DOHENY. The Estelle Doheny Collection from the Edward Lauren - Lot 102

DOHENY. The Estelle Doheny Collection from the Edward Laurence Doheny Memorial Library, St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, California. New York and London: Christie's, 1987–1989. 7 in-4 volumes, publisher's bindings in printed red percaline. Numerous black-and-white and color plates. Estelle Doheny, second wife of California oil magnate Edward Lawrence Doheny (1856–1935), truly began her book collection in the mid-1920s, displaying a marked preference for books with painted edges, to the point of amassing, over the years, one of the most significant collections in this particular field of book art. For example, the catalog for the 5th Doheny auction (New York, 1989) devoted an entire section to this type of binding (lots 1908–1967, pp. 149–169). At the same time, Estelle Doheny built a renowned collection of manuscripts and rare printed books, considered one of the most famous private libraries in the United States, in which Bibles and religious books held a prominent place.