A Record of the Black Prince (1849, Gothic Revival binding)

An ornate papier-mâché moulded binding, and with 6 chromolithographs. Disbound but complete.

Author

Publisher

Printing Details

First edition. Ornate Gothic Revival binding, leather spine. One of a thousand copies printed. 19.5 × 13.5cm [4], xcv (95pp), ii. *A landmark for Victorian book design of which most striking feature is the cover. To achieve a carved, medieval look Humphreys used a mixture of plaster, antimony, and papier-mâché molded over a metal frame. The deep, high-relief moulding features elaborate tracery, stylized foliage, and the coat of arms of Edward, the Black Prince, finished to mimic aged ebony or dark oak.

Full title: A Record of the Black Prince. Being a selection of such passages in his life as have been most quaintly and strikingly narrated by chroniclers at the period, embellished with highly wrought miniatures and borderings selected from various illuminated MSS., referring to events connected with English history

This title recounts the life of Edward of Woodstock (the "Black Prince"), the eldest son of King Edward III and a hero of the Hundred Years' War.

The book is six chromolithographic illustrations (4 full page and 2 within the text) as well as decorative initials and margins, and the text is printed in Blackletter or Gothic type. Both text and illustration designed to imitate 14th-century illuminated manuscripts.

Condition

Disbound. The front board is detached and lacks the top corner metal corner. The red backing of the binding is darkened (unlike the rear board). The moulding is in good condition with just a few light scuffs and small marks. The leather spine is loose to the front joint, and is missing the top 3.5cm. The first 35 pages are neatly detached, the remaining pages attached but delicate. All pages and plates present, and the binding is a work of art.