This stunning little edition of The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens was published by Chapman and Hall in 1904.
The book features a limp leather binding and gilt lettering to the spine. All edges gilt.
Limp leather bindings originated from the medieval era but they became popular again in the late Victorian period. The leather extends over the edge of the book block in what's known as a yapp binding. This makes it very easy for the leather to become damaged and torn around the edges.
Externally, the book is in very good condition with just light marking and discolouration to the leather. The spine is lightly sunned and rubbed.
Inside, there is cracking to the back pastedown where the paper has come unstuck. There is some wear and tear to the page edges and a few pages haven’t been bound properly so a little bit of the text is hidden at the gutter. The pages show light age toning.
Dimensions approximately 5.8cm x 3.8cm x 0.9cm.
The bubble wrap I use is either oxo-degradable or 100% recyclable; the jiffy bags are recyclable. Where possible, I use 100% recyclable paper tape, but sometimes I have to use clear plastic tape for extra strength.