Description
Here is a beautiful The Book of Job (1897) book by the Roycrofters of East Aurora, NY, bound in full levant leather! This was a limited edition of 350, and decorated with many small paintings by one of their most talented illuminators, Minnie Gardner. Only a few of each book were bound in full levant, and Roycroft expert Robert Rust thinks it likely that this binding was created by one of their best binders, Louis Kinder. In addition to the full leather cover, the book also boasts tooled internal doublures and elaborately decorated endpapers. The book is 5” by 7 3/4”, 143 pages, with a gilt fern design on the cover which also features raised wrap-around bands on the spine. The On a High Shelf reference book says that these tooled leather Jobs were originally sold for $40. And while I can’t prove it, I suspect Wizard of Oz artist W W Denslow (who guided the illuminators during this period and liked comic art) suggested the baby with frog painting on the title page!
The book is in very good plus condition, with clean dark green leather, a strong spine, tight hinges and clean pages, with silk bookmark still attached. There are a few small scuffs or depressions to the leather and the front board is slightly bowed. A very special item for the advanced Roycroft collector!
