Library Company of Philadelphia
Illustrated here are our domestic companions living the pet owner’s dream. Cat people can also be dog people, and it is kismet when cats and dogs love each other. It does happen. #livingthedream
Jackson, Thomas. Our Dumb Companions … . London : S.W. Partridge & Co., [not before 1864].
We present this gorgeous and well-defined ribbon-embossed cloth for #PublishersBindingThursday, found on our copy of Samuel Knapp’s Life of Timothy Dexter (1838).
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.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
Knapp, Samuel L.
1838, Life of Timothy Dexter
Boston : G. N. Thomson
1838
9 cm x 16 cm x 1 cm
In his Memoir on the Geology of Central France (1827), George Scrope showed how volcanic action is part of earth’s history. The book includes a long accordion panorama that echoes the geologic forms that it illustrates. This book and many others are on view now in our main gallery as part of our current exhibit, The Living Book : New Perspectives on Form and Function. thelivingbook.librarycompany.org
George Poulett Scrope, Memoir on the Geology of Central France (London, 1827).
We love the expression of this cherub ushering in the end of this pamphlet as well as our week for #FinisFriday.
We’re eyeing the gorgeous green Dutch-gilt paper wrappers on our copy of Prayers and Hymns for the Use of Children (1800) on this #WrapperWednesday
Dutch-gilt paper was a popular decorative paper produced in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and can be found in a variety of colors with embossed or printed decoration mimicking popular brocades and damask fabrics of the period.
Behold the quietly captivating Q!
We found this quaint letter, seen here through a loupe, in an elephant folio of topographic maps showing us that beauty can be found in the tiniest details! The folio is featured in a film reel on display in our current exhibit The Living Book : New Perspectives on Form and Function. You can also check out the film on the exhibition’s website: thelivingbook.librarycompany.org
Description De L’Egypt … . Paris : De L’Imperiale Impériale, 1809-[1813].
Known as “Thumb Bibles,” these miniature books are abridged versions of the Bible, generally meant for children. The term “Thumb Bible” was first coined in the mid-19th century and may be a reference to Tom Thumb, a known public figure at the time. These books are also well-thumbed, though that is just coincidental. #MiniatureMonday
Come see these and other books from our collection on display now in our main gallery as part of our current exhibition, The Living Book: New Perspections on Form and Function.
thelivingbook.librarycompany.org
Michael Zinman Collection of Early American
Children’s Books.
It’s back to basics on this C c #Caturday! We found this woodcut of a mama cat and her kittens while cataloging our copy of The North American Spelling Book (1846).
The book is a prime example of how the form of an object evolves according to its function. Humans can’t help improving and inventing, and books are no exception.
A previous owner customized our copy of The Life of Rev. David Brainerd (1834) by insetting a glass-covered daguerreotype plate.
See this and many other well loved books, on display now in our main gallery as part of our current exhibition, The Living Book: New Perspectives on Form and Function.