This stunning Victorian edition of Marmontel's Moral Tales Edited by George Saintsbury was published by George Allen in 1895. It is bound in teal cloth with gilt lettering and decoration to the front and spine. Top edge is gilt.
George Allen (and later George Allen & Sons) published several highly decorated books in this style, to compete with Macmillan’s "Cranford" series. The George Allen volumes directly competed with them by using the exact same stylistic approach: elaborate gilt-stamped teal cloth bindings and rich internal illustrations.
Jean-François Marmontel's Moral Tales (Contes Moraux) is a celebrated 18th-century collection of French short stories first published between 1761 and 1780. A key figure of the Enlightenment, Marmontel used these highly successful stories to promote virtue, sensibility, and social reform.
It's in very good condition, with just light wear to the corners and minor bumping to the board edges. The book shows a slight forward lean and there is rubbing and light marking to the boards. The spine is lightly sunned which has caused dulling to the gilt. Crushing to the spine ends has caused minor splitting in the cloth.
Inside, the pages show age toning throughout with occasional foxing and marking. There is very slight cracking to the hinges but the pages remain tight to the binding. There are no inscriptions, just a bookseller's stamp to the back free endpaper.
The book is prolifically illustrated by Chris Hammond. Dimensions approximately 19.4cm x 13.8cm x 3.2cm.
The book will arrive hand wrapped in patterned wallpaper and string.
I use a range of eco friendly, 100% recyclable jiffy bags and boxes, and whenever possible I use brown paper tape. The green bubble wrap is biodegradable and the clear bubble wrap is 100% recyclable. I also reuse boxes when I feel it's appropriate (if the boxes are sturdy enough).