Binding for Gaskell's “Cranford”

Hugh Thomson, designer; signed

1891

Elaborate gilt blocking on smooth, dark green cloth.

7¼ x 4¾ inches

A simple vision of a simple rustic world – with spreading flowers and cups of tea. Domestic and reassuring, the binding announces the novel’s credentials as the perfect book for the bourgeois fireside.

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Photograph and text by Simon Cooke

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