About this Item
The Course of Time. A Poem. By Robert Pollock. Illustrated Edition. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1857. 359 p, fine decorated signed binding by John Sliegh measures 9 x 6.25?, 8vo.
In good condition. Boards normally scuffed at edges and worn/bumped at corners. Top edges of both boards bumped with some soiling at top edges. Head and tail of spine bumped; hinges creased. Gilt lettering and deco overall bright and clean; all edges of text-block gilt. Pencil marginalia on paste-downs and end-pages. Normal toning in margins; some light off-setting around plates. Binder's ticket found on bottom edge of rear paste-down: "Bound by Edmonds & Remnants London". Binding intact. Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing.
Featuring in accounts by Pantazzi, Ball and King, John Sliegh designed elaborate covers for Christmas gift books, creating outstanding examples of the extravagant, flamboyant style that characterizes the genre. His covers were issued in a variety of colors, from crimson to navy blue and are heavily embellished with gilt. Intended to be as eye-catching as possible, they set out to attract the mid-Victorian buyer and create a moment of excitement when the recipient unwrapped the books on Christmas morning. Unlike many practitioners of the period, Sliegh identified his work, signing his bindings with a tiny gilt monogram as the creation of ?IS?, with the ?S? encircling the ?I? in the manner of Roman insignia.
His status in his own time was considerable, gaining a position, as Pantazzi has shown, as one of the most important cover designers of the period. His rivals were John Leighton, W. H. Rogers, Robert Dudley and Albert Warren. Sliegh?s approach is nevertheless quite distinct from those of others in the field, and is generally characterized by its extreme geometry. Devoid of humor ? often found in Leighton?s designs ? or narrative anecdote and prefiguration, Sliegh?s bindings have a formal purity which is calculated rather than playful. In Sliegh?s work the composition is purely decorative; though it includes a cluster of ivy-like forms surrounding the central panel, the treatment is far from naturalistic and is placed only as part of a decorative arrangement.
COLI1857ADKX - 03/26 - HK3463.
Seller Inventory # COLI1857ADKX
Contact seller
Report this item
