This stunning early Victorian edition of The Book of Common Prayer features a leather spine and polished wood boards with brass decorations and clasp. It was published in 1854 by Oxford University Press. All edges are gilt.
The book was owned by Mary Dorothea Gibbs. Mary was youngest daughter to George Henry Gibbs, who inherited his father's successful business exporting goods from South America. In 1842, the Peruvian government granted A Gibbs and Sons licence to export guano to Britain. Guano is the excrement of seabirds, and as it's rich in nitrate, it was prized as a very efficient fertiliser. In 1847 A. Gibbs & Sons secured a monopoly for the British guano trade,...at the height of their operation, it earned £100,000 a year – equivalent of approximately £8,000,000 in today’s money.
It's in good condition, with the most noticeable flaw being a small area of damage and loss to the top corner of the back board. There is another smaller area of loss to the wood near the bottom of the back joint. The polished wood boards show some scuffs and marks, and there is light rubbing to the leather with some tiny chips to the surface of the leather. There is also scuffing and marking to the gilt text block edges.
Inside, the endpapers are marbled and the pages remain tightly bound. When the text block is fanned out, you can see the original red edges under the gilt. The pages show some age toning, with only occasional foxing. There is a signature to one of the preliminary blank pages - “Mary Dorothea Gibbs 1856”.
Approx.- 12 x 8 cm – a small and portable format.
All books purchased will be 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).