Description

Ayhan BAŞOĞLU.

A charming unique collection of original drafts, collages, photographs and negatives for book covers and book advertisement, made in the late 1950s by a Turkish illustrator and designer Ayhan Başoğlu, today known for his comics and drawings of heroic figures.

The archive includes 100 items:
– 17 figural drafts for book covers and book advertisements, depicting mostly women or overdramatic couples. Drawings in black ink and white colour and collages, made of printed and hand drawn lettering. Various formats up to 32,5 x 22 cm (12.9 x 8.7 inches).
– Portraits of 11 male and female authors on 8 sheets, mostly black ink, black colour, white, black and sepia gouache on paper. Various sizes up to 27 x 20 cm (10.7 x 8 inches).
– 6 sheets with various full-page book illustrations, black ink and white colour, various formats up to 25 x 35 cm (9.9 x 13.9 inches).
– 14 partly finished drafts for advertisements, mostly black ink, pencil and collage of clip art, printed titles and lines, M Most up to circa 21 x 38 cm (8.3 x 15 inches), one sheet 50 x 34 cm (13.3 x 19.8 inches).
– 13 black and white negatives with images of a fashionable young girl in the library reading and carrying the books, each 6. 5 x 6.5 cm (2.5 x 2.5 inches).
– 4 original black and white photographs of book covers, each 10.5 x 7.5 cm x cm (4 x 3 inches).
– 28 black and white negatives depicting books, each 6. 5 x 6.5 cm (2.5 x 2.5 inches).
– 3 colour negatives depicting book covers, 2 of which were retouched with black colour, each 11.5 x 9 cm (4.5 x 3.5 inches).
– 7 identical uncut sheets with clip art showcasing 14 book covers and a publisher’s logo, lithograph 31 x 23 cm (inches 12 x 9 inches).

Condition report: Overall in a good condition with minor traces of storage, such as small tears in margins and light foxing.

[Accompanied with 9 books, designed by Ayhan Başoğlu:]

1. A. J. CRONIN (1896 – 1981), Author; Vahdet GÜLTEKIN (1912-1989), Translator.
Sabah Yıldızı [Jupiter Laughs]. Istanbul: Güven 1957.

8°, 217 pp., [5 pp.] advertisements, original orange boards and blue linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (small cracks in hinges of endpapers, dust jacket slightly rubbed with tiny tears and loss of paper in margins, but overall in a good condition with light age-toning).

2. F. W. KENYON (1912 – 1989), Author; Vahdet GÜLTEKIN (1912-1989), Translator.
Josephine. Istanbul: Güven 1957.

8°, 476 pp., [2 pp.] advertisements, original patterned boards and green linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (dust jacket slightly rubbed with tiny tears and loss of paper in margins, but overall in a good condition with light age-toning).

3. Elizabeth GASKELL (1810 – 1865), Author; Vahdet GÜLTEKIN (1912-1989), Translator.
Aşktan da Üstün [Mary Barton]. Istanbul: Güven 1957.

8°, 335 pp., original patterned boards and green linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (old annotations in margins of first two pages, one page with uncut edge, dust jacket slightly rubbed with tiny tears in margins, but overall in a good condition).

4. Taylor CALDWELL (Janet Miriam CALDWELL, 1900 – 1985), Author; Azize BERGIN (1932-2016), Translator.
Melissa. Istanbul: Güven 1957.

8°, 320 pp., original orange boards and green linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (corners of boards little scuffed, dustjacket with small tears and loss of paper especially on the spine, old signature on the first page, otherwise in a good condition with light age-toning).

5. Sigrid UNDSET (1882 – 1949), Author; Samih TIRYAKIOGLU (1909-1995), Translator.
Kristin Lavransdatter. Gelin tacı [Kristin Lavransdatter. The Wreath]. Istanbul: Güven 1957.

8°, 319 pp, original patterned boards and red linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (old annotation in the upper corner of the front loose endpaper, soft fold in the rear loose endpaper, minor foxing, dustjacket with small tears and tiny loss of paper in edges).

6. Sigrid UNDSET (1882 – 1949), Author; Samih TIRYAKIOGLU (1909-1995), Translator.
Kristin Lavransdatter. Her Kadın Gibi [Kristin Lavransdatter. The Wife]. Istanbul: Güven 1958.

8°, 299 pp, [5 pp.] advertisements, original patterned boards and red linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (old annotations in the upper corner of the first four pages, soft fold in the rear loose endpaper, dustjacket with small tears and small loss of paper in edges).

7. James HILTON (1900 – 1954), Author; NESRİN GÖNÜLAL, Translator.
Bahar ateşi [The Passionate Year]. Istanbul: Güven 1958.

8°, 302 pp., original patterned boards and red linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (old annotation in the upper corner of the front fort sheets, dustjacket with small tears and small loss of paper on the spine).

8. Sinclair Lewis (1885 – 1951), Author; Vahdet GÜLTEKIN (1912-1989), Translator.
Seni Sevmek Kaderim [Cass Timberlane]. Istanbul: Güven 1959.

8°, 393 pp., [7 pp.] advertisements, original patterned boards and red linen spine with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (broken in hinges of endpapers, corners of boards little scuffed, dustjacket with small tears and small loss of paper).

9. Leo TOLSTOY (1828-1910), Author; Vahdet GÜLTEKIN (1912-1989) – Samih TIRYAKIOGLU (1909-1995), Translators.
Harp ve Sulh [War and Peace]. Istanbul: Güven 1972 (6th edition!)

8°, 446 pp., [2 pp.], original red embossed boards with lettering, patterned endpapers, original illustrated dust jacket (old stamp on first page, dustjacket with small tears and loss of paper especially on the spine, otherwise in a good condition with light age-toning). 6th edition with a reprint the cover, first issued in 1959.

 

A collection of original drafts with mostly overdramatic love scenes for book covers and advertisements by a Turkish designer Ayhan Başoğlu for a publishing company includes 100 sheets. The drawings and collages were heavily influenced by the contemporary American book covers, advertisements and movies.

An especially charming series of photographs, retouched negatives and clip-art represents the procedure of the making of a newspaper advertisement for books.

The accompanying books, designed by Ayhan Başoğlu shows the designer’s superb sense for combining contemporary mid-century forms and applying them to various parts of the book.

Ayhan Başoğlu, who probably earned most of his living as a commercial designer of book covers, is today mostly known as an author of Turkish comics and drawings of heroes and fighters.

In this collection Ayhan Başoğlu is named only with a tiny signature “Ayhan” on the edge of one of the dust-jackets, but Başoğlu’S style is recognizable through his drawings, which usually only appear separately on the market.