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Three very scarce years of the British Almanac, a comprehensive calendar of each year. Three volumes of 'The British Almanac', each bound with their companion volume, complete as six volumes bound in three.Issued by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, a London-based society founded in 1826 with the object of publishing works for those unable to obtain a formal education, or who preferred to self-educate.Each annual almanac contained a calendar of remarkable days, anniversaries of great events and the births and deaths of eminent men, astronomical facts, a table of the duration of sunlight and moonlight, directions for the management of a farm, and of a garden and orchard, and more.This set contains the alamancs for the years 1851, 1864, and 1865, all very scarce. 1864 is of interest as it was a leap year.With the occasional full-paged and in-text engraving.Eight pages of adverts to the front of 1851, and fifteen to the rear. Twelve pages of adverts to the front of 1864, and twenty-four to the rear. Eight pages of adverts to the front of 1865, and twenty-six to the rear.Label to the recto of the front endpaper of 1864 and 1865 "Deaccessioned from Sir John Soane's Museum staff library 2018". John Soane was an eminent architect, who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. His best-known work was the Bank of England, his work there now being largely destroyed, and for the Sir John Soane's Museum, which is housed in his former home and office in Lincoln's Inn Fields. The museum is described as "one of the most complex, intricate, and ingenious series of interiors ever conceived". In the original publisher's cloth binding. Externally, generally smart. Light bumping to the head and tail of the spines and to the extremities. Spine of 1851 is discoloured, with small tears to the head of the joints. Loss to the head of the front board of 1865. Light marks to the cloth, heavier to 1851. Front hinge is 1851 is starting. Ink inscription to the front paste down of 1851, and a bookseller's label to the rear paste down. Institutional label to the front paste downs of 1864 and 1865. Internally, 1864 and 1865 are firmly bound, whereas 1851 is generally firmly bound. Pages of 1864 and 1865 are bright and clean, whereas the pages of 1851 are lightly age-toned with scattered spots with a few pencil marks. Ink inscription to the head of the first page of adverts to 1851. Good.
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