This stunning and rare antique edition of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion by Jane Austen was published by George Routledge and Sons. The book itself is undated but I've had one other book in this binding (in the whole eight years I've been in business!) and there was an inscription dated 1892. So the book is from the late Victorian era.
The book is bound in a cloth I'd probably call greyish duck egg. Quite an unusual colour for an antique book. There is delicate gilt detail of flowers growing in a shall necklace, and blind stamped decoration in brown to the front board and spine.
It's in very good condition for it's age, with the most noticeable flaw being a small black stain to the edge of the spine and front board. The corners are lightly worn, with very minor fraying to the cloth at the bottom corners. The boards have some minor marks and the book shows a slight forward lean. The spine is faintly darkened and rubbed, with crushing to the spine ends which has caused some minor splitting in the cloth. The text block edges are toned.
Inside, there is a faint crease to the front free endpaper and a written name on the reverse of the frontispiece. The pages show age toning and occasional creasing but are in very good condition. There are occasional cracks to the gutter in places but the pages are all firmly attached and tightly bound. There is one black and white frontispiece.
Dimensions approximately 19cm x 13cm x 2.8cm.
The book will arrive hand wrapped in patterned wallpaper and ribbon.
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).