Victorian Bookbinding Exhibit at the University of North Texas

Upon browsing through the “Patterned Covers” section of the exhibit, the viewer comes across a fine image of Charles Latrobe’s The Rambler in North America (Harper & Brothers, 1835). This volume is one example of an earlier Victorian book design that adopted the patterned cover. This method of patterning of book covers became increasingly popular through the 19th century. The cloth cover for this book is richly embossed to present a leaf like texture. (As a note, the reader can find several citations to The Rambler in North America in the AE Database.)

One significant change that occurred in the 19th century was the introduction of publisher’s bindings. The popularization of reading books encouraged the creation of specific series of books, such as began to create book series targeted to different readers. These popular series adopted specific logos and designs that were easily identifiable by readers. One such example can be seen in publisher Thomas Y. Cromwell’s two volumes Poems by Matthew Arnold (ca. 1890) and The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott (ca. 1890). Publisher’s bindings became widely used by the latter end of the 19th century.

One characteristic of Victorian era bookbinding was the use of gold lettering and painted book covers. John Charles Fremont’s Memoirs of My Life, with a Sketch of the Life of Senator Benton by Jessie Benton Fremont (Clarke & Co., 1887), which is displayed under the “Painted Covers” section of the exhibit, is one such instance. The cover to this volume is embossed with gold, the boards are beveled and the lettering is also painted with gold.

Another aspect of the Victorian era and Industrial Revolution was the western fascination with Asian culture and art. Edwin Arnold’s Japonica (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1891) is a sample of the “Japanning” Style that had become popularized in the mid to late 19th Century. The book cover for Japonica is an interesting mixture of style and image: the quintessential Victorian gilt lettering is used in conjunction with a typical Japanese-style image of a crane perched on a tree.

Finally, a most curious volume listed under the “Wood Block and Wood engraving” section there is an interesting example of one of the first “dime” novels. W. B. Lawson's Dashing Diamond Dick, Jr. in Danger, or a Queer Game at Maverick is one of a slew of cheaply produced popular fiction of that era. “Dime novels” often utilized wood engraving for the images on the book covers. In this particular book cover the scene harkens to a cheap cowboy western; yet the style of the illustration is unmistakably Victorian. The image shows a woman pointing a gun towards a man who is kneeling before her.

In summary, readers are encouraged to view “Victorian Bookbinding: Innovation and Extravagance, 1820-1910” for themselves in order to gain an understanding of the important and revolutionary changes that occurred in the world of 19th and early 20th Century bookbinding and book arts.

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Victorian Bookbinding Exhibit at the University of North Texas

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Victorian Bookbinding Exhibit at the University of North Texas

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