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Plaid has always been a pattern that crosses lines. Closely associated with Scottish clan tartans, plaid material has been unearthed in Central Asian tombs from as far back as 1500 BC. The plaid shown on our Davenport journal cover was collected in France in the 1800s, but looks as though it could have come from last year's runway collection. So goes the cheeky versatility of plaid!

William Morris (1834-1896) was one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement. He embraced the ideal of craftspeople taking pride in their personal handiwork, as opposed to the dehumanizing onslaught of the Industrial Revolution's mass production techniques. He famously said that any decoration is futile when it does not remind you of something beyond itself.Morris specialized in the ancient technique of hand woodblock printing to create his textile patterns and sought inspiration for his famous repeating patterns from the natural world and the decorative artists before him. The influence of "millefleurs" tapestries, early prints of herbs and the abundance of exquisite detail in medieval art can be appreciated in his works. His evocations of antique florals and plants have become classics of the decorative arts and were an early inspiration for our journal designs, gracing our covers from the very beginning.

William Morris (1834¿1896) was one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement. He embraced the ideal of craftspeople taking pride in their personal handiwork, as opposed to the dehumanizing onslaught of the Industrial Revolution¿s mass production techniques. He famously said that any decoration is futile when it does not remind you of something beyond itself.Morris specialized in the ancient technique of hand woodblock printing to create his textile patterns and sought inspiration for his famous repeating patterns from the natural world and the decorative artists before him. The influence of ¿millefleurs¿ tapestries, early prints of herbs and the abundance of exquisite detail in medieval art can be appreciated in his works. His evocations of antique florals and plants have become classics of the decorative arts and were an early inspiration for our journal designs, gracing our covers from the very beginning.

This striking Art Deco design comes from the celebrated British bookbinder Sybil Pye (1879-1959). It was crafted to hold a collection of William Wordsworth's poems illustrated by Pye's lifelong friend Thomas Sturge Moore. Self-taught, Pye began producing her first works in the early 1900s using naturally coloured leather, before graduating to multi-coloured panels. By 1934 she was creating complex covers of up to six different inlays, and her work was regularly exhibited around the world. One of the youngest pre-First World War women binders, Pye was the only binder in England who specialized in inlaid leather bindings. With this series, we pay tribute to a pioneering woman in the art of book design.

This striking Art Deco design comes from the celebrated British bookbinder Sybil Pye (1879-1959). It was crafted to hold a collection of William Wordsworth's poems illustrated by Pye's lifelong friend Thomas Sturge Moore. Self-taught, Pye began producing her first works in the early 1900s using naturally coloured leather, before graduating to multi-coloured panels. By 1934 she was creating complex covers of up to six different inlays, and her work was regularly exhibited around the world. One of the youngest pre-First World War women binders, Pye was the only binder in England who specialized in inlaid leather bindings. With this series, we pay tribute to a pioneering woman in the art of book design.

This striking Art Deco design comes from the British bookbinder Sybil Pye (1879¿1959), heralded as one of the top female artisans of her time.Self-taught, Pye began producing her first works in the early 1900s using naturally coloured leather, before graduating to multi-coloured panels. By 1934 she was creating complex covers of up to six different inlays, and her work was regularly exhibited throughout England and around the world.This particular design was crafted to hold a collection of William Wordsworth¿s poems illustrated by Pye¿s lifelong friend Thomas Sturge Moore. Though we can¿t be sure that Pye intended to evoke the image of a lion¿s majestic head with this cover, the possibility offers an interesting connection between the binding and its original contents, as one of Wordsworth¿s poems is titled ¿Picture of Daniel in the Lions¿ Den, at Hamilton Place.¿One of the youngest pre¿First World War women binders, Pye was the only binder in England who specialized in inlaid leather bindings. With this series, we pay tribute to a pioneering woman in the art of book design.

This striking Art Deco design comes from the British bookbinder Sybil Pye (1879¿1959), heralded as one of the top female artisans of her time.Self-taught, Pye began producing her first works in the early 1900s using naturally coloured leather, before graduating to multi-coloured panels. By 1934 she was creating complex covers of up to six different inlays, and her work was regularly exhibited throughout England and around the world.This particular design was crafted to hold a collection of William Wordsworth¿s poems illustrated by Pye¿s lifelong friend Thomas Sturge Moore. Though we can¿t be sure that Pye intended to evoke the image of a lion¿s majestic head with this cover, the possibility offers an interesting connection between the binding and its original contents, as one of Wordsworth¿s poems is titled ¿Picture of Daniel in the Lions¿ Den, at Hamilton Place.¿One of the youngest pre¿First World War women binders, Pye was the only binder in England who specialized in inlaid leather bindings. With this series, we pay tribute to a pioneering woman in the art of book design.

This beautiful jewel-toned purple and gold design is a shining star of bookbinding history.Originally crafted from red morocco leather with intricate filigree and golden pointellé, the binding has been in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) since the Second Empire (1865¿1870). It was designed by an unknown Parisian atelier to hold the Pars Hiemalis (or, winter) section of the Parisian Brevarium, a book that dictated the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church throughout the church year. With such brilliant filigree work, it is easy to see why the BnF would so proudly hold it in their collection for the last two centuries.

This beautiful jewel-toned purple and gold design is a shining star of bookbinding history.Originally crafted from red morocco leather with intricate filigree and golden pointellé, the binding has been in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) since the Second Empire (1865-1870). It was designed by an unknown Parisian atelier to hold the Pars Hiemalis (or, winter) section of the Parisian Brevarium, a book that dictated the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church throughout the church year. With such brilliant filigree work, it is easy to see why the BnF would so proudly hold it in their collection for the last two centuries.

This beautiful jewel-toned purple and gold design is a shining star of bookbinding history.Originally crafted from red morocco leather with intricate filigree and golden pointellé, the binding has been in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) since the Second Empire (1865¿1870). It was designed by an unknown Parisian atelier to hold the Pars Hiemalis (or, winter) section of the Parisian Brevarium, a book that dictated the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church throughout the church year.The binding¿s contents were printed in 1645 by S. and G. Cramoisy, one of the first secular workshops given authority to print liturgical works for the Catholic Church. However, this manuscript and binding was likely produced for a book collector rather than having been used in service. With such brilliant filigree work, it is easy to see why a noted bibliophile of the era would commission the piece, and why the BnF would so proudly hold it in their collection for the last two centuries.

This glorious design comes from Sangorski & Sutcliffe, a world-renowned British bindery best known for their bejewelled cover of Omar Khayyam¿s Rubaiyat. Established in London in 1901, Sangorski & Sutcliffe quickly rose to become one of the 20th century¿s most important bookbinders. They were especially celebrated for their jewelled bindings, like the one reproduced here. Originally crafted in 1922 to house Rudyard Kipling¿s 1897 ¿Recessional¿ poem written for Queen Victoriäs Diamond Jubilee, it incorporated real turquoise, aquamarine and ruby gemstones, alongside medieval-style illumination by Alberto Sangorski and gold tooling by George Sutcliffe.

A man as tormented as he was beloved, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) overcame a life of extraordinary ups and downs to become a world-renowned playwright, author and poet.Wilde's work is fraught with the insights of a man who possessed a deep understanding of both the positives and perils of society. Criticized for what was perceived as an "effeminate nature" and oppressed by a largely homophobic world, Wilde remained resilient. He used his experiences to form brilliant, if controversial, literary works, including The Importance of Being Earnest. Today, he is remembered as one of the most influential writers of the Victorian era.

For over a century, the Cockerell and Son Bindery represented a tradition of the highest quality bookmaking. The Bindery remains especially celebrated for their unique style of paper marbling, developed by the late Sydney (Sandy) M. Cockerell.Described as a "latter-day Leonardo," Sandy Cockerell possessed not only an artist's talents, but a scientist's mind and engineer's skill as well. He took the painstaking tradition of handmade marbled papers and found a way to produce the strikingly complex designs at high speeds and volumes. We are honoured to bring one of his iconic marbled papers to our collection with this black, white and red Rubedo design.

For over a century, the Cockerell and Son Bindery represented a tradition of the highest quality bookmaking. The Bindery remains especially celebrated for their unique style of paper marbling, developed by the late Sydney (Sandy) M. Cockerell.Described as a ¿latter-day Leonardo,¿ Sandy Cockerell possessed not only an artist¿s talents, but a scientist¿s mind and engineer¿s skill as well. He took the painstaking tradition of handmade marbled papers and found a way to produce the strikingly complex designs at high speeds and volumes. We are honoured to bring one of his iconic marbled papers to our collection with this black, white and red Rubedo design.