{"product_id":"1854-oxford-press-church-services-english-gauffered-edges","title":"1854 Oxford Press Church Services | English Gauffered Edges","description":"\u003cp\u003eChurch Services, printed by the Oxford University Press, Oxford, England.\u003cspan\u003e Sold by E. Gardner and Son at the Oxford Bible Warehouse, Paternoster Row, London. Published 1854.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis book is bound in br\u003c\/span\u003eown Morocco leather with blind-tooled line work on the front and back covers, five raised bands on the spine, brass rims around the cover board edges, a brass metal clasp closure with vines and linework details; all page edges are gold-gilt and feature an intricate motif comprised of linework and flourishes; the back endpaper is marbled. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe metal rims and clasp serve a functional purpose in addition to a decorative one. Victorian houses were heated by coal and wood, which created fluctuations in humidity that often caused thick vellum or paper pages to warp and swell. The heavy clasp kept this book tightly compressed to protect it from moisture and dust. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe page edges feature a geometric pattern called a gauffered edge. After the book block was tightly clamped and the page edges were gilded, a master binder used heated brass finishing tools to hand-stamp the delicate flourishes and linework into the gold. It was a premium feature reserved for luxury devotional or presentation books in the mid-19th century. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e103 mm W x 150 mm H, 65 mm thickness at spine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Some wear to the cover and spine; rims and clasp are tarnished; the front endpaper was replaced; a signature is missing from the front of the book block that contained flyleaf pages, the frontispiece, and the cover page; the book block is partially detached from the front cover because of the missing signature, but the mull remains intact, as does the back endpaper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Some foxing throughout. When the clasp is closed, the binding is very solid. Good condition. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease review all photos closely and reach out with any questions. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stinky Old Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62469740233091,"sku":null,"price":470.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0996\/6914\/8035\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_d0a3618c-b8da-4be0-a93d-00a6ae4ab07c.jpg?v=1787878270","url":"https:\/\/stinkyoldbooks.com\/products\/1854-oxford-press-church-services-english-gauffered-edges","provider":"Stinky Old Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}