Some cool marketing images:
English fine binding, 17th century
Image by National Library NZ on The Commons
This elaborate goatskin binding represents the top end of the market. Many hours of work have gone into creating this ornate design and it would have been prepared either for a wealthy client, or for presentation to a person of standing. Goatskin was the most expensive of the four standard animal skins used for bookbindings and was almost always chosen for high-quality work, because of its durability, its hard, shiny and well-grained surface, and because it can be effectively dyed in a range of colours.
The binder of this volume was possibly John Houlden (d.1670), a Cambridge binder who had strong associations with the University, where this book was printed. Houlden is known to have bound books nearly every year for the University from 1637 until 1662.
This volume was formerly in the library of Lord Amherst of Hackney. It was sold at the Amherst auction on 3 December 1908, where it was purchased by the London bookseller Bernard Quaritch for £39. It was subsequently acquired by Alexander Turnbull.
Upper cover and spine of ‘The book of common prayer [bound with] Holy Bible [and] Whole book of psalms’ ([Cambridge]: Printed by Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel, 1638). fREng BIBLE 1638.
CO 1069-3-179
Image by The National Archives UK
Description: Hargeisa, Somaliland protectorate, the women’s market.
Location: Somaliland
Our Catalogue Reference: Part of CO 1069/3
This image is part of the Colonial Office photographic collection held at The National Archives, uploaded as part of the Africa Through a Lens project. Feel free to share it within the spirit of the Commons.
Our records about many of these images are limited. If you have more information about the people, places or events shown in an image, please use the comments section below. We have attempted to provide place information for the images automatically but our software may not have found the correct location.
Alternatively you could use the Suggestify tool to suggest the location of a picture.
For high quality reproductions of any item from our collection please contact our image library
Related posts: