Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Howe, Ellic. THE LONDON BOOKBINDERS 1780-1806. The Dropmore Press, London, 1950.
Price: US$85.00 + shipping
Description: No. 121 of 250 copies. (viii), ii, 182p. Illustrated by Gwendolen Raverat with wood-engraved frontispiece and chapter head pieces. Bound in tan cloth with black leather spine label gilt. Some lean, else book fine in soiled and tape repaired dust jacket
Seller: First Folio A.B.A.A., Paris, TN, U.S.A.
Price: US$161.03 + shipping
Description: Copy number 143 of 250. First & limited edition. Hardcover. ii, 182pp. Publisher's original fawn buckram with black label to spine. Top edge tinted brown. Dust jacket in a protective sleeve. Printed on cream wove hand made paper by Hodgkinson of Wells. Engraved frontispiece. Chapter heads engraved by Gwen Raverat and printed in brown. Colophon with engraved device. A journeyman bookbinder, John Jaffray, collected a great deal of information on the early hisotry of the bookbinders' trade union, founded circa 1780. This collection of material had not been viewed by anyone outside the union until Ellic Howe was granted access to it some five years prior to publication of this book. The result is a fascinating account of the personalities and working conditions in the London bookbinding trade during the period 1780 - 1806. Book in near fine condition. frontispiece lacking the original tissue guard (though the one for the colophon is still in place). Very faint discolouration to pastedowns where they are in contact with the jacket. Binding very sound and the book is clean and bright internally. Jacket good and unclipped. Generally a little rubbed and soiled. Some light edge wear with a few small nicks and chips. Spine discoloured.
Seller: Ariadne Books, PBFA, Eynsham, Witney, OXON, United Kingdom
Price: US$193.24 + shipping
Description: First edition. Small octavo. pp [viii], ii, 182. Tissue-guarded frontispiece and eight chapter headpieces printed in brown by Gwendolen Raverat. Full fawn buckram. Printed in Monotype Caslon Old Face on Hodgkinson of Wells handmade paper. One of 250 numbered copies.Fine in very good, slightly grubby, dustwrapper tanned at spine and edges
Seller: Peter Ellis, Bookseller, ABA, ILAB, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Description: "A century ago John Jaffray, a journey-man bookbinder working in London, was at great pains to collect every possible scrap of information concerning the early history of the bookbinders' trade union, which was founded c. 1780. Not only did he assemble a number of documents and minute books, but much additional information, which he wrote down, or pasted into scrap-books. This body of material had never been seen by anybody outside the trade union, until Mr. Ellic Howe was granted access to it five years ago. From the documents at his disposal, Mr. Howe has pieced together an entertaining account of personalities and working conditions in the London trade during the period 1780-1806. While the history of the early trade unions is generally a dry enough subject, the lively nature of the material has enabled Mr. Howe to write a book which can be read with pleasure by those who are not normally interested in either the history of trade unionism or of bookbinding" (from the dust jacket). Octavo. . [7], [1, blank], ii, 182, [2, blank], [+1, colophon] pp. Wood engraved frontispiece, eight additional wood engraved headbands, and one facsimile folding financial statement. Printed on cream wove paper handmade by Hodgkinson of Wells in Somerset. Full fawn buckram with a gilt-lettered black morocco spine label. Bound in the London Craft Bindery of W.H. Smith & Son. Top edge stained red. Very minor offsetting from engravings. Some pages unopened. A fine copy in a very good illustrated dust jacket with minor wear, creasing, soiling, and toning. In a red cloth slipcase. One of an edition of 250 copies, numbered in ink on the verso of the title page
Seller: Michael R. Thompson Books, A.B.A.A., Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.