RECENT ACQUISITIONS

ENGLISH B O O K B I N D I N G S : ADDITIONS TO THECOLLECTIONS I975-1985

Philippa Marks

D U R I N G the ten years from 1975 to 1985,the Library has been fortunate in obtainingthrough purchase or gift several particularlyinteresting English bookbindings dating fromthe fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

Although much valuable research has beencarried out in the field of fifteenth-centuryEnghsh binding, there are few hard facts. It ispossible to discover the names of binders, butwhen they are known, it is often very difficultto connect them with particular bindings. Newevidence frequently tends to cast doubt onearlier conclusions without always providingnew solutions. It is therefore important togather together as many examples of book-binding as possible for comparison and study.During the period 1975 to 1985, the BritishLibrary acquired eight blind-tooled calfbindings dating from the last quarter of thefifteenth century.

The Library's collection of the work of theCaxton Binder^ has been considerably streng-thened by the acquisition of Reuchlin'sVocabularius (Basel, 1481) (IB 37262A: BMCiii, 746) and St Augustine's Confessiones(Cologne, 1482) (IA 3841: BMC i, 241). Thetwo blind-tooled brown calf bindings are inexcellent condition. The tools used, in par-ticular the fleur-de-lis tool, show that bothbindings belong to group A as identified byHoward Nixon.^ The identity of the binder hasgiven rise to much debate. Graham Pollardpostulated a Jacobus Bookbynder who leasedthe premises next door to Caxton's shop close

to Westminster Abbey,^ but Howard Nixonoverturned this theory. All we can say withsome confidence is that this binder worked atWestminster until 1511, and that he bound forCaxton and for Wynkyn de Worde.'*

London was not the only important book-binding centre in England during the lastquarter of the fifteenth century. There wereseveral shops in Oxford, including the Roodand Hunt bindery, where a copy of JohnLathbury's Liber moralium ([Oxford], 1482)(IB 55317A: STC 15297) was bound. This waspurchased by the Library in 1979. The binding(fig. i) is only slightly worn and the bhnd-tooled decoration is still clearly visible. Thetooling is especially lively, featuring twocockerels squaring up for a fight, a double-headed eagle and a hump-backed two-headedmonster. Graham Pollard thought that Roodand Hunt bindings were only produced be-tween 1478 and 1482.^ These dates areappropriate for Nicholas Bokebynder whobound for Oriel and Magdalen Colleges.Pollard believed that Bokebynder left Oxfordin 1483. Mirjam Foot has cast doubt onPollard's identification, citing a Rood andHunt binding owned by Stonyhurst Collegemade in i486 or later.'' Therefore, eitherBokebynder left Oxford in 1483 'taking histools with him'" and produced the Stonyhurstbinding elsewhere, or someone else is re-sponsible for the Rood and Hunt bindings.

Cambridge developed as a centre of thebookbinding trade slightly later than Oxford.

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The Demon Binder was one of the earliestbinders established there, working from about1473 to 1497. The Library has acquired anexample of his binding^ which features thedemon stamp after which he was named byG. D. Hobson.* Four other tools noted byHobson^" are also included in the design,which is characteristic of the Demon Binder'swork. The study of Cambridge binders ishampered by the fact that tools seem to havepassed on occasion from shop to shop. J. B.Oldham noted that the Lattice Binder (whoworked in Cambridge from 1485 to 1511), theHeavy Binder and the Monster Binder hadtools in common and they also used toolsowned earlier by the Unicorn Binder.^^ Therecent acquisition of two works from the LatticeBinder's shop, a Homeliarius Doctorum (Nurem-berg, 1494) (IB 7480A: BMC ii, 439) and onevolume of Gerson'sO/»^rtf(Strasburg, 1494) (IB2178A: BMC i, 153), has done little to simplifymatters. The Homeliarius Doctorum features anunrecorded tool of a large bird attacking a smallanimal, perhaps a fox;̂ ^ Oldham's tool 88;^^and the initial letters R and L. The binding isunrestored and the tooling is reasonably clear.Unfortunately, this is not the case with theGerson, where the binding is worn and thetooling cannot be identified with any con-fidence. Oldham's tools 84 and 995^* arepossibly part of the design.

The binding on a Biblia Lattna (Basle, 1498)(C. 129. mm. 2: IB 378952A: BMC iii, 791/2)by the Huntsman Binder is significant bothfor its recorded and unrecorded tools. The'remarkably well designed and cut stamp of ahuntsman' described by Oldham^^ which gavethis binder his name is repeated fourteen timeson each cover. The design also includesOldham's tool 334^* and two unrecorded half-lattice tools. Ten bindings have been ascribedto the Huntsman Binder,^' who seems to havebeen working from about 1477 to 1498, perhapsin London.

