Text Books of Ornamental Design: The Anatomy of Pattern; The Planning of Ornament; The Application of Ornament

DAY, Lewis F.

Published by B.T. Batsford, London, 1894

Third editions, three titles bound as one. Crown 8vos, illustrated with numerous b/w plates: re-cased (in original boards) by PO with new endpapers, with the three texts and their illustrations confusingly and unusually reconstructed: The Application of Ornament title page, Preface, Contents and List of Plates appears first, but its text and plates are placed in the middle of The Planning of Ornament; lacks the first plate from The Anatomy of Pattern, 'The Construction of Gothic Tracery Patterns'; pages and illustration lists renumbered in pencil by PO. Original red cloth, gilt lettering and decoration. Bevelled edges. Gilt top edge. New green endpapers. Wear and bruising to extremities, a little rubbed and scored, light patch to front board. Spotting to fore-edge, some foxing, occasional grubby finger marks and offsetting; spine cracked in a couple of places, but binding holding firm. PO has numbered pages and plates in pencil throughout. Else, pleasingly clean and bright. An unusual, bespoke, textually reconstructed version of the third edition of Lewis Foreman Day's Text Books of Ornamental Design, comprising The Anatomy of Pattern, The Planning of Ornament and The Application of Ornament, "handsomely bound in one volume," according to the advert, and originally priced at 10s. 6d. (but now with an odd formation/ pagination, very much to the taste of the previous owner). Lewis Foreman Day (1845 1910) was "one of the major design reformers" of the late C19th with a concerted independence of mind, who "remained critical of some areas of the practice and philosophy of the Aesthetics and the Arts and Crafts Movements" (Rycroft, 1992). Day's work, including wallpaper, stained glass and book designs, is well represented in the V&A. Elizabeth Rycroft (1992) 'Lewis Foreman Day (1845-1910) and the Society of Arts,' RSA Journal, 140: 5428. Seller Inventory # 1540

Bibliographic Details

Title: Text Books of Ornamental Design: The Anatomy...
Publisher: B.T. Batsford, London
Publication Date: 1894
Binding: Soft cover