I am cataloguing a book, not very remarkable in itself, which raises
a problem about the binding:
[Anne, Lady Hamilton], The Epics of the Ton, 3rd edition, London, by
& for C.& R.Baldwin, 1807.
It is in certainly original and contemporary boards, printed three
times "THIRD EDITION - THE EPICS OF THE TON - Price 7s 6d", in
smaller lettering on the spine and larger on the sides.
The only reference I have at hand for this style of binding is
Michael Sadleir, The Evolution of Publishers' Binding Styles (1930),
who says (p.31):-
Isaac Disrael's Narrative Poems (1803), in a slim boarded quarto
with the title printed on the side only, is an immediately striking
phenomenon, while for works (other than series) in more than one
volume ink-titling, whether on spine or side, was even more unusual
[footnote: I can only find one novel in three 12mo volumes thus
treated, and that (A Winter in Dublin by Sedley) at the strikingly
early date of 1808.] Between 1810 and 1820 many small single-volume
works appeared in this style...
This account is short on detail (e.g. it gives me no clue whether
our printing on spine and both sides in untypical at an early date),
but it does suggest that - apart from the perhaps isolated
experiment with the Isaac Disraeli, our example is earlier than any
seen by Sadleir. On the other hand it gives the impression that he
is drawing inferences from very little evidence.
Can anyone point me towards a more recent study, that has perhaps
located more examples?
Sevin Seydi
Rauri McLean's Victorian Publisher's Book-Bindings in Paper gives
early examples and Paul Barker's (I may be wrong on the author but it
is a BL based authority) article in The Library on wrappers would
also be helpful. It is difficult to be sure a cover on a book was
actually there at the time of a printed date. It is always nice to
find one with a dated inscription.
--
Gene
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