This beautiful edition of Beauties and Wonders of Vegetable Life was published by the Religious Tract Society. The book itself is undated but I'd estimate it to be from the mid to late Victorian era.
The book is bound in blue cloth with stunning blind stamped decoration and gilt to the front board and spine. It's in good condition but has undergone some restoration work in the past in the form of a cloth spine reback (a new cloth spine is attached and the original spine is glued over the top to retain as many original features as possible). There is wear and bumping to the corners, with the cloth split slightly to reveal the board peeking through beneath. The book has a slight forward lean and there is light marking and discolouration to the boards. The gilt to both the front and spine is dulled, and the spine is darkened. The new cloth spine can be seen peeking through at the ends.
Inside, there are no inscriptions and the pages show age toning throughout, with sporadic marking/foxing in places. There are occasional cracks to the gutter but the pages remain tightly bound; one page segment sticks out slightly from the edge of the text block.
The book is filled with beautiful black and white illustrations. Dimensions approximately 18.2cm x 13cm x 2.5cm.
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 oxo-degradable and the clear bubble wrap is 100% recyclable. I also reuse boxes when I feel it's appropriate (if the boxes are sturdy enough).