#fore-edge friday

[hdslibrary]

Functional Fore-Edges

A former owner has marked off the locations of individual titles within these bound volumes of pamphlets from the 19th century. Some markings look more functional and accurate than others, but regardless of how often these indexes were used, they suggest an owner who cared about the component parts of these volumes.

[noelcollection]

It's Fore-edge Friday!

These marbled edges come from four volumes of Bentley's Miscellany, a 19th-century English literary magazine.

Call Number: AP4 .B43

Catalog Record: https://bit.ly/3hr6Pd0

[hdslibrary]

Fore-edge Friday: Bolts of Blue?

The edges of this 18th century German work by Christian Pietist, Johann Arndt have been decorated using blue paste. We think it has an almost meteorological vibe--like rolling clouds or even lightning.

(For the lovely surprise we found inside, see our earlier post.)

Arndt, Johann. Sechs Bücher vom Wahren Christenthum … nebst dem Paradies-Gärtlein, samt Herrn D. Rambachs historischem Berichte von des sel. Arnds Person und wahrem Christenthume. Achte Auflage. Hof: Verlegts Johann Christoph Leidensrost, 1767.

[hdslibrary]

Fore-edge with Flourish

Even though we’re missing out on the Rare Books & Manuscripts Section annual conference this week, we are consoling ourselves with this beautiful discovery.

All edges on this collection of 16th century Protestant tracts have been decorated in gold, red, and black. We suspect this embellishment was not contemporary, but we have not attempted to determine the book’s fancy owner. It looks like the coats of arms would provide some clues, so if you recognize them let us know and we’ll update our records!

Winsheim, Valentin, -1592. ed.   Betbüchlin des tewren, seligen mannes, Herren Philippi Melanthonis ...  Leipzig. [1568].

[hdslibrary]

It’s Friday, We’re in Love...with this Fore-Edge!

Enjoy these gorgeous gold gauffered edges on a 16th century book of Psalms.

Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.   M. Antonii Flaminii In librvm Psalmorum breuis explanatio : adiectae sunt eiusdem authoris in Psalmos aliquot paraphrases ; item, In triginta Psalmos paraphrases, carmine ab eodem conscriptae.  Lvgdvni : Apvd Gvlielmvm Rovillivm, 1576.

[peabodywunderkammer]

Alas, poor Shakespeare, his portrait must endure it’s place upon a bowdlerized edition of his work! This beautiful double-fore-edged tome features a portrait of Shakespeare with a depiction of Anne Hathaway’s home on one side of the text block, and a be-collared Queen Elizabeth chillin’ next to Shakespeare’s birthplace on the other!

The family Shakspeare, in one volume: in which nothing is added to the original text, but those words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read in a family by Thomas Bowdler. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1863.                             

[peabodywunderkammer]

Fore-edge Friday presents: the battle between the sloop Hartford and the ironclad Manassas, April 24, 1862.  Interestingly, this painting does not adorn a book about military history or the Civil War, but rather an 1897 printing of The Golden Treasury, a collection of English poems and songs.

[peabodywunderkammer]

Old book burn! "This book is interesting by reason of its fore-edge painting." Alas, the author of The World Before the Flood (1815) would probably agree.  From the book's preface:

"The poem of The World Before the Flood is submitted to the Public with great diffidence.  The subject is unpromising; its difficulties are numerous, and the objections that might be urged against it formidable."

Okay.  We, the diffident public, are now totally committed to reading this thing!