections at the University of Oklahoma is also included in the book.
 
Ballets Russes Dancers Nathalie Branitzka and Jan Hoyer (Andrew L Phelan)
 

Ballets Russes Dancers Nathalie Branitzka and Jan Hoyer

Their lives together and apart

Andrew L Phelan  |  paper -perfect bound (90)  |  $35
ISBN13: 978-1-7354864-1-3
This book tells the story of Ballets Russes dancers Nathalie Branitzka and Jan Hoyer. Included in the book are photographs of Branitzka and Hoyer from the Ballets Russes Special Collection and Archive at the University of Oklahoma School of Dance as well as photographs and documents from the Hoyer family archives. The book also includes some wonderful insights from their son, Andre von Hoyer. It is a wonderful collection of personal and professional narratives of the dancers.

DVDs

Quail Creek Editions offers rare historical films converted to the DVD format

Quail Creek Editions is pleased to be able to offer limited numbers of DVD copies of the only known examples of films by Emilio Amero.

Film History

 
Jose de Rivera, Sculptor (Emilio Amero)
 

Jose de Rivera, Sculptor

photographed by Emilio Amero in New York, the Summer of 1961

Emilio Amero  |  DVD (B&W - with introduction and voice over added ) (Run time 18:28)  |  $30
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-4-2
Jose de Rivera. This is the final film of the two known surviving films created by the legendary multifaceted artist, print-maker, photographer, painter and cinematographer Emilio Amero (1901 -1976). Completed in 1961, this film by Amero documents the works and working methods of Jose de Rivera (1904-1985), the American born sculptor known for his work with the Mobius strip which he made brilliant use of in his pioneering works in public sculpture. De Rivera did works for the Worlds Fair in 1964 and his sculpture installed on the Mall in Washington was the first commission given an abstract artist by the Smithsonian.
 
How to make a Color Lithograph (Emilio Amero)
 

How to make a Color Lithograph

Emilio Amero  |  DVD (in color - but faded - with introduction and voice over added) (Run time 21:37)  |  $30
ISBN13: 978-0-9788570-3-5
How to make a Color Lithograph. This is one of only two known surviving films by the legendary (and somewhat mysterious) multifaceted artist, print-maker, photographer, painter and cinematographer Emilio Amero (1901 -1976). In this film, completed about 1950-51 we are given insights into Amero's cinema-graphic skills and style. He also demonstrates his knowledge of, and love for, the lithographic process of which he was an acknowledged master.

Books published for others

Books

Quail Creek Editions does publish material for others and those books or catalogs are only avialable from the clients.  However, we are happy to connect potential buyers to those who have the books available.

Catalogs published for others

Exhibition catalogs

Quail Creek Editions has published exhibition catalogs and is delighted to do more in the future.

Dance History

Quail Creek Editions has recently begun to publish books about the history of dance. 
The first offering is a book containing a previously unpublished manuscript by the Russian ballerina, Tamara Karsavina.
 

History

New titles for History have been added.  We beleive that this will continue to expand in the coming years.