The tooling on a newly acquired work by the

Fishtail Binder covering Dionysius Cato, Dis-ticha de moribus (Deventer, [c. 1492-1500])(IA 4755: GW 6293) and other tracts^^ is alsoparticularly interesting (fig. 2). 'The smallsquare tool of an aquatic creature with a forkedtail' described by Nixon^^ features prominentlytogether with a foliage stamp and a curious toolfeaturing a hump-backed monster biting a headthat has unexpectedly sprouted on its owntail.̂ ** Characteristically of this binder, thedesigns on the upper and lower covers differ.The imprints of the books bound in this shoprange from circa 1473 to circa 1500, andnineteen or twenty bindings are known. Pollardtentatively identified this binder with theOxford bookbinder and University Stationer,Christopher Coke,^^ who died in 1501. MirjamFoot noted that the Fishtail Binder may havehad a connection with an Oxford binderyspecializing in imitation Romanesque designs,possibly making use of two of this bindery's

A notable example of sixteenth-centurygold-tooled binding is to be found on M. A.S^btiMco's Le Hist one Vimtiane {Venice, 1554)(C. 183. a. 25). It was bound for RobertDudley, Earl of Leicester, who has beendescribed as the 'most active non-royal patronof English bookbinders'.^^ It seems likely thatthe book was bound circa 1560 at the same timeas other Italian works purchased by Dudley,and all share a standard library-style binding.Nixon attributed this binding to the Framegroup^* (so called due to the use of a two-lineframe in the decoration). The design alsofeatures corner fleurons, Dudley's large ar-morial badge depicting a chained bear with aragged staff and a crescent (a mark of cadencyindicating that Dudley was the second son),and small corner tools. Dudley's library con-tained examples from the major binderies ofthe day. As well as commissioning workhimself, Dudley also received fine bindings asgifts. Dudley owned six books bound by theMacDurnan Gospels Binder, whose tools can

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also be found on a Book of Common Prayer(London, 1615) [bound with] The Whole Bookeof Psalmes (London, 1615) acquired by theLibrary in 1982.̂ ^

The MacDurnan Gospels bindery was activefrom about 1567 and takes its name from theninth-century Gospels of Maelbright Mac-Durnan, which it rebound for Matthew Parker,Archbishop of Canterbury. The Library'snewly acquired book was bound for Charles Iwhen he was Prince of Wales, and his badgeforms the centrepiece of the design (fig. 3). TheMacDurnan Gospels Binder probably died inthe late 1580s. Who then was responsible forthis binding, which cannot have been producedbefore r6i5, the date of publication of thebook.' Mirjam Foot"^ has suggested that theroyal bookbinder John Bateman acquired thetools of the MacDurnan Gospels Binder. Thebinding on the Book of Common Prayer featurestools which link both binders. Bindings madefor Charles as Prince of Wales are relativelyuncommon, the great book collector of thefamily being his elder brother Henry, Prince ofWales, who died in 1612. The binding is ingood condition and the design is elaborate,with large corner blocks, small floral andfoliage tools, and a semis of gold-tooled dots.

Another recent acquisition also has a Stuartprovenance. William Stranguage's The Historieof the Life and Death of Mary Stuart Queene ofScotland (London, 1624) (C.i83.b.4) hasbeen bound in brown calf and tooled in gold toa standard centre- and corner-piece designfeaturing the Stuart royal arms as used duringthe reign of James I, to whom the book isdedicated. The work is characteristic of bind-ings to be found in James I's library, many ofwhich are presentation copies and tend to beconservative in style. The new acquisition isparticularly welcome since it will be rejoiningthe many other books from James's librarywhich were donated in 1757 as part of the OldRoyal Library.

The Library's collection of English Res-

toration bindings is extensive, but a welcomeaddition has been a binding by the Queens'Binder B, A Manual of Godly Prayers(Antwerp, 1671) (C. 183 .a. 29). G. D.Hobson^' identified twenty-eight bindingswhich he attributed to the Queens' Binder, socalled because he worked for both Catherine ofBraganza and Mary of Modena, the wives ofCharles II and James II. Later research^** hasestablished that four workshops were respon-sible for these bindings, now re-named theQueens' Binders A, B, C and D. The Queens'Binder B, working in the 1670s, producedbindings of an exceptionally high standard.Samuel Pepys, known for his love of finebindings, owned three examples of his work.^^The Library's new acquisition (fig. 4) has beenbound with the same care. It features the floralfore-edge decoration, gilt, gauffered andpainted, which is characteristic of this binderbut unusual for the time. The floral theme isreflected on the covers, which display drawer-handle tools on a black-painted background.

