Bindings by visual style

Here are all of the bindings grouped by similar characteristics in design...

By Colors
Edge Decoration
Separated at birth?
Imitation and flattery

Separated at birth?

Here are bindings that are unsigned, which share remarkable similarities in their overall design - too many similarities, perhaps, to be just chalked up to coincidence!

These two sets of books use the same type of blue marbled paper, as well as the same design incorporating vellum spines and corners, with the leather spine labels done in a contrasting color.

Sorted by Colors!

Here are some bindings grouped by their dominant colors.

Decorated Textblock Edges

Edge decoration of "Tracts in prose and verse"

Marbled edges on textblock and tooling on board edges

Detail of edge decoration and leather grain

Front endpapers and marbled edges of "The crock of gold"

Detail of edge decoration and tooling on boards

Edge decoration and tooling on board edges of "A journal of the Swedish embassy"

Detail of tooling on board edges, and marbled textblock edges

Edge decoration and endpapers of "A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology"

Binding of "History of the later Roman commonwealth"

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

Sometimes a binder would imitate an earlier style, because it was stylish, or it was the wish of their customers. Imitation materials were also used, such as paper that imitated marbled leather, or cloth that imitated morocco grained leather.