Portion of the binding from a book titled "The International Encyclopedia of Practical Knowledge." It might have been part of a salesman's sample.
Found in "Suetonius' Lives of the Twelve Caesars" edited by H. M. Bird. Published by Argus Books, 1934.
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The International Cyclopedia might well have been a travelling-salesman sort of item. I find OCLC citations with an 1895 publication date, just before the heyday of Parnassus on Wheels.
ReplyDeleteThis particular binding looks like roan (often called "cheap sheep"), a popular choice for cut-rate binders who wanted the look of leather without spending the money to get good calf. Of course no one ever thought to feed leather bindings, so the spines regularly perished and cracked off as here.