A Christmas Wish: Mammoth Cheese on the Hearthstone

Once again Christmas has crept up on us.  We’re through the solstice turn and are in the final stretch of 2017.  

However, I’m devastated to say that I’ve never heard that Santa delivers binding images, even to the best behaved, which prompted this bitter image. 

Cover by Margaret Armstrong

To celebrate the holiday season appropriately, AmericanTrade Bindings and Beyond is pleased to offer two gifts for your enjoyment.  I must note that these images are not re-gifted; in fact, two are so new that they have not even made it onto our website.

The first is a stocking stuffer, fit to mingle with the knick-knacks, unshelled nuts, candies, fruits and, of course, the chocolate covered marshmallow Santas.  You’ll need a jumbo stocking for this one, however, as it is 610 pages and comes in a whopping 10 ½ x 8 x 1 ½ inch case.

Truman, Ben. C.  History of the World's Fair, being a complete and authentic description of the Columbian Exposition from its inception. With special articles by Geo. R. Davis, Thos. W. Palmer, Mrs. Potter Palmer, Moses P. Handy, D.H. Burnham, John Thorpe, Thomas B. Bryan, and numerous other people prominently connected with the Exposition. Profusely illustrated with engravings made from photographs and drawings of exhibits in the various departments.  Johnsons, N.Y.: Star Publishing Co., 1893.

And to make it even more enticing-- it does not have a marshmallow center; instead it contains a cheese filling!   To pique your interest, here’s a peek under the wrapper:

Our second book comes in two varieties.  Since I couldn’t choose-- here are both.

Holloway, Laura C.  The hearthstone; or, Life at home. A household manual. Containing hints and helps for home making; home furnishing; decorations; amusements; health directions; the sick-room; the nursery; the library; the laundry; etc. Together with a complete cookery book.  Beloit, Wis.: The Inter-State Publishing House, 1883.

There’s a reason for this pairing but I’m not going to reveal it until after the 25^th.  Since we’re on holiday for the rest of the month, however, you’ll have to wait until 2018.  But the revelation will certainly make the delay worthwhile as the new year promises a strange journey to premature smacking, bibles, offensive teeth, dummies, mysterious places of publication, theosophy, wandering agents, mysterious publishers, surprising uses for beef tea, and, of course, mammoth cheese.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Margaret Armstrong's Great Series; Cloth Color part 2

In the last post we began to look at cloth color as an aspect of trade binding design.  We also took a brief look at publishing practices such as the role of electrotyping in keeping books available for long periods, and “case binding” and how this method of bookbinding allowed publishers to meet increased consumer demand quickly and economically.  We examined several designs by two of the masters of trade binding design, Margaret Armstrong and Sarah Wyman Whitman, and why some books were published in differently colored cloth simultaneously--with John Greenleaf Whittier’s The Tent on the Beach issued in at least four different cloth colors.  We saw how cloth color alone can vary a design’s impact, sometimes dramatically, and how the color of the cloth used was not random, but was made by choice of the designer and/or the publisher, to serve both the design and the book buying public’s preferences.  

As promised, in this post we’ll look at the use of cloth color for “series” (or “editions”) of individual authors.  Since there will be lots of bindings to look at I’ve decided to limit myself to two Margaret Armstrong series, each of which uses the same cloth color to define the series; the different (though related) designs on each book distinguishes the individual titles.  With apologies for turning this topic into a saga, I’m now planning one or two more posts in this series.  In the next post I’ll look at one of my favorite series.  Since this one focuses on the use of one cloth color to “brand” an author, the next will examine how different cloth colors can complement designs for a single author series, by emphasizing the subject of each book.  I’ll also return to the “and beyond” in the title of our blog by discussing how we represent cloth color when we prepare descriptions for bindings in our collection.  A final post will focus on the concept of series as much as that of cloth color, with examples drawn from other Margaret Armstrong “series” in all their variety.   

It seems appropriate to let a family member begin our consideration of Margaret Armstrong’s great series.

The Ace up a Designer's Sleeve: Cloth Color part 1

For our next two posts, let’s talk about color.  Cloth color.  It’s one of the three inescapable features of trade bindings from their beginnings in 1820s England through the 1920s, and one of two that continue to this day.  The other two are cloth graining, which was seldom done after the 1910s (I’d say never but there might be some holdovers), and stamping, which today is almost completely reduced to title, author and publisher lettering on the spine.  Stamping on the covers is a topic which comes up in every post; cloth graining has made appearances in past posts and is will be covered in more detail in the future.

I’ll be breaking down my remarks on color into two parts:  in this first I’ll be considering it in the context of designs on several individual titles and how color alone can vary the impact of a design.  In a later post we’ll look at the use of cloth color in designs for “series” or “editions,” that is, series of books by individual authors with different designs on each volume, as well as series with identical designs for different titles.  In both, most examples will be taken from the work of Margaret Armstrong (1867-1944) who frequently appears in this blog.(1)  She is one of the best (many would say the best) cover designer of the late 19^th and early 20^th century, and is certainly one of the most collected, thanks to the work of Charles Gullans and John Espey. (2)