This stunning antique edition of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen was published by the Gresham Publishing Company. The book features stunning blue cloth with an art nouveau decoration of peacock feathers designed by Talwin Morris. In 1893, Talwin moved to Glasgow and began designing book covers which adopted an art nouveau style. This was very different to the typical Victorian book covers with elaborate decoration and illustration. His aim was to use an elegant style of lines and curves to entice the reader. The book itself isn't dated but this binding was known to be brought out circa 1900.
The book is in good condition for it's age but shows noticeable signs of wear. There is soiling and marking to the boards, with faint staining to the cloth of the front board. The corners show significant wear and fraying, with the cloth split to reveal the board beneath. and the book has a forward lean. The board edges are bumped and the spine is sunned and darkened. There is rubbing to the spine edges and crushing to the spine ends has caused some minor splitting in the cloth. The text block edges are toned and marked.
Inside, the pages show age toning and foxing throughout, with some small marks and stains in places. Some of the top corners of the pages have been dog eared by a previous reader which has caused creasing in the paper. There are no inscriptions.
There are a handful of black and white illustration plates by Chris Hammond which add to the charm of this antique book.
Dimensions approximately 20.5cm x 14.5cm x 4cm.
The book will be carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, 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).