Library Company of Philadelphia
We love the varying sizes of flowers on the faded purple ribbon-embossed cloth on our copy of Abolitionist Abigail Mott’s Biographical Sketches and Interesting Anecdotes of Persons of Colour (New York, 1837). #PublishersBindingThursday
The first edition of Mott’s Biographical Sketches, which includes an account of Olaudah Equiano abridged from his 1789 narrative, was published in 1826 as a textbook for African Free School students and was the first American work celebrating African Americans. There would be nothing comparable published in the United States until the works of African American writers of the mid-19th century.
We are excited to announce our current exhibition, The Living Book : New Perspectives on Form and Function, is now fully viewable as an online exhibition!
The Living Book will remain on display in our gallery through January 5, 2018.
The binding on our copy of The Cottage Bee Keeper (New York, 1851) truly is the bee’s knees! #PublishersBindingThursday
Our copy of H.C. Bunner’s Short Sixes (New York, 1891) features this unusual, and perhaps unique, two-cloth binding. We hope this inspires others to look through their collections, we would love to see similar bindings if they’re out there!
Our copy of David Gould’s Life of Robert Morris (Boston, 1834) is bound in a rare and gorgeous pale pink ribbon-embossed cloth. 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.
This is the only example of this specific ribbon-embossed pattern we have in our collection – we hope this post inspires others to look through their collections to see if there are more examples to share!
Gould, David. Life of Robert Morris. Boston : Leonard W. Kimball. 1834
This Pegasus is about to break free of its star map and the fish is thinking, “here we go again…”
John Seller, Atlas Coelestis (London, 1677).
This celestial atlas is full of plates that are folded and bound into this little book to use under the starry skies. See the book in person as part of The Living Book: New Perspectives on Form and Function, on display in our main gallery through January 5, 2018.
There is so much to love about this binding on our copy of Jaeger’s The Life of North American Insects (New York, 1859): The gilt-stamped insects! The wave-grained bookcloth visible through the gilt! And that rich purple cloth!
But why is the spine so faded? Admittedly, most spines of cloth-bound books show some fading, but 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 light, probably by another book on the shelf.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!
#PublishersBindingThursday
At home, in school and at work we learn by reading as well as by doing. From worn classroom books to at-home DIY manuals, books often take on the role of teacher.
In James Andrews’ Lessons in Flower Painting (London, circa 1836), each hand-colored plate is paired with a version ready to be colored by the reader.
You can see this and much more on display as part of our current exhibition The Living Book : New Perspectives on Form and Function open through January 5, 2018. Remember to take a handout and color in your own flowers!
thelivingbook.librarycompany.org
James Andrews, Lessons in Flower Painting (London,
ca.1836).
Put away the digital device and pick up a pencil and paper – research shows that we remember things better when we write them down. But don’t just throw away your notes… Why not save them in a pocket diary?
During the 19th century, patented pocket diaries, pocket books, and pocket writing tablets proliferated. This small and gorgeous papier-mâché binding, inlayed with mother-of-pearl, covers erasable paper, making for a rather stylish writing tablet (circa 1850).
You can see this pocket writing tablet on display in our current exhibition The Living Book : New Perspectives on Form and Function open through January 5, 2018.
It is #MarginaliaMonday and we are marveled by these leaf prints made by
Francis Daniel Pastorius in our copy of Apparatus eruditionis... (1670).