Our feed has been looking a little gray-scale this week, so we decided to introduce a little color. But then we couldn’t decide which color, so we just did all of them.  

G. W. Septimus Piesse. Chymical natural and physical magic intended for the instruction and amusement of juveniles during the holiday vacation. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts, 1859.

We had an incredibly difficult time choosing which images to share from Johann Heck’s Iconographic Encyclopædia of Science, Literature, and Art (New York, 1851-1852) for this week’s #LibraryBookArt feature! The two image atlases that accompany the text are chock-full of beautiful engravings, depicting fossils, minerals, natural phenomena, and so much more. 

Johann Georg Heck. Iconographic encyclopædia of science, literature, and art. New York: Rudolph Garrigue, [1851-52].             

Flowers, four lines pica, from the 1809 specimen book of metal ornaments offered by the type foundry Binny & Ronaldson.  Binny & Ronaldson, a printer and a baker, went into business together in 1796 to form the highly successful Philadelphia Type Foundry.  

A specimen of metal ornaments cast at the letter foundery of Binny & Ronaldson.  Philadelphia: Printed by Fry and Kammerer, 1809.

We’ve still got Shakespeare on the mind, so decided to highlight the Wayward Sisters again, this time #PublishersBindingThursday style. 

This is volume 6 of a 15 volume set of  the works of Shakespeare, each volume with a different gold-stamped decoration to match the contents. If you look very closely, you can see the name of the die-cutter, [John] Feely, engraved into this stamp, in the folds of fabric just under the Witches’ fingers.

The plays and poems of Shakespeare. Edited by A.J. Valpy. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1842.
  

Our #TinyTuesday offering this week is too small for its own woodcuts, but no matter. We think they look just fine sideways, don’t you? 

Charles Perrault. Cinderilla; or The little glass slipper. Litchfield [Conn.]: T. Collier, ca. 1800.

It’s #FishyFriday and these gilt-stamped beauties on our copy of John Ray’s Collection of English VVords Not Generally Used (London, 1674) are ready for their debut! 

We’re already planning to incorporate some of the amazing vvords featured in this collection into our vocabulary, including Flizze, Fudder, and Fuzzen. 

John Ray. A collection of English vvords not generally used.  London: printed by H. Bruges for Tho. Burrell. 1674.       

It’s #PublishersBindingThursday, which means it’s almost Friday! If you’re still making plans for the long weekend, we have just the book for you. Impromptu charades, anyone? William B. Dick. What shall we do to-night? or, Social amusements for evening parties. New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1873.

Jennie Collins (1828-1887) started Boffin’s Bower to help the working women of Boston. This past summer, Library Company intern Lydia Shaw researched Collins and her remarkable project, which was featured in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (June 26, 1875). Read more in Lydia’s blog post for Women’s Equality Day 2019.

Our copy of Cyrus Thomson’s A Brief Narrative and Life of the Author (Syracuse, 1860) is bound in a bright and mesmerizing coarse wave grained bookcloth. 

#PublishersBindingThursday 

Cyrus Thomson. A brief narrative and life of the author : comprising his views of medicine and the theory of diseases. Syracuse, N.Y. : J.G.K. Truair & Co. 1860.           

We love all the facial expressions and angles in this family portrait by Marriott C. Morris (August, 1884), including those of the dog sitting on Sam Morris’ lap.  

#MorrisMonday 

Marriott Canby Morris. [Group in porch steps. Father, Mother, Uncle William Canby, Henry Mathews Canby, Marriott C., Bessie & Sam, Avocado, Sea Girt, NJ] August 1, 1884.