£813
MODERN MADE: Modern British & Post-War Art, Design & Studio Ceramics | 650
Auction: 29 October 2021 at 11:00 BST
manufacturer's paper label (to base), white painted wood
Provenance:
Jack & Molly Pritchard, England, and thence by descent to the present owners.
The original 'Book Donkey' in plywood was created in 1939 for Egon Riss (1901-1964) and Jack Pritchard (1899-1992). Manufacturered by Pritchard's Isokon company, the bookcase became known as the 'Penguin Book Donkey' due to the fact that it was the perfect size for the publisher Allen Lane's new Penguin paperbacks. A patent was taken out for the 'Mark II' model designed by Ernest Race in 1963.