1880s Paroissien Romain | Golden Gauffered Star Edges

Paroissien Romain. Printed by Fonteney et Peltier, Paris, France. Published c. 1880s. French and Latin Language. 

This Roman Parishioner has lived a lot of life. It has flaws and quirks, but still looks absolutely beautiful in a bookstack - I don't know if I'm the only one, but I do think flawed books can actually be quite interesting to look at.

Bound in dark brown leather, this storied treasure has four raised bands along the spine, four brass clasp attachment plates featuring whimsical vines and leaves, all page edges are gold-gilt with an outlined gauffered star motif, the moire silk endpapers are an electric blue, turnins feature gold dentelle tooling, and there are several plates throughout. 

The page edges feature an embossed design called a gauffered edge. After the book block was tightly clamped and the page edges were sanded and gilded in gold, a master binder used heated brass finishing tools to hand-stamp the delicate golden starry design into the page edges. It was a premium feature reserved for luxury devotional or presentation books in the mid-19th century. 

92 mm W x 135 mm H. 703 pages.

Condition: Poor. This book has lived a lot of life and would be best suited to a quiet spot on a beautiful bookshelf rather than as a reading copy. 

Its front and back hinges are cracked, but the cover boards are still partially attached (it stands fine on its own). There are marks and discoloration spots on the covers and spine; the metal clasps have missing elements; the attachment plates are loose but still attached; the corners are rubbed; and the pages have foxing throughout. Despite its quirks, it looks gorgeous in a bookstack. If only it could speak. 

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