Library Company of Philadelphia
The floral motif of this printed-pattern bookcloth nearly obscures the blind and gilt stamping on the front cover of our copy of A Description of the City of New York, published in 1847.
Decorated bookcloth, including printed-pattern and ribbon-embossed cloth, peaked in popularity in the late 1830s into the 1840s. The trend became less popular beginning in the 1850s, when heavy gilt-stamped designs on ungrained bookcloth dominated the market.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
Shown here is a clean and vibrant example of a paper onlay binding. The red, blue, and yellow color blocking was achieved by adhering thin pieces of paper to the bookcloth covering the front and spine of the book. The gilt pattern was then stamped on top of the paper and cloth to create a cohesive and stunning design.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
It’s #PublishersBindingThursday and we couldn’t resist this buffoon blowing bubbles of boisterous babble.
Printed during the Civil War, this book, which is full of comics and humorous illustration, may have been a moment of lightheartedness during harder times.
As evidenced by this publishers’ binding, purple bookcloth is notorious for fading. Notice the distinct line where the fading begins. The portion of the cloth that did not fade was protected from the sun, probably by another book on the shelf.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
We are enchanted by the type used for the gold-stamped cover title on this publishers’ binding from 1852.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1852, Rose Tremaine or, the Blackberries, and Other Stories. Boston : Crosby & Nichols. 1852.
It’s Publishers’ Binding Thursday! This jolly gold-stamped gryffin has us smiling :)
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1878, Songs of Italy.
Miller, Joaquin.
Boston : Roberts Brothers
Ever wonder why you see a ton of gold-stamped cloth bindings from the 19th century, but hardly any silver? Gold-stamping was a popular technique for decorating leather bindings, and made an easy transition to decorating cloth bindings when bookcloth first hit the American publishers’ binding scene in the 1830s.
Because aluminum-stamping was not available until the late 1870s, and was most popular through the 1880s, we see fewer examples in collections today.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
This week’s publishers’ binding is elegant in its simplicity. We love the delicate gold ferns against the green cloth, and the bevelled edge boards create a luxurious hand-feel. Notice also the type on the gold-stamped title. This spare and understated design is consistent with the aesthetic trend in American publishers’ bindings in the 1860s.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1867, May-day, and other pieces.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo.
Boston : Ticknor and Fields.
A stunning color-blocked binding adorns this circa 1850 edition of The Rural Annual and Year-Book of Country Life.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
The Rural Annual and Year-Book of Country Life. Miller, Thomas. New York : Leavitt & Allen, [185-]
To celebrate Publisher’s Binding Thursday, we present this rare and beautiful example of early printed bookcloth. Aside from the extraordinary cloth, this book has a printed paper spine label, a common feature on books published in the mid to late 1830s. We love the abstract pattern and color of this cloth. Notice how the pattern is still visible even on the heavily-faded spine.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1838, Burton; or, The sieges. Ingraham, J. H. (Joseph Holt). New York : Harper & Brothers.