TIME'S TELESCOPE

London: Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, 1830. Very good.. Late Georgian almanac in a terrific early publisher's muslin binding with printed text and a wood-engraved centerpiece. Cloth is a relatively recent addition to the art of bookbinding in Western book history. London publisher William Pickering and his binder Archibald Leighton are credited with developing the publisher's cloth binding in 1820 or '21, using a "fine-weave cotton fabric which was [...] smooth, shiny and easier to attach to a pasteboard," but the style did not truly catch on until the 1840s (Nash, 284). Book historian Paul W. Nash further notes that, from around 1824, publishers such as Pickering began offering books bound in "extra cloth boards," sometimes meaning full printed cloth as here (247).

This production uses the printed cloth to reproduce a more elaborate and eye-catching version of the title page with the additional large wood engraving. A fantastic survival. 12mo, 7.5'' x 4.5''. Original full muslin printed to spine and front board. Uncut. Illustrated with engraved frontispiece and in-text wood engravings throughout. Title page printed in red and black. Publisher's catalogue at rear. [4], 432, [10] pages. Contemporary ink owner inscription to frontispiece verso. Marginal foxing to muslin and some light foxing to text, spine a bit toned.