Library Company of Philadelphia
It’s Publishers’ Binding Thursday, and we have Hen Fever!
As George Burnham wrote, “Never in the history of modern ‘bubbles’, did any mania exceed in ridiculousness or ludicrousness.”
Hen Fever refers to the mid-19th-century trend in collecting rare and beautiful chickens from around the world, popularized by Queen Victoria and her aviary. Although the trend was over as quickly as it began, we are thrilled it resulted in this incredible [edible?] binding!
This week’s publisher’s binding feature is a true Gilty Pleasure ;)
1882, Lorna Doone. Blackmore, R. D.
Philadelphia : Porter & Coates.
“He filled their listening ears with wondrous things.”
Although Episodes of Insect Life (1851) was not issued with an actual story-telling cricket, its buggy binding is the next best thing.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1851, Episodes of insect life.
Budgen, L. M. New York : J. S. Redfield.
1851.
15 cm x 22 cm x 3 cm.
For Publishers’ Binding Thursday, we present this ribbon-embossed cloth-bound book from 1836.
Ribbon-embossed grain got its name from its original intention: as decoration for cloth ribbons. However, the rising popularity of grained and decorated book-cloth in the 1830s and 1840s led to the production of ribbon-embossed cloth for use as a book covering.
We love the simplicity of this binding, and the choice to let the cloth speak for itself with no additional decoration beyond the gold spine title.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1836, Phrenology known by its fruits. Reese, David Meredith.
New York : Howe & Bates.
We adore this striped and dotted bookcloth on our copy of The Album of Love, published 1846. Imported from England, this bookcloth is featured on several books in our collection published in the mid 19th-Century.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
The Library Company’s copy of A View of the American Slavery Question, an anti-slavery discourse by E.P. Barrows, is bound in a diamond-diaper grained bookcloth. The grain nearly obscures the words stamped on the cover, which reads: “J.S. Taylor Publisher”.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
We love the true moiré pattern on this purple publishers’ cloth binding from 1833. A true moiré pattern is created by layering two ribbed fabrics, then using a calender roller to compress the layers together. The play between the two grains creates the watery effect.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
1833, The spirit of life. Philadelphia : Key & Biddle. 11 cm x 18 cm x 1 cm
Though we are a little late to participate in the #weekofroygbiv challenge, we thought it would be fun to share this tartan publishers’ cloth binding from 1898. This printed pattern book cloth is striped with red, green, blue, black, yellow, and white.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
“Social comfort to our social [media] friends”–page 146
Happy New Year from everyone at the Library Company of Philadelphia!
We are excited to share this book of toasts for the 2016 Global Book Lovers Toast. Though small in size, Every Body’s Toast Book and Convivial Companion is chock-full of toasts and sentiments for a variety of occasions.
And since it is Publishers’ Binding Thursday, we can’t help but swoon over that gold spine-title!
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
Awooga! No instruction needed to fall for this beauty!
We are continuing our obsession with ribbon-embossed cloth this week. This particular binding is more ornate than last week’s feature, with blind ornamental blocking accenting the pattern of the cloth. The gold-stamped title suits the decadence of the subject matter.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!