Welcome to our new website. We are located in Westhampton, New York, open by appointment only and with sales via the internet. We are full-time dealers in antiquarian books, maps, photographs, prints, paper ephemera and works of art, specializing in historical manuscript collections, business archives, and with a sub-specialty in Long Island historical material.

There are thousands of items presently catalogued in the Certain Books website, many of which are one-of-a-kind. Please enjoy browsing our site or use the advanced search feature when looking for a specific item.

George Krzyminski, Proprietor of Certain Books, ABAA

Featured Items

A group of 19 black and white photographs; held in a clear plastic sleeves, each accompanied by a short typed description on the facing page; including: analytical laboratory: drying an oil sample & titration; optical rotation of sample on polariscope; specific gravity check; refractometer; preparing reagents for testing of oil samples; master perfumer creating a new perfume masterpiece (hunched over lab bench, hundreds of sample bottles...); master perfumer checking test samples of compounds; perfumers at work preparing & compounding; research team at work; chemist checking fractional distillation; filtering charge into distillation apparatus; temperature changes on micro-still; fractionation of an essential oil for the production of a terpeneless product; checking odor values of the fractions of the distilled oil before bulking; compounding of perfume bases; "Compounding a superior base from Abyssinian civet, otto (attar) of rose from Bulgaria, absolutes floral oil from Italy, France and Palestine and oil from the four corners of the earth"; male and female scientists, chemists, testers and lab personnel; a large facility, with several warehouse & laboratory views visible as part of these close-ups of the perfumery's work; no photographer or studio noted, no date and circa 1950; probably a Brooklyn or New Jersey manufactory, from internal evidence; all is contained in the original spiral-bound 'Ful-Vu' binder; no front cover; a little wear and darkening to the paper inter-leaves, some old damp-discoloration at back edges of paper and the last one of the photos; all images in very good condition, kept nicely by their sleeves; one photo apparently lacking - "compounding dept..." description, with no accompanying image; overall, in very good condition, an interesting photographic glimpse at the inner workings of a large-scale American perfumery's operations. Circa 1950 Collection of 8" x 10" Photographs of a Perfume Laboratory, Workers, Testing Equipment and Product Preparation and Innovation
(Americana - Business History - Perfume)
No Place Noted: No Photographer Noted, 1950. A group of 19 black and white photographs; held in a clear plastic sleeves, each accompanied by a short typed.. more
Price: $350.00
Oil painting portrays a three-masted sailing ship, one steam stack visible, under way in a rolling sea, with several other ships and what appears to be a lighthouse on a mountainous distant shoreline; "Stad Am..." visible on the midmast flying pennant; not signed and pencil note on back indicates "Stad Amsterdam by S.H. Fyfe 1875" in a contemporary hand; S(amuel) H. Fyfe: A Glasgow ship portraitist working in the third quarter of the 19th century. the Peabody Museum of Salem has an oil by him of fairly good quality. (from the entry in Archibald, Dictionary of Sea Painters, 1989); extraordinary and fine detail for rigging, expression of the waves and coloration of a gray-green turbulent sea; approximately a twenty crew members and passengers visible on deck; 12" x 19" approximate visible image, not matted; approximately 15" x 21 1/2" framed size; ornate old wood and plaster frame, probably contemporary with the piece; card paper backers; a classic 19th century nautical image; we are grateful that a reader who has given us information regarding this vessel in the records: the ship was built 1875 by A. J. Inglis Pointhouse Glasgow, briefly sailed for the Royal Netherlands Steamship Company then in 1879 was with the Cie General Transatlantique (French Line), scrapped in 1902; some wear and scraping to the frame, still very solid; one little chip and little rub to the paint top left corner area; unexamined out of the frame; overall, the painting in very good condition, a dramatic image by a known nautical artist of talent. Circa 1875 Oil on Paper Painting of the Steam Sailing Ship Stad Amsterdam By S.H. Fyfe Framed and Glazed
(Nautical Art)
Oil painting portrays a three-masted sailing ship, one steam stack visible, under way in a rolling sea, with several other.. more
Price: $2,500.00
Black and white photos of the seated Prince (and another figure, obscured - the bride?) and an archer who is loosing arrows to the four points of the compass to drive away of evil prior to the royal marriage; two very similar images, probably taken within seconds of each other; approx. 6" x 8" size; text notices, with different wording, attached to photos; Associated Press studio stamp on backs; some edgewear, crinkling to photos; in very good condition. 1928 Two Press Photographs of the Traditional 'Shi -Shu-Mai' Spirit Cleansing Ceremony Held for Prince Chichibu Prior to His Wedding to Setsu Matsudaira, Japan
(Photography - Japan -20th Century)
Japan: Associated Press, 1928. Black and white photos of the seated Prince (and another figure, obscured - the bride?) and an archer who is.. more
Price: $20.00
A series of loose plates, with tipped-on photographs on paper in black and white; about 1/2 of the plates with 2 images; sizes vary, with the largest approx. 10" x 13" and ranging to 3" x 6" (for those having 2 plates per page); especially well-taken, with gravure quality and fine detail; views of the upper cupolas; ornate frieze-work; many of the column-tops and detailed ornamentation; no photographer or studio indicated; some with numbers on the plates which correspond to numbers found in the impress margins and with an additional sequence of numbers found at the edge of the stiff-paper matte-surround; the mounts make these 12 1/4" x 15 1/2" approx.; small rubber stamp of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts on the backs of the mounts, which is the only marking; occasional spotting on the mounts, some with some darkening towards the margins and edge-chipping, wear, a little rippling too; imagery generally very good and clean; a good collection, and a detailed reference for this Venetian architectural masterpiece. C. 1890s Group of Gravure Architectural Studies of the Ornamental Columns & Building Details of St. Mark's Basilica Venice
(Art - Italy - Venice - Architecture)
Italy: No Photographer Noted, 1895. A series of loose plates, with tipped-on photographs on paper in black and white; about 1/2 of the plates with.. more
Price: $350.00
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