Book bindings

Many volumes in the special collections bear interesting bindings in a variety of materials. These give an insight into the history of each book, perhaps providing an indication as to when, where, and even by whom, an item was bound, and possibly also who it might have been owned by. The following is a, by no means exhaustive, selection of some of the more interesting bindings in the collections arranged by the type of material used in their construction, and the type of decoration applied to that material.

If you would like to see any of the early printed books or manuscripts mentioned in the index, please contact the Special Collections Librarian (tel. 01223-339393).

Calfskin - Blind-tooled

15th c. English blind-stamped calf (Scales Binder; with scored rebus of William Langton).
15th c. English blind-stamped calf (Scales Binder).
15th c. German blind-stamped calf (Nuremberg, for Anton Koberger, with title).
15th c. English blind-stamped calf (ornaments owned by the Floral Binder).
15th/16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, RO.11 & REL.13, unique example).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, HE.3 & HE.4).
16th c. blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - acorn design & four saints).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, HE.26 & RO.21, by John Reynes?).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, BIB.16 & BIB.1, by Andrew Ruwe).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (rolls of Garret Godfrey - Oldham, AN.f1 & DI.a1).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (rolls of Nicholas Spierinck - Oldham, AN.f2 & DI.a2).

16th c. French (?) blind-stamped calf (panel stamp with double-headed eagle).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, BIB.17 & ST.9, by John Reynes).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamp - Oldham, TRIP.9).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, HE.26 & RO.21, by John Reynes?).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, HM.7 & HM.8, by T.P.).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (rolls of John Reynes - Oldham, An.b1; with bosses).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (panel stamps - Oldham, HM.25 & HM.26).
16th c. English blind-stamped calf (repeating motto of John Foxe).
16th c. German or Danish blind-stamped calf (with central panel depicting four Virtues).
16th c. Spanish blind-stamped calf.
17th c. English calf (produced for St John's College in Cambridge by Scarlet & Moody).

Calfskin - Gold-tooled

16th c. Italian gold-tooled calf (with knotwork decoration & gauffered edges).
16th c. French gold-tooled calf (with monograms and arms of Jean Brinon, sieur de Villaines).
16th c. French? gold-tooled calf (with author's name on front cover & medallion of Dido on rear).
16th c. French gold-tooled calf (Parisian, Grolier-style strapwork with onlays).
16th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating armorial of Elizabeth I, with original silk ties).
16th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating badge of Elizabeth I).
16th c. French gold-painted calf (Grolier-style strapwork decoration on covers & text-block).
16th c. French? gold-tooled calf (incorporating Jesuit device).
16th c. English? gold-tooled calf.
16th c. English? gold-tooled calf (centre and corner piece design incorporating the date & the initials).
16th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating brass bosses, cornerpieces & plaques bearing the name of Lady Mildred Burghley).
17th c. English calf stamped in blind and gilt (with English Royal arms and plumes of Henry, Prince of Wales).

17th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating armorial of Charles I as Duke of York).
17th c. English gold-tooled calf (with design on spine & gauffering)
17th c. English gold-tooled calf
17th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating armorial stamp of Sir Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick)
17th c. French gold-tooled calf (with repeating crowned fleur-de-lis motif).
17th c. French gold-tooled calf (with French Royal arms and repeating crowned L motif of Louis XIV).
17th c. Dutch gold-tooled calf (with gold-stamped printers' device on spine).
18th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating gold-tooled arms & monograms of Queen Anne)
18th c. English gold-tooled calf ('Cambridge'-style binding)
18th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating armorial of John Ker, Duke of Roxburghe).
19th c. English gold-tooled calf (incorporating armorial of Edward Tunno).

Morocco

15th c. Italian blind-tooled brown morocco (Venetian, with knotwork decoration).
16th? c. English gold-decorated morocco
17th? c. English gold-tooled black morocco (gauffering & book-clasps).
17th c. English gold-tooled black morocco (with design on spine).
17th c. French gold-tooled red morocco (Fanfare style).
17th c. English gold-tooled brown morocco (incorporating armorial of John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln).
17th c. English gold-tooled black morocco (by Samuel Mearne?; College name in cartouche).
17th c. English gold-tooled black morocco (by Samuel Mearne; gift from Charles II).
17th c. Italian gold-tooled brown morocco (incorporating the arms of the Chigi family).

17th c. Italian gold-tooled brown morocco (incorporating the arms of Pope Clement X; with clasps).
17th/18th c. English gold-tooled red morocco (probably by Thomas Eliot; Harleian style).
18th c. English gold-tooled red morocco.
18th c. English gold-tooled red morocco (incorporating monogram of William, Viscount Bateman).
18th c. English gold-tooled dark blue morocco (Cambridge, by Moore?).
18th c. Irish gold-tooled red morocco (with white leather onlay).
18th c. English gold-tooled red morocco (University of Oxford presentation binding).
19th c. English gold-tooled red morocco (incorporating the name of Richard Duffield).
19th c. English blind-tooled brown morocco (incorporating gilt armorial of Sir Charles Bagot).

Pigskin

16th c. German blind-tooled pigskin (incorporating panels with portraits of Luther and Melanchthon).

16th/17th c. German blind-tooled pigskin (incorporating the painted arms of Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, Prince Bishop of Wurzburg).

Vellum

16th? c. limp vellum (folded flap with brass clasp).
16th c. limp vellum (fragment of printed liturgical work in red and black).
16th c. German stiff vellum (gilt decoration incorporating a painted medallion with the arms of Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, Prince Bishop of Wurzburg).
17th c. English limp vellum (painted and gilt decoration produced in Cambridge).

17th c. English stiff vellum (marbled with gilt decoration).
18th c. Dutch stiff vellum (gold-tooling incorporating the armorial of William IV, Prince of Orange).
18th c. English stiff vellum (painted vignettes & gold-tooling produced by Edwards of Halifax, and incorporating the arms of the Maryon-Wilson family).

Textile

16th c. English embroidered red velvet (incorporating a crowned Tudor rose and the initials ER).
17th c. English embroidered binding (incorporating the arms of Charles I and the initials CR).
17th c. English embroidered binding (bearing scenes of King David & Time).

17th c. English red velvet (with silver furniture bearing the name of Mary Allott).
17th c. English green velvet (with silver mountings for Sir Thomas Dawes).

Other binding materials

17th c. English gold-tooled sheepskin (with armorial of John Williams).
17th c. English (Cambridge) stained buckskin (red, with gold-tooling, including central wheel ornament).

18th c. paper (with hand-coloured floral design).

Book furniture

16th c. English blind-stamped calf (rolls of John Reynes - Oldham, An.b1; with bosses).
16th c. brass cornerpieces and central boss.
16th c. brass cornerpieces, bosses and plaque (bearing name of Lady Mildred Burghley).

16th/17th c. label in gothic script faced with transparent horn (bearing name of Joan St. John, Viscountess Grandison).
17th c. silver clasps, cornerpieces and central plaque (bearing name of Mary Allott).
17th c. figurative silver mountings (for Sir Thomas Dawes).
17th c. Italian decorative clasps.

Fore-edge decoration

18th c. English fore-edge painting (St. John's College, Cambridge).
19th c. English fore-edge painting (Henry Kirke White, Nottingham, Newark).
19th c. English fore-edge painting (King's Parade & St John's College, Cambridge).
19th c. gauffering (incorporating the initials of Richard Duffield).
19th c. English fore-edge painting (St John's College, Cambridge).
19th c. English double fore-edge painting (Nottingham & St John's College, Cambridge).