Book cover
Alfred Crowquill
[1855]
Paper
615/16 x 5½ inches
A dramatic design for Cooper’s novel, commissioned, it seems, by the publishing firm of Richard Bentley. However, the only edition issued by this company is dated 1847, which seems too early for the work shown here. The present binding is a piece of ephemera, probably produced in the mid-50s and perhaps as late as 1860. The lurid imagery typifies the sensational excess of Yellowbacks. — Simon Cooke
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