Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (Macmillan, 1975 and 1976) Sotheran Half-Leather Binding
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel
Macmillan London Limited, reprints 1975 and 1976
Two books in attractive binding by [according to pencilled note to rear] Morrell of London, for the London bookseller Sotheran of Sackville Street.
The bookbinding firm of W. T. Morrell was established in 1861 after taking over the bindery of Charles Lewis and produced fine bindings for over a century. Changing and difficult times for many binderys in the 1960s/70s saw Morrell aligning itself with a bookseller [Henry Sotheran?] before eventually closing in the 1980s*.
Hardback – red half-leather binding with gilt title and decoration to spine, red cloth sides, page-block with top edge gilt, head and tail bands, marbled endpapers. pp [12], 177, [1] + [12], 208, [1], including b/w illustrations. 7.5 x 5 inches approx. (187mm x 125mm).
Spine a touch sunned/faded; cloth a little marked in places but mainly to front board (splash marks/loss of colour). Bookseller name stamped in ink to front free endpaper verso; a difference in paper between books with age toning greater to ‘Looking-Glass’ but otherwise pages clean throughout; [contemporary?] pencilled note to rear free endpaper recto.
Overall, showing a little light wear but otherwise a nice, clean copy – quite lovely.
£200.00
*refs. Five Hundred Years of Fine, Fancy and Frivolous Bindings (George Bayntun, 2013) & The Future of Hand Bookbinding By Sam Ellenport (The Harcourt Bindery, 1993)
