This stunning antique edition of Ormond A Tale by Maria Edgeworth was published in 1895 by Macmillan and Co Ltd. The binding was designed by AA Turbayne and features his signature (in the form of initials rather than his trademark scarab beetle to the bottom of the front board). It is bound in teal cloth with ornate gilt decoration blind stamped into the front board and spine. It's a lovely art nouveau binding.
The book is in good condition for it's age, but there is rubbing and dulling to the gilt, with some loss in areas. The corners are lightly worn and bumped and there is soiling to the gilt text block edges. The back board has some minor marks and the spine is sunned, with more pronounced dulling to the gilt. Crushing to the spine ends has caused minor splitting in the cloth.
Inside, the endpapers feature the beautiful stylized peacocks by AA Turnayne. There are no inscriptions but a previous reader has dog eared a few of the pages whilst reading which has left creasing behind. There is sporadic foxing - most noticeable to the tissue guard - and there are some superficial cracks to the gutter in places...despite this, the pages remain tightly bound.
There are beautiful black and white illustrations by Carl Schloesser which make add to the charm of this antique book.
Dimensions approximately 18.5cm x 13cm x 3.3cm.
Each book purchased will be gift wrapped in patterned wallpaper and string.
I try to use eco friendly packaging wherever possible. This includes 100% recycled jiffy bags, biodegradable bubble wrap, and paper offcuts from the newspaper industry.