The Modern House in America James Ford and Katherine Morrow Ford, Architectural Book Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1940. 134 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition. The first of two iconic “Ford and Ford” titles, this one focuses on the exteriors.—JZ Dust jacket is fragmentary. Otherwise, fine.
Tomorrow’s House: A Complete Guide for the Home-Builder George Nelson and Henry Wright, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1946. 214 pages, Hardcover. Nelson’s most important work from his tenure at Architectural Forum, published just prior to becoming Herman Miller’s design director.—JZ Missing jacket, chipping and losses to the spine, stains to the covers, strictly a reference copy.
Fair Horizon: Buildings of Today Oliver Hill, Collins, London, 1950. 127 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition. A British introduction to international contemporary architecture. Oscar Niemeyer on the cover.—JZ Jacket with minor losses. Otherwise, fine.
The American House Today: 85 Notable Examples selected and evaluated Katherine Morrow Ford and Thomas H. Creighton, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, 1951. 239 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition. One of the most important contemporary publications on American postwar architecture.—JZ Dust jacket is fragmentary. Otherwise, fine.
Built in USA: Post-war Architecture Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Arthur Drexler, eds, The Museum of Modern Art, 1952. 128 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition. Designed by Alvin Lustig. Small losses to the top and bottom of the jacket; darkening to the frontispiece. Otherwise near fine.
A Constructed View: The Architectural Photography of Julius Shulman Joseph Rosa, Rizzoli, New York, 1994. 224 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition.
American Masterworks: The Twentieth Century House Kenneth Frampton, Rizzoli, New York, 1995. 300 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition.
Modernism Rediscovered, Taschen, 2000. 576 pages, Softcover. First edition. One of Taschen’s finest early books.—JZ
The Harvard Five in New Canaan William D. Earls, A.I.A. W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 2006. 174 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition. Marcel Breuer, Landi Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes.—JZ
Tomorrow’s Houses: New England Modernism Alexander Gorlin, Rizzoli, New York, 2011. 256 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition.
At the intersection of scholarship and connoisseurship lies Curated: The Design and Library of James Zemaitis—an offering that reflects a career spent exploring, documenting, and shaping the discourse around modern and contemporary design. This carefully assembled selection includes both a compelling group of design works and a rich library of publications that have guided and inspired James Zemaitis throughout his decades in the field.
As Director of Museum Relations at R & Company since 2016, James has played a central role in developing exhibitions and fostering institutional partnerships. His recent curatorial projects, including Born Too Tall: California Women Designers, Postwar to Postmodern, demonstrate a thoughtful and inclusive approach to design history. Prior to his time at R & Company, James held leadership positions at Sotheby’s and Phillips, producing over fifty design sales and helping shape the trajectory of the postwar and contemporary design market.
This collection reflects James’s deep engagement with the material and intellectual history of design. The included library—rich with foundational texts, rare catalogues, and scholarly references—provides a rare window into the ideas and research that have underpinned his work as a curator, advisor, and educator.
This auction brings together design and scholarship in a way that reflects a lifetime of passion and purpose. We are honored to invite collectors, curators, and enthusiasts alike to discover a collection shaped by insight, research, and enduring care.
