The Rainbow 1847

Albany, New York: A.L. Harrison. New-York, Bell and Gould, 1847. First edition, first state. Engraved title-page and 9 engraved plates. viii, [i], 272 pp. 8vo. Publisher's cream calf, covers blocked in gilt, stencilled ornaments in green, red and brown paint in imitation of colored onlays, spine with circular black onlay stamped “1847”, spine ends stamped in gilt, “A.L. Harrison, Binders. Patent Stereographic Binding,” a.e.g, glazed decorative endpapers, light toning to spine, minor wear at top of spine. Provenance: Anthony David Estill (booklabel). Housed in a cloth box. First edition, first state. Engraved title-page and 9 engraved plates. viii, [i], 272 pp. 8vo. A publisher’s-bound gift book collecting works of William Gilmore Simms, Park Benjamin, James T. Fields and others. “The Rainbow” was first published in 1847 (as here) with the remainders being reissued again the following year with all the dates cleverly changed to read 1848 (BAL’s second state). The publisher’s binding, produced by A.L. Harrison’s “Patent Stereographic” process, involves the mechanical application of paint to mimic the look of colored onlays. The light colored calf is generally susceptible to discoloration. The present example is the nicest we have ever handled. BAL 1027; Faxon 676; Maser, Bookbinding in America 47 (“This binding is unusally successful from a technical point of view”); Andrews, Bibliopegy in the United States, p. 116; Miller, Books Will Speak Plain p. 195 Fig. 4.13b-d