Well, that additional information does make a difference. Clearly, as the
pricing note is below the imprint, it's the publisher's own price for their
deluxe binding.
But your additional information certainly doesn't rule out the possibility
that the "N.B." refers to a printed label to be affixed to the (spine or
cover). The fact that you see no physical evidence of a label ever having
been "withinside" is not determinative.
David Klappholz's comment seems quite correct about the manner in which such
labels were supplied. In my experience, too, they tended to be cut sheets;
sometimes the same as the page size, sometimes smaller; sometimes sewn in,
sometimes tipped in.
Although I don't doubt it may have been done, I've never seen such a label
imposed into a signature (which would probably leave more clear evidence of
its removal). I would think most printers/binders would have taken a dim
view of supplying the label as a signature leaf; cutting such a leaf from a
bound signature could compromise the integrity of that signature.
And I happily stand corrected by Bruce Whiteman on the usage of
"withinside"...
Edward Levin
James Burmester wrote:
If it helps at all, as the owner of the book in question I can add that it
is in the original publisher's Dutch flowered boards, and is complete,
i.e.
there is no possibility of a missing label leaf which once formed part of
the collation. In my experience, children's books in Dutch flowered
boards
rarely have printed labels.
I can also confirm that the note "Price six pence, bound, gilt, and
lettered" appears beneath the imprint and above the "Withinside" note.