Cloth casing, with a gilt device.
An unsigned original design by Charles Altamont Doyle.
[1859].
Elaborate gilt device and rustic title imprinted on smooth-textured red cloth.
7½ x 5½ inches
A flamboyant design, unsigned, but clearly by Doyle; the pictorial title-page is a variant. Charles’s style resembles that of his brother Richard, although his art is probably more-dream-like than the imagery of the more famous Doyle. This clever binding adds an allure, also supported by the illustrations, which is otherwise lacking from the leaden text.
[Click on image to enlarge it.]
Photograph and text by Simon Cooke