the book collector
trated, suggesting we are dealing with an example of an altogether exceptional order. 8 The contemporary full blue-black, grained leather binding is tooled to a panel design in gilt and blind, the spine similarly in four compartments with a title panel lettered: monastery of st. werburgh . Although now tender at the joints the whole remains impressive. The pale green watered silk doublures are panelled and gilt, as are all the edges. Winstanley’s ticket with an early address at the Old Church Yard, Manchester, occupied by him between 1822 and 1824, places the production of book and binding in the closest relationship. 9 Stylistically also it is more of its time than the eigh- teenth century pastiches by him illustrated in the British Library bindings database. 10 It is tempting to speculate that this may be a binding specially commissioned by Greswell for a few exceptional copies of his poem intended for presentation. The sale catalogue of his library displays a modest interest in bindings both historical and of his own time. 11 Unfortunately, no similar examples to this have as yet been found that might confirm this conjecture. The Pforzheimer copy comes closest in that it is similarly extra-illustrated but is unfortunately dis- bound and has no apparent authorial connections. 12 The copy under consideration here could simply be the result of the anonymous recipient’s choices. That said it nonetheless neatly documents the ear- lyish and non-routine work of the provincial craftsman responsible.
8 . With eight engraved plates and a plan by James Storer from History and antiquities of the cathedral churches of Great Britain, v. 1 including Chester (1814–1819) 9 . Data from the British Book Trade Index, accessible at bbti.bodleian.ox.ac.uk 10 . Accessible at http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/bookbindings 11 . Catalogue of the valuable classical, historical, philological, and miscellaneous library, of the late Rev. W. Parr Greswell, … which will be sold … by Messrs. S. Leigh Sotheby & John Wilkinson … 1855 … Among the British binders noted by the cataloguers are Clarke, Hering, Lewis, Mackenzie, Payne and C. Smith. 12 . New York Public Library - Pforz (Greswell, W./Monastery) 1823. I am grateful to Dr. Elizabeth Denlinger, the curator, for her close examination of this copy.
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