A monogrammed leather book

Do you get as excited as I do when I am faced with a beautiful book? As much as I love  the convenience of reading on a Kindle or such likes, there is something really enduring about holding a beautiful old book in your hands & appreciating it for the history it represents.

While browsing in the pretty Shropshire town of Ludlow, we found a real gem in an antique shop.

My friend saw a monogrammed leather book on a shelf with her initials on it [E H] and we both knew that it was going home with her.

On opening the cover, there was a note in the front about Copperplate poems that had been copied.

As a teacher, I have taught hundreds of students to write so can appreciate the tremendous effort required for handwriting of such beauty.

The slant & pressure is so beautiful - I could visualise a young lady working on this with none of the distractions we have today! Many took great pride in learning to write so beautifully, as a mark of accomplishment.

1824 - so much history has passed since then …..

The pages are all on beautiful watermarked paper which was later bound into this leather book.

How absolutely beautiful is this precise writing with its beautiful slant ….

Tranquillity indeed ….

I admit to doing full cursive handwriting when unhurried & I do my D the same way ...

 There are several different handwritings / hands in this collection of poems & notes & it is interesting to see the different styles of work

May 1859 - neat & elegant handwriting

1862 .... of the International Exhibition ...

Some German poems

Beautiful firm writing with good upstrokes ....

To love our enemies ...

Yet another hand ... not as bold as before with long strokes & beautiful curves

To the Mocking Bird ….

The binders where the notes were bound into their tooled leather book ...

 It is hard not to be envious of such beautiful handwriting & such a lovely book. It is a rare find to have a monogrammed book of such age & I am still on the lookout for one with my initials D S, in the meantime I continue to appreciate & enjoy my many leather books, appreciating their workmanship & beauty. They take pride of place on my bookshelves ...

Please tell me I am not the only book hoarder about? Do you still buy new books or own beautiful old ones?

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed this book as much as I have. Leave a comment so I know you have visited.

Dee ~♥~