In 1984 the Library purchased an enamelledbinding covering a copy of the LondonAlmanack for the Year of Christ 1783(C. 183 .c. 19). Enamelled trinkets known as'toys' were very popular in the eighteenthcentury, first as the preserve of the rich, thenreaching a wider market as new techniquesfacilitated mass production. They were nor-mally small domestic or personal items suchas snuff-boxes, patch-boxes and medallions.Enamelled bookbindings were rare, althoughetuis were often made in the shape of books.'*"The decoration on enamelled objects was oftencopied from pattern books and was thenpainted directly onto the surface or printedusing a transfer process. The colours on thealmanack are particularly bright. The uppercover (fig. 5) depicts a flying female figure(Venus .̂ ) presenting a suit of armour to aclassical warrior (Aeneas?), a common dec-orative subject. The painting on the lowercover, a landscape with classical ruins, is less

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skilful and may be the work of another artist. ̂ ^The edges of the almanack are gilt and thecopper mounting of the spine has been tooledwith a floral design. The centres of theenamelling industry in England were London,Birmingham, South Staffordshire, and Liver-pool. It seems likely that the binding of theLibrary's almanack was made in Birminghamor Bilston.^^

Roger Payne (1738-97) is perhaps the bestknown bookbinder of the eighteenth centuryand was celebrated both during his lifetime andafter his death. An obituary in the Gentleman''sMagazine remarked that Payne 'lived withouta rival and, we fear, has died without asuccessor'.^^ In 1978 the Library purchased acopy of Thomas Fuller, The History of theWorthies of England (London, 1662), bound byPayne in 1796 which is typical of his work atthat time.^* The book, bound in brown russia,features a design comprising small tools withan elaborately worked spine. The decoration isof particular interest because Payne mistook hisinstructions and bound the book to therequirements of another client. Sir RichardColt Hoare. A letter from Payne to his patronThomas Payne the bookseller, explaining theerror, accompanies the Fuller binding. Paynerefers to the design for a set of works by SirWilliam Dugdale, one of which. The History ofImbanking and Drayning of Divers Fenns andMarshes (London, 1662), came to the Libraryas part of the Henry Davis gift.̂ ^

Thomas Gosden (i 780-1840) who boundthe Library's recently acquired copy of JohnLawrence's The History and Delineation of theHorse (London, 1809) (C.183.C.11) did notdevote himself entirely to bookbinding. He wasalso a book and print seller, a publisher and anartist and engraver. He named his shop at 18Bedford Street, Covent Garden, 'The Sports-man's Repository',^^ reflecting his enthusiasmfor hunting and field sports. The binding on

the John Lawrence is of gold and blind-tooledbrown calf, and the design, featuring horse-and-jockey and hunting-horn tools, compli-ments the subject of the book whilst indulgingGosden's own taste for the sport. The horse-and-jockey tool repeated four times on eachcover may have been copied from a painting byGeorge Stubbs^^ of the Prince of Wales's horseBaronet and its jockey Samuel Chifney Snr.^^The figure of the Greek goddess of health,Hygeia, with a serpent and cockerel, forms thecentrepiece of the design. Unfortunately,Gosden did not turn his versatility to financialadvantage, and he had to sell off his stock ofprints in 1825.̂ ^ However, he continued hisbookbinding business until his death.

The Library's two-volume set of The HolyBible (London, 1817) (C.i29.m.9) has aninteresting provenance. A manuscript noteindicates that Queen Caroline (i 768-1821),wife of George IV, presented the work toWilliam Austin in 1820. After the birth of herdaughter. Princess Charlotte Augusta, in 1796,Caroline was banished from court by herhusband. Always fond of children, she devotedherself to several young proteges, includingWilliam Austin. It was rumoured that Austinwas really Caroline's son, but a commission ofinvestigation in 1806 repudiated the charge.**"The Bible is bound in red morocco, tooled ingold and blind to a panel design with decorativeborders and a centrepiece made up of straightlines, floral and ornamental tools (fig. 6).

The area of English twentieth centurybinding has not been neglected. The HenryDavis gift, which came to the Library in 1977,contained several post-war bindings includingwork by Katherine Adams, Sybil Pye, PhilipSmith and Bernard Middleton,*^ but a col-lection such as the British Library's can neverbe complete and much work remains to bedone.

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1 First identified by G. D. Hobson in EnglishBinding before 1500 (Cambridge, 1929), pp.19-20.

