“One of the finest covers of the early Victorian period” – Ruari McLean

Posted on by

Recently added to the Robert F. Metzdorf Collection of Victorian Bookbindings :

Thomas Moore, Irish Melodies, (London: Longman & Co., 1846). Call number: ExMe 3864.9.349.13.

In his Victorian Publishers’ Book-Bindings in Paper, Ruari McLean captions this book “Gift Books From Longman … Cream paper on bevelled boards, printed in green and gold on upper, spine, and lower. Note the skillful introduction of the title into the circle round the illustration. One of the finest covers of the early Victorian period, probably designed by Owen Jones. …”[ p. 30 (London: Gordon Fraser, 1983)]. McLean illustrates the lower side of the cover on p. 13.

This entry was posted in Bindings. Bookmark the permalink.

About Stephen Ferguson

Stephen Ferguson is Librarian Emeritus, Princeton University Library. He came to Princeton in 1975 to be Curator of Rare Books, after several years of professional work at the John Carter Brown Library (Brown University) and the National Heritage Museum (Lexington, Mass.). Between 2014 and 2026, he held various posts as an Associate University Librarian at Princeton. He has degrees from Bowdoin (A.B.) and Rutgers (M.L.S.). His scholarly interests include book history, provenance research, and the history of collecting. He has taught at Drew University on the latter topic.