When recently unboxing a rare book, I was struck by the bright green cloth of the binding. Immediately after I washed my hands and grabbed a pair of gloves. Recent research has confirmed the presence of arsenic in pigments used during book production, leading to changes in handling and access guidelines for many institutions. One [...]
Over the summer the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections acquired two early printed books. The first was Incipit liber sancti ihe[r]onimi De sc[ri]ptorib[us] ecclesiasticis, otherwise known as De viris illustribus. It is comprised of brief biographies of Church leaders written over the course of centuries by three different authors. The first part was written [...]
Jones, Owen. The Psalms of David. London [Day & Son], 1861.
This book of the Psalms of David by architect and designer Owen Jones, also called the Victoria Psalter because its dedication to Queen Victoria was accepted, is one of the most ornate examples of Victorian bookbinding and chromolithography. With its design, illumination, and binding Jones wished [...]
Foster, Myles Birket and Kate Greenaway. A Day in a Child's Life. London: George Routledge and Sons, Broadway, Ludgate Hill, 1881.
Kate Greenaway and her illustrations of children in historical dress, plain backgrounds, flowers, and coloured borders have been featured on this blog before. Her association with printer Edmund Evans and publisher George Routledge was also established [...]
[Cabinet of Fashion Excerpts from Lady's Monthly Museum]. London: [Published by Vernor & Hood], 1798-1803.
I'll admit when I first looked at this book I had no idea what it was. It had none of the typical hallmarks we've come to expect from our books. No title or title page, no publication or copyright information, and [...]
Caxton, William. The History of Reynard the Foxe. Hammersmith, London: Kelmscott Press, 1892.
As Great Britain was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution there was a growing movement that harkened back to the days of handcrafted items that were made with skill and purpose. This movement, known as the Arts & Crafts Movement believed the mechanization and [...]
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