2 H. M. Nixon, 'William Caxton and bookbind-ing', Journa/ of the Printing Historical Society, xi(1976-7), pp. 92-113-

3 G. Pollard, 'The names of some Englishfifteenth-century binders'. The Library, series 5,XXV (1970), pp. 205-6 (quoted as Pollard,'Names').

4 H. M. Nixon, 'Caxton, his contemporaries andsuccessors in the book trade from Westminsterdocuments'. The Library, series 5, xxxi (Dec.1976), pp. 305-6.

5 Pollard, 'Names', p. 209.6 M. M. Foot, 'English decorated bookbindings',

in J. Griffiths & D. Pearsall (eds.). Book Pro-duction and Publishing in Britain 1375-1475,(Cambridge, 1989), pp. 77-8 (quoted as Foot,'English decorated bookbindings').

7 Pollard, 'Names', loc. cit.8 The binding covers Boethius, De consolatione

philosophiae (Cologne, 1488), (IB 3600: GofF B783); Pseudo-Boeth'ms, De disciplina scholarium(Louvain, 1485) (IB 49177a: BMC ix, 143);J. Versor, Quaestiones super libros EthicorumAristotelis (Cologne, 1494) (IB 4880: Goff V256).

9 G. D. Hobson, Bindings in Cambridge Libraries(Cambridge, 1929), pp. 38-9 (quoted as Hobson,Cambridge).

10 The tools are nos. 112-15 ^nd 118 on pi. xiv ofJ. B. Oldham's English Blind Stamped Bindings(Cambridge, 1952), (quoted as Oldham, EBSB).

11 J. B. Oldham, Shrewsbury School Bindings(Oxford, 1943), pp. 7-12.

12 This is illustrated as no. 7 on pi. 8 of Foot,'English decorated bookbindings'.

13 Oldham, EBSB, pi. xi no. 88.14 Illustrated in Oldham, EBSB, pi. xi and pi. lviii.15 J. B. Oldham, 'English fifteenth century bind-

ing', in Festschrift Ernest Kyriss (Stuttgart,1961), p. 166.

16 Idem, EBSB, pi. xxv.17 Ibid., p. 30, n. 7.18 These tracts are Hain 14635, Copinger 5229,

Hain 224, and GW 10071.19 H. M. Nixon, Eive Centuries of English Book-

binding (London, 1978), p. 18 (quoted as Nixon,Five Centuries).

20 These tools are numbers 160, 162 and 161 on pi.xviii of Oldham, EBSB.

21 Pollard, 'Names', p. 210.22 Foot, 'English decorated bookbindings', p. 71,

also pi. 8 nos. i, 2, 3-5.23 H. M. Nixon, Five Centuries, p. 44.24 H. M. Nixon, 'Elizabethan gold-tooled bind-

ings', in Essays in Honour of Victor Scholderer(Mainz, 1970), p. 228.

25 C. 183.a. 18.26 M. M. Foot, The Henry Davis Gift, vol. i

(London, 1978), pp. 40-3.27 Hobson, Cambridge, p. 144.28 H. M. Nixon, English Restoration Bookbindings

(London, 1974), pp. 32-7.29 Idem, Catalogue of the Pepys Library at Mag-

dalene College, Cambridge (Cambridge, 1984),pis. 44, 45 (P.L. 1603, 15, 16).

30 See T. & B. Hughes, English Painted Enamels(Feltham, 1967), p. 71, pi. 35, for an example.

31 I am grateful to Miss Erica Speel for thisinformation.

32 I am grateful to Mr N. Poole-Wilson and MrR. Williams for this information.

33 Gentleman^s Magazine, Dec. 1797, pp. 1070—2.34 For a detailed discussion, see M. M. Foot, 'A

binding by Roger Payne, 1796', in Book Col-lector, xxvii (1978), pp. 534-5.

35 P. 1543. M. M. Foot, The Henry Davis Gift, vol.ii (London, 1983), no. 194.

36 G. D. Hobson (ed.), English Bindings I4go-ig4oin the Library of J. R. Abbey (London, 1940), p.150.

37 For a reproduction of the painting, see S. A.Walker, Sporting Art (London, 1972), pi. 62.

38 I am grateful to Mr Christopher Lennox-Boydfor this information.

39 A. N. L. Munby, 'Notes on Thomas Gosden',Book Collector, xxiv (1975), pp. 13-16.

40 See ' The BOOKV or, the inquiry into the Conductof the Princess of Wales (London, 1813).

41 For a detailed description, see M. M. Foot, TheHenry Davis Gift, vol. ii, pp. 271-93; see also.Idem, ' Modern bookbindings added to theDepartment of Printed Books, 1974-1983',British Library Journal, x (1984), pp. 68-82.

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