Plain to Ornate:

Bookbinding from the Reed Collection

Case W5 - Silk, Suede, and Book Cloth Bindings

Walt Whitman. Leaves of grass. London: George G. Harrap, [1900?]

Walt Whitman. Leaves of grass. London: George G. Harrap, [1900?]

This little volume of selections from Leaves of grass has been bound in green suede. Suede leather is made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and more pliable although less durable than the outer layer.

Walt Whitman. Leaves of grass. London: George G. Harrap, [1900?]

Walt Whitman. Leaves of grass. London: George G. Harrap, [1900?]
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Walt Whitman. Song of Myself. New York: Roycrofters, 1904.

Walt Whitman. Song of Myself. New York: Roycrofters, 1904.

This edition issued by Elbert Hubbard’s Roycrofters is bound in limp suede lined on the inside with pink-coloured moire silk.

Walt Whitman. Song of Myself. New York: Roycrofters, 1904.

Walt Whitman. Song of Myself. New York: Roycrofters, 1904.
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The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press; London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, 1953.

The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press; London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, 1953.

This New Testament issued to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II (1953) and the Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand in the same year is bound in a white book cloth which has been stamped to produce a pattern of lions counter-rampant raised in rows and washed with green dye, then gilt-stamped with the monarch's  crest. Book cloth is starch-filled calico which is dyed and given a protective coating.

The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press; London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, 1953.

The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments. Oxford: University Press; London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, 1953.
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Philip Martin (compiler). Earnest-pennies: an anthology of prayers and meditations on the Holy Eucharist. London: Mowbrays, 1973.

Philip Martin (compiler). Earnest-pennies: an anthology of prayers and meditations on the Holy Eucharist. London: Mowbrays, 1973.

One of a special edition of 75 copies, this book has been quarter-bound in green morocco over green Shiki silk-covered boards.

Philip Martin (compiler). Earnest-pennies: an anthology of prayers and meditations on the Holy Eucharist. London: Mowbrays, 1973.

Philip Martin (compiler). Earnest-pennies: an anthology of prayers and meditations on the Holy Eucharist. London: Mowbrays, 1973.
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