The Bookbinder: An Illustrated Journal for Binders, Librarians, and all Lovers of Books,Vols I-III [with its continuation as] The British Bookmaker: A Journal for The Book Printer - The Book Illustrator; The Book Cover Designer - The Book Binder; Librarians, and Lovers of Books Generally: Vols IV-VII

A Yorkshire bookbinder's personal copy of the whole of this important journal devoted to the craft and history of binding, published in the 1880s and 1890s. Edited by Joseph Zaehnsdorf for the first three years, the journal metamorphosed into The British Bookmaker from 1891-1893 and published 7 volumes before being absorbed into the The British Printer. These 7 volumes were owned and bound by Martin E Thorpe who trained at Leeds College of Technology in the 1950s and founded the binders Etherington Thorpe & Co. Ltd. Thorpe has bound the first six books for himself in crushed red morocco, green spine labels with gilt decoration over parchment, vellum corner tips and red marbled endpapers; each volume with a silk bookmark; Volume VII was owned by Thorpe but bound similarly after his death. Volume IV alone has marbled edges to the text block. Various pieces of ephemera relating to Thorpe's professional life are laid in including a letter from Maggs Bros Ltd, additional sheets of marbled paper matching the endpapers and Thorpe's business card. The books collate as follows: Vol I viii, pp 192 [2] Bound with full set of 26 plates plus an additional 27th plate at page ten, 'From the Library of Tommaso Maioli'. Trade adverts partially present, usually one leaf preceding each issue; rear wrapper of final issue bound in, together with advert and subscription form for subsequent issues. Numbering of supplementary pages corrected in ink to contents. Vol II viii, pp 194, xliv. 27 plates including five full-colour cloth covers. Vol III viii, pp 192, xlviii, 19 plates, bound without plate opposite p36 but with two additional plates. Vol IV The British Bookmaker, pp viii; 12 individually paginated, bound issues with monthly title pages except for the first issue, July 1890, which has the volume's general preliminaries. Illustrated throughout. Vol V iv, pp 294. Brown stain to page 80 with offsetting to plate opposite. Illustrated throughout. 12 issues, individual title pages but through paginated. Vol VI vi, pp 288 illustrated throughout including a set of samples of six mounted marbled paper. 12 issues, individual title pages but through paginated. Vol VII iv, pp 212 illustrated throughout including marbled paper samples. Closed tear to title page and contents leaf.