Cloth binding for Gray’s ‘Silverpoints’

Charles Ricketts

1893

Cloth with gilt overlays

8½ x 4½ inches

The radical aspect of this design and of the book as a whole is its narrow shape - a format repeated within in the treatment of the text, which is surrounded by a wide margin. Ricketts's pattern epitomizes the minimalism of his Art Nouveau design. As in other books, the title is consigned to a small area, privileging the decorative effect of the gilt motifs and conveying the idea of the book as art rather than literature. Perhaps Ricketts's most delicate work, and certainly his most famous and prized.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

  • Art Nouveau

    • Photograph and text by Simon Cooke

    Reproduced by kind permission of Edward Nudelman [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]