BUBBLES FROM THE BRUNNENS OF NASSAU

Head, Sir Francis Bond writing as An Old Man

London: John Murray, 1834. Second Edition. Hardcover. Eric Quayle writes, “By 1834 the battle was won, and it was then that the first fully cloth-bound book appeared which featured pictorial covers. This was a landmark in book design, and must have caused a considerable stir in the publishing world. The idea seems to have been the brain-child of the author, the eccentric Sir Francis Bond Head (1793-1875). Bubbles from the Brunnens of Nassau was published by John Murray in 1834." Printed by William Clowes in London. Octavo: iv, 406, [2, ads] pp. with the frontispiece, a machine-process steel engraving by Burges’s Patent Paneidolon, and the ornamental title page. In the publisher's tan fine-weave polished cloth, with black-stamped ruled borders and full-cover vignette of a hiker walking across the globe while blowing bubbles on the front and rear panels; and black-stamped decorative surround and titling on the spine. All edges uncut, with crimson coated endpapers. Small period ownership inscription to the top of the ornamental title page. Subtle repair to the rear joint. The cloth is a bit toned, more so along the spine, with a minor stain to the spine heel. Provenance: from the Publishers' Bookbindings collection of Ellen K. Morris and Edward S. Levin. Item #78905

Price: $1,250.00