By Middle Seas, J. E. Stanton, 1927, SIGNED, Near Fine

By Middle Seas: Photographic Studies Reflecting Architectural Motives of Various Cities on the Mediterranean; With a Frontispiece in Water-Color Entitled Gibraltar Author: J. E. Stanton, Atholl McBean (Foreword), and Arthur Brown, Jr. (Introduction). Gladding, McBean & Co.; Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company, 1927    Near Fine, SIGNED, 4to, 12 1/2" x 9 3/4." Brown paper-covered boards backed with black leather. Gilt lettering to spine. Boards have an appearance and texture resembling woven fabric. Spine has slight rubbing and minimal wear to head and tail, else covers clean and intact, binding tight. Pages slightly age-toned, else pristine and intact. All pages and plates, complete. Unpaginated, [i]-xi, [1]-[77], including black-and-white photographic plates + one printed frontispiece of a watercolor. The watercolor shows Gibraltar; the original was painted by J. E. Stanton. Signed in black ink on front free endpaper by the author of the Foreword, Atholl McBean of Gladding, McBean & Co. Ceramics located in Lincoln, California. Full-page plates with captions abound. A beautiful presentation copy composed mostly of misty, black-and-white photographs taken by architect J. E. Stanton (1887-1971). Stanton was part of many architectural firms in Los Angeles, and he partnered with Gladding, McBean & Co. to help build out its tile and terra cotta offerings. This book is the result of Stanton's tour of Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of North Africa to better understand the use of tile and ceramics in architecture. The following are some of the places Stanton photographed on his tour: Alhambra, Spain; Cordova; Ronda; Algiers; North Africa; Tunis; Sidi Bou Said; Palermo; Rome; Villa d'Este; Florence; Bologna; Ravenna; Venice; Constantinople; and Eyub. A rare piece of California history in excellent